Foil Fun

[1/2inMexico]

CdoG, sounds a bit like my struggles... but add about 14 sessions in La Ventana on a LF Foil Fish.
I am coming up to the Bay Area on my route home from Mexico on a couple weeks (hope to find Loscocco) for some more TOW.
My issue with foiling:
I'm getting very fun rides, but of only about 12 seconds before I "porpoise" either up or down. Up, being when the foil wing touches air (crash). Down being a rapid nose dive (crash). I have better success with the rear foot out of the strap and forward.
Hopefully I can find some water in your area to practice more. I am so stoked on this stuff that "normal" kiting seems bland now.
PS, I am somewhat OCD :)
Kip Wylie
Zacatecas, MX... heading north.

[reyrivera]

So, if you are a non foil rider, and come across a loose foil board in the water, how do you help rescue the foil board?

[Kyle]

I wouldn't try to rescue a foil board.

Fortunately, lost foils are less of a problem because they actually go down wind crazy fast if you lose it. I think the up-and-down motion from waves causes forward propulsion by the wings. I've been more concerned about it running away from me than my ability to body drag back upwind to catch it!

[Sonny]

CdoG, sounds a bit like my struggles... but add about 14 sessions in La Ventana on a LF Foil Fish.
I am coming up to the Bay Area on my route home from Mexico on a couple weeks (hope to find Loscocco) for some more TOW.
My issue with foiling:
I'm getting very fun rides, but of only about 12 seconds before I "porpoise" either up or down. Up, being when the foil wing touches air (crash). Down being a rapid nose dive (crash). I have better success with the rear foot out of the strap and forward.
Hopefully I can find some water in your area to practice more. I am so stoked on this stuff that "normal" kiting seems bland now.
PS, I am somewhat OCD :)
Kip Wylie
Zacatecas, MX... heading north.

If you stop by 3rd AVE on your way home, come find me and I can give some pointer.

[Aloha]

If you're at the point where you're actually smoothly "taking off" and able to foil, but are consistently porpoising for a while ... try to focus on just reaching (point of sail), and not trying to go upwind. It deletes one plane of muscle control to have to worry about (roll) while you're still getting used to the up-down (pitch) muscle memory.

If you try to foil pointed upwind you'll extend the time it takes you to learn to "maintain flight" unnecessarily. You might even get really good / consistent at porpoise riding but I'm sure that's not what you're ultimately looking to do out there

[1/2inMexico]

If you're at the point where you're actually smoothly "taking off" and able to foil, but are consistently porpoising for a while ... try to focus on just reaching (point of sail), and not trying to go upwind. It deletes one plane of muscle control to have to worry about (roll) while you're still getting used to the up-down (pitch) muscle memory.

If you try to foil pointed upwind you'll extend the time it takes you to learn to "maintain flight" unnecessarily. You might even get really good / consistent at porpoise riding but I'm sure that's not what you're ultimately looking to do out there

Thank You! I believe this is precisely what's going wrong. I notice if I pick a spot way in the distance (like a lighthouse) that is definitely a "reach" and focus focus focus... my rides go better. After 20+ years of windsurfing, and 9 years of kiteboarding, it's strange to force myself to not point upwind.

[Sonny]

The other thing is also to be more balanced on your board. When I first learned to foil, I forced myself to put more weight on the front foot.

[Loscocco]

If you're at the point where you're actually smoothly "taking off" and able to foil, but are consistently porpoising for a while ... try to focus on just reaching (point of sail), and not trying to go upwind. It deletes one plane of muscle control to have to worry about (roll) while you're still getting used to the up-down (pitch) muscle memory.

If you try to foil pointed upwind you'll extend the time it takes you to learn to "maintain flight" unnecessarily. You might even get really good / consistent at porpoise riding but I'm sure that's not what you're ultimately looking to do out there

Thank You! I believe this is precisely what's going wrong. I notice if I pick a spot way in the distance (like a lighthouse) that is definitely a "reach" and focus focus focus... my rides go better. After 20+ years of windsurfing, and 9 years of kiteboarding, it's strange to force myself to not point upwind.

when you are at that stage and you tend to be looking down at the nose of the foil or the water just ahead to see how high you are out of the water... try looking at the horizon.

I know its counter intuitive but mentally for some reason your brain can't tell how high you are or adjust when looking straight down.

Try to keep your head steady look about 100 ft or more ahead of you as you would normally kiting.
Don't go too much upwind or downwind but try for a reach to a gentle upwind angle.

Don't try to muscle the foil or fight it.. it requires finesse and trying to overpower the foil won't help

other than that i think it just requires your legs and brain to get the muscle memory of what angle the foil is at and give it quick but subtle input back.

Good luck!!

[ozchrisb]

Also have someone who can foil ride your setup and see if the foot straps are in a sane place. I've tried some that are just not setup for comfortable foiling.

[Aloha]

Once you're at the "able to foil sometimes, for a little bit" stage I would endorse a transition to strapless. Epic wipeouts can happen once you're consistently foiling at speed and it's way better to be unstrapped than strapped for those, plus strapless gives you more footing & weighting options

A front-strap can be helpful in extreme lightwind or I could see being fully strapped in racing, but I think strapless is safer (not to mention more fun) for recreational riding