Im a total SUP-Foil Beginner want to buy my first set of gear. With all the different information its very hard for me to decide whats the right setup for me. I want to sup-Foil mostly in flat water, i know the paddle start is one of the trickiest but thats what i want to learn, im a patient guy with good balance and normal Sup-experience. Im @ 80 Kilos.
The information i soaked so far: big wing for eay lift (opp to get a cheap T2 limited Alu 2000 Foil Set)
a board with high volume.
My big problem: for beginners its often recommended to get a board with a width 28-30+’, they are mostly short like 6’6 or even shorter. I get the point that its easier to balance a board on flat water with this width.
on the other side, its recommended to get a board, that is more narrow and quite long, to get easy enough speed for take off. But its said, its very hard to balance boards with a width around 19-22,5’ as a beginner.
So what should i get now? I was looking for a board with a mix between of these and found something like a 125l, 22,5’, 7’10(it has to be an inflatable!). I really have now idea how hard it will be to learn on a 22’5 board, but my feeling says it will pay off a lot and i could stay longer with the same board.
I thought I had an answer until I saw that it had to inflate. I would recommend not getting an inflatable - too heavy, too cumbersome and too many compromises on the rail shape etc.
I prone foil etc, but just learned to SUP having done none at all. I built a 8’2” x 18” which was a little tippy for a few sessions, but then totally fine and I wish in a way I’d gone 17”. If you’re only doing flatwater, go as narrow as you dare - that will help so much with board speed and getting upon foil.
In terms of foil, go big as that’ll help with paddle ups, but also act as a keel to keep you from tipping - in a way, that’s why you can go so narrow with the boards.
So yeah, lots of volume, long and narrow. You’ll get the balance surprisingly quickly.
Thank you very much for your response. Maybe i should’ve mentioned “inflatable” first, sorry! Im going to my spot with my bike, so it has to be one and all my SUP-experience was on inflatable only so far. Are you SUP-foiling mostly in flat water too? How many liters do you use and what is your weight? I dont want to make it too hard at start, but challenge myself and want a setup that i dont have to change instantly when im a little more skilled.
Do you think 7’10 could be a good length to start or even go longer? I’m a little scared to go more narrow than 22,5’ for beginning.
I know you are really exited to make this work, but an inflatable is just not going to work. Buy a used Kalama 8’+ or another highly rated downwind board that will allow for good rocking to get up on foil. Some of the older gen boards worked fine for downwind, but don’t rock well. Get a surf rack for your bike. Or maybe look into dock starting a prone board if you don’t have access to windfoiling? Way more fun than flat water sup.
I actually started foiling with a Naish Hover 125 and believe it or not I loved that board lol. Yes it was a flying mattress but it did the job pretty good actually. It was nice just relaxing standing up, definitely a chill foil experience if you’re looking for that.
I admire your ambition however after I tried with a 8’4 x 20” DW board I think you’ll be put off pretty quick with an inflatable. It will be hard to start with no matter what size board you get let alone an inflatable, it’s the nature of this cruel sport. As a matter of interest I went out in the surf on a 10’6” x 30” board yesterday & it was as hard standing across the board on that as it is standing surf stance on my DW board. I also think you should get a trailer & a hard board
Sounds like we’re all thinking the same thing here, which is good. I actually thought about dock start as an alternative for you as well, which is pretty darn hard and fun.
To answer your questiins, I’m 66kg / 150lbs using a roughly 110L board.
Definitely go narrow. Can you demo a narrow board for a few sessions or something? 20” wide is pretty wide these days.
I like the idea of a trailer for you too, this is the set up I use for downwind solo shuttles, which works really well:
Hey there again, im very thankful for all the input and feedback i got so far, glad i landed here. Appreciate your time.
After these recommendations i maybe should rethink the idea of getting an inflatable, although i like them very much. But you guys are the experts, and i get the negative aspects of an inflatable. I could try to borrow a board somewhere, it could be hard since watersports arent very “local” at my town. I like the rack-setup very much, thats nice! I’m gonna check one out for my bike.
So you guys are motivating me to get a hard board + narrow range like 18-20+?
I’m still unsure about the length tho, and should i get a less liter board with a hard board?
Here’s my 2.5 cents :
For your weight and skills level and your intention, find something between the 7’6 to 8’6 long, 18 and 20 in width and 110l and 130L of volume.
Remember that you have a mast and that you will have a big wing and that make such a big difference in stability. So if you want to keep your board for a while, dont go too big. Plus your body will quickly adapt and you will be able to balance on the board in no time with a bit of practice.
And for your foil, for flat water, you want a big foil (>1500 cm2) and high aspect foil (>10 A.R) so you can maintain your speed while pumping. I would definatly stay away from the F2 foil that you talked about. I never heard of it but i google it and found out that they are sold by Decathlon and look garbage.
Look like your in Europe. If I were you, I’ll look for second hand gear. Or Gong sell a Trail complete set that will be perfect for you for 625 euros.
