DIY kit?

averagejoe

Miki Dora status
May 28, 2008
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So far away
www.mardawg.com
had my second session friday at a lake over in mountainview. wind was pretty light - probably 12-15kts. my goal for the day was to be able to get to my feet and taxi in each direction. goal was met. it was tricky when the wind backed off. had a hard time maintaining traction against the wing and would fall. there were a few guys out who had 6+m wings (i was on a 5) and who really had the light wind thing dialed. i guess i need a 6

i ordered an ebike on saturday so i can shuttle my gear way upwind to give myself more time practicing and less time doing the walk back to the launch spot (i don't really like calling it the walk of shame - there's no shame when learning something new. it should be called the walk of exploration and discovery, like in the tonic mag videos)

also, must add that wingers are much more welcoming to noobs than surfers haha. windsurfers are dicks tho haha.
 

Hdip

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2005
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Malibu, CA
i ordered an ebike on saturday so i can shuttle my gear way upwind to give myself more time practicing and less time doing the walk back to the launch spot (i don't really like calling it the walk of shame - there's no shame when learning something new. it should be called the walk of exploration and discovery, like in the tonic mag videos)

also, must add that wingers are much more welcoming to noobs than surfers haha. windsurfers are dicks tho haha.
I fully agree! I had no shame in my walks. I planned to walk. How else are you supposed to learn? A Billabong if you will.

Agreed about wingers. They're all wacky and super helpful. Windsurfers are just surfers who use the wind. They've been doing it so long that they became jaded and refused to adapt with the times. :)
 
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averagejoe

Miki Dora status
May 28, 2008
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So far away
www.mardawg.com
Yeah I wing with him a few times a month. I beat his time in that challenge with no harness and I don't switch my feet. Then he went out and smashed my time. :) It's my ONO gear that he reviews.
he seems like a stoked out mofo
once i get my sh!t together i'd like to cruise down for a sesh. seems like a pretty sweet setup. that mileage tracker you put up the other day was a mind blower. one of the better guys i kite foiled with in MN put his trackers up all the time.
 

Hdip

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2005
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Malibu, CA
he seems like a stoked out mofo
once i get my sh!t together i'd like to cruise down for a sesh. seems like a pretty sweet setup. that mileage tracker you put up the other day was a mind blower. one of the better guys i kite foiled with in MN put his trackers up all the time.
Thanks. I'm slow though. Guys are regularly outpacing me. If I ever stopped falling every 5 minutes I could do a lot more. You should see what my buddy get's up to in Hawaii. 20 foot waves, 30+ miles in a session. Non-stop!

Also Wingman, (Rob) wants to come up to Santa Cruz this week. Message him on Instagram or his YouTube comments. He's fun to ride with.
 
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PRCD

Tom Curren status
Feb 25, 2020
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View attachment 154221

$1200 obo. That blue wing will get you flying. The gear is in la. Not mine though.

board is 6’3” 120ish liters
I'm 94 kg, so that would probably work. The wing is a 6 m? What're the foils? Which side of LA is he on?

I think I can do a DIY "zero to hero" by camping at Piru. eFoil lesson Wednesday.
 
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PRCD

Tom Curren status
Feb 25, 2020
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I think the easiest way for you to learn would be to go on a one week trip to a location that has consistent wind every day and take a lesson a day. This time of year, the Realwatersports guys in Hatteras would be your best bet. That's basically a zero to hero program. Cost for a 3 day camp with realwater is about $1,700 for the lessons plus travel and accommodations.

Short of that, watch some videos and try to go figure it out. I think I posted a few links to videos that really make sense. Get the 6m wing and spend a couple hours on the beach getting a feel for it based on what you pick up from the videos. Even better if you have the board there to practice with.

These two videos are enough to get you going



Start by taxing on your knees and staying upwind. Once you can stay upwind, start getting to your feet and taxiing (i'm not there yet - going to take a couple more sessions). Then practice coming up on foil and setting it down, up on foil, set it down. This is exactly how I learned to foil on a kite.

The reason I'm suggesting you jump on it is you have a limited window for flat water in your area

When I was down in Ventana, I was considering moving to San Diego and talked to a bunch of kiters down there from that area. The most frequent suggestion was a 15m high aspect kite and a foil. That will get you the most days.
This video is good too. He tells you exactly what the sailing books tell you to do when launching from the beach: start on a reach (crosswind) then sheet in and point closer to the wind (more upwind) as you gain speed.

These inflatable foil boards seem worthwhile - I can just let out the air, put it in a bag, and put it up on my roof cargo carrier when driving with the kids on a long trip. When I need a break from the kids, I can just pull over at the nearest body of water with wind haha.
 
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Hdip

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2005
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I think I can do a DIY "zero to hero" by camping at Piru. eFoil lesson Wednesday.
It worked for me. I'll DM you his #.

