Had the first try with the hard board cruzader 7,0 XL today on a lake with nearly no waves. Compared to my f one 5,5 rocket the cruzader is directly running forward with each pump of the wing. Immediately Crazy speed on the water and then flying out of it. No hard pumping with the Board necessary. Jibes were challenging. Don’t know why, but was swimming a lot…Condition: 8-12 knots, 5,5 and 7 meter f one wing, Naish 2140 frontfoil, 90 kilo😢 and 63 years old… the feeling is, as if the wing is 2 meter larger … great for lakes and lazy pumpers 😅
An inflatable is often tippier than similar volume hard board because they are so thick they bob like a cork. Ride much higher in the water and you are perched 4 or 5" above the water on a 6" board vs having your feet in the water, sinking the board and lowering your center of gravity making it much more stable.
Coming from kiting, kite foiling and windsurfing I found wing foiling unexpectedly challenging, but its definitely worth the pain, and sticking with it is extremely rewarding. In the early stages 18+ knots made it easier to getting up on foil, and gradually you build the skills the lighter wind starts.
Yeah, the day after this session I had a 20 minute chunk of 12-15 knots of wind and was easily foiling in both directions. Learning in 8-9 knots is pretty rough. th-cam.com/video/un0H-0zlrU8/w-d-xo.html
I think you need to get up while running downwind then you can start heading up wind. I have to do the same thing on a small Wingboard in waves with a small period. I just received the Cruzader HIPE 7'6" and will pair it with the Axis 1150 and 1310. Have you tried SUPF with it yet?
I haven't taken it out with a paddle yet but will do some flat water paddling of it next weekend. When the wind is only 8-9 knots I find that you need to be going cross wind or else you can't get any power in the sail. It took me a bit to figure out how to control the Cruzader from my knees, it just wants to turn downwind. The key was keeping both my feet hanging off the upwind rail to act as an extra bit of keel.
I heard these downwind boards are a bit spicy to get going. I couldn't believe how hard they are to balance the first time I tried paddling one. I am preparing for a learning curve winging with one.
I think the best intro to it might be flat water SUP on a calm day. Or perhaps 15+ knots with a small wing. I got out there in 7 knots yesterday and it wasn’t going well. Once the wind came up to 10 knots it was much easier.
I've checked different videos of this board. What i don't fully understand - why everyone chooses the really big ones like 7'6-7'11? That like 132/146 liters! Does not look like those all area that heavy people. There is this guide on Gong's site about like almost the bigger - the easier. Would it be really that difficult in smaller size...
@@mikemiller774 well first of all when I bought this board the smallest size was 7’6” and second of all it’s hella tippy. Could I manage a smaller board? If it’s windy sure, but standing on the 7’6” holding a wing in 0 wind is actually quite challenging.
@@mikemiller774 I routinely sail in conditions where the wind is lulling down to near 0. Falling in the water instead of just balancing on the board through the lull is much more annoying.
@@slappysurf Yeah i can imagine. I have only short and wide board that i can stand and balance when wind is just not enough to pull. Sill it's annoying to balance for a long time and eventually will fall.
I have been curious about the Hipe Crusader. I am looking for a DW foil board and it is a great price for a board, but I haven't had the best experience with inflatable in the past. Have you been able to compare it to a hard DW foil board? Is the improvement worth the price and hassle over an inflatable?
No, I've only winged 2 boards, the Cruzader inflatable and my 58L sinker. They are very different so hard to compare. I feel like the inflatable is a bit more unstable vs. a hard board. It's also a bit on the heavy side.
I’m a kite foiler that wants to try winging but I can’t quite figure out what beginner setup to try because I don’t want to outgrow it right away and then not be able resell it. Got any tips?
I think getting a +10L board is the right call. Also 16-25 knots. I’ve been going out in 7-14 knots with a 6m wing and the big wings are a struggle to keep out of the water. I opted to learn on a -25L sinker knowing full well it would be a challenge. I was expecting the Cruzader to be easy after that though so I was surprised how difficult it was. I think I have a handle on it now though.
@@slappysurf thanks! what do you mean +10L? How much do you weigh and how tall are you? I'm 225lbs / 99kg so I was advised to go like 140L board and 6m wing. I'm just reluctant to buy all that gear if I'll out grow it.... was hoping for an option where maybe I could use the big board i learn winging on to sup or downwind or something
@@erbartlett 1L of water == 1 kg of mass so take your weight in kg and then add 10L on top of that. So for you I'd go 110L board. Would 140L be easier to learn on? for sure, but you'd out grow it. 110L would be doable to learn on and you'd keep it forever as a light wind board. You can pick up a Naish S26 Carbon 110L for $999 these days. I got my 6m Airush wing for $300, but I'd actually recommend you start in stronger winds with a 5m wing instead as the big wing is a handful to manage. You can get great deals on the Naish Matador 5m right now, I just picked up a 4m one for about $360.
