The Foil Buyers Guide (Updated)

[gmb13]

Laying here in my bed with a herniated disc and catching up on the Hydrofoil Forum I have noticed a flood of new things. That is great on one hand and on the other I feel that some are trying to mislead people about their products.

I spent some time thinking about how to get involved and commenting about things, and have decided the best way is to educate the enduser instead of commenting directly about what I believe to be wrong. I am a designer and retailer of Foils, so I probably am a bit biased, but I also would like endusers to be more knowledgeable and to force the rest of the brands to up their game when it comes to Marketing.

So here is my Buyers Guide to Foils. I kept it as general as possible. It should be a guide to help a person who is getting into Foiling and looking at buying a new Foil decide what to look for in the Videos and other Marketing. Basically it's things I look for in the Videos to see if a Foil or concept is really good or not.



The Foil Consumers Buyers Guide

1) If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. Always be sceptical of companies or individuals offering the world for next to nothing prices. I do no think I need to say much more about this as the Carafino debacle is proof enough of what can happen.

2) Videos: There are telltale signs to see if a foil is good, and is working the way the brand is telling you it is.

a) If a foil is supposedly super stable and easy to use, then the Video should show it. Be very wary of a brand that claims to have achieved new standards in stability, but their videos do not show a single successful foiling gybe or tack. If the foil is really that stable and good, then a decent rider will be able to do those two manoeuvres. There is no good explanation as to why the designer or their testers would not have footage of successful manoeuvres. Ask yourself: If they cannot do it, then how so they know the foil that they have designed can do it?

b) If a brand claims that the foil is more back foot pressure driven, then there body of the rider will be weighted over the back foot. The back leg well be bent and the front leg will not be moving much. If the Riders front knee is constantly bending and his body is weighted more over his front foot, then the board is front foot pressure driven, (which in my opinion is easer and more intuitive to control at speed). So if you are looking for a Foil that needs more back foot pressure have a close look at the videos of those claiming to have it. So far none of them actually show that.

3) Race results are not everything. Most of you are not going to get into foiling just to race, and even then it does not mean that if a Foil wins a race that it is the best. Foilboard racing is very dependent of the riders skill and tactics. Small mistakes are very costly, much more than on Courseboards. It is most likely the rider who has made the difference. Also these rider tune their foils with different wings, and wing angles etc. This makes a huge difference in performance in a race. So it does not really mean much if a guy is winning races on it. All it says, is that it is competitive, the rest is down to other factors.

4) Travel. How easy is it to travel with the foil? The whole reason we came up with having a detachable T-Bar or Fuselage, was to that the Foil could fit in a normal board bag. This is what 90% of our customers said is what made them choose a Magmafoil as were one of the few (if any) that had this system 4 years ago.

5) Hardware: How easy is it go get hold of spare hardware, if at all? We have all been in a situation where they have lost a screw or nut etc. How easy will it be to replace it? If a foil has screws that are pretty standard lengths and size (eg. 30mm M6) then you can just pop into any hardware store in the world and get a new screw. If your foil has some strange hardware, you could be left with a paperweight for the rest of your holiday.

6) How long will the Foil last. Some layups and/or materials are more prone to softening or hardening over time especially when left in the sun. Over time people will post reviews and should check how the stiffness of their foils changes over time. A mast getting soft will result in a horrible ride at speed, but in my opinion is not dangerous. A mast where the resin hardens and gets brittle in the Sun can be dangerous as it can shatter and crack. I have seen a bunch of foils from different Brands with this problem, so keep an eye on that.

7) If you do not know how to Foil yet, try to find someone who can teach you the basics first on their Foil that works. It will give you a far better understanding of what you need and also will immediately give you enough experience to know when a brand is talking absolute …

8.) Pitch Stability/dampening (Long vs short fuselage)

Pitch stability/dampening prevents the foil from diving or rising aggressively. In my experience a foil that has good pitch stability will naturally want to fly level without too much input from the rider and will dampen out wave energy when passing over swells. This makes a foil a lot easier to ride. I have tested a bunch of established brands new generation foils now, and I am surprised how difficult the short fuselage foils are to ride compared to one with long fuselages (big distance between the front and back wing).

Contrary to popular belief the long fuselage does not make a difference in top end speed. We have tested many different setups during our own development and as the long fuselages are way easier to control height on, you can actually go faster easier than on short fuselage foils.

I would personally not recommend any foil with a short fuselage for a beginner. I now understand why so many have problems riding or with their manoeuvres on their foils. Not all designs are the same.

What was scary was that the supposedly Beginner/everyman foil had just as bad pitch stability as the most unstable race foil.

So my opinion now is. A race Foil with a longer fuselage will be easier to ride that a low AR Foil with a short fuselage.




--
Gunnar

[Toby]

Excellent write up Gunnar! I am sure it will help people to decide better.

Wishing you well for a speedy recovery!

[Robsw6]

Laying here in my bed with a herniated disc

ouch - get well soon - use those meds ! Nice right up & comments.

[revhed]

So sorry, injurys suck!
KBHF related may I ask?
Thanks for info, the nubie needs to think twice before jumping in to this wonderful sport.
Get well soon!
R H

[polykarb]

Can you write a learners guide.

My Foilboard arrives this week and I could use some hints and tips.

So far I have learnt from the net:-

1) need water at least the depth of shaft.
2) don't need as much wind as for twintip.
3) don't try and foil to quickly, eg wait for speed to build before lifting.
4) wear a helmet and keep foot straps loose.
5) forget what I think I know, crash and learn.

I'm looking forward to hover time.

[Laughingman]

Can you write a learners guide.

My Foilboard arrives this week and I could use some hints and tips.

So far I have learnt from the net:-

1) need water at least the depth of shaft.
2) don't need as much wind as for twintip.
3) don't try and foil to quickly, eg wait for speed to build before lifting.
4) wear a helmet and keep foot straps loose.
5) forget what I think I know, crash and learn.

I'm looking forward to hover time.

I've read it is wise not to use straps at all when learning and if you must certainly do not use a rear strap, only the front one if you need one.

[revhed]

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[Peter_Frank]

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[revhed]

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[Peter_Frank]

Let's get back to the topic.
Gunnar has got some great points and advice here, thanks

PF