People starting out in foil surfing often don't want to buy a pure foil board at first - they prefer to cover both disciplines with one board. When there is little wind, the fin is then simply swapped for the foil. So much for the theory.
The basic prerequisite for this is always that the fin box of the board is "foil ready" - i.e. appropriately reinforced to withstand the high forces that occur when foil surfing. But even if the board is suitable for foiling in principle, there are still many questions to be answered at the beginning. Above all, the right combination of board size, board type and foil always causes confusion and frustration: not all board-foil combinations harmonise on the water.
We would therefore like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the different types of foil and boards for freestyle, freeride and racing. We will show you sensible combination options and typical mistakes - and explain when a pure foil board makes more sense.
Different types of foil
There are different types of foils on the market that you should be familiar with in order to choose the right combinations. Here is a brief overview:
Cruiser Foils
Characterised by a thick profile, a reduced wingspan and a front wing that sits further back. As they have a large surface area (1400 to 2000 cm2) in relation to the wingspan, they are referred to as foils with a "low aspect ratio". Such cruiser foils score points with a low lift-off speed and a particularly stable airflow - even at low speeds they remain in the air for a long time. The fact that foils of this type are not among the fastest is the other side of the coin.
Racefoils
Racefoils represent the other end of the spectrum. They have a slim, elongated wing shape. The front wing is very thinly profiled and sits much further forward, while the fuselage (longitudinal member on which the wings are mounted) is much longer than on other foil types. As race foils have a small surface area (500 to 800 cm2 ) in relation to the wingspan, this is referred to as a "high aspect ratio". Race foils require a higher take-off speed, but reach this speed earlier due to the lower resistance in the water. Race foils are the sportiest type of foil and are correspondingly fast.
Freeridefoils
They represent the middle ground between cruiser and race foils and are designed to combine early take-off with control and reasonable top speed. The surface areas of the front wings are roughly between 1000 and 1400 cm2.
Tail width vs. wingspan
The aim of foil surfing is always to be able to find a stable flying position with even pressure on both legs. For this to work, the foil type and board must match. The following applies: the larger the wingspan of the foil, the wider the board must be in the tail area in order to be able to foil surf in a controlled manner. This also explains why pure foil boards have a completely different shape to windsurf boards with a foil option. Whether freestyle, freeride or racing: pure foil concepts are on average 20 to 30 centimetres shorter than windsurf boards. The shorter overall length makes the board more controlled and less susceptible to wind. In addition, pure foil boards are significantly wider, especially in the tail area - you stand far to the outside and can better counter the leverage of the foil with your body weight.
However, this does not mean that windsurf boards with a foil option (hybrid boards) are unsuitable for foil surfing per se - the right balance of board and foil is just particularly important here.
From freestyle to foil style
Metre-high jumps and tricks in twelve knots of wind - impossible in windsurfing freestyle, but doable in foilstyling.
"Windsurf freestyle boards," says Stefan Edtmayer from Starboard/Severne, "are very similar to pure foil boards. The straps are far forward and the dimensions are very compact. Freestylers can therefore get into foiling with their normal freestyle board. However, you should then have the box reinforced so that it can withstand the stresses of foil surfing."
Surf employee Julian Wiemar has also been using his Freestyler for foil surfing for some time now: "Due to the internal loop position, it's important to use a cruiser foil with a small span at the beginning, as otherwise you can't exert any steering impulse on the foil. Otherwise the foil will do what it wants to you. At the beginning I used a Starboard Supercruiser Foil with 1700 cm2 surface area. My tip is also to push the mast foot far back, which makes everything feel more compact. In my board, we laminated a foil box about three centimetres further forward than the normal box. To make this work for freestyle with a fin, you need a special freestyle fin (offset fin) to compensate for the offset."
Nevertheless, Julian Wiemar has also observed that many trick riders who are serious about foiling sooner or later switch to pure foil boards and small high-aspect wings: "The large 1700 front wing was great for starting out, foil 360s and other moves were easy with it. However, this wing was soon too big for jumping. That's why I now ride the GTR foil from Starboard with a front wing that's only
800 cm2 front wing. This is significantly faster and dives in more gently on landings. Jumps like Shaka, Culo or Burner also work with it. Of course, this foil is more difficult to control on the straight on the narrow freestyle board compared to a pure foil freestyle board, but I accept that."
Marius Kofler from Slingshot takes a similar view: "For carving manoeuvres, the foil should be quite large so that it stays up for a long time in the turn even without sail pull. Foils with a surface area of around 1400 to 15oo cm2, a slightly thicker profile and a moderate wingspan would be well suited for a medium-weight surfer (75 to 85 kilos). For cruising in light winds and for carving tricks, you are well equipped with such a wing for sails up to around six square metres. The manoeuvring fun of foil surfing can then begin at around ten knots. If, on the other hand, you are aiming for something higher, namely plenty of air time, then in my opinion you need 13 to 14 knots of wind - and above all a fast and agile foil," says Marius. The small, fast wing not only provides the necessary speed, but also reduces the forces on the entire undercarriage compared to very large wings during the often quite crisp and gruelling landings.
Freestyler Julian Wiemar has also experienced this: "When I started out with a 1700 front wing, a 103-litre freestyle board and a 5.6 sail, my wind limit was around ten to eleven knots. With the current 800 front wing, the difference is only marginal - if I pump, I can take off in eleven to twelve knots of wind. But once I've taken off, I'm travelling much faster."
