How come there isn’t much if any videos of prone foilers taking off with small foils on big waves. Like double overhead? Most prone foilers are experienced surfers so doh isn’t really huge to them, so why not show off in a video and takeoff on the same doh waves? Of course the foil has to be small enough to not get overfoiled. But I don’t see why everyone thinks it’s so cool to takeoff on a huge wave with a surfboard and it’s lamer to get towed in. Why can’t foilers show off their skills by taking off on a big wave. Biggest wave I’ve seen was a 4-5ft with Mr Bennett’s in his Indo video from a year or two ago. Surely it’s possible or even easy for a foiler to do bigger than that. As for me, Im scared, so it’s just a question of curiousity for the true chargers.
Wrong tool for the job. A 4’3” just doesn’t paddle fast enough to make it fun.
Just paddling into position when it’s a big playing field is hard.
I think there are a few reasons:
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Not everyone films their entire life but instead choose to just live their life
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We’ve never had the right boards for this until recently. 4’4 30L prone boards cannot catch waves like that or even be realistic to manage a lineup from all the paddling around and exhaustion. I don’t even think most of the mid lengths or DW boards out are right for this due to all being 50L+ since they’re supposed to also work as wing boards. I am considering the Kruzer at 5’4 36L for this. I think it’ll paddle fast enough, have the length, and be low volume for duck dives and not get ejected from a wave.
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Scary asf
I’ve paddled my downwind board into some bigger head high longboard waves, not much power for a surfer but felt properly lit on pp140. Wrong tool for the job on the foil front and I haven’t tried again with anything faster.
I think it is better and more fun to be on a smaller board chipping in and pumping into bigger waves than paddle, which is the unique foil advantage.
Paddling is sketchy, requires a very big board - even a downwind board isn’t really fast enough for proper early takeoffs in waves with more power than a mushy surf wave (never mind the midlength scam).
I’ll probably try it if I get a fast foil that I feel would be comfortable doing a very high speed popup, but currently don’t have one on the horizon
This is the paddle in that made me want the Kruzer: joshua ku on Instagram: "A perfect way to finish an amazing week in Oahu . Thanks to everyone that was involved in this amazing project ! Can’t wait to share what we came up with ! 🎥 @paulcooperfoils"
Plenty of waves like that near me that prones cant get into
i guess that is catchable on a prone board if you take the foam ball, but does look fun (and relatively small easy foil wave that you wouldn’t look twice at for surfing)
Because if its a proper bottom to top breaking wave you need to get in well before it breaks and it will be moving too fast to catch. And if its a mushy wave, the foam ball is still too big for a wave that size. Small waves, the foamball doesn’t go down deep to where the foil is. But on a big one, the board and the foil are both in the foam ball. I know because I go for big waves on my SUP and I have to get them before there is any white.
So you can’t airdrop onto a huge wave with a tiny foil? All the pros surfing huge waves are air dropping in some degree. If it’s not a heavy drop it doesn’t count as a sick wave in some sense.
On my 4’8 36L i get solid overhead drops all the time. Best feeling ever when it all comes together.
Definitely something I’d like to see the top guys nailing.