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How to Figure Out Which Screw You Need You just dropped a screw. Well, technically that perfect session wind caught it and sent it tumbling, because you're definitely not that clumsy. And then, even though your lightning reflexes should've caught it, it phased through your hand and wriggled itself deep into the sand. You know it's right there, yet somehow it just isn't. Now there's one tiny screw keeping you from joining your buddies on the water. But which one do you need? You've still got its …

Unless you're lucky enough to live somewhere that's warm year-round, your cold-weather options are to suit up or stay home. Vacations to someplace sunny are also nice, but most of us can't pack up and go for more than a week or two. Tucker's been braving the frigid water for years now, and he's got some tips on how to stay warm and safe. What Gear Do I Need to Ride in Cold Water? As long as there's open water and you're geared correctly, you can ride. Here's Tucker's wardrobe selection. …

Can I Use Stick-On Strap Inserts? You love your board, but the board designers decided that it would be a strap-free zone and you'd really like to have the option of straps. Or maybe there aren't inserts at your preferred foot position. Now you can make your board fit your feet like it was custom made just for you. NSI's stick-on footstraps inserts come in sets of 2 or 4, and screws are included. You'll need two stick-on inserts for each strap (one for each end of the strap), so be sure …

With the release of the FLITELab AMP, you might be wondering how it compares to Foil Drive and whether one is better for you. Cole has experience with both and is ready to share his insights into which he would choose for different foiling disciplines. What's the Difference Between Foil Drive and FLITELab? First off, what are they? Both are foil assist products meant to help you get up on foil and then turn off so you can do your thing, though the Foil Drive can be ridden as a full-time e …

MACkite has a new addition to the crew and the winging team, but Skip is no stranger to wind sports or even the shop. Follow along as Jeff and Ryan ask Skip about his journey on the water and how it led to winging. What challenges did he face, and did his prior experience help? Skipping Across the Water Skip is far from a new face around MACkite. As a windsurfer, he thought this new kiteboarding thing looked interesting and asked his local kite shop if they'd be bringing any kiteboarding ge …

Ryan from MACkite has a nifty, convenient upgrade for foilers. He's been using the Konrad Click nuts with his foils for a while now and absolutely loves them. He's also got some tips to share that will make them as secure, useful, and unobtrusive as possible while out on the water.What are Konrad Click Nuts? Konrad Click nuts replace the screws that attach your foil to your board. (You'll still use your own track nuts, though, so hang on to those!) They have a nice, big wing for tool-le …

Dockstarting can be a fun challenge with your foil. Just ask Pat! (Link warning: Goofiness inside.) If you love to pump on flat water, it's almost a required skill. But you do need enough dock length without pilings in the way so you can run up with your foilboard. Then you need to drop your foil into the water at just the right angle and still manage to hop aboard without losing your center of balance. North has tackled this hurdle and created something that every dockstarting enthusiast should …

Ryan and Cole talk about some new Axis stabilizers, who they're for, and why you might want one in your setup. Ryan: A lot of times, the stabilizer choice gets overlooked, but it's a great way to upgrade your foil or change some characteristics about it. So today we're going to look at the Axis Progressive series stabilizers versus the Skinny series and what some of the differences are that you're going to notice when you switch back and forth between the two styles.Axis Skinny Series S …

Are you using the best front wing for your Foil Drive setup? It's hard to generalize wing recommendations with so many skill levels and sizes of riders, but we've developed a pretty good understanding of what works for riders 200lbs or less on a board around 5 feet in length and 50 to 90L of volume, and Cole is going to share that here.Wings Under 1000 cm2 A wing smaller than 1,000 cm2 is going to be very difficult to get up on foil because of how fast you'll need to be going to get enough li …

Jeff and Tucker are excited to announce their top foils for 2023. Hydrofoil is one of their favorite categories because of how it allows you to take your winging to the next level, and they've ridden every foil they could get their hands on.1. Best Foil for Beginners This was a close one, but we've agreed on the Cabrina Fusion as the best beginner foil in our shop right now. It's a quality design and it's easy to learn on, but it also offers quite a bit of progression. With regar …

The first time that you look at a hydrofoil, you may not realize that there's a lot going on underneath the surface of the water. Here, Cole talks about what each piece of the hydrofoil is called and what role each piece plays in your wake foil experience. Mast Plate The mast plate, or pedestal, is responsible for connecting the board to the rest of the foil. If you look at the mast plate, you will see that one side has a structure on it, and the other side is flat. The flat side of the mast …

Q: I've been riding an Armstrong 1550v2 with a HA195 tail. I enjoy it, but could I get better speed and glide out of something like an F-One Eagle HM or another foil? A: I've ridden Armstrong foils and they are great, but they aren't known for their glide efficiency or mast stiffness. By comparison, F-one foils are top of the class in both glide efficiency and stiffness through the entire system. That is mostly due to the sleek mast/fuse connection, monocoque front wing/fuse design, and high-mod …

GoFoil set out to “build the best foil possible with simplicity in mind.” They construct all of their foils, mast/fuselage combinations, and stabilizers from high modulus carbon. While I don’t know exactly what that means, I DO know they make great stuff, I love it, and it’s all that I ride. So let’s break down their two newest wings, the GoFoil EZ and GT Series.Understanding the GoFoil GT and EZ Series The GoFoil EZ line of foil wings was designed to be easy to learn, ride, and …

As you spend more time on the water progressing, you’ll want to jump down in board and foil size to increase performance.The question for most people is ‘which should I size down first? The board or the foil?’ I always recommend taking this process one step at a time. Changing up both the foil and the board can be a challenge if you aren’t a very comfortable foiler. Which to downsize first really depends on what you started with initially. If you are using a board in the 110L size or larger, I w …

Foiling is here, and it is awesome. The feeling, almost indescribable. If one were to try, maybe the feeling of flying over Agrabah on a magic carpet would come close to capturing the magic. And, like anything worth doing, it comes with some risks.  Riding several feet above the water, balancing on a board attached to what might as well be a katana… what could go wrong? The good news is with the proper safety gear the chance of bodily harm goes way down, meaning the chances of you l …