Learning to foil on a Lift 200HA, 25HA, Infinity Spy v Spy 40L

[regression]

Hi, I began my foiling journey by purchasing what I could afford. I got an Infinity Spy v Spy 40L board, Lift mast, 25 HA rear wing on clearance and a used 200HA front wing. I have about 10 sessions so far.

I’m finding learning this sport (expectedly) hard. I have lots of surfing experience so paddling into waves and dropping in isn’t an issue, it’s controlling the pitch of the board once things start flying. I find I consistently end up in this pattern: slowly raising the foil out of the water until I breach and slam.

I’ve watched tons of videos and am carefully choosing sloped, mushy waves (Dogpatch, Doheny south of the hammer). And even then I’m going out on small days picking small waves. That alone made a huge difference in making things easier, but even then I’m stuck in this pattern. It feels like I either keep enough pressure on my front foot and I get no takeoff or I slowly lift till I breach. I am unable to gently set the foil back down like the Youtube videos suggest I try – it’s always violent.

Is this just part of learning? Maybe I freeze once the foil comes up and my brain locks up? Sometimes it feels like that, with me awkwardly hunched over the front of the board looking down trying to control the thing! I noticed this same pattern when I tried a friend’s efoil, though with that I’m starting to get the hang of things given the more controlled enviornment.

I’ve tried several mast positions; moving the mast forward a bit did help add some control, but I’m still struggling. There’s definitely an abundance of lift, even at my dimensions (6’3", 185 lbs) – anything other than tiny surf and it’s a bear to control the amount of lift generated at takeoff.

I’m looking for tips to get me out of this situation. What can I do differently with my body? Is there anything I can do to set my gear up differently? Reading on here it seems I might not be on the most beginner-friendly setup. I certainly can’t judge the validity of that! I know more time in the water helps and I’ll keep at it, just wondering what else I can do to make this a little more fun.

[Erwin_VMG]

this may seem counterintuitive, but you will find it easier to learn by using/borrowing a longer/wider board with a smaller foilset to control the surge/lift…if it is possible, being towed by a boat will make it more enjoyable to learn as you can also surf the wake.

After you learn, you can almost pronefoil any setup (including a kiteboard)

[regression]

Thank you for the suggestion. Maybe I can find an older bigger board used to get into waves a little earlier.

I’m curious how people get along with lift vs other brands, seems like most people say they ride differently (harder to control pitch). Is this something I should be concerned about or would it be worth it for me to find a smaller used front wing with a little less lift? I don’t want to continually invest in a system if it’s inferior to any of the newer stuff out there. Unsure if it’s just a matter of preference or if that’s an objective statement.