The best freeride combos for foilsurfing
The following also applies to freeriders: the easiest access to foil surfing is always with pure foil boards. Stefan Edtmayer, who regularly organises events and test festivals for Starboard/Severne, has noticed this time and time again: "Normal windsurf freeride boards and pure foil boards are quite different. The tails of windsurf freeride boards are significantly narrower than those of pure foil boards, which also means that the straps are closer to the centre line of the board. This gives you less leverage - the flight becomes more unsteady."
Our experience from the surf tests is also that large windsurf freeride boards with a volume of over 130 litres and a width of 75 centimetres still harmonise quite well with freeride foils. Sporty freerace boards in particular, which are naturally designed with wider tails and more compact dimensions than freeride boards with a comparable volume, often work well for foiling. However, small freeride boards can be problematic. If you put a typical freeride foil in a 105-litre freerider, you will often ride unevenly and require a significantly higher level of riding ability than if you were to ride the same foil in a 130-litre board and, above all, under a pure foil board. Therefore, the bottom line is: pure foil boards harmonise with both sporty freeride and manoeuvre-oriented cruiser foils. Large windsurfing, freeride and freerace boards can also do this with a few small compromises: the smaller and narrower the boards become, the more care should be taken to use a cruiser foil with a small span.
Mast lengths & sash sizes
There is still a widespread misconception that short foil masts are better for practising and allow more control. The opposite is the case: the shorter the mast, the less room you have to manoeuvre to compensate for the board touching down or the foil rising. Masts with a length of 75 to 95 centimetres are ideal. Shorter models only make sense in areas with shallow water. Marius Kofler from Slingshot adds: "A long foil mast is an advantage for freeride and freestyle. When carving, the board can be edged more easily and you have more time in planing manoeuvres before the board touches down completely. And when jumping, the mast corresponds to your ramp height. You touch down briefly with the nose of the board before jumping and then have the full length of the mast as a ramp on the way up," Marius makes the comparison.
That leaves the question of the right wing size. "The importance of wing size is often overestimated when windfoiling," claims Stefan Edtmayer: "If you use a thickly profiled cruiser foil with a surface area of 1700 cm2, for example, you can take off in ten knots of wind with a 6.5 freeride sail. Slimmer freeride foils, which often have a surface area of between 1000 and 1200 cm2, require a higher speed to take off, but achieve this at a similar wind speed because they have less drag in the water when starting off. In the air, freeride foils with a smaller and thinner profiled front wing are noticeably faster than typical cruiser foils. So riding a smaller wing doesn't mean you have to wait for more wind to start flying."
Slalom racing: ever smaller, ever faster
"The professional racers have improved so much within a year that they are now riding smaller and smaller wings," says Robert Stroj, developer of the NeilPryde foils, describing the situation in the World Cup. And amateur racers usually follow the PWA trends with a short delay.
"In the beginning, the riders said that the 60 wing was practically impossible to jibe, but today the riding technique has become more active and simply better," says Robert. And training on small foils is obviously worthwhile, because "you can roughly say that - regardless of other factors - the top speed potential increases by around three knots with every smaller wing size." With the somewhat more nervous, small wings, a longer fuselage stabilises the flight attitude - but also has more drag. Sometimes difficult for Robert to decide: Is the 60 wing with a 105 fuselage faster? Or the 70 wing with the 95 fuselage? With masts, the trend seems clear: "We've gone back from the 105 mast to the 95, because it gives more stability in flight and is stiffer. The boards are also becoming somewhat narrower. This is a logical consequence, because in order to be really fast, boards are being surfed with more and more edges in slalom. A board that is too wide would only get in the way and is not needed. Also because the narrower wings require less leverage.
Hobby racer: In the footsteps of the pros
Hobby racers who have fun on a slalom board with loops mounted far out and camber sails also want to be fast when foiling. While you can use 2-cam sails for foiling, for example, there is no getting round a pure foil board: this is the only way to control the fast race foils well. For a hobby racer who has to make do with a foil board on Lake Garda, for example, a hydrofoil 155 with a width of 89 cm would be a good compromise - plus a front wing with a span of 80 centimetres and a surface area of 700 to 800 cm2. As always, the smaller the wing, the higher the take-off speed - pumping is therefore always part of foil racing. If you pump actively, you will be airborne at ten to twelve knots with a 7.8 cm sail and the aforementioned board-foil combination, for example.
When it comes to sails, the old principle "that the rider who can hold the biggest sail is the fastest" no longer applies. Robert Stroj: "For the best speed, you can't use a sail that's too big. Small sails are faster, riders use sails that are around 1.5 square metres smaller for foil racing than for slalom surfing with a fin. You are only fast on the foil if you can hold the perfect position, you don't need that much power to push the board through the chop. You have to edge the board strongly and push the board down with pressure on the mast foot. This flattens the angle of attack on the foil." That's pretty good news for all non-hunters. Although being tall is also an advantage in foil racing, it seems that you no longer necessarily have to carry a lot of weight and ride giant sails to get really fast. What is the forecast? "Finn slalom will probably die out, at least in the World Cup," surmises Robert, "the riders will also race with foil in Fuerte. Even if you're faster on the straights with the Finn, you'll make up for it in the gybes with the foil."
