Info?

[pj sofine]

I'm 6'4" weigh 225lbs,been kiting 17 years.Watched and listened to some hyper foilers and their enthusiasm actually motivated me to look into this kooked out scene.Just tell me what equipment is the best to buy to learn on,used would be optimal. Can I put a foil on my ss space pickle? I'm handy so I'm not worried about the strength just if that board will work.Just point me in the right direction. Thanx

[davesails7]

A buddy of mine bought a $600 new LF foil at the end of the season last year. I convinced him to bolt it to a space pickle instead of the LF board. The LF fish board is too thin and too flat for beginners. The space pickle was on sale for about $250, so he got a new setup for less than $900.

We drilled holes large enough for the bolts then ate away some of the core around the bolt holes with a bent nail in a drill. Then filled that those larger inside holes with thickened epoxy to pretty much make epoxy pucks inside the board where the bolts go through. Then put two layers of 4 Oz glass on the bottom over the wholes contact area and redrilled the holes. It worked very well.

Others can comment on best beginner setups. The short masts seem to be very popular.

[Starsky]

Space pickle makes a nice first foil board. There is a local one done up right with stringers and tracks. Whoever he had do it, did a very nice job.

Second hand foil market is ripening too. Pretty much everything works.

[pj sofine]

Thanx guys,now I can focus on the foil.Had a friend suggest the liquid force or ss. Mentioned a 24" mast to get started.I'll keep searching used section of various forums.

[Starsky]

If I were you, I'd look for the SS. It consistently gets good reviews for a stable, smooth ride with nice low end and decent top end. It's reported to have a lot of low end lift which would be great for a guy your size.

[pj sofine]

If I were you, I'd look for the SS. It consistently gets good reviews for a stable, smooth ride with nice low end and decent top end. It's reported to have a lot of low end lift which would be great for a guy your size.

I'm getting past the"sticker shock" stage!.The ss retails at 899$,the 3 piece school mast combo 168$.Noticed one dealer had the 2016 hoverglide for 160$ less.Anyone know if there were any big changes made to the 2017 model ?Thanx

[Starsky]

Anyone know if there were any big changes made to the 2017 model ?Thanx

This year you can get it in yellow or orange!

Would imagine they want to get at least a couple years before much changes.

[salvino]

I also recommend SS Hoverglide with graduated masts. It's heavy, but durable and lifts at low speed.
Great to learn and progress on.
Then resell it to next learner to recoup at least half the cost.

You will have so many more sessions that the cost per each is very low.

[pj sofine]

I also recommend SS Hoverglide with graduated masts. It's heavy, but durable and lifts at low speed.
Great to learn and progress on.
Then resell it to next learner to recoup at least half the cost.

You will have so many more sessions that the cost per each is very low.

Pulled the trigger on the ss hoverglide and the extra 3 masts.Going to give that glue on mast base plate a try. My ss space pickle is 64"long. Any clues as to the best position for mast? Also its strapless,whats a good strap placement? Considered learning strapless but don't want to be floundering around more than necessary.

[DukeSilver]

I also recommend SS Hoverglide with graduated masts. It's heavy, but durable and lifts at low speed.
Great to learn and progress on.
Then resell it to next learner to recoup at least half the cost.

You will have so many more sessions that the cost per each is very low.

Pulled the trigger on the ss hoverglide and the extra 3 masts.Going to give that glue on mast base plate a try. My ss space pickle is 64"long. Any clues as to the best position for mast? Also its strapless,whats a good strap placement? Considered learning strapless but don't want to be floundering around more than necessary.

Good choice - I'm sure you'll enjoy it to learn on. I'm still stoked on mine after 3 months. I've been strapless for the whole learning journey myself and it hasn't been a problem. You can certainly learn strapless with the 15" and 24" masts as it is less critical to lean the board up on it's edge prior to diving the kite. Strapless take offs on the longer mast are a bit trickier though.