I am learning to SUP foil in the coastal regions and struggling to lift off. This is on 121L board (7’7 x 21") with PNG1300 foil. I am 81kg.
Looking for some advice with my SUP foiling journey.
I got into kite foiling and wingfoiling a couple of years back. So I know how lift off should feel.
The waters in here have some constant current flowing same direction (along the beach) but the swell is usually on-shore. So 2 perpendicular forces.
The swell is small (sometimes pretty much non-existent). The current is strong all the time.
I am struggling to position the board for lift off.
I can paddle with the swell but then usually the current takes over and throws me out.
If I try to paddle with the current, I am struggling to engage the foil (relative speed too small?). And usually the swell will throw me overboard.
Should I be trying to paddle up the current? Or am I missing the point? I am kind of lost.
“flatwater paddle-up” refers to paddling up from a floating position without much help of swell energy. Just paddling and pumping with legs to get up to speed and lift-off. when you say the swell is pretty much non-existant, I think people would call this flatwater paddle up.
In general, flatwater paddle up is very difficult and takes lots of practice, lots of technique, and lots of power. Keep at it.
Thanks My main question then remains - should I be trying to paddle-up with the current or against it? And is there any particular technique to be aware of for paddling-up in flowing water?
It’ll be easier to paddle-up pointed into the current (going against it). Similar to why planes/birds take off into the wind.
If it’s really strong current then I would say the mental trick that worked for me was to focus on getting light on the board. Definitely be careful that you’re not trying to push down on the board before you’re up on foil, more like doing mini- knee tucks.
Thanks for the insights. I somehow thought the swell will make it easier, so I was selecting the days when there is some swell…
The swell and wind direction overlap in here. But both of them are marginal. So there are usually many small waves spaced 3-5 sec apart, always going direction straight on beach.
I guess I will need to take a video at some point. For now my back is killing me so need a few days break
Those might be the hardest of all conditions. Tiny short period swell is hard because you are paddling faster than the tiny bumps and keep running into the uphills of the bump in front.
Paddling up in bumps is all about timing. Smooth water is easier.
For what you are describing you want a huge and very slow foil. If paddling with the current/wind. That will give you the best chance of breaking the board free.
Paddling into the wind on a sup sucks no matter how you break it down.
hey man… this is the world that I love in. No swell to speak of in protected Ocean water (Vancouver BC BTW) with three distinct forces to play in. Wind swept swell, tidal movements and Prevailing Wind. The * is any boat wakes. My take is to pair at least two of the variables together if you can OBV having wind swell, pairing with the wind and joining with the tidal pull is best. The FOIL will not fight you on the paddle up when you can pair all three together. If you can get the tide and the wind together that is second best as fighting the wind on the paddle up is tough. Im 15 months into this and all I can say is that it is amazing training with small windows of euphoria. Im on a 1800 pump wing for most of my sessions, just got a carbon mast which really helped. Embrace the suck my friend. If I could blow a hole through Vancouver Island I would to get some swell to ride… its still worth it and Im improving… slowly. Heres my latest vid. If I can help in any way please dont hesitate to reach out.
Thanks everyone for the encouragement! Some enlightenment came to me yesterday. I was gliding for a couple of seconds!
The weather conditions changed and the wind blew opposite direction to the current (it does not happen often in here, but it did yesterday). So we had some small, nice bumps.
I even did not have to give it 100% power (more like 60%), but instead focused way more on the pitch.
I think I have been continuously underestimating the pitch control when sprinting. One wrong move and the beak goes under the water effectively stopping the sprint and preventing me from lifting off. Huge energy wast too.
All the youtube videos I’ve seen say to pump the board while paddling up. I think I had been doing it too hard for the local conditions!
Definitely loads to learn in here but I think I’m on a right track now
On a less positive note, I managed to hit the front wing with the paddle… new paddle needed. Glad it was not 500 dollars one
My main question then remains - should I be trying to paddle-up with the current or against it? And is there any particular technique to be aware of for paddling-up in flowing water?
