Gateway drug for the paddleboard crowd or mutant offspring of the kite/windsurf community?



Photo of grom in Auckland from Hot Sails Maui FB page: www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2521954587887337&set=pcb.2512681272148632&type=3&theater

Also, taking wagers on the how long until Liv Tyler's initials are mentioned.

its nothing but an 80s relic for the nostalgia crew.

Pros:
Nice to travel with
Riding swell on the foil with one looks amazing
Supposed to have lots of range

Cons:
2 leashes
Need more wind than windfoil
Slow than anything you don't paddle

They have certainly tempted the local kite and SUP guys but not really made any windsurf converts. Maybe once they are better developed and understood.

Gestalt said..

azuli said..

Gestalt said..
its nothig but an 80s relic for the nostalgia crew.

Have heard that said about the LT too

Well played, Gestalt. Well played.

Grantmac, your pro point #2 is the intriguing one. Your con #2 is my reality - not much wind.

tbwonder mentions Liv Tyler's initials in the first reply. Wasn't expecting it that soon.

I see more and more of these at Pinnaroo's. It seems to work for them, but it also seems like a lot of work.

I think it could be fun for using on a surfboard of the appropriate type with foil in certain conditions if you have the gear that said without a foil I suspect the windwing is not a great attraction. Lots of people above knocking things without even trying.

That said I would probably be happy to surf my Almond Lumberjack Noserider or Bing Pintail Lightweight without buying more toys. Simple retro things sans foil remain cool.

Gestalt said..
the naish wing surfer shows footage on 9+ foot sups.

I guess that would be fun if you own a SUP or use it on a SUP with a foil. I think the SUP using it seem like short surfboard length or in some cases the longer garden variety. I don't SUP but have tried it although Liv Tyler can sub for a SUP which many desire. That said Naish wants to stimulate sales of foils and SUPs so the wing surfer can do that for many products in the Naish line up particularly when SUP sales are on the decline or plateauing, whichever is the case. The "foil add on" seems to be the real reason for the wing surfer wing getting popular on SUPs and other foil boards given the wing existed in the 1980s and never really took off, save in the air as the Wind Weapon.

They are even more gay than kitesurfing, every time i see footage of one it reminds me of this picture

Paducah said..

Looks kooky.

Obelix said..
I see more and more of these at Pinnaroo's. It seems to work for them, but it also seems like a lot of work.

Maybe that's the attraction . Once past the initial learning phase, foiling is too darn easy to get a good workout, at least if you don't have good swell to play with.

ka43 said..
Some bloody good looking speed sailing spots there.

Are you talking about the water or the clowns outfit ?

Paducah said..
"Wingy Dingy Thingy vs WWF Comparison"
reefwarriors.wordpress.com/2019/12/10/wingy-dingy-thingy-vs-wwf-comparison/

Interesting take.

btw, past world champions wearing "clown suits"

A big vote in favor of Windfoil ... and for very good reasons starting with efficiency and safety, interesting.

I'll windsurf around wind wings any day over kiters, no wake and no strings. Traditional kiters take up way too much room.
We'd try to sail under the kite strings, close to the rider, so that he has to raise his kite up and lose power.
With wind wings, you sail close to the rider just upwind, to shadow their wind and lose power, they drop off, and you continue on.
But you didn't hear any of this stuff from me.