Parawing Gear | Boards, Foils, and Wing Sizes That Work Best

Whether you call them "hand kites" or "parawings", these soft foils are gaining a lot of momentum for their ability to get packed away and let you surf virtually hands-free without the drag of a wing floating behind you. Tucker and Jeff have been riding a lot of gear with various parawings over the past few months, and they're ready share which setups worked best for them as they transitioned from wing to parawing.

If you are already a skilled winger, you've already got some gear and you can probably ride in just about any conditions as long as your gear is close to appropriate. Don't worry if you feel humbled the first time you pick up a parawing. It's a similar sport, but is different enough that there will be a learning curve. Your existing board and foil might be close enough that you can make it work with a parawing, but you can accelerate the learning process with the right gear. Whether you're downwinding or looping around the same spot will make a difference, so keep that in mind as well.

Tucker's Advice

Tucker likes to ride small boards and foils while massively overpowered, so that's the approach he took the first time he got his hands on a parawing. However, it was very difficult, physically grueling, and a bit frustrating, especially to stay upwind. He felt like he was constantly on the verge of chaos and didn't really feel like he was in control. All he could do was to use the parawing to get up on foil, then stow it as quickly as possible before it pulled him over. He'd ride the wave in, then walk back upwind. It worked, but he wasn't really learning to parawing.

To do it again, he'd go with a bigger board. Not too long, but perhaps a mid-length around his weight in kilos, give or take 10 liters. He'd also bring a little bigger foil. Your light wind foil would probably work well if you have one. Then you'll have easier lift-off and can even size down your parawing so you're not massively overpowered while you're trying to get a feel for it.

If you are overpowered, you can really only ride downwind. An overpowered parafoil will just drag you downwind and you won't be able to tack back upwind.

Jeff's Advice

Jeff agreed about not going out overpowered while you're learning. Parawings have more power for their size than wings, and they don't have the wind range that a given size of wing will. If you can ride your 5m wing in 15-30 mph, you can comfortably ride a 5m parawing in the lower half of that, around 15-22. You might take a 4m wing out in 22-40 mph, but a 4m parawing in only 22-28 mph. If you're not sure you've got the appropriate size for the conditions, open it up while you're standing on the beach and see how it feels. Move it around like you would while you're riding. If you can go out with a size that's in the sweet spot for the wind, it's going to help a lot.

He also agreed about taking a bigger board around your weight in liters. You'll need the buoyancy to get up on foil while you're learning to handle a parawing. A mid-length board works very well, but not a long downwind board. Having side-to-side stability is essential, and downwind boards are a bit too narrow. They're also more tracky than you want. Now, if all you have is your regular wingboard and a downwind board, then choose the downwind board, but if you can get your hands on a midi board, you will progress faster.

How Is Parawing Different?

We've already mentioned that parawings are more powerful per meter and have a narrower wind range, but they also generate very little lift. They want to drive forward. To get up on foil, you need to generate speed and apparent wind. You can't pull and go like you can with a wing.

Parawings have a sweet spot in their direction of travel relative to the wind. You can't really go perpendicular to the wind, and you don't want to go straight downwind either. Thirty degrees downwind is generally your best direction for building speed, though you'll need to experiment since each parawing is different. If you're on a midi board, you can make those corrections to quickly find that spot, but with a tracky downwind board, it's much more difficult to change direction, and you might even get pulled off your board.

You'll need to learn a new skillset in harnessing the wind efficiently with a parawing. While there isn't a lot of depower, you can still hold it wrong or oversheet it and backstall. A couple hours of experimentation on the beach will make your first time out on the water so much better.

Tips for Parawing Success

• Size down your parawing so you're not overpowered.
• Size up your board volume so you've got enough flotation, around your weight in Kg.
• Size up your board length and especially width for stability.
• Unless the wind is very light, opt for a mid-length board rather than a downwind board.
• Size up your foil for easy liftoff, around 1200-1300cm2 on a mid-aspect.
• Find the best direction of travel relative to the wind, around 30 degrees.
• Practice flying, stowing and throwing your parafoil on the beach to gain muscle memory.
• If you have an area that's protected from the waves and swell, like behind a breakwater, start there. Otherwise, try to go out when there's enough wind but the water is flat.
• Don't get frustrated about not being able to stay upwind since it will take you longer to get back up after falling and you'll drift downwind.

A Final Word...

Remember to celebrate the small wins. Just getting the parawing out of the water and into the air is an accomplishment. Taxiing around on your knees is another step. If you're an experienced winger, you'll want to progress quickly to get back to what you can do with a wing, but somewhat ironically, taking it slow is going to move you forward faster. Just like when you were learning to wing, you'll keep expanding on what's possible as you master each step and level up.

Any time out on the water is time well spent. You're being active and you're expanding your foiling options as you learn something new. Enjoy the journey, and enjoy the stoke.

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