@@erbartlett get a board with around 130l (used board) and a 6.0 wing. foil should be around 1800-2200cm2.. you will sell this setup after around 10-15 sessions. but you will need to to start.. I just would spent money on a good wing. board and foil can be used and cheap
@@erbartlett I'm just learning as well and we weigh the same. I went with a north seek air in the biggest size. I'm also learning with my 160lb son. Just SUPing I'm very glad to have a 155l board. Seeing my son float so much easier is eye opening. We started foiling behind the boat and he floats easier and gets out of the water easier. The *only* regret with the north board at it's biggest size is fitting in the car/ski box. Had it been 2" skinnier in the bag (not sure if the bags get smaller with smaller boards, the wheel setup means you can't squeeze it into a smaller space) it would have fit in our ski box instead of the back of the car which would be MUCH easier to deal with... But again I'm VERY glad to be on 155L to start. I called a bunch of stores and they all said to size up with inflatables since it doesn't add much weight at all but helps with learning. That said I can't foil with the wing yet as I've only had 10~12kt max wind with an 8m kite. I'm watching this video thinking I want a skinnier board to help get speed through the water up to help foil sooner. With the 155L it's quite wide so it pushed a lot of water with it's "bow" for me right now. I'm just not sure I could balance on something this narrow as a n00b. Because we're a family of 4 starting this we also need another board or 3 so we can all play on something. So I'm thinking the 7'11" option would be good enough for the kids/wife to SUP on (with a short mast in as a fin) then the next step for me in my progression...
Love you honest video
Had the first try with the hard board cruzader 7,0 XL today on a lake with nearly no waves. Compared to my f one 5,5 rocket the cruzader is directly running forward with each pump of the wing. Immediately Crazy speed on the water and then flying out of it. No hard pumping with the Board necessary. Jibes were challenging. Don’t know why, but was swimming a lot…Condition: 8-12 knots, 5,5 and 7 meter f one wing, Naish 2140 frontfoil, 90 kilo😢 and 63 years old… the feeling is, as if the wing is 2 meter larger … great for lakes and lazy pumpers 😅
An inflatable is often tippier than similar volume hard board because they are so thick they bob like a cork. Ride much higher in the water and you are perched 4 or 5" above the water on a 6" board vs having your feet in the water, sinking the board and lowering your center of gravity making it much more stable.
Coming from kiting, kite foiling and windsurfing I found wing foiling unexpectedly challenging, but its definitely worth the pain, and sticking with it is extremely rewarding. In the early stages 18+ knots made it easier to getting up on foil, and gradually you build the skills the lighter wind starts.
Yeah, the day after this session I had a 20 minute chunk of 12-15 knots of wind and was easily foiling in both directions. Learning in 8-9 knots is pretty rough. th-cam.com/video/un0H-0zlrU8/w-d-xo.html
Exactly where I was on my 7’10x21”
Hey. You made some knee sailing, that’s progress. I’m looking at the same hipe cruzader 7’6” for traveling. Can you provide your weight?
I think you need to get up while running downwind then you can start heading up wind. I have to do the same thing on a small Wingboard in waves with a small period. I just received the Cruzader HIPE 7'6" and will pair it with the Axis 1150 and 1310. Have you tried SUPF with it yet?
I haven't taken it out with a paddle yet but will do some flat water paddling of it next weekend. When the wind is only 8-9 knots I find that you need to be going cross wind or else you can't get any power in the sail. It took me a bit to figure out how to control the Cruzader from my knees, it just wants to turn downwind. The key was keeping both my feet hanging off the upwind rail to act as an extra bit of keel.
Might help to keep the wing at 12 o clock above you when first getting up. Might help stabilize you rather than powering up right away
A big part of my issue is I'm out there in super marginal 8 knots of wind and it's me holding the wing up instead of it holding me up.
I heard these downwind boards are a bit spicy to get going. I couldn't believe how hard they are to balance the first time I tried paddling one. I am preparing for a learning curve winging with one.
I think the best intro to it might be flat water SUP on a calm day. Or perhaps 15+ knots with a small wing. I got out there in 7 knots yesterday and it wasn’t going well. Once the wind came up to 10 knots it was much easier.
