Surf Foiling Review
"Fun Foiling for Everyone"
It has to be the most fun thing since I started with surfing as a child. In reality though it’s just another expansion on all the forms of surfing already out there like kite, sup, tow and windsurf. Taught correctly at a good venue and with the correct gear it’s a lot easier in my opinion to grasp the basics of foil surfing than it is in pure surfing to actually say that you can surf down the line. The kind of conditions needed to do the sport, give you many more days on the water and the actual riding of the wave is very simplified, especially in the beginning. In fact it’s the most fun you will ever have going in a straight line, which is quite strange but true.
Let’s start with wings and their sizing. The Invaderfoil stabiliser or back wing is the same across the range of the different front main wings for any given discipline of foiling. If you want to play around you can. To my knowledge there are two different stabs available, with the Dolphin Tail being the latest evolution, with some significant benefits. It’s been hard tested and proven to be better for their design criteria, which is something along the lines of fun hydrofoiling for everyone.
The front wing comes in 3 sizes; 90, 120 and 160. I don’t like to label wings as kite or surf wings or this or that. In my opinion and experience so far Invaderfoil wings are good for it all including tow, sup, windsurf. Strap it on correctly and go.
Invaderfoils have done well to keep the wing profile and shape the same across the range. Moving up to a larger or down to a smaller wing the ride feeling is maintained. Lift is obviously different across the range and stability does improve as the wings get bigger. For kiting you can definitely ride a smaller kite with a bigger wing and you can better match your body weight to a wing. This also includes riding in your preference of wind strength which may be fair weather kiting or a howling gale.
My body weight is a solid 94kgs (207 pounds), with a wetsuit, harness and some pies in the belly, I come in around 100kgs (220 pounds). My preference for an all-round wing is the 120 as I can kite it in a great range of winds and surf it in any condition. I enjoy the added lift for kiting which suits my body weight better, making transitions smoother and it’s a lot more pump able for me than the smaller 90. Pump foiling within your kiting is way too much fun to ignore. It helps in getting you going and then keeps you going in major lulls.
For lighter riders (under 70kgs) the 120 wing should deliver pumpability within the surf context, with the correct technique. For heavier riders this is a great all round surf wing as the lift is completely manageable especially when progressing into banking turns and for learning. It is also good in the bigger stuff where you need to move a bit faster.
I would rate Invaderfoil wings as medium speed wings. All the wings in the range make for great kiting and surf wings with room for all kinds of fun, including high gain upwind kiting to slow riding on waves and swells. Phil and Caro have really done a great job in the setup of this foil with many many hours on the water. No fiddly adjustments needed, no tools. Just be careful not to ruin it with the wrong board, especially a surfboard with tail rocker. Tail rocker normally needs to be shimmed out.
The wings at first glance seem to be low lift (more speed needed) type wings, especially if you are judging them from what is out there in the surf foil world. On the contrary they are high lift and medium speed which is a very rare and much sought after combination in hydro foiling. The Kline-Fogleman designed airfoil works and it works well to give a thin high lift foil.
I would not hesitate to put an eager child onto the small 90 wing for a first time surf foil experience. There would be enough lift for them to fly and still feel that they could learn to control it. The right board to learn on for newbies is important. Something along the lines of a longboard is proving to be great for prone paddling. For adults learning the 120 is great for everything. If you plan to learn conservatively by which I mean calmer gentler conditions suited to longboards and sup’s then the 148 can be really kind to you. Using it in heavier conditions, as a beginner, comes with a warning, and the need for rodeo training.
The wings from Invaderfoils have nicely rounded corners and curves with down turned wingtips on the main wing which make them safer for beginners. The downed wingtips greatly improve any kind of banked turn. They help stop ventilation of the main wing, help with tracking, pumping and save your sup paddle blade.
For pump foiling the big 160 wing is showing signs of becoming the go to wing for this world. For heavier riders, pump foiling can seem like a pipe dream. The norm in the past if you have been on the heavier side is to use a downwind wing for pumping, which does sacrifice manoeuvrability in your wave riding. The 160 is very much surfable. Pump foiling is a technique that requires time and effort in getting it right. It is essentially a sport within a sport and opens all kind of new expressions.
With the hybrid polyurethane carbon construction the wings and stabs are super durable, and very much within the acceptable weight range. The stab and rudder are cleverly placed on the down side of the fuselage to better avoid ventilating which saves you a whole load of crashing when learning and pushing the limits. It also gives you access to your full mast length. The wing step design if you listen carefully for its ventilation song and react quick enough can save you doing some endos.
Best thing ever it won’t cost you all and everything you have. You can buy one and still have change for another wing or two which are a priceless addition to the quiver and then still have some pie money left over.
Dean Bottcher, SlideCraft SA, Innovative & Creative Boards
Surf foiling the 160 Wing, South Africa
Kite Foiling Review
"Invaderfoil ticks all the boxes to get you started and comfortably progress to an advanced level"
Having seen kite foils take off on the racing scene, I thought it was pretty much a niche thing and I wasn't convinced it would take off in the mainstream kite market. How wrong that thought was! Hydrofoiling has taken off in so many spheres, including surfing, SUP, yacht racing, kite foiling and even surfski. Foils are now being attached to, and successfully ridden, on all sorts of water craft.
