Seriously considering getting into Wing Foiling. Currently ride a series of 120-140 litre SUP's in moderate 3' - 4' surf, been doing so for a number of years.
History of years of sailboarding & surfing.
I am a 6' @ 95kg, 60 y.o looking to start Wing Foil surfing (before it's too late) in 8 - 15 knot conditions. Pretty keen to gain any advice available on what set-up would suit me best. Seems a bit of a maize as to what is best to get to started without throwing the cash away on gear that doesn't suit.
I really would prefer to head down a 2nd hand path to begin with.
I live in S.A & there doesn't seem to be much on offer in the way of lessons/advice or 2nd hand gear.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Best second hand there is a 100lt board add on sea breezes from SA .the rest can be posted to you .If new then most shops will post.
Big everything. Even a 7m wing as your first wing if you have $ to buy a 5m as your second wing later on.
I didn't have enough $ at the start so got a Slingshot SUPwinder and attached to my SUP
Wow you are in a great place right now - 'cos it's so much fun to learn something new! I'm sure lots of people out here will give you lots of help and advice. Me perso I would try to borrow or try out anything you can - any friends, colleagues, acquaintances who will let you try out gear will help a lot, then go for the big brands, Armi, Axis, F-one, GoFoil, Fanatic etc and go for a big front foil around 1750 - 1850cms in surface, a 70 -75 mast will do you well as a beginner, and 85 may be better down the road but could be scary at first, and then get your sun cream and just have lots and lots of fun
For reference I'm about 100kg with wetsuit and everything. The general progression seems to be around 15 sessions or so on big everything. 6.5 or 7m wing, 2000ish cm2 foil, around 140L board. Some people try to skip this phase due to cost and thinking previous experience in other sports will help. It can work for some, but seemingly always at the cost of much slower progression. Ideally, buy 2nd hand or even rent through this phase, it goes fast. Like travel somewhere for 2 weeks if you can't rent at home. I had no access to renting or 2nd hand and started during covid so I went Gong for the board and foil, Takoon for the hand wings. 7 and 5m wings, Zuma 6ft6, 75cm alu mast, Curve xlt with the biggest fluid stab.
The next phase seems to be at least a year for most folks and so begins to be worth investing more money. At 90kg, a 5m hand wing becomes a go to in all but the lightest stuff. Around 1500cm2 foil (curve xls for example), with a smaller stab than the beginner setup. Go to an 85cm mast. Board for you around 100 to 110L, smaller will be more frustrating early but may be a long term part of your quiver if light wind is your main thing.
I went with a fanatic sky wing 105L, stuck with gong for the foils as the Fluid T series suited my level and conditions very nicely, and filled out my Takoon quiver of hand wings due to price/performance. I would recommend the 98L Indiana board for you as a long term investment here if you are willing to struggle a bit the first 5 sessions or so on it (and you aren't riding in a really thick and heavy wetsuit).
2 years on I am finally going to get a 75L board as theninertia of the big board is starting to be limiting, but keeping the 105 sky wing for light or offshore conditions. Starting to look for higher performance hand wings but no rush. Still learning about different foils so staying in the Gong world for now, can try so many different shapes and aspect ratios for relatively little money, will move on eventually but no feeling that gear is limiting my progression atm.
JGW, great that you're thinking about taking the plunge. It's a great sport for those conditions you describe.
As for a board, I think you need to consider the learning curve. If you are happy for it to be challenging (and somewhat difficult) go smaller. If you are keener to pick it up and not struggle, go bigger.
Rough rules here. Starting board volume = your weight + 10L. Are you determined and skilled? If yes, maybe add 10L. If not, Add 20-30L. Are the conditions youre going to learn in flat and easy going? Maybe don't add any extra vol? If it's choppy mushy confused conditions, add another 20-30L. So you're range of board vol could be 115 - 160L for learning. Some would say this is way too big, but I'd say it really depends on your skill level and the conditions you learn in. I've learned on a board 70L more than my weight, and am on one that's 45L more now and have been on it for a few years. Loving it. Going 10L too big doesn't massively limit your progressing curve, but 10L too small can really slow the learning curve.
Make sure the foil will suit your board. There are some manufacturers that have mast tracks way back in the board and this may not suit a forward-orientated foil. Check on this forum for compatability before you buy.
Wing size I think should be more about wingspan rather than area. I find wider wings are more difficult to pump up onto foil because the wingtips touch the water and mess up the pumping rhythm. FWIW I'm 175cm tall and prefer a wing span of 310cm or less. Unfortunately not many manufacturers display that info. As others have said, try before you buy. Get hold of a friends gear and give it a run (even on the beach) to see what it feels like.
Good luck. You're doing the right thing.
Thanks to those who shared their thoughts.
It has been great to read through your ideas. I will continue to do more research a make a commitment soon.
Just love Getting Wet.
Hanging to give it a go.
