What foil should my wife and I buy as our 2nd setup?

[Laughingman]

We just got back from 2 weeks in Cuba. I brought down with us a LF Happy Pill board and LF aluminum foil with a low and medium aspect front wings and a short mast 26". I am riding on foil most of the time now and with pretty good control. Not jibing or tacking yet... still wiping out 100% of the time when I try. My wife is just starting to ride on foil but she is still in the stage where it scares the crap out of you.
We obviously need 2 setups in order to continue to progress so I am shopping.
I like the LF for the sheer strength of it. We ran into sandbars almost every time we went out. Not even a scratch on it.
But its heavy so challenging to travel with and also is part of the reason my wife struggled at the beginning learning to water start. Also the board is too big to easily travel with.
I started learning on the low aspect wing but I tried the medium and felt much more comfortable. It was easier to manage. It was difficult for me to keep the low aspect in the water.
I still don't intend to foil in plus 15 knots but less then that I will be foiling for sure and I don't think I'm into going fast. I would rather finesse the low end and carve about.
So I am thinking about a small board like 130-140cm long no wider then 44cm and considering a carbon foil but it is a lot of money especially buying blind.
So what do you guys recommend?

[juandesooka]

I ride a stringy (Jim stringfellow) and remain really happy with it. I am into carving around in swells, not racing, and it goes as fast as I want. I got it largely because it is what greg/brm cloud guy was using and he was the model for how I wanted to ride. But since then the market has exploded, lots of choice. The wings are g10 ... a pretty much bomb proof material. If you are into diy also pretty easy to make one yourself with a belt sander, though the dust is a mess.

If I was you I'd buy used to keep price down, with the intention of trying out a few.....if you don't like it, resell it and get another.

Depending on where you are and your interests .... as you progress you may find that you do end up using this in higher winds and in waves. I got into this for light wind but a pleasant surprise was the fun of a tiny kite in higher winds, with silent downwind carving in swells .... like powder snowboarding, really great feeling.

[cwood]

We as a couple have gone all Moses due to price / value and interchange of components. I started her on the Slingshot hoverglide 24" and it is super easy to learn on and now she is graduating to carbon and joining me on Moses. As I upgrade to 2018 mast, all the wings and fuselages are interchangeable so we can use wave wings through race as the impulse or interests change or the conditions dictate. If something breaks or hardware is lost, then there are always backups that fit. I would think "system" if you are making decisions as a kiting couple.

[slowboat]

Not clear why you think the weight is making it hard for your wife to learn.

I think the beginner LF foil is still one of the easiest to learn on and would recommend your wife continue with it. It sounds like you are ready for something else. If you wanted to stay with LF, the Thruster is a great foil for the type of riding you want to do. Don't limit yourself to less than 15 Knots. Get smaller kites if you need to and foil as much as you can in all conditions.

[jakemoore]

Which ever one she wants! Pretty sweet she is interested in kiteboarding and hydrofoiling.

[Jzh_perth]

There is a new LF foil called Impulse which looks pretty amazing. It’s a slower foil for surf and freeride. I am enjoying kiting with a Sup foil these days for the variety.

I personally have great experience with Zeeko aluminium foils and still ride a green and white as my regular foil. Having had 2-3 carbon foils in the past, I’m back to aluminium as I can’t justify the Expense for simple freeriding. I’d rather have 2 foils for the same price instead of 1. I am on a budget however.

(Do you have a full size mast yet ? Or is 26” the only one ? If you havnt got a 90-100 cm mast for the LF you should consider adding that to the equipment pool too. Short masts are like training wheels - useful to a point but may end up holding you back in the long run. )

[bragnouff]

I've spent a few months on the Axis aluminium foil, and I'd happily recommend that. Well thought out, strong as, very accessible, and works well and is overall very fun to ride. Different mast lengths available and I believe different wings and stabs too. If they're available in your part of the world, ask to demo one!

[Kitehume]

Have look at liquidforce thruster. I upgraded to it, after learning on the liquidforce foilfish.
I find the thruster much easier. Very stable. Has great low and high speed stability. Much less pitch sensitive.
Faster than the foilfish. But can go as slow as the foilfish if you want.
I mainly foil in the 8-14 knot wind range.

[Kitehume]

https://youtu.be/xSc95BrZjME

[junebug]

I learned on the LF Fish/Rocket and then upgraded to a Lift 110. I love it. It is much faster than the LF, but it still foils at relatively low speeds.

I’m too lazy to ever go back to Aluminum. I hate taking the foil apart every 2-4 weeks and cleaning it to prevent corrosion. Now, I never take the foil apart other than to check my connections every now and then.