VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

Eventually, hopefully sooner than later, I plan to be windsurf foiling. Also have a Duotone Wing so probably that too. My question is about the board. I’m saving up for a good board, purpose built for foiling so will buy something maybe new or good condition-used when I’m ready.
Looking at the new Starboard Foil 177, the size and shape look logical to me, and I know Starboard is pretty consistent decent quality. I saw online that the Starboard Foil 177 finished 1st and 2nd in some recent competition.

But what I don’t understand is the volume. Starboard foil has volumes from 100 to 177. I’m a 200lbs dad bod and my Starboard GO 140L is plenty of volume in the lightest wind with my biggest rig. My question is: why would someone get a Starboard Foil 177 instead of a Starboard Foil 144?
Is it for width? Does the extra inch or two of width give a bigger hike/leverage against the sail and is that worth the extra windage?
I talked with themorb briefly at Pat Bay about his hypernut and he mentioned the previous owner wanted to go to a lower volume for less windage when foiling.

Anyways, any other discussion on the topic of boards for foiling for windsufing or wingsurfing is welcome too. I plan to invest in a nice carbon board as I’ll probably use it a lot and for many years so the more info I can get the better!

I don't know much about the big foil boards, but 177 is going to be gigantic. If you are using >7m2 sails and planning on foil racing then that might be a good board. I would suggest around 120-140L and a >1400 foil for learning.

I would get a board you can uphaul and slog around on. If you want to go fast, the 125L with the GT 800/330 would be great. I learned on Morb's hypernut and the GT and it was a slow process but I eventually got it.

The Foil X 145 paired with the Supercruiser would be perfect for learning, slower than the 125/GT, but really turny and lots of lift for the light wind days. It also makes gybing way easier. It keeps flying at really low speeds.

I have the Foil X 105 and Supercruiser now and it seems good from about 12kts on a 4.6 to 20+ kts on a 3.4. But I'm 145 lbs.

I still have my 111L and GT for sale, but that might be a bit small for you and a bit of a struggle to learn on, maybe.

Foiling is really fun btw.

You will graduate from bigger to smaller pretty quickly.

I suggest NOT spending a lot of money on a first board. KC 7777 was selling a pretty good starter on the forum.

Once you “ get it” you will go small,

DaveM just coverted a Roberts board into a sweet 6 ‘ x 30 “” machine,

Still have my other Roberts conversion as well.

You don’t need any bigger than 130l. The foil adds a lot of stability.

Foiling IS awesome.

Yea, 177 is going to be massive, unless you want to race, and race this year on it, go for something smaller, or super dedicated to going in the lightest possible wind.

I'm 220ish and got the starboard 147(2017) with a 6.0ish going relatively easily in sub 12 knots.

Why they went to 177, my guess it it was a compromise for foil ability and for a fin, to make an Olympic proposal, olympics tend to favour 1 design classes, and cover multiple scenarios, 6-30kn, but my guess is it's making sacrifices at both ends and through the range. Get a foil for the 6-15, and fun boards in the 20+, sit around and talk about waiting for wind in 15-20. lol

The big volume race boards are designed to get going in the least possible wind and also maintain speed in the tack. They are a pain to pack around and get to be a handful in the kind of wind we get in Victoria basically all the time. I can think of perhaps a few times a year when I wish I had a race foil set-up here.

Depending on what year it is your Go140 might be fine to start foiling. I ran a 130L foil board when I was 205# and even though I was in an area with much less wind than Victoria it worked well.

I have a Roberts 66cm that I'm hacking into something similar to the Xfoil105 but I would prefer to find a board perhaps 75-80cm wide to have a low wind option for the shoulder season.

I sit around 190# now and I foil a 122L Kombat currently with a 109L Skate in the planning stages once I decide how I'm going to deal with the fin box. I like having boards which are useful with a fin as well.

Thanks guys.

AJSpencer wrote:Eventually, hopefully sooner than later, I plan to be windsurf foiling. ...!

