Hey All, had a question.
Has anyone bought directly from the AXIS? Any issues with lost or damaged items?
This would be my first ever foil and I am completely a newb to foiling.
I have surfed (40+ years) and SUP’d some (5 years)
They seem to offer a large selection of foils and upgrades. It is daunting to try and figure out what to buy - embarking on this journey.
Armstrong also seems to appeal to me too.
Any guidance is appreciated
What’s your goals? What do you want to specialize in? How much do you weigh?
I am obviously starting out completely new.
So to work on flat water paddle up. And the pumping off that.
Would like to use the foil or future upgraded foils for all around (SUP surf & downwind)
I am 195-200 lbs.
I have heard/researched that I should get the largest wings I can to start the journey. As well as a large volume board.
I have been looking at the following combo:
Armstrong DW 140L board & AXIS ‘red’ foil package PNG 1310
Man, I reckon learning to foil by flat water paddle ups would be one of the hardest ways to do it! If you’ve got access to waves, I reckon learning to SUP foil on some nice mellow waves would work well for you. You could even start with a older and cheaper board and then get a narrower shape later. You could probably get a slightly smaller foil like one of the bigger Axis BSCs, which would manhandle you a bit less than the 1310.
If you can get someone to tow you around behind a boat too, that would be idea too.
Also, shop around second hand and get a cheap Axis setup, either as a full kit, or in parts. Don’t buy new first time till you know what you want; it’s so expensive.
You probably want to start with dockstart, after you’ve mastered that you can use the same foil for a flatwater paddle up, which is super difficult in my opinion. Having Sup experience and a good stroke technique are a good starting point. But I think you have to know how to pump. Fortunately a pumpboard can be anything that is stiff and floats… so you coul basically screw your foil under a piece of wood and it would work.
Where are you located?
PS- I’m 200lbs and 6’3”. I ride axis and Unifoil daily. I also use my buddies Armstrong stuff often. I’m advanced at prone, but just learning DW.
Where are you? What are your goals? The type of conditions you have and your goals matter a lot. If you live someplace with pumping deep water energy and no wind then yeah, all that flat water stuff is your ticket to foiling without DEATH.
But if you live someplace with a mellow wave and you want to surf…just start in the surf. Translating those mega foils to surf is not a thing.
Also if you have wind just wing. Ignore the DW hype machine. And if your thinking about getting the DW board and grabbing a wing later cause you can wing a DW board that’s nonsense. That DW gear is much harder to wing than a dedicated winging whale. I have a buddy here who floundered on a DW board for MONTHS then picked up winging on a …wing board…in an afternoon
Get behind a boat if at all possible. I’ve taught multiple surfers how to foil behind my power boat and all of them have said it’s nothing like regular prone surfing. Once you learn how to ride the foil you can start learning how to ride the foil on the wave. Wake foiling is super fun and the best and fastest way to learn in my opinion.
I also agree about learning with the wing. It will give you something to balance against and help you get going, especially if you learned to ride the foil behind a boat. You basically substitute the wing for the tow rope and it’s a very similar experience.
Starting with SUP foil, dockstart, or flat water paddle is just asking to suffer. I guess people do it but why make it harder on yourself when there are easier ways to learn that you can then transfer to those harder disciplines?
Caveat I come from sailing (racing) and I pretty much only wing and wake foil. I have never prone surfed and I don’t live near any good surf spots. If you live near great surf and that’s what you want to do, I imagine learning SUP foil on small waves wouldn’t be totally unreasonable.
What I figured out after learning to wing was that wave riding is super fun! When I started I thought I’d want to race because that’s the sailing background I have. Then a couple weeks spent winging in La Ventana taught me how much fun wave riding is! Now I primarily want to ride waves. I have never been interested in SUP foil because I hate the idea of shuttling. When I go to the Gorge I wing up and wave ride down. I can get ten or twenty downwind runs in a session and I don’t find the wing particularly cumbersome riding downhill. I get a lot of time on the water without falling much because I always have the wing to back me up. Every time I go I get better at reading the waves and picking lines. Some day I hope to ride prone or maybe once the para wing things are refined a bit more I’ll try that. But my time is too valuable to spend swimming when I can already ride for hours with the wing.
Also don’t let anyone tell you long skinny boards are just as fun as short boards. They’re not. They never have been and the only reason people ride long boards is to pop up on foil easier.
Just my $0.02 but I think if you value your time the easiest and fastest way to learn is behind a boat or with a wing. Then transfer that to a more difficult discipline if that’s what you ultimately want to do.
Cheers and enjoy the journey!
PS oh I forgot your original question! I have purchased direct from Axis for all my Axis gear since I started on their stuff three years ago. I love the equipment and have always had an excellent experience buying from them. It ships on the west coast from Live2Kite in California. It ships next day and arrives within two or three days (Seattle area.) The one time I had a foil lost in shipping in Portland they responded immediately and sent another one out right away. I’ve spent an obscene amount of money on their gear in 3 years but I love it and I love experiencing the development real time. Adrian (founder of Axis) is super approachable on FB and will answer your questions quickly, thoughtfully and thoroughly. I have always had an exceptional buying experience with them.
Don’t worry about the flat water stuff, it is a drill not a goal, and you can do downwind without it. Most useful would be learning to ride waves. I’d rather get something that is more all round, that you can learn to ride waves eg big Spitfire setup. The 1310 is not fun to ride, won’t feel at all controllable and generally a frustrating foil along with the rest of the massive span foils, and only really necessary once you commit to riding in downwind bumps which I’d suggest will come in due course rather than step 1.
Because you can SUP and Surf, I’d go for a wider DW board, 21"+ so you can surf foil it but will also work in DW rather than a very narrow DW specific setup. Armstrong, maybe the KT dragonfly surf both an example that is perfectly viable for downwind but will also work in the surf. The extreme ocean downwind boards are terrible in the surf and will limit your progress.
Second this, almost certainly the most valuable thing you can do
Yakima WA,
Am willing to head to Maryhill sp, & the gorge.
Even tri-cities WA - which is closer
But there are some small ponds that I can get tons of practice on about 15 minutes from here.
Measured the ‘Hook’ at Hood River (on google maps) and they are the same size
I appreciate all the input. I guess I will have to research a bit more. Look for deals and stuff.
I don’t have any real access to waves, wind or both, living in yakima WA. I will have to trek out to Maryhill, the Gorge, tri-cities or Lake Cle Elum (possibly)
I have a cousin who has a boat in Lake Stevens, but that is winterized. But will hit him up
Thanks again everyone.
I purchased direct from Axis. It was a good experience, although I would prefer community input on what foils to get rather than from Axis. Great customer support though.
I went with Axis because they have good connections to the foils and lots of options for light conditions, since I don’t have great wind or any waves here.
