So you want to jump into the sport of Winging, but have no idea what size board or foil to buy? You are not alone, and there is a pretty simple formula to aid in your gear decision.
BOARDS
Many folks don’t know that 1-Litre of volume in a board will support 1KG of weight in the rider. So a 100L board will just barely float (water will flow over the deck) a 100KG (220Lb) rider.
Your board choice comes down to your skill level and your weight.
Beginner
Your weight in KG + 45L
–
This gives ample float and will allow you to stand on the board and balance with little to no speed. You will be sitting high in the water
allowing you to attain speed without much wing efficiency.
70KG Rider = Wing Craft 120L
90KG Rider = Shred Sled 143L
Intermediate
Your Weight in KG + 15L
–
Having a board that floats slightly more than your weight will allow you to use a smaller board that is more pumpable and much more nimble.
It will still have enough volume to float you, but it will be fairly tippy and require a little forward momentum to be stable enough to stand on easily.
70KG Rider = Wing Craft 90L
90KG Rider = Wing Craft 120L
Advanced
Your Weight in KG -15L
–
This board will be incredibly nimble and allow the rider to do hard carved and big jumps. You will need to submerge the board to get onto it, and it will require more wing efficiency and higher winds. You will not be able to stand on it without a strong pull in the wing and good forward speed.
70KG Rider = Wing Craft 60
90KG Rider = Wing Craft 75
FoilS
Larger front foil wings make everything easier and will get you flying in lighter wind. When starting out, err on the side of a bigger wing then when you are ready to start jumping you can downsize.
Beginner and/or Light Winds
You will want the biggest front wing you can
get, such as our Hover Glide FWINGwhich features the massive Infinity 99 wing.
The large wing will make it easy to get foiling at low speeds. The wide wingspan will give lots of rail to rail stability reducing tippyness. You will sacrifice turnyness.
Intermediate / Medium Winds
At this level, you are more efficient with your
wing. You want more carving ability and can sacrifice some low-end efficiency from your foil. The Hover Glide FSUP featuring the Infinity 84 wing will still give plenty of low-end grunt, but it will be much more carvable and faster.
Advanced / High winds 20kts+
Now you are extremely efficient at getting
onto foil and pumping both wing and board. The Hover Glide FSURF with the nimble Infinity 76 wing will be your choice. A smaller front wing will let you go much faster and lay hard carves.
The smaller front foil wing will also be more controllable with smaller boards. You will be able to jump this smaller foil. Do note that even with a higher skill level, the Infinity 76 front wing will
require nearly twice the wind speed to get up on foil, compared to the huge Infinity 99 wing.