Prone foiling really tiny waves on a big foil is a blast. Im 85kg and I’m currently riding the unifoil progression 200 (1290 area) on the tiny days. Pair it with a short fuse and you can whip some fun turns. Before that I rode the Takuma kujira 1440. Both foils are very forgiving. you can spaz pump and really stomp on these big foils without dropping out.
Agree with sethstaff. I’m mostly SUP, but I’ve winged with my big foils and proned a few times and they are fun in all aspects. The turning surprised me they aren’t that bad. The 1400 can whip a turn not much wider than my 1040. My only issue I’ve had is if I get in a really steep wave you gotta watch it or you get a tip out, so I try to pull off before that and avoid it.
Heres a video of the 1400 glider in some steeper swell. Nothing big
I have a different take on large foils for prone in small waves. I spent a good 2 years on a 1480 in small surf and did not learn much about pumping or riding waves. Sure they work fine going in a straight line with small mush pushing, and for stomping around to get back out. But anything with a 1m+ span doesn’t roll well, so the foil controls you most of the time. Slowing down and doing yaw turns is possible, but you don’t gain experience in carving. This also means you often get thrown off when trying to turn onto an oncoming swell.
At 92kg (and 52yo) I’m no athlete, but can pump for longer on 1100 and 900cm² foils. Because they are faster, you cover more distance for same amount of cardio, and then have some fuel left in the tank to actually carve on the wave. I would not go bigger than 1100 even in tiny waves.
Agree on the short fuse/smaller stab. Its like a low gear, good for pumping out of holes and teaches a better feel for the foil with slightly higher cadence hops instead of stomping a large rigid setup.
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Not sure of the span on your 1480, but the Lift 220 HAX I’m looking at is 43" (1092mm) and only 2" wider than the 41" (1040mm) 180 HAX I’m demoing. I’m experimenting, having ridden smaller wings in the past (Lift 170 HA and 150HAX). Yaw turns have never really been my thing and I don’t have a great deal of trouble doing rolling turns on the 41" span. The wing tip does breach on occasion, but most of the time it’s not a big deal. My carving has actually improved compared to my 150 HAX because I’m slower and having an easier time keeping close to to the energy source. I do agree that my 150 HAX does seem to pump a little easier, but is a bit less forgiving. Thinking right now the 220/150 would be a better combo than the 180/150.
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