Maybe....some day....but it may be a secondary thing on your mind after ripping around on your little stuff

I don’t know. It was a video of foiling and wingfoiling I saw that made me think I had to do that, which got me interested in windsurfing enough to actually buy gear and learn it. Getting all the necessary skills to windsurfing is first, then I think I’ll mainly foil because I think I’m going to really like it. But we’ll see. Either way, a world of challenge and fun is ahead of me.
I think its safe to say foils are the future of racing in all wind-water sports.
I’ve been sailing most of my life, and racing keelboats as crew, and have my
own cruising saiilboat. But with young kids we go out in fair weather only. So this is a good fit for me to get my sailing needs filled and take advantage of stormier days and the off-season.

I grew up sailing keel boats and dinghies. Foiling does offer a similar (but better) sensation of efficiency and being able to go places.

However getting on a wave is FAR better, and I've only scratched the surface of wave sailing.

True,
Well here's a rookie question: is wave sailing just breaking wave surfing/sailing or can you ride waves for long durations out in the open on rollers? If rollers, then I see Victoria would be awesome in those Summer Westerlies. But if its just big breaking waves on the West Coast then I doubt I'd ever be committed enough to do that often enough. I have felt brief moments of surfing when out in Pat Bay in some bigger chop coming downwind, but I'm not nearly fast enough to keep surfing.
Most vids I see are guys surfing breaking waves, which is why I'm not sure if its possible to just be out in the Strait riding rollers. If that's possible, can't wait!

It's surfing breaking waves, you'll outrun windswell once you turn down it with any real speed. You can sort of get a turn or two at Cook St or IV on a big day but they are pretty hectic places when it's working and the shore break at both can be savage at high tide.

Once you get a solid waterstart down and start getting comfortable blasting on a board +10-15L above your body weight in KGs then you have enough experience to come have a fun time at Columbia Beach near Parksville on a mellow day. It's not as big as the coast and the shore break is more friendly than Cook/IV.

The other option is downwind foiling on the swell just off Clover Pt or at Gordons. I've done it a bit although I'm hardly good enough to really work a swell for more than a couple of turns on the foil.

In any event I think you need to stop puttering around Pat Bat underpowered and either rig big enough to plane there consistently or else go where there is more wind. If you don't have the power to easily waterstart then you also won't have enough to get in the straps. Both of which are things that really need to be figured out as soon as possible. Guys who take too long getting comfortable with both of those basics tend to stall out in the beginner stage in my experience.

Thanks. Good advice.
That's why I think the wing looks awesome, because once up on the foil you can make decent ground upwind, then you can ride swell downwind foiling.
I'll start rigging bigger now that I'm more comfortable, and will hit up Isl View in some good SE's.

Back to thread: Foil boards seems to be more square in the aft and I assume that's because they don't need to be so hydrodynamic to narrow out, so the extra real estate back there makes it easier for the rider to pump and for various other reasons. I guess for this reason is why I'll probably pick up a foil board for foiling instead of franken-boarding one of my other boards.

Don't knock the Frankenfoilboard.

here is the first one I had cropped by MFW:

http://bigwavedave.ca/gallery/displayim ... fullsize=1

(copy and paste link)

My second is shorter and more of a spoon shape. Pics to follow.

Having said that, Frankenboards need some tweaking with the foil setup and it is going to be easier / better to actually get a foil specific board to start so you aren't messing around.

If you haven't checked KC 7777's 145l board out on the buy/sell forum yet ...

(and, no, I don't get commission. It just seems to tick the boxes, and is used, so cheaper than a new first board)

[/img]

Foil boards are designed put enough volume under your feet so you can pump them from the flying position before they hit planing speed.
They do this by being thick and/or wide.

Wide tails are actually more efficient when planing, but they don't turn or gybe well. That's not a factor when up on the foil.

All of my foil boards require some speed before I can move back to the flying position. So they probably require a bit more power than if they had more volume in the back. That's a compromise which I make so I can also use them with a fin.

Not knockin your frankenboard, Tempy! Just my future hypothetical one which I foresee myself spending lots of time and money franksteining only to get on it and wish I had just bought a foil board.
If my frankenboard would turn out like yours, then I'd prob franken the board.
Who is MFW, for future reference?

I've got a 200L Starboard GO, which is a floating dock, but it is thick with a fairly square back. https://www.usedvictoria.com/classified ... e_32445615
I wonder if that'd be franken-potential. Though its a nice SUP.