Hope it helps.
Post an update after your first try!
I can easily get my 8’2” KT dragonfly surf on this. Wheels are not inflatable tires but are solid hard plastic they work good. Do not put foil on as mast and poi make trailer top heavy. Strap on top of board flat or in bag below. I take mine to the beach a lot.
Do not get an inflatable. I had two Nash hovers explode due to structural failure with glue. Early modes but I don’t trust them.
I am 87 kg dry weight. KT is 8’2”x22”. Plenty stable for a lake but it will require lots and lots and lots of practice. I like sabfoil leviathan and have 1750, 1550, and 1350.
You guys are too nice. I watched so many videos of people doin stuff on an inflatable that i thought the material and structure is nowadays good enough for doing stuff like this. There are plenty of vids, people foiling on an inflatable, i guess they are more skilled riders with a lot of experience, thats why i thought it will work. But exploding boards is scary, never thought this could happen on good quality boards nowadays.
So next step: trying to borrow a hard board 7’6 to 8’6 range, 110l-130l
now the foil-setup: of course i dont want to spend thousands of dollars for my first setup, but surely it should be an okay setup to learn and not to get frustated too fast.
You mentioned the gong foil, i see them alot and im a little confused about all the different versions of gong foils.
I see the x over xl gong foil alot 2nd hand, but i heard its too slow for sup foiling/pumping and i will lose speed very fast.
You recommended the trial version and talked about big frontwing (1500cm²).
Many vids recommend for beginning (especially with a narrow board, to get some extra balance) a bigger foil 1700-2000m²), so you think 1500 would be enough?
Alot of 2nd hand foil-setups have scratches, i guess this isnt a problem if they’re not too deep.
If I may… You Sup foiling in the waves? Or trying to send DW runs. I am 145 or so. Winter suit and learned on a Unifoil 19.5 wide 7’7 113L Nimitz. No sup backround at all. Lots of prone backround and longboard surfing backround. If you are in the surf your success rate will skyrocket with something a touch wider. Not necessarily 24 inches wide. But call it 20-22 Inches wide. The long narrow DW boards are great for fast planing but also built towards waves that are not breaking. After my time on the Nimitz I went to a North Midi which was 96 Liters, 6’4 and 21 inches wide and it was actually way easier to use in the waves. Also keep in mind. Waves are steep at times. DW Bumps are not as steep. So your first going to notice with the longer rail line is the pitch lag. So if you are going down a steep wave with a lot of nose in front of you. You might nose dive. This is also personal experience. Now fast forward a year later. I am on a 7’6 18.5 105 Liter Quest by Cabrinha. For me it’s not too long. The width is enough to manage but makes it fast through the water. If I started on this board I would not have too much of a success rate. Again think about what you are using it for in the water. Most brands make a DW Sup (long and skinny) and then they make a Surf SUP ( shorter and Wider).
Hi, unfortunately i dont have access to waves. There are small rivers and lakes around, maybe someday when i’m skilled enough, i could go to the rhine (big river) try to DW. But first i want to learn in a small river(very calm), since its only few minutes from my home.
I only can tell, that i have a skateboard (longboard) background for like 20years+, slacklining alot, i think im a very talented balance-guy. I SUPed alot on an normal inflatable sup and i cant remember ever having balance issues (ofc the boards i had had alot of width and volume, i cant remember exactly tho). It’s interesting to see how you guys started and how your gear changed with experience. Thanks for your input. Although it seems you learned in different local conditions, which foil setup did you use for learning?
Gotcha, then in calm waters the longer narrower will help plane. I learned on a Unifoil Evolution 205. I am finding that the bigger foils make the DW boards so fun.
I’ll weigh in as well. PLEASE go long(ish) and narrow. The first win will be just paddling around on flat water without falling in all the time. This is step 1! Then, you can start working on power delivery, cadence, glad placement, and foot pressure. Don’t shy away from step 1–this allows you to use a board that will enable you to achieve your goal. You’ll get it, if you persevere!
Are you sure you want to bother with a DW setup? For most people (not in Europe) flat water starts are primarily to learn to pump up onto foil as practise for the real thing in the ocean. To buy a DW board & paddle just to pump around on flat water seems a lot of expense & hassle if you’re not actually going to DW. The cardio involved is pretty intense & your sessions may only last 30-40 minutes. Had you thought about trying dock starting? That sport seems pretty popular over in Europe. You could pretty easily make a board & transporting it would be a lot easier.
Dockstarting is pretty good fun and once on foil it’ll be a lot more fun as the board is way more manoeuvrable and playful. It’s easier to transport and the foil itself would be perfect for learning flat water sup stuff later.
It’s pretty social too as you’ll attract lots of conversations and other dockstarters
Jump online and look up some flatwater pumping videos and it might peak your interest.
Also, once you can dockstart, wake thieving is one of the most fun things to do on foil!
