I have a close friend who would like to start foil surfing, and he needs advice on choosing his equipment.
For the foil, I’ve already advised him and we’ve found some good second-hand equipment, but for the board, I’m a bit lost when it comes to shapes!
He’s 1.76m tall and weighs 70kg, he’s an advanced surfer, and he has no trouble paddling. He’s done two sessions behind a jet ski, and would now like to get into the waves.
I know we generally recommend a board in the 40L range, or just under, but do you have any models to recommend?
I’m on the Portal Enigma 5’6/55L and it has been great getting me started prone. If I could go back I’d go with the 5’2/45L size but definitely worth a look. Unifoil quiver killer is the same board. I’m 5’8, 77kg
This if he wants a board he won’t grow out of for a good while and feels like a shortboard. My coworker ditched his higher liter midlength for this. Long wait time for Amos.
If he has longer paddles and wants a high wave count, go Enigma or Quiver Killer (same board). I’m on the 5’2" 45L QK. I’m 5’8" at 73kg. I almost got the 5’6" 55L and glad I didn’t. I don’t need more paddle and can still duckdive. The board feels much smaller when it gets up on foil. I was really struggling with prone in the beginning even though I’m a long-time shortboarder. Haven’t had the chance to tow. This board made everything so much more enjoyable. I’m probably gonna be on this board for a while, but that Amos Kruzer 4’11" is on my radar when I feel the need to go smaller. I think both boards would stay in the quiver for mushy days as opposed to getting something used that just gets resold for a loss.
Only $375 for an awesome like new FFB Fusion 4’9 which is 38.1L. This board is $1200 new. That’s a perfect spot to start - save your friends money! As they progress and learn more about what specific style they prefer they can go crazy and buy a fancy new board. But that fusion is a great daily driver and similar to what I learned on.
I learned on a board that looked exactly like a standard short board ~40L and it was nice because it didn’t feel so different from shortboarding. If the Enigma (quiver killer) 55L was available back then, I think that would be a good option as well.
Best to know what conditions you’ll be in. Some of the prone boards that are really flat with boxy rails, deep v’s, or multi chanels in the front are best for soft waves, whereas boards with rocker and relatively flat bottoms and surf rails will allow you to pop up holding a rail, get control, then stand up which is very helpful if you are a good surfer learning to foil in breaking waves. The 2024 Cabrinha 04 bump, Amundson nubby, FFB Fusion type boards are all great if you can good a good deal. Midlength might be the call if you are riding California type point breaks or reef breaks that require you to take off on the shoulder.
Totally agree with this. My first board was a Lift 4’4" 44L wing board with a flat bottom and thicker rails. It absorbed the energy from whitewash readily and provided a stable surface laterally while popping up.
I’ve switched to a 5’2" 45L QK and it’s a very different experience. I struggled with pitch control mostly and this board is very forgiving for that. It’s given me a huge wave count and I can paddle into shoulders at reef breaks very easily and early now. I much prefer dropping in early to catching whitewash.
That said, catching whitewash is noticeably more challenging. I get much less push on the pin shaped tail and the canoe shaped hull is much less stable laterally at low speed. White wash will jostle me side to side a lot and I have to ride it out, wasting speed, until the board is under control enough to pop up. I miss a lot of whitewash take-offs due to not getting up early enough.
It’s changed where I position myself a lot and while it’s been great overall, if I was in different conditions, it might not be as user friendly. Foiling is so conditions specific that all gear advice should come with a footnote.