I cant se if you are using af foil, but it will not work without and be so unstable
He's using the ARTPRO 1201. The unintended downwind turning was most likely a balancing issue.
I've checked different videos of this board. What i don't fully understand - why everyone chooses the really big ones like 7'6-7'11? That like 132/146 liters! Does not look like those all area that heavy people. There is this guide on Gong's site about like almost the bigger - the easier. Would it be really that difficult in smaller size...
@@mikemiller774 well first of all when I bought this board the smallest size was 7’6” and second of all it’s hella tippy. Could I manage a smaller board? If it’s windy sure, but standing on the 7’6” holding a wing in 0 wind is actually quite challenging.
@@slappysurf well supposedly since it's so effective, you should be already moving while on knees.
@@mikemiller774 I routinely sail in conditions where the wind is lulling down to near 0. Falling in the water instead of just balancing on the board through the lull is much more annoying.
@@slappysurf Yeah i can imagine. I have only short and wide board that i can stand and balance when wind is just not enough to pull. Sill it's annoying to balance for a long time and eventually will fall.
I have been curious about the Hipe Crusader. I am looking for a DW foil board and it is a great price for a board, but I haven't had the best experience with inflatable in the past.
Have you been able to compare it to a hard DW foil board? Is the improvement worth the price and hassle over an inflatable?
No, I've only winged 2 boards, the Cruzader inflatable and my 58L sinker. They are very different so hard to compare. I feel like the inflatable is a bit more unstable vs. a hard board. It's also a bit on the heavy side.
I’m a kite foiler that wants to try winging but I can’t quite figure out what beginner setup to try because I don’t want to outgrow it right away and then not be able resell it. Got any tips?
I think getting a +10L board is the right call. Also 16-25 knots. I’ve been going out in 7-14 knots with a 6m wing and the big wings are a struggle to keep out of the water. I opted to learn on a -25L sinker knowing full well it would be a challenge. I was expecting the Cruzader to be easy after that though so I was surprised how difficult it was. I think I have a handle on it now though.
@@slappysurf thanks! what do you mean +10L? How much do you weigh and how tall are you? I'm 225lbs / 99kg so I was advised to go like 140L board and 6m wing. I'm just reluctant to buy all that gear if I'll out grow it.... was hoping for an option where maybe I could use the big board i learn winging on to sup or downwind or something
@@erbartlett 1L of water == 1 kg of mass so take your weight in kg and then add 10L on top of that. So for you I'd go 110L board. Would 140L be easier to learn on? for sure, but you'd out grow it. 110L would be doable to learn on and you'd keep it forever as a light wind board. You can pick up a Naish S26 Carbon 110L for $999 these days. I got my 6m Airush wing for $300, but I'd actually recommend you start in stronger winds with a 5m wing instead as the big wing is a handful to manage. You can get great deals on the Naish Matador 5m right now, I just picked up a 4m one for about $360.
@@erbartlett get a board with around 130l (used board) and a 6.0 wing. foil should be around 1800-2200cm2.. you will sell this setup after around 10-15 sessions. but you will need to to start.. I just would spent money on a good wing. board and foil can be used and cheap
@@erbartlett I'm just learning as well and we weigh the same. I went with a north seek air in the biggest size. I'm also learning with my 160lb son. Just SUPing I'm very glad to have a 155l board. Seeing my son float so much easier is eye opening. We started foiling behind the boat and he floats easier and gets out of the water easier. The *only* regret with the north board at it's biggest size is fitting in the car/ski box. Had it been 2" skinnier in the bag (not sure if the bags get smaller with smaller boards, the wheel setup means you can't squeeze it into a smaller space) it would have fit in our ski box instead of the back of the car which would be MUCH easier to deal with... But again I'm VERY glad to be on 155L to start. I called a bunch of stores and they all said to size up with inflatables since it doesn't add much weight at all but helps with learning.
That said I can't foil with the wing yet as I've only had 10~12kt max wind with an 8m kite. I'm watching this video thinking I want a skinnier board to help get speed through the water up to help foil sooner. With the 155L it's quite wide so it pushed a lot of water with it's "bow" for me right now. I'm just not sure I could balance on something this narrow as a n00b. Because we're a family of 4 starting this we also need another board or 3 so we can all play on something. So I'm thinking the 7'11" option would be good enough for the kids/wife to SUP on (with a short mast in as a fin) then the next step for me in my progression...
Don't put feet one next to the other. I am not a winger yet, but having race sup experience