I am new to Foil Drive and I do not want to go the antenna route with my wing board.
Located in the Boston area.
Thx,
john
The trench board is to get the battery out of the flow of water and is especially beneficial for touch downs riding in the surf. You want a Foil Drive compatible board that has the carbon fiber removed at the track and nose for signal connectivity… So might get an FD board on sale or for cheap used that would work just as well for you as a trench if not better as a beginner.
Appletree/ Omens look nice. I am a good winger but novice Foil Driver so 39l a bit small for me at 170 #’s.
thx for chiming in - john
5.0 is a great starter board for someone who already has foiling experience. Volume is not as relevant because you have propulsion. I have seen so many friends being cautious on their first FD board only to find themselves shelling out money for a smaller board after about 10-15 sessions.
No problem. As a reference, I’ve been using my 4’ 5" x 24L for everything. Even downwinding. I can flat water start my 650 with no problem when needed. I’m at 150.
Also, that is without the HP motor or battery. I’m hoping to upgrade to both soon. Adding those with blue props should make the small foils even easier to get going.
Is the 18.5 too narrow for someone starting out on FD? How much and where are you located at?
With foildrive, narrow is better. 18.5 is fine. What do you weigh? I’m in NC. I recently dropped the price to $1375. In excellent condition. New is $1950 plus shipping. What other experience do you have? Foil, surf etc
John Fountain
www.koolbreezekiteboarding.com
Hey John, I am low intermediate prone foiler. Turning 61 soon and got a FD to continue my journey, but looking around for a decent FD board on the west coast.
I responded through the forum, but now do not see it anywhere. So i’ll try again here. I am 63 and foil any way I can, FD, Paddle in, kite, picked up a parawing, have to get out there with it. The Appletree is an awesome board. With improvement of my skill set, I went smaller on the FD board. Initially, I was going to keep the Appletree for downwinding or bigger days in the surf with a small wing. Since my small board is working for everything, was out today in head hi surf on a 740 Sq cm front wing, no problem flat water start, have also done numerous downwind runs on it, just not using the Appletree at all. Current FD board: 4’5" x 18 1/8" x 2 7/8" 24Ltr 1/2 trench (not as deep as the Appletree). I would be willing to ship it for $1375. Just curious what is your weight?
John
Also, The benefit of a trench board goes way beyond less drag. It puts the top of the mast closer to your feet, and puts the weight of the battery up into the board. This helps give you much better feel and control. Much easier to pump too.