Vibram Five Fingers for wingfoiling.

I tried Five Fingers. I hated them. Apart from anything else, in a shore break you get sand and shell grit inside and it gets between your toes and the sides of the shoes. It's uncomfortable and can be very painful.

The soles on the Five Fingers I had were really stiff so not something that works well on a board.

I'm pretty happy with any standard surf boot. 1.5mm reef boots for warmer weather, and anything up to 5mm for winter. They have to fits properly. Stiffer boots can be worn standard size. Soft stretchy shoes need to be one or two sizes smaller. Stretched ones feel like you're wearing wet baggy socks.

I ride with my 5fingers in some areas of a lagoon that have very sharp oyster shells. I have no problem with them, I have actually worn them for about 12 years for other water sports things too. I always make sure I have a a pair. I always take a pair on any surf trip. I like that it feels like I am barefoot. I have been to a few areas in Africa where I wore them for surfing because it was sketchy what was under water.

Now that being said. Yes you can get sand in them. You also really need to try them on to get the right fit. I usually buy mine tight because they do seem to stretch slightly. I tried a winter pair years ago that were 2 or 3 mm neoprene and hated them. I only use them for warmer water. It looks like they came out with a par that has higher boot like bootie feel so that may keep the sand out better. I have not tried them so cant say.
us.vibram.com/shop/shop-all-products/mens-fivefingers/watersports/v-neop-mens-M96.html?dwvar_M96_color=Black%20%2F%20White#start=1

Another boot you may want to look at would be the solite boot. I hate the isolated big toe feel in these and cut out the separator piece. The pocket for the big toe was way too tight. But the sole on them is pretty solid.

soliteboots.com/collections/warm-water-boots

Not sure if the experience transfers for wingfoiling but I always use my 5fingers for windsurfing, best barefoot replacement. I tried split toe superfreak o'neil, and other booties, and they didn't work for me.

u.vibram.com/en/shop/fivefingers/men/kso-mens/M14.html?dwvar_M14_color=Black%20%2F%20Black#start=1
They require a little bit of practice, though, to put them on and you look really funny when you wear them
I am on my second pair. First one had neoprene liner and lasted very long, but now they don't make neoprene ones without groovy soles. In current ones KSO lining is thinner. I like them better for flexibility but probably will wear out sooner.

Hope it helps

I have few Vibram pairs and I like those just fine but not for winging usage. I had one older model that was specifically for water and the grip and reef protection was great but as mentioned previously, send etc was a big issue and so was the loss of haptic.

I recently got the Solite 5mm and I was impressed by the direct sense of the deck. Better than my 2mm booties and the fit, with the mold process, is next level.

I now regret not getting the Solite 2mm Reef booties when I purchased the 5mm. I could have use it right now.

5-fingers in sand area were not good due to sand as mentioned earlier. Cannot recommend solite. Felt great after fitting process but broke quickly. My big toe poked through. Got the impression that the squeezing into straps creates too much stress and makes the material fail after a while. If you foil strapless they should last and be quite comfortable.

I have a pair of Solite Reefs, Solite Custom Pros 2.0 3mm and Patagonia R4 (5mm)

I bought the Reefs at the beginning of the autumn, so I didn't use them much before the water temps dropped. The advice about sizing was all over the place, depending on where you read. True to size, size below etc... I bought one size below and despite remoulding them 3 times I find them sore around the toes. They feel great when they are still warm and moulding. I keep them on for ages as they cool down, but by the next morning they feel too tight. I bought the 2021 model at a discount since I could not find the 2022 in the size I wanted, so the big toe separator is bigger than on the latest models. The large big toe separator adds to the discomfort factor and causes chaffing for me.

I then bought the 3mm Custom Pros 2.0 at my actual size and they are brilliant. I've been using them nearly every day since the end of September, except for the 10, or so, sessions when the air temperature was below or near freezing and that's when I reach for the 5mm Patagonias. Water temps stay at around 9-10 C in the winter.

I use the Solite 3mm booties with the thin supplied socks, which make the boots more comfortable and also make putting on and taking off a wetsuit and booties a breeze. I mostly sup surf and I occasionally wing foil, but always without straps. Board feel is great. They are holding up well so far, but the grippy material on the soles is starting to become smooth in two different places (heel and towards the front by the transverse arch) on both boots. They still provide ample grip though.

Solite Custom Reef 2mm best ever, heat molded to your foot shape, super comfortable and stop those nasties from pricking your sole of the foot., also when kicking the foil as well.I use these all year round in the Med, but they do boots as well with a different thickness ??