Noone riding hydrofoils ?

[Hawaiis]

how much more difficult is it to start foiling strapless.

I'm building a new board and really want to keep the deck clean of straps.
Is that crazy?

If you can ride the surfboard strapless, you can start with hydrofoil strapless, it just feels like a surfboard with a giant fin.

[Peter_Frank]

how much more difficult is it to start foiling strapless.

I'm building a new board and really want to keep the deck clean of straps.
Is that crazy?

I think it is REALLY difficult !

To learn that way, in reasonably time...

You need the strap in the start, to "handle" the board, and to keep it edged IMO.

Might be possible to learn, but I would not do it.

You can not compare to surfboards where it is super easy without the straps.

Depends on the board and foil maybe - but at my level t.ex, able to ride back and fourth, upwind and downwind, and do small jumps - I still have no chance starting without the strap (rear strap does not matter).

But with freeride foils and smaller boards, it might be very different ?
And if you have more wind, than the "minimum" limit.

Others might be able to tell you, if they have started strapless...
Then again - they will not know how fast the learning curve would have been strapped ?

When you CAN, it seems to be easy... But to learn this way, I am not so sure

What kind of board are you building - race or "plank" or wave ?

Peter

[TPink]

how much more difficult is it to start foiling strapless.

I'm building a new board and really want to keep the deck clean of straps.
Is that crazy?

I think it is REALLY difficult !

To learn that way, in reasonably time...

You need the strap in the start, to "handle" the board, and to keep it edged IMO.

Might be possible to learn, but I would not do it.

You can not compare to surfboards where it is super easy without the straps.

Depends on the board and foil maybe - but at my level t.ex, able to ride back and fourth, upwind and downwind, and do small jumps - I still have no chance starting without the strap (rear strap does not matter).

But with freeride foils and smaller boards, it might be very different ?
And if you have more wind, than the "minimum" limit.

Others might be able to tell you, if they have started strapless...
Then again - they will not know how fast the learning curve would have been strapped ?

When you CAN, it seems to be easy... But to learn this way, I am not so sure

What kind of board are you building - race or "plank" or wave ?

Peter

Thanks Peter,

The board will look similar to airsurfers 'lift' above, only shorter. basic dimensions 130x55x5 cm. Going w the skateboard style 'W' deck, with griptex nonskid instead of a pad where your feet are.

I could always run some studs in where a front strap would go and see how it goes. Really think the freedom to move your feet around is important, but what do i know, i've never ridden a foil.

I also have a 6' wave board i built and ride strapless often.

[lander]

I am with Peter on this one. The straps really help you controling the board. And you will like all the controle you can get. You might like to have freedom to move your feet around, but if you do so that crazy thing goes bananas under you

[ronnie]

There may be a way of making learning easier.

That could be a long term future for homemade foils.

I have read that they use 70cm masts for learning and if the front and rear foils were less sensitive to pitch (maybe by being thicker and further apart), that should also help.

If the twintip foil worked with two identical foils set wide apart, that might fit in with the easier learning too. Could also be less dangerous.

[Bille]

...

It only fit the front, so I fabricated a home made rear rotating foot strap from home depot parts.
...

Could you please post pictures of how you did that please ; i bin told ...
...

Bille

Here is the page:
viewtopic.php?t=2379834&p=787534

Thanks for that ;
"Ingenious" use of common items !!

Did it Help you for your toe-side riding any ?

Bille

[Hawaiis]

Thanks for that ;
"Ingenious" use of common items !!

Did it Help you for your toe-side riding any ?

Bille

It helped to get out off the water and doing toe side in the beginning. I took off the rear strap in the 3rd day and went strapless after a few weeks.

[ronnie]

...

It only fit the front, so I fabricated a home made rear rotating foot strap from home depot parts.
...

Could you please post pictures of how you did that please ; i bin told
that a devise like that would help me a Bunch because of my leg(s) arrangement !

Perhaps make a New thread on it ? Thanks :

Bille

Here is the page:
viewtopic.php?t=2379834&p=787534

You might find the rotating straps useful on the twintip foil as they tend to shift your weight toward whichever is the back end of the board due to the heels moving by about 6".

[Hawaiis]

You might find the rotating straps useful on the twintip foil as they tend to shift your weight toward whichever is the back end of the board due to the heels moving by about 6".

Very good idea, I will try that. Mahalo

[holden]

hi folks,

ok, here is my story: i started in sept 2011 on a carafino with fastafoil foils. there is a video of my first attempt. the title is: practice in humbleness.
http://vimeo.com/40138437

after this day i ordered a ketos, first with standard front foil and after half a year with the race foil. since i wanted to go strapless i tried it after my second session and failed totally. it is rather easy to get onto the board without straps but once you are on your foil you have no chance as a beginner. the main reason is the lack of roll stability you are not able to handle without at least the front foot fixed to the board. so i learned with the front strap.

i was at the first foilboard world cup in la ciotat with a friend who participated.

the same friend built my recent high ar foil which i am on since april 2013. i sold my ketos.
videos form this summer:
http://vimeo.com/70921237
http://vimeo.com/71566979
http://vimeo.com/71883986

every step forward takes a while and you need a lot of patience. i was able to get onto the foil and float in for a while after a few hours on the first day in perfect conditions. light wind, steady. on my third or fourth session i felt the upwind potential for the first time and found out how impossible it is to go downwind as a beginner. it took me many sessions to do my first jibe in one direction and so on.

what i totally love about foilboarding besides the floating feeling is that you so own the space. you can go anywhere in no time. also in low winds. as soon as you can go upwind is no problem. you can go vmax in under 10 knots. there are so many strange things that result from this.

the most recent news is that i got an elf joker d-8 11.3m. the characteristics of this kite matches the spirit of the foilboard in a great way. the low end is unreal.

h.