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Folks:

I hope this post will not cause offense to you more capable DYIs, but I have tried to build two boards, don't really have the tools or space, and I am so far out of my league its really a waste of my time and effort and is very frustrating, so am interested in buying a DYI board that somebody has already used for learning on and has possibly outgrown.

My backstory is a bought a Slingshot foil with an aluminum mast. I have about 20 hours on the board and can foil easily, but am struggling to gibe, and having some horrendous crashes. The issue I have is that the slighshot foil is sharp and heavy (aluminium), its cut me a few times, I have had a few heavy crashes where its momentum has slammed into me, bruised me/beating me up and frankly, I am now a little scared of it and not in the right relaxed mindset to learn.

I think there is a lot of merit to learning with a light wooden foil, carbon or epoxy finished, with as few sharp edges as is possible, to reduce the risks. Ideally, if the foil has a wood core it should also float making water starting easier given your feet are already well positioned.

So the key question is, any are of you interested in selling any of your foils/boards? I am 200 pounds, and live in San Francisco Bay area.

Or alternatively, are any of you up for building a custom for me. My sense is there is a lot more hours invested for the builder than the funds justify, but thought I would ask none the less.

Please PM me if interested. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Russ

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I don't think you'll have an easier time learning on an all wood foil as they aren't going to be very stiff for your 200 lbs. You can try find a used carbon foil if you're looking for something lighter.

Hej, I can sympathize. I'm at the same stage, 30+ hrs in, managing some gybes on one side only. Will we ever not be noobs?
I'm in Sweden, so foil choices are different. I bought a 2016 Moses Fluente and after 3 sessions named it Jaws.
I don't think you are going to solve your problem with a wood or carbon foil. My lightweight set up flys through the air in its own, does tomahawking well, and will glide without me long distances.
I think you should look at Slingshots new larger wingsets. Perhaps go to a slightly shorter mast/strut. I wish I had one now so I could try those new wings they just released

Having built a wooden core hydrofoil and having also had a very quick go on an aluminium foil I'd say it's easier to learn on a heavy foil. With my floating wooden foil I struggle to get up and going as I have to fight with the foil to get it under water. With a heavy foil all I have to do is get up on the board. I found it much easier on the aluminium foil by far.

This is really good feedback. Thank you Tom and Socc. Good to know that it is not that easy to strapless water start on a wooden foil. And ALSO good to know because of the lack of stability and strength wooden foils are harder to ride, particularly for a person of my larger size.

My issue is compounded because I use foot-straps I can't/don't wear booties. The reason for this is I don't want there to be any resistance to pulling my feet out of the straps when I crash for fear of tweaking an ankle or knee. Or worse still getting my foot caught in the straps and having a major problem in a severe crash, could definitely see an ancle breaking scenario. I have found that with booties it is way harder to get my feet out of the footstraps. So the lack of booties means my feet have been cut a lot more than I was expecting by the foil. In fact, after a major crash, I cut the sole of my foot badly enough to need stitches. So a big part of the desire for a strapless wooden board is to be able to wear booties. Also with strapless I think is way easier to gibe because you don't have the additional overhead of taking feet out and putting feet back in.

I think the key issue is how to get up strapless on my current slingshot setup which will allow me to wear booties, I think that is starting to sound like the best option for me. Or having a single sky hook foot strap on the front, so I can still wear booties but get a little support.

Anyway, still interested in hearing about the benefits of riding wooden DYI boards and or willingness for anybody here wanting to sell one.

Thanks again !

If you can learn foiling you can learn to wear booties, and even lose the straps. You're going to take your feet out to switch when you do finally get those jibes down. Booties and no straps is the best thing g you could do for the feet.
If you started with twintips and wakeboards you may have the idea your feet should be wedged into straps pretty tightly. That's a bad idea, health wise. It's not too hard to loosen the straps a little for your booties.
Or make them really tight and only slip your toes under (front straps at least, this might not work for you with rear strap foiling since your foot needs to be more centered.).
If all this is too challenging try foot hooks and get the jibes down with the shorter masts.
I would love to have a shorter mast myself...

Randersson,
Get the Slingshot foothooks. Seriously, get. The. Foothooks.
Wear your booties, helps with the foothooks.