The foils are GoFoil. Iwa and Maliko 200 I think. They are older. But that is a good thing for learning wing foiling. Stable and slow which will get you up and flying in light wind.
 
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juandesooka

OTF status
Jan 12, 2009
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that gofoil set up is a pretty good deal with the board and wings included. The GF are gen 1 but fine for learning. You can upgrade to gen 2 higher aspect for cheap (GL and NL wings) as people are basically giving them away now. Once you get into new masts and new wings it's $$$.
 
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PRCD

Tom Curren status
Feb 25, 2020
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that gofoil set up is a pretty good deal with the board and wings included. The GF are gen 1 but fine for learning. You can upgrade to gen 2 higher aspect for cheap (GL and NL wings) as people are basically giving them away now. Once you get into new masts and new wings it's $$$.
They’re in my garage now. I’d still like to pick up a 6-6.5 meter wing. Im trying to figure out when I’m going to camp at a local lake with high winds. EFoil lesson this week.
 

juandesooka

OTF status
Jan 12, 2009
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They’re in my garage now. I’d still like to pick up a 6-6.5 meter wing. Im trying to figure out when I’m going to camp at a local lake with high winds. EFoil lesson this week.
yah! Good haul. Big board with big gen1 wings is by far the easiest way to learn. That M200 is a beast, lifts and stays up in nothing. But super slow. The Iwa is a decent step up, needs more wind, but much more turn-y, but also slow compared to modern gen. You probably won't use the kai. This gear also excellent to learn sup foil. Great you have both 24 and longer mast.

Once you upgrade, you'll see the difference in getting on foil and pumping, the old gear jumps up like a Harrier, the new gear taxi's like a glider/747. To seek out replacement wings, watch the go foil riders group on FB and sometimes ebay.

The gofoil site has been selling new leftover NL wings for $300, shipping included. Page isn't listed any more, but the archived version still shows they have stock. I paid $800ish for more than one of these about 2 years ago. Foil world moves fast! The 190 is a good all rounder.

 
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Hdip

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2005
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Malibu, CA
Good chance for clearing wind today and getting blown downwind. Make sure to walk around on the beach for awhile to get used to the pull of the wing in your hands. Do some gybes where you get used to the hand switch and can aim it both ways.

It's an arrow. Point it where you want to go. So when you're trying to get to your feet, that means you point it up to pull you up. Holding it more overhead like a pull up bar as opposed to in front of your chest. If you drag a wingtip, punch your backhand down towards the water, making the arrow point up, which will bring the wing up and possibly save you from a fall.
 

PRCD

Tom Curren status
Feb 25, 2020
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How was the efoil lesson?
Really good. After 2 hours I was foiling quite a ways, but not in complete control and I had trouble doing it while turning. This is the way to get into the sport. I probably need more sessions, but they're $$.

RN I need to get a 6-7 m wing to increase the number of days I can try this. I've been looking at Perris and Piru as well as Mission Bay. Piru gets consistent 15 knot winds later in the day, but you have to sit around a lot of the day waiting and it's far away. Perris is much closer but the winds are lighter. Mission Bay is similar.
 
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PRCD

Tom Curren status
Feb 25, 2020
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Yeah I wing with him a few times a month. I beat his time in that challenge with no harness and I don't switch my feet. Then he went out and smashed my time. :) It's my ONO gear that he reviews.
You can really see the variability of lake winds in that video. Towards the center, there's plenty. Towards the shore, they can become light and variable. You get all kinds of weird effects.
 

Hdip

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2005
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Malibu, CA
You can really see the variability of lake winds in that video. Towards the center, there's plenty. Towards the shore, they can become light and variable. You get all kinds of weird effects.

Check out his youtube about Mojave. Valid option for a camping couple of days.
 
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PRCD

Tom Curren status
Feb 25, 2020
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Thanks. I'm slow though. Guys are regularly outpacing me. If I ever stopped falling every 5 minutes I could do a lot more. You should see what my buddy get's up to in Hawaii. 20 foot waves, 30+ miles in a session. Non-stop!

Also Wingman, (Rob) wants to come up to Santa Cruz this week. Message him on Instagram or his YouTube comments. He's fun to ride with.
Wingman's Ventura->Los Angeles county downwind run looked downright epic.
 

Hdip

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2005
3,331
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Malibu, CA
Wingman's Ventura->Los Angeles county downwind run looked downright epic.
Yeah it was a fun day. It took a lot longer than I thought. 16 Miles as the crow flies or something and I did 30 miles on the water according to my GPS that day. We tried again a few days later and it was so windy and swell was so big we couldn't launch. Had to resort to another spot with an easy launch and couldn't run a downwinder that day.
 

Hdip

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2005
3,331
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Malibu, CA
Duotone's are top of the line wings. That is a boom wing. So factor in the price of the boom also. Booms are interesting, add a little bit of weight. Never have to look for a handle though. Put your hands at any position you want. Or one hand the wing.