Foil drive wake thieving

Technique
1

Got the foil drive a couple months ago and have been using it to learn pumping. It’s now warm enough that the wake boats are coming out onto the lakes. I’ve tried catching wake, usually 3rd to 5th wave back but find that I’ll either nose dive or feel like I lose all of my speed. I’m using either a lift 220 hax or 180 hax. 95kg. Any advice of catching the wave? Start high or low in the trough? Closer wave?

2

I efoil lots on boat wakes, can’t speak to foil drive, but it’s maybe similar. I think easiest place to start is the steep section by the boat, so you can feel the wave catching you and then release power. You have to motor to the wave’s speed, then do an ollie motion to get the motor out of the water and move to wave power. There’s some timing for sure.

If you have any friends with a boat, you’d benefit from grabbing a rope for a bit … get a feel for that transfer of energy. Progression is you first ride in the wake with rope, doing turns. Then you get into the sweet spot, you’ll find the rope begins to go slack…ride like that a while with the rope as security…then let go of the rope and stand there as long as you can…then start doing little top to bottom turns, and pumping to catch up if you start falling behind. Once you have that down, the foil drive part will come easier.

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3

Where is your FD positioned? Move your feet back when you come off motor power and the pod is out of the water. Stay high on the mast.

4

20cm, I shift my feet when transitioning from efoil to pump. Should feet position for surf be similar to pumping?

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5

coupla things - 1) probably the boat isn’t going the ideal speed for your foil. If it is going too fast, there isn’t much you can do but gradually fall behind. If it is going too slow, then you need to learn to “generate speed” over the foil by carving back and forth. Glide on the wake at an angle and then carve around and go the other way.

  1. stay as high on the mast as you possibly can to get the best glide

  2. I usually have my back foot shifted forward a bit for pumping versus gliding, you may need to adjust as you catch the wave