No—bigger stabilizers (tails) do not provide lift. In virtually all hydrofoil configurations, the tail provides downforce, not positive lift. This downforce acts in the opposite direction of the lift from the front wing and is necessary for stability, particularly when the center of mass is forward of the front foil’s center of lift.
This downforce adds to the overall load the front wing must support. In other words, the front wing is not just lifting the rider, board, and foil—it also has to offset the downward force generated by the tail. This is fundamental to achieving pitch stability, but it comes at a cost.
The cost is drag.
What’s more, this drag is compounded. The tail generates its own drag due to the downforce it creates. But because the front wing must now generate more lift to counter both the rider’s weight and the tail’s downforce, it also generates more induced drag. This is what I refer to as
“Tails Count Twice.”
In practical terms, I’ve run the numbers and found that the tail can contribute up to 30% of total system drag.
So while larger stabs can make a setup feel more stable or easier to control, they do not provide “lift” in the useful, upward-sustaining sense. They actually increase the total lift required and, consequently, the total drag.
For a deeper dive: The Tale of Tails → The Tale of Tails
Stable Aircraft Design
And a similar graphical view of a foil configuration:
