Let's Chat w/ Ryan H: To Foil or Not to Foil?

Ryan H on Foilboarding

I’ll admit it, when foils first came out I was one of the first people to badmouth them wondering why anyone would want to foil, saying it looks super boring and that very few people would get into it. Fast forward 4 years later and most my summer sessions are being had on a foil.

So what changed? Well, like most kiters out there, I want to ride anything once or twice. Even though I was talking down the latest board to ride I still was planning on trying it once or twice. It took me until last year to actually get out on a foil, but I remember it pretty clearly. The wind was only blowing 11-12 knots, I was riding a big twintip with a 17m Cabrinha Contra, and was sick of mowing the lawn. So I grabbed the Cabrinha Double Agent and hit the water, hoping that the giant mast would not swing around like a katana and take me out. 

Now, this time out, I struggled to get up on the foil. When I did, it was like a bucking bronco, but it was something new and a challenge. I had a blast trying to figure out. Some time after that I had similar wind conditions and instead of riding a twin tip I went straight for the foil. In this session I was able to get up on the foil pretty regularly and I was flying upwind. So well upwind, that I realized towards the end of my session that riding a foil downwind is actually more challenging than one would think. This ended in a downwind walk of shame, but I was hooked. In 10-12 knots, I was learning a lot of new things. Normally, I would mow the lawn for 15 minutes, get bored and then sit on the beach.

That was last year. Fast forward to this year. I have a total of 10-12 foil sessions under my belt and am starting to do toeside transitions. What is the big draw to me at this point? Progression. Like most kiteboarders you get hooked on the sport. As you continue to ride, you aspire to learn new things and become a better rider. Foiling is no different, except now you can ride and progress in wind speeds that would normally keep you on the beach. Once I started getting it down I found myself taking it out in a little higher winds too. I won’t jump on a twin tip anymore until it is at least solid 12-meter conditions, which for me is around 16-17 knots.

So what is the best foil to start on? That depends on conditions and may have a thousand different options. My personal favorite is Slingshot's FWind1 foil with the Slingshot Simulator board. The FWind1 foil is steady and will allow you to get up on foil with very little power, which makes it perfect for learning and riding in light winds. I don’t ride foil in winds higher than 15-16 knots anyway, so this foil is perfect for me all the time. 

The Simulator board is perfect for learning. It has a soft deck which is comfortable on your feet and super nice when you fall on it. It is a large board, which makes it easy to plane out and ride before you are up on the foil; or, when you lose power or balance and the board comes back down to the water. When starting out, this is far more important than most people realize. Now that I’m starting to try toeside transitions, I prefer a little smaller deck like the Rocket Foil or Happy Foil, but I still have a lot of fun riding the Simulator deck.

So what foil should you get? Again, this depends on a lot of factors, but if you are anything like me and looking for foiling to be your light wind go-to, then get the Hover Glide FWind1 foil. Pair that up with the Happy Foil, Wakefoiler, Rocket Foil, or the Simulator for easiest progression. Oh and don’t forget to add the Slingshot Foot Hooks! These are a must while learning.