3 Essential Tips for Learning to Foil Dock Start

Tucker and Ryan are here to bring you a quick summary of their top three tips for learning to dock start. Keeping it simple is key when you're first getting into this part of the sport.

Find a Proper Dock

The first tip is to make sure you have a proper dock. The better your dock is, the easier the learning process is going to be. A few specific things about a dock can make your life a lot easier or much more difficult when you're learning to dock start.

A big factor is whether the dock allows the foil to pass underneath it, at least a little bit, or allows you to get a bit of an angle where you can get a run at it without the foils hitting something. While it is possible to "dead start" or push straight off a dock or a rock, you usually want to learn on an easier dock first.

Floating Docks: These can be good, but they often get bouncy, meaning you aren't quite as stable when you are hopping off onto the foil.
Fixed Docks: Ideally, you want a fixed dock with the posts set under it so you have an overhang. This prevents you from bumping your foil wings on the dock posts.

If you have a dock with two posts at an angle away from it, you can do it, but you run the risk of falling back onto the dock. This can be a safety hazard, so if you are set up on a dock like that, you should wear a helmet and an impact vest. Do your best to push and jump away from the dock so if you fall, you fall into the water rather than back toward the dock. Ideally, you are running off the end of the dock where posts won't be an issue.

Dock height is also key. You don't want a dock that is too short or too high out of the water. If it's too short, you'll be trying to jump up onto your board, or you'll have too much mast in the water when you start pumping. If it's too high, you'll be leaning all the way over to get a running start and then trying to hop onto the foil while bent over. Somewhere between 10 inches and 24 inches off the water is the sweet spot. If you have a taller dock, the Foil Scoot or the North DockStarter allow you to "cheat" a little bit, potentially allowing for docks up to three feet high depending on your mast length. These aids also make it easier if you have to hop straight off the end of a dock, a swim platform, or even a rock.

The DockStarter accessory with a foilboard mounted on it.

Commit to the Jump and Pump

The second tip is jumping off the dock with confidence. You have to go after it, keeping your chest forward with the expectation that you are going to glide off that dock and pump off into the sunset. Approaching the start with confidence ensures your body posture is correct.

You can see people fail quickly when they come in timid, scared, or unsure. They might stutter-step or fail to jump with forward momentum. If you aren't pushing hard off the dock to jump on, it just won't work out. You need to act like a pro and come in with confidence like you're about to kill it. This helps you maintain a good stance and momentum. Avoid that last-second hesitation; just fully commit. If you hesitate, you slow down and end up too far back on the foil, which prevents you from gliding off the launch.

Tucker jumps off the end of the dock and onto his foilboard.

Start with Your Foil High

The third tip is keeping the foil high in the water column. Ideally, you want the foil about two to four inches under the surface of the water. If you have the foil too deep—for example, 40 centimeters deep or half the mast length—it is going to be very hard to jump off the dock and get the glide you need to stay stable before you start pumping. By the time you actually get to the pump, you'll already be touching down.

Taking off with the foil as high as possible is much more efficient because there is less drag on the mast. As you are pumping, keeping that foil higher in the water column continues to reduce drag and makes it easier to pump further. If you do start to slow down, having the foil high gives you more forgiveness and room to recover than if you were already deep on the mast.

Hopefully, these tips help you the next time you head out to the dock. If you haven't tried it yet, grab a friend and get out there because dockstarting is a ton of fun!

Tucker prepares to jump onto his foilboard.