Choosing the Best Foil for you- what to look for in a hydrofoil for surf foiling
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ส.ค. 2024
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Many customers come into our shop or call us hungry for information about foiling, so we decided to make this post and video to share what we have learned about foil design and construction. Surf Foiling is new to many and it takes a while to wrap your head around the many variables involved. Keep in mind that most design features have both pros and cons. A foil that works great for an expert rider is not always the best foil to learn on. This page goes over the same information as the video with some added details, so watch the video and read the text for the most in-depth information.
I have been foiling for close to 3 years now and foil technology has evolved rapidly in that time. This video was recorded in August 2019 and many foil companies have come out with refined second or third generation foils that are much better than what we first started on. Foils keep evolving and improving quickly so by the time you are reading this, some of the information may already be outdated, although the general concepts will still apply to understand differences in foil design and construction and we will update the text if new technology becomes available. Should you wait until the technology improves? No way, you would be missing out on too much fun! There are many great options on the market right now, so for those sitting on the fence, don't hesitate, jump in, foiling is awesome and with the new hand wings it opens up all waterways to foiling, no waves needed, just a little wind.
These are some things I learned from personal experience, from talking to my foil crazed friends, and from listening to Eric Antonson's Progression Project podcast foiling series while I'm driving. If you really want to geek out on foiling, I highly recommend this podcast series: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
A) Foil Design
Let's go over foil design first, starting with the front wing:
1) Surface Area: The surface area of the front wing is a good indicator of lift the wing will create all else equal. It is commonly measured as the projected surface area in square centimeters. If you held a light straight over the wing, the projected area is the area of the shadow projected by the wing.
2) Profile: Surf Foils generally have a thicker profile which creates more lift at lower speeds and is more forgiving to small changes in the angle of attack. Foils designed for higher speeds (think kite foil racing) have much thinner profiles. Thinner profiles generally have less drag, want to go faster and are easier to control at higher speeds but also have less lift at lower speeds, drop off earlier when slowing down, are more sensitive to small changes in the angle of attack and usually take more skill to ride.
3) Wing shape: high aspect vs. low aspect shape. This refers to the ratio between the wingspan and the chord (distance between the leading edge and trailing edge of the wing). High aspect wings are wider and more slender while low aspect wings are more stubby and fuller.
A glider plane is an example of a very high aspect wing shape with long, slender, thin profile, flat wings. This wing shape is the most efficient and creates the most amount of lift and the least amount of drag from a given surface area. It has good control at higher speeds but also drops off the foil earlier when slowing down, is harder to control at lower speeds and can be more directional. The efficiency of high aspect foils makes them great for pumping but they also take more skill to control on a wave.
Low aspect wings are generally easier to use for beginners, easier to control at lower speeds, create more lift at lower speeds and more predictable and forgiving to small changes in angles of attack.
3) Flat wings vs. curved wing shapes
Another thing to consider is the curve of the front wing. A curved wing has a bit of built-in instability and almost wants to go from one turn into the next, which makes curved wings fun to use for carving in the surf. The tips of the wings can also give the wing more directional stability (like fins on a board) that make the foil easier to control. Turned up or down wing tips on the tail wing have the same effect, increasing directional stability.
A downside of curved wings is a smaller projected surface area as the tips do not create as much upward lift. A flat wing that creates upward lift even in the tips is more efficient and therefore creates less drag (although winglets can reduce turbulence at the wingtips).
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Great video, I've been searching for this information for a long time, this is the best video I found. Thank you
Stoked to hear it was helpful 🤙🏼
really exited for the future of downwind foiling, especially prone riding on small boards. i am the proud new owner of a foil board and am really stoked to explore and nerd out
Good for you. 💪 Prone paddling into wind swell is very challenging, so if you want to downwind foil on a small prone board you will need someone to tow you into the swells or start from a dock or a breaking wave. You want to be very good at pumping and maintaining flight before attempting downwinders. 🤙🏼
Best info.. Just what I needed, learned so much! Thank You!
Thank you for the comment! 👍
Brilliant explanation! I like how you even explained foils by other companies; seem like a genuine fella, cheers
🙏😎🤙🏼
@@blueplanetsurf im 70 kg and i wanna make my own foil pumping board can u help mme with the right dimensions
Thank you so much! I like Konrad too.
More great tech info
Always a great help
Thanks
Glad you liked it 🙏😎🤙🏼
Thanks so much. I learned a lot.
stoked, thanks for the comment!
Vary good explination of details of how the foil works ill be saving this video for future reference
Glad you find it useful 🤙🏼
Great explanation.
Thank you.
Thanks! 🙏😎🤙🏼
Very very infromative..Thanks for the support...
Glad you liked it! 😎🤙🏼
Awesome review!
🙏😎🤙🏼
Thanks and respect !
🙏😎🤙🏼
Thanks for posting these videos. Have been watching yours for quite some time now. Can't wait for the new high aspects wings to arrive (More than GoFoil GL and Signature) Exiting times ahead.
Yes, I think we will see a lot more developments in the future 🤙🏼
Very informative, thanks
Glad to hear 🙏😎🤙🏼
Robert, another outstanding video breaking it down for us rookies. Keep up the good work. I still think you should be the Mayor of Honolulu. Cheers, Mark
Thank you for your vote of confidence Mark! 😎🤙🏼
Thank you!
👍😎🤙🏼
Excellent talk on the use of foils, but please remember the width of the foil by the length of the foil is known as the ‘Aspect Ratio’
Good point👍
Thank you!! That answered questions I didn’t know I had till I watched this video🤔 Now if I could just find some used foils cause I can’t afford new ones! 🥴
It should be easy to find a used foil since foil crazy people like me keep buying new foils and selling their older ones.🤙🏼
killer thanks :)
Glad you liked it!
