UNI Progressions are surf wings for carving on waves.
On a lake, you will much more pump and ride micro waves of boats.
You will have a much better experience with a downwind wing (like the ART1201 or Enduro1300).
As pumping will be important, drop the volume, a 40L max board will be enough.
1 Like
First you need to learn to foil, and I wouldn’t recommend a short fuse or a sinker board for that purpose, even if it is just efoiling (and having learned with a FD on flat water, that is likely what it will be for at least a while, which is a fine way to do it).
I’d get a cheap used bigger board for the initial learning to make that faster and easier, then jump to whatever really fits your needs (which might look different once you are into it).
I’d also follow the theme of making learning easier in choosing a foil, although a FD Max will give you some leeway…all around user friendliness, good lift and fairly low stall speed, and easy intuitive pumping and turning, would top my list of qualities to look for if I were in your shoes…(so the P200 seems like a fine choice, and at least a med fuse and 14 tail)
and again, AFTER getting a good sense of the conditions and the needs/challenges/aspirations you have when you feel limited and outgrowing what you have, getting something dialed up to suit
3 Likes
Thank you for the advice
What is the lowest volume/size board one can flat water start with FD (no SUP paddle)? Assume 180 lbs and average skill level. Thanks
People are managing to start 15L boards with average wings such as 1100cm2/1100 wingspan.
But it is only possible at the cost of burning your battery way too fast to consider it a viable option for daily practice.
If you want to flat water start, I will assume pumping is your main activity.
So get an actual large pumping frontwing such as the PNG1300 or its V2.
With such wings, you can very easily flat water start a 35L board.
35L is still light enough to pump efficiently.
35L + PNG1300 is the combination I used for al ong while, it gives about 25 starts and take off, which is enough to get your legs burning if you pump a bit between each take off.
If you pump a lot you will be tiered before running out of battery.
1 Like
makes sense, thanks for explaining the tradeoffs
Welcome 
And a note for later if your practice evolves.
I think 35L is really a good size for pumping.
But if later on you want to move to smaller wings for surfing, it will be limiting (consume a lot of battery), then a 40 liters board would be better.
But 40L board is slightly less nice to pump.
1 Like
Drawbacks of more volume can be mitigated with small midlengths, where the mast is fwd of much of that volume that nonetheless helps you. I have a 45L appletree majek burner that allows more starts on a small enough foil to be fun in waves.
It’s not necessary for pump practice on bigger wings but if it’s practice then why make it easy?
1 Like
Check out https://youtu.be/DGAiJxbKjXU?si=hiReCRDaWgz5D24_
As well many of their tutorials, should answer a lot of your questions.
Ive been on FOILDRIVE max for 8 months
Life changing so far as foiling
Im 64, 65kg and foil every day, its amazing
Amos Kruzer 5’4
Armstrong
HA880
STAB DART 140
70 FUSE
795 PERF MAST
Stoked every day!
3 Likes
Im 54. I have been kitesurfing for 15 years, the last 7 wave riding. My knees were taking a beating. (Early arthritis) I wanted to get back into surfing which i did in my 20s. A mtb crash that injured my shoulder made it hard to paddle and catch waves. I became obsessed with solving this problem. Then i came across efoiling. I learnt to foil renting efoils with the goal to efoil waves. I got to a level where i could “catch” a wave on an efoil. It felt terrible. Big heavy and not surfy at all. I learnt to kite foil, then wing foil a year ago. Ive heard to called the journey of a 1000 f.cks! And that was my experience. I noticed foil drive gen 1, and became curious. I just couldnt get past the ugly box strapped to an awkward position on the board (im a designer so im aesthetically fussy) then gen 2 came out and i bought one in July 2024. I didnt know anyone in Cape Town where i live with a foil drive. The first flat water session was easy. Similar to efoiling. Getting into waves was another story. After kooking around for about a month it began to click. Finally i was beginning to experience what i was craving - free foiling on waves. I dropped board sizes and foil sizes rapidly. And the local foiling community (wing and downwinding and prone foiling) couldnt believe how quickly i was progressing. You just cant beat the time on foil. I got completely adddicted. Possibly too excited. Surfers were not as excited as I was. I was heckled, intimidated, told to fuck off etc. it hurt. I felt like an outsider. I couldnt understand the hate. I was surfing after all? Do surfers really own the ocean? Anyway i thought about it long and hard, and realised it seems dangerous and unfair to people unfamiliar with it, not to mention noisy. Now ive accepted it, and ive learnt to keep a healthier distance, be more friendly, give priority to literally everyone else in the water, ignore assholes and find quieter spots.
Im really really enjoying my foil drive. I feel like a teenager, and im getting stronger and healthier.strong text
I get to ride waves about 3 time a week 1.5 to 2.5 hours at a time, and feel that I progress every session. Ive started riding 6ft plus waves, that you couldnt foil any other way. I have a Gen 2 with 3 blade prop, 3 max power batteries, a 46L mid length style board with a trench, (ordering a 40L 5’2” with a trench next) i mostly ride my 880cm2 high aspect foil 160 mono tail (ive ordered a 700cm2 high aspect foil) i have an 85cm carbon mast with a 20cm motor cable (ive ordered an 82cm integrated carbon mast with a 12 cm motor height).
Ive toyed with the idea of prone foiling and then i remember my shoulder injury. Now I’m more obsessed with getting Foil Drive or anyone else who will listen to make foil assist lighter, more reliable and more elegantly integrated. Im impatiently waiting for Flitelabs Amp gear to be ridden by mere mortals to see what its really like, and Im wondering if Foil Drive is working on a more integrated Gen 3 system. And why hasnt Lift made a foil assist? They already do prone and downwind gear and efoils?
Any ways here i am foil driving one of Cape Town most amazing foil drive spots after 7 month.
Foil Assist is here to stay, and im staying with it.
6 Likes
Awesome! Great video. Like you, I am dealing with nagging injuries. It’s neck and shoulders in my case. Foil Drive is my way back into to the surf. Thanks for sharing your experience.
1 Like