Choosing the right Hydrofoil & Board

WHAT SIZE FOIL?:


Hydrofoils used for Wing, SUP or Wind Foiling usually have a large front wing with a surface area of 1500 c (Intermediate) to 2500 c (Beginners). However for a competent kite foiler a 1500 cm2 wing is much too wide of a surface area . It's a decent size to start off with, but most kite foilers progress to 600-800 c as a go to size.  A complete foil system can have upto 8 mast options in (both carbon and aluminium), ranging from 60 - 90cm, upto 5 front wing options, 2 fuselage lengths and 2 stabilisers choices which can offer over 300 combinations to ensure that your setup is perfectly adapted for whichever discipline you choose


Typical Hydrofoil set up for
Kite Foiling
Shinn K2 Carbon Foil 886cm2
 
Typical Hydrofoil set up for
Wing/SUP/Wind Foiling
Shinn Supahydro MD Alu 2250cm2

TECH TALK



WHICH BOARD TYPE AND SIZE?


Kite foilers can waterstart in the same way as regular kiters, lying in the water with the foilboard on their feet before using the power of the kite to get the initial lift required for a waterstart.  Wing foilers, however, must start by balancing on the board with their knees, then pump the wing to start movement through the water on the foil. As a result, wing foilers need a much larger board to begin with, usually around 20 liters more volume than their body weight thus giving enough buoyancy to stay afloat. So for example a 70 kg rider would need a board of around 90L. A wing foiler will later progress to using a 70-80 liter board, which is still significantly larger than a kitefoil board.

Typical Board Used for Kite Foiling

Shinn Jackson Chromatic

 

Typical Board Used for Wing Foiling
F-One Rocket Wing V2

INFLATABLE BOARDS PROS AND CONS


If space is issue when travelling then you may consider an inflatable board. As with most products there are Pros & Cons in it uses.  the Table below gives you some pointers on compassion

INFLATABLE BOARDS :

PROS CONS
Price Weigh, heavier than a carbon board
Easy to travel Stiffness feels soft when pumping
Hard to break Needs to be deflated after using
Soft rails, good for beginners and kids Extra Item: Pump, another thing to break or get lost
Fits in a travel bag

HARD BOARDS :

PROS CONS
Performance Price, approx +€500 more expensive than Inflatables
Stiffness More susceptible to damage from transport
Weight, lighter than inflatable
No pump needed

OUR INFLATABLE RECOMMENDATION


The F-One Rocket Air range is a line of inflatable board dedicated to foiling sports: Surf-foil, SUP-foil, Wing-foil, Wind-foil and even Kite-foil.

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