Buy a hydrofoil?

We wish there was a short answer to the question of what makes a good foil to learn wing foiling with, but there isn’t. There are a few important things to consider. Beginner foils vary in surface area between 1250cm2 and 2000cm2. But ultimately, the profile is very important.

• What is your goal?
  For example, do you want to make progress as quickly as possible so that you can go fast or surf the most beautiful waves? Or can it all be a bit slower because you just want to have fun first and are already happy with nice racks on the foil back and forth. You often know yourself how you are physically and what you want and can achieve with it. Someone who thinks they can make progress quickly is often better off with a foil that is a bit smaller, thinner and therefore more efficient and therefore faster. The disadvantage is that you need more speed, technique or strength to get on the foil with this.
• Where do you want to go winging?
  The wind often blows a little harder on the coast than further inland. If you are going to learn wing foiling on a lake close to the sea, you can quickly choose a smaller foil. If you also want to quickly make the leap to foiling at sea, it is better not to choose a foil that is too large. Large foils often work less well when there are waves. The waves give off energy that a foil that is too large cannot handle, causing it to rise out of the water. The larger a foil, the easier it rises with less wind. Which makes larger foils more suitable for lakes further inland.
• What is your weight?
  Matching a foil to your body weight is very important. A foil that is too big will give too much lift to keep down properly for a light person, especially when the wind picks up or in the waves. While with a foil that is too small, you simply won’t get up when the wind is light.
• What kind of wind do you want to go winging in?
  Most people want to learn wing foiling in light wind. For light wind you need a larger foil (front wing) than for stronger wind, then a smaller foil works better. The profile of the foil also matters here.

Aspect ratio of a foil
This refers to the width/length ratios of the front wing (and rear wing) of a foil.
A thick low aspect foil (often very thick and not so wide) will come up quickly. A high aspect foil that is wide and thin is usually for advanced riders. Foils with a mid-aspect ratio are often very good foils to learn wing foiling with for a wide audience. These are reasonably long and wide, but are moderately thick. This makes them easy enough to get on the foil, but they go fast enough to be able to make progress for a longer period of time. Learning transitions such as jibing is also often a bit easier.

Conclusion
Don’t be blinded by the surface of a foil (front wing). The right profile in combination with the right size that suits you is much more important. If you can answer the above questions for yourself, we can give you good advice on which foil suits you. You can simply send an email to info@wingsurfer.nl or call/app to +31683368915.