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Hi ! I begun hydrofoiling lately and I always wondered how it would be to have a bigger board for light wind , I'm 220 pounds all wet and I currently use an Axis Ride 145/48 with 2013 Lift foil . So my question is : What is considered to be a small or big board for Hydrofoiling . Is a 148 considered big ? Would a very floaty board be of big help in light air or lulls ? thinking 8 to 15 knots . I'm always onshore winds here , shallow water , so to get out is quite a good and tiring bodydrag .

There were Lift foils in 2013? Wow!

What kites are you using?

The Ride is 145x48 but I'm guessing a 2013 foil will be Tuttle box so it must be the race board, Maroro, which is 148x48

I had the Alien Air thinking I'd need a bigger board but IMO the reality is, if the wind is that light you're just going to sink it anyway, unless you're an "average kiter" of 75kg. If there's enough size and volume to float you when there's no power in the kite, it's going to be a pig to ride. Any advantage of a bigger board is far outweighed by how much more of a PITA it is to ride, if you like carving around. IMO.

Again IMO, the Ride is right up there at the upper limit for me; a little shorter, a little more narrow, would be better for how I ride. A bigger board doesn't help because I'm relying on a big wing to get foiling and riding, not board...

In other words, for me, even the Alien Air didn't extend my low-end ease of riding to any noticeable amount.

There's no denying the hydrodynamics of a bigger board giving you a wider margin of error, but once you're out of the beginner phase, the value of that equipment basically disappears because you figure out how to be more efficient and effective with your movements.

For that reason, I don't think owning multiple foil boards for various conditions makes a lot of sense unless you're really trying to do something specific and special that isn't otherwise possible with mainstream gear.

People have noted that my Waltzing Bear is very big for a kitefoil board, but I found it very helpful to have something that big and floaty. It was easy to handle on the water before waterstarting. Unlike the Cabrina I borrowed a couple of times, which was as thin as most twintip boards, it was really easy to turn it around to a starting position, get it on its side, and my feet in the footstraps. It was also easy to ride during the taxi and touch and go stages, and very forgiving in the crashes.



But now I want a smaller board. I have seen them as small as barely there at all. I did see one video, which I can't find now, of someone riding a "board" that was basically a stick with bindings at each end.

Kamikuza , my mistake , this is an Axis Ride 145/48 .Lift is not a tuttle . I have no clue what is the wing size and don't know how to measure it . I don't feel this board is small , I only wanted to know what would do a bigger board in light air and what people are using for their weight .
My kites : Edge V9 , 7 , 10 , 13 . North Neo 12 and HL 12 UL . I'm currently waiting for a North Juice 15 which should help 8 to 15 knots instead of the Neo 12 . I also have an R1V2 19 but can't use it for the moment , no beach yet .
What is your weight ?

Mossy , thanks for the reply .
Saulohio , what brand and size of board are you talking about ?

early bird2 wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 19, 2018 5:45 pm

Kamikuza , my mistake , this is an Axis Ride 145/48 .Lift is not a tuttle . I have no clue what is the wing size and don't know how to measure it . I don't feel this board is small , I only wanted to know what would do a bigger board in light air and what people are using for their weight .
My kites : Edge V9 , 7 , 10 , 13 . North Neo 12 and HL 12 UL . I'm currently waiting for a North Juice 15 which should help 8 to 15 knots instead of the Neo 12 . I also have an R1V2 19 but can't use it for the moment , no beach yet .
What is your weight ?

I weigh more than you do, easily. The Ride 45 actually feels a little big to me; little shorter, say 120, and a little narrower, say 40 with straight rails, might be perfect...

The Lift we have at the clubhouse looks similar sized to my old LF wing, so about 700cm2 IIRC. I don't know what the HoverGlide wing was...but I do remember getting up on the board and it still sinking a little, but still being unable to get enough power from the kite to foil.

I find the same now, although the board sinks more, which is kinda beneficial in keeping tension in the lines, but otherwise no help to riding.

Switching feet on the water transitions are easier with the bigger board. That's really the only positive thing I remember, but not enough to outweigh the negatives overall.

Have also moved away from big slow kites -- 10m Switchblade is my "light wind" foiling kite. If it'll stay in the air, I can probably foil and going for a bigger kite would be rideable but not much fun and when I drop it, it'll suck a lot more than not riding

I’ve been riding MHL Lift 2013 till last year with original MHL board, then switched to 54” Dwarfcraft and didn’t miss anything and then moved to 42” Dwarfcraft.
The 2013 Lift has about 130 sq.in area so it takes off early and you don’t need to build speed to go. And that’s when a tiny board works great.
I assume you don’t touch water with it in turns or at least there no reason to. That foil has great lowend so again a point towards a small board.

Guys who race on tiny blade wings and ride in 6 knots prefer larger boards because they need more speed before wing starts flying.

I love my 42” board and planning to go smaller. 36”x16”x1” is what I want

early bird2 wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 19, 2018 12:25 pm

Hi ! I begun hydrofoiling lately and I always wondered how it would be to have a bigger board for light wind , I'm 220 pounds all wet and I currently use an Axis Ride 145/48 with 2013 Lift foil . So my question is : What is considered to be a small or big board for Hydrofoiling . Is a 148 considered big ? Would a very floaty board be of big help in light air or lulls ? thinking 8 to 15 knots . I'm always onshore winds here , shallow water , so to get out is quite a good and tiring bodydrag .

Board size for foiling is completely a individual each his own thing once again some prefer very small boards some prefer larger.What you want to do and your weight are certainly players in decision.Personally being a big rider and longtime surfer I prefer a surfboard surf style foilboard as my board are dual purpose as I foil on them and if I want to and waves are pumping I just slap my future fins in the boxes in and Im regular surfkiting,I run a 5'11' round pin with dual chinook boxes and future thruster configued boxes in my boards.I really like my set up for myself for foilfreeriding in waves and general cruising with mhl170 wing can't beat it for a larger rider.Your going to get all sorts of opinions on board sizes,rightfully so,but being a big rider like yourself i would definitely have a bit bigger board as I ride mine in 10mph to 35plus no problem,ultimately its whatever works for you,thats whats amazing about kite and kite foiling in general is the huge options on riding vehicles and kite gear combos just plethora of options out there.

Pitbulldoug , thanks a lot for your tips , it is always good to hear from a person of my weight . 5.11 is quite a good size , I guess I'll have to find a way to rent one or to modify one of my boards (I don't feel like to hurt my boards ...) to be able to compare for myself . Onshore winds is a different game compare to side shore ones . This is where it could be improved by a bigger board as your experience prove it .
I made the mistake to get rid of my Zephyr and rely on 12 meters when I decided to get into hydrofoiling , often not realizing that most of people talking about their kites sizes are way lighter than me and with lots of experience .