Anyone watching Kai Lenny on a foilboard, or the 'boardriding maui' YouTube videos will be hard-pressed not to be inspired to give it a go. I had read that it was not at all easy to learn and many had found it so frustrating that they had just given up. So the advice was to persevere and you wouldn't be sorry. This is where having the correct gear to learn on makes a world of a difference and will make, or break, your foiling endeavours.
I attended a demo day being really keen to try foiling, but also rather nervous. I had heard that the foil can be a pretty lethal projectile when you're falling about all over the place. So a few pointers from Phil and Caro about what to do and expect, and off I set, foilboard under arm and heading for the water. Caro advised to bodydrag around a bit with the foilboard to get a feel for how it behaves in the water. This is different to any other kiteboard's behaviour. The board becomes secondary to the wing as it's the wing that is dominant in the water and it pushes the board around in unexpected ways. The trick is to keep movements slow as it doesn't take much for the foil to generate a lot of lift and want to fly out the water at odd angles. Another thing to remember is to not kick the wings and mast while moving it around in the water - it hurts! The first time you kick it you will quickly wake up and start to use a tip Caro gives to actually put your feet on the wing, or fuselage so that you know that it's there and you're in control of it.
After a bit of bodydragging and manouvering the board around, it was time to try and get up and ride on the thing. The goal is to start riding along in a way that is known as a 'taxi'. This is where you are riding with the board on the surface of the water and not coming up onto the foil yet. So more weight over the front leg and keep the board engaged with the water surface. So far so good! I initially thought that I would need to pick up quite a bit of speed for the wing to start lifting me but this turns out not to be the case with the Invader Foil. I was amazed out how slow I could go and with a little weight shift, or 'pump' of my legs, I could come up onto the foil. The first time it happens is pretty scary and I immediately shifted my weight onto the front leg and invariably nose-dived into the water! Phil and Caro had said to just go with any fall and not try to recover or save the fall as this could cause the foil to engage in unexpected ways and cause injury if it hit you. So just go with the fall and get as far from the board as you can to avoid it hitting you. Like anything you try for the first time, you have to get a feel for what happens when you make a certain move, and then through repetition you learn what that feeling is and how to use it correctly.
A few more taxi runs and some little pumps to get up off the water and onto the foil - then suddenly, I had the first feeling of flying - and WHAT A FEELING!! Everything goes smooth and silent and suddenly you're flying and floating along in mid air on an amazing magic-carpet ride! I couldn't believe how quickly I had reached this stage, and this is where it all comes down to having the correct gear and setup for the job. This is where all of Phil's expertise as a pilot and engineer comes into the design of the Invader Foil wings. The shape and size of the main wing and rear wing, or stab, is not just some thumbsuck experiment on their behalf, and this makes this locally made foil wing, easily on par, or better than any commercial kite brand foil out there!
I've seen the 'rocket science' charts and profile templates that Phil has painstakingly and meticulously calculated and cut out to make the Invader Foil perfect as an exceptionally well-rounded performer across a very broad spectrum of wind and board-speed conditions. Using this wing, combined with the right length mast for a beginner (shorter is better), and within an hour or so every one of us who tried the Invader Foil had got up and experienced some foiling runs. We have felt quite comfortable at it too, which is a very important incentive to want to progress and move onto a longer mast, and then out into the sea where we get to experience surfing on those swells akin to a dolphin - and who doesn't want to be like a dolphin?!?
In summary then, a few pointers, to make your first attempts at foiling a successful and exhilarating experience:
- Have the right board, mast, foil-wing setup for a beginner. Invader Foil recommend starting on a 60cm mast.
- Wear protective head gear.
- Start off slowly and get comfortable with the feel of the foilboard's movement and behaviour in the water before you try to get up and ride.
- First rides are just to taxi along with the board remaining in contact with the surface of the water.
- Don't worry about picking up too much speed in order to get up out of the water and onto the foil - the Invader Foil enables you to get up at a slow and controllable speed.
- Once up on the foil, 'OPEN THE DOOR'. This means to take your front hand off the bar and swing it outwards toward the windward side of the board, thereby turning and opening your chest out to the direction you are traveling. This is key to having the correct weight distribution in relation to the mast and wing.
- Weight distribution is all important and tiny movements make a huge difference to the behaviour of the foil in the water.
- When you are falling, go with it and fall as far away from the foil as you can, don't try to save your fall as this can cause unexpected directions of travel between you and the foilboard.
- Maintain an upright body position, so your body and the mast of the foil is all in line. Bending forward at the hips and sticking your butt out is going to cause a 'jack-knife' effect where your head will be falling towards the foil - not desirable! So hips forward, and NOT butt outwards.
- Good kite control and being able to use one hand on the kite bar helps, as that's one thing less for you to have to concentrate on.
- Have fun feeling like a kook again!!!
I can't emphasize enough how important the right setup is as I know quite a few people, myself included, who have been scared off by trying to learn to foil on the wrong gear. In my opinion the Invader Foil ticks all the boxes to get you started and enables you to comfortably progress to an advanced level of foiling.
Passionately , locally made and a quality product at an affordable price - what more could you want?
Bruce Gaynham, KiteSurfing Instructor , Durban, South Africa