Thank you Robert for all the knowledge. Forgive me if I missed it but could you touch on the rear foil and why tips up or down? Appreciate it. Aloha
Good question. Tips up or down on the stabilizer tail wing will make it more directional than a flat tail wing (like fins on a board) but whether they point up or down will not make a big difference when you are starting out.
This is great! Wondering if you’d be happy in sharing what you think on a hardwood Japanese joinery foil... I do wood working for a living and thought it be an amazing project. Curious to know what an expert would say on the subject. Thanks.
Sounds cool, just make sure it’s strong and stiff enough in the high stress areas I mentioned. Getting the profile curves and angles just right is key. Making the mast stiff enough might be challenging as well.
Thanks so much! I'd love to check out a shop that would able to recommend certain foils and boards for my skill level and size. Even with the information in this video I am unsure what I am looking for.
No problem, see if you can take a lesson and use their gear for the first few tries.🤙🏼
Very nice video, informative and pleasant in style. Thanks! Is there any other about board and foil connections types?
Glad you liked it. There are basically two types of connections: deep Tuttle and Plate mount. We don’t have a video comparing the two but our Foil Strongbox System is compatible with both: th-cam.com/video/1pIipnNehic/w-d-xo.html
Excellent explanation of foils, learnt so much here today, what board size and foil would you recommend for 88kg normal intermediate SUP-er? (Will be using on the sea)
As a beginner, try a board in the 140-160 L range, like our 7’6 Easy Foiler and a easy to use foil wing in the 1500 to 1800 sqcm size range.
Thank you so much for all the input. Did you mention a shorter fuselage was better for pumping ? Was always told the opposite... Also what is the influence of the stab's area when pumping? Makes any difference? Thanks again !
Hi Christophe, I find that a longer mast makes pumping a bit easier, especially on a bigger board, as you can make bigger and slower pumps with more leverage. That said, pumping is most efficient if the wing stays close to the surface, so some prefer taking shorter, quicker pumps on a shorter mast (and shorter fuselage) to keep the foil flying high. Also, a longer mast has more drag so if you don't keep it flying high it can slow you down and it's more tippy.
A bigger stabilizer tail wing will give you more lift and can make pumping easier, also a bigger angle of incidence in the tail wing will give it more lift at lower speeds, hope that helps.
@@blueplanetsurf Thanks it helps a lot, having wake surfed behind a boat for a while I quickly realized that the wing needs to be near the surface to be really efficient. A fine balance between performance, control, and stability!
Hi! If i just do it from a dock cuz i dont have a boat. Wich one would work?
That’s not my expertise. Follow the “Wake Thief” he has lots of videos on dock starts and the best gear for pumping: th-cam.com/users/WakeThief
@@blueplanetsurf thanks!
Where is this spot, looks like a nice easy wave to train on.
It’s in Waikiki
Can u tell me the best dimensions of wings and the mast and the board for the best solo foil pumping that would realy help
As mentioned in the video, there is no easy answer, foil surface area depends on rider weight and how efficient the foil is. A smaller board is easier to pump but harder to catch a wave with, a longer mast allows more up and down movement but also has more drag. For tips on pumping, check this video: th-cam.com/video/diljo6EGDdQ/w-d-xo.html
Holy shit!!!! I'm totally buying a glider!!!!!!!!
Yes! It’s probably as close to flying like a bird as a human can get
Is 2600sqcm front wing good for flat water pump surf environment?
It’s not just the size, it depends on how efficiently the foil works for pumping and also your weight. More surface area creates more lift but also more drag so there has to be a good balance.
What hardboard SUP would you recommend for downwinding in 60+ mph winds ?
It depends how good you are at pumping yourself up on the foil. The smaller the better once you are flying the foil. I started on a 12’6, now I use the 5’8 Carver Foilboard for downwinders. Lately we have been doing Downwinders with handwings, that’s super fun and easier than using the paddle.
Thanks for the help. I’ve got a good amount of experience on downwinding with 12’6 paddle boards but have never used a foil board before. Is there a minimum windspeed that it should be used with ? Is there a minimum wave height ?
Getting up on the foil in a downwinder takes some serious skills as does keeping it flying. Ideally you want to be able to pump a foil back out and catch two waves in a row before you attempt DW foiling. You could probably learn this on a wake of a boat as well or with a hand wing, but just going out with a paddle on a windy day to learn to foil is almost impossible, sorry to burst your bubble.
Thanks so much for the help. Will learn foiling on a boat wake first.
@@ezaccog3863 good, learn to foil the wake and also to pump in flat water without any push so you can connect bumps once you are up on the foil.
I'm 270lbs is there boards big enough for me? Where can I buy one ? I'm in British Columbia Canada 🇨🇦
We have Stand up paddle boards that will work for you but if you want a beginner sup foil board, I would recommend getting a custom made boards with around 200L volume. 🤙🏼
We have a distributor in Canada: www.hcsurf.com
@@blueplanetsurf Thanks man...will look into that. Cheers 🤙🌞
Great info, so there is relation between shape of the wing, the profile, the use and the effect of every component, yesterday I googling about the profile of the hydrofoil wing... perhaps one of those wing use this profile...? www.researchgate.net/figure/NACA-4418-NACA-63-818-and-NACA-63-218-hydrofoils_fig5_289531220 is this the type of the low or high aspect ratio...? thanks... cheerss
Hi Aspect vs low aspect refers to the outline of the wing, not the profile. A thinner profile is faster but can drop off sooner at lower speeds and is not as forgiving as a thicker profile (generally speaking)