Alloy Hydrofoils 2018?

[Kamikuza]

Hi Da yoda.....

I'm pretty biased because I'm a dealer, but also for good reason. I'm in year 5 now for foiling and it's just plain addictive.

There are some great products and I get a chance to ride a lot of foils and carbon set ups and yet I still ride my Slingshot Hoverglide foil by far over all others.
I sell LF, Cabrinha, Slingshot and Axis. The reason is simple.

When you are learning you want a foil that will get you up and STAY up in slower speeds. The Hoverglide does this.
When you are getting better and better, most riders want a foil that will go faster and faster. The Hoverglide does this.

Most easy to ride foils will be frustrating when you want to go faster. It' like driving at 45mph on the interstate. Faster = better jumping.

The Zeeko looks like it's geared more towards the upper end of riders which is cool, but harder to learn. The Thruster is harder for learning.

I swear....the Hoverglide by SS has just a ton of range and I beat the crap out of mine. I jump all the time and just love how easy it is to ride.

The closest to the SS is the Axis Freeride foil. It's very similar in how it rides and a little lighter. The SS is bomb proof and a solid carbon foil which is super durable. Some of the foam filled foils just won't last as long.

I hope this helps,

Bob
www.kiteridersllc.com

I've owned LF Fun Fish, SS HG and the Axis. The HG is not much like the Axis, IMO. When I first got on to the Axis, I knew I was going to sell the HG straight away.

HG: 5.2kg. Axis 3.8kg. Yes, you really notice the difference.

HG doesn't roll as freely as the Axis and is overall less playful. It really wants to go in a straight line too . . . I often fell of as the board wanted to go straight ahead and I hadn't put enough effort into changing the board's direction.

Like the Axis, the HG has no speed vs trim issues, until you slow right down then the HG noses up very aggressively, just above low-speed stall speed.

I think the Axis is closer to the LF FF in playful feel, but more like the HG in stablity and speed characteristics. It's stiffer than both and a more pleasant ride than the HG.

[Kamikuza]

There are many good foils out there and their performance characteristics vary quite a bit. May get more answers if you state specifically what you are looking for.

What he said re. specifics.

Thank you all for chiming in. Being new to foiling, I know I don't need top shelf performance. However I'd like to get something that I won't grow out of and appreciate that it's well regarded.
I do have an idea of what I'm looking for in a hydrofoil. Here are some features that appeal to me:
1) Plate mount design. Less is more, so I'd prefer to avoid one that requires an adaptor.
2) Ability to easily switch out and change wings and possibly the fuselage for learning and then for future performance (e.g. freeride or waves). Also a brand that's cross-compatable with other brand's wings and/or fuselages would be nice.
3) Something that's low maintenance regarding corrosion. Mostly where I kite is fresh water and occasionally brackish.
4) Where I kite it tends to be choppy, so several have indicated that using a 90-95cm foil with low-medium aspect wings should be sufficient. I can't think of too many places that would require a shorter mast, so I don't think it's critical that I can swap out sizes. But having that option seems pretty cool if I were to travel somewhere new, so I'm open to it. I don't think the LF Thruster has this option (yet?).
5) I'm in the US, so I'd prefer brands that are either domestic or an import that's well established here. Replacement parts access or warranty claims needs to be little to no hassle.
I'm not sure if there's anything else I should be looking out for, so I think that covers it.

1. Plate mount is becoming the standard.
2. Axis should have 2 different wings for the kite foil this year. Really though, a "wave" wing is just fine for free ride, assuming it's designed well. I've been riding the Axis SUP setup with a 720mm wide wing for the past 6 weeks, and it's a hoot. It's not particularly slow, and it's not a power hog either. You can crank it up to a good speed and it hauls upwind....There's a couple of 620mm prototype wings for the kite foil too; the original being 520mm IIRC. IMO unless you're interested in flat out speed, go for the bigger wing anyway. And they have the advantage of being more stable at lower speeds...
3. TefGel and forget.
4. I've been doing surprisingly well with a 750mm mast, even in the surf and swell at the beach. I won't be worrying about a 90cm any more.
5. I got the HoverGlide because it's parts were reasonably priced, but I never needed any. I bought a longer fuselage for the LF because I bent the short one. Now, I can't imagine what parts I'd need. Axis has been pretty good looking after me when I had a warranty claim on my first TT board and pads, so I don't think it's an issue. You might need to email Axis instead of buying things off a website, but really, what will you need?

Number one thing for me has been the feel and ride of the foil, followed by construction or overall solidity.

[andre_oner]

The Zeeko looks like it's geared more towards the upper end of riders which is cool, but harder to learn.

Hi,

which one ? Because at Zeeko we have 3 different alloy foils (Blaster, Bullet and Spitfire) and a large range of wings.
The Blaster is perfectly suited to beginners thanks to its ease of ride but also its strength with its wings in G10 .

http://zeeko-kites.com/gb/all-the-produ ... 12314.html

Cheers!
Andre