If I was to walk into a shop today (ideally Perth) and buy a complete new setup of SUP & foil to learn on what would be the recommendation for a experienced wave Sup, Prone surfer and windsurfer for WA conditions & 80kg rider.
I been trawling the forums and reading foil developments for past year and now thinking of getting into it, but with developments, some of the beginner forum recommendations are outdated.
Looking for setup that will cover waves and flat water (with changeable foils) once I've gained the learning curve.
Cheers in advance.
Most people don't end up with the gear they start with so consider buying cheap secondhand gear suitable to learn with and then you can resell later if you want to upgrade foils and downsize the board
Hi peguin. What do you mean for flatwater? Is it just the SUP board? If so it would need less nose rocker. If towing on flatwater. Then Ok for more rocker as it helps to recover on a foil breaching the water & making the board nose dive.
Seajuice - Flat water i mean open rolling swell for downwinders.
tomooh - Not sure about this with a relatively new sport as foils a few years old will not be as easy as modern foils and alot of folk sells gear we tell you its suitable for beginners when its not. Kite equipment was clear example of this in the early days. I want my skills to develop relatively quickly so best to start with the best equipment. Beginners stuff always sells well if its actually beginners stuff and well designed.
Select to expand quotepeguin said..
Kite equipment was clear example of this in the early days. I want my skills to develop relatively quickly so best to start with the best equipment. Beginners stuff always sells well if its actually beginners stuff and well designed.
It is not as clear cut with these "new" sports that are foiling and Wingfoiling. They can still get a lot of experience from the decades of advances in foil and kite before them, even if not everything applies. Some - not all, though - very early foils (2016) are still quite good as beginner stuff, and it is even more true for the 2017 and 2018 ones, there have been no real paradigm shift, e.g. we didnt move to canard foils or monofoils.
If you avoid the non-name alibaba foils, it is easy now to get feedback on the actual merits of known brands old models. For instance for the Gong foils, I would discourage you from getting a Hellvator model (too fast, not enough lift), but the Allvators, even the early ones, are still excellent beginner foils, and you can grab them at very interesting prices now that some people have progressed into the "pro" models. And I guess a lot of the "big name" early foils are still quite good for beginners.
This may not be the case in 10 years time, however.
You definitely want a specific Downwind board which is very different to a Sup surf Foil board . The right board makes one hell of a difference. Designs have changed so fast none of production boards are really up to date . Dale Chapman at DC paddle boards is right on to this so is Jacko at One , Sunova also do customs but slow to get , but they do have DW production boards.
I'd have a chat to Dale to start he'll make you something in a couple of weeks made to your size . I've just seen his new protos he made for NSP and they are amazing .
dcpaddleboards.com.au/
Re the foil for DW hard to go past Axis or Gofoil and the new Takumas look good as well . I'm also a big fan of Uni Foil as well , beautiful foils.
Freo SUP shop have Sunova DW foilboards in stock, and as a huge plus Marcus Tardrew, the shaper is behind the counter most days. He's a champ and a wealth of info on all things paddly and windy.
Select to expand quotePiros said..
You definitely want a specific Downwind board which is very different to a Sup surf Foil board .
What do you mean by this? I use the same board for DW and in the waves and its perfect for both from what i can work out but keen to hear if i am missing something
I'm seeing narrower and more defined rail shape for surfing for making board contact in turns , like the new prone boards. Yes you can make a board to do both , but you can always build a better one for surfing on much smaller wings . I only ever see you in the waves with your DW wings on. 
Select to expand quotePiros said..
I'm seeing narrower and more defined rail shape for surfing for making board contact in turns , like the new prone boards. Yes you can make a board to do both , but you can always build a better one for surfing on much smaller wings . I only ever see you in the waves with your DW wings on.
Didn't know we had to have a different wing for surfing? Or maybe i just DW on my surfing wing? Or maybe the wing i use is just good at both?
I surf my 1300 or 1600 wings didn't know these were not surfing wings but i will email Cyril at Takuma and ask him to make some wings that surf.
That board thing sounds like sales hype, if you are laying your board over that far that you need some special rail then you are doing better turns than i see anyone ever do on a foil. There is no way i will be telling anyone that you need a board for DW and then another for surf as they are the same thing. That was just plain crazy talk!!
Going narrower is ok but going shorter is better and i will give a bit of width for length.
Not saying the 1300 & 1600 aren't surf wings but the reverse , I just always see you on the 1900 in the waves just cruising around , that's my point but all good. FYI picking up a 1300 this arvo for demo on my prone , they look really good.
Select to expand quotePiros said..
Not saying the 1300 & 1600 aren't surf wings but the reverse , I just always see you on the 1900 in the waves just cruising around , that's my point but all good. FYI picking up a 1300 this arvo for demo on my prone , they look really good.
Never used the 1900 and never owned one so not sure who you have been surfing with that looks like me.
Select to expand quotePiros said..
hahahah classic , so are you buzzing around on 1600 ?
Either 1600 or 1300 really depends how i feel.
I could never see the use for the 1900 at my weight.
You trying carbon or Alloy mast?
Wow that's impressive , not sure which mast see when I get there he has a 1600 as well
