My First time flatwater SUP foiling with Armstrong Aidan Nicholas / SUPboarder
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 พ.ย. 2024
- Trying something new is always exciting... How hard will it be? Is it even going to be possible?! Well, these were just some of the questions I was thinking when I heard that Armstrong team rider Aidan Nicholas was coming down to visit and teach me how to SUP foil on flatwater for the first time.
At SUPboarder we have been on foils in various forms for a few years now. But there was a new side to this foiling sport which I hadn't tried yet... until now! With the progression to longer, thinner boards and wider more high aspect ratio foils, riders are getting out on smaller waves, lighter winds and also paddling themselves up onto the foil on flat water... known as the flatwater pop up.
In this video you are seeing my very first flatwater pop up session, with some very good pointers from Aidan and top end gear from Armstrong. There's no doubt that having good, well set up gear and a pro at my side were definitely a major part to my claimed flights! But also having a good understanding of how to paddle shorter SUPs really does help.
This side of the foil sport will be a very interesting one to watch. Having the ability to take longer boards with bigger foils (like the Armstrong set up I was using) and ride very small waves or in very light wind conditions, maybe doing downwinding and surfing, will open up a huge arena for paddlers to play in. We will be following it very closely for sure, so keep an eye out on SUPboarder for more videos and posts in the future.
Thanks to Tris Best and Aidan Nicholas from Armstrong for coming down and letting me have a play on some very nice toys! I learnt a lot and had lots of fun!
Watch the extended raw video on our subscription service on SUPboarder pro ; supboardermag....
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Awesome! You did almost first try! It surely helped that you had SUP foil experience. I've learned flat water paddle ups this summer too and I couldn't paddle in a straight line for a long time. I recently switched stance (since it's a bit of a one-sided load on the back muscles) and now can't paddle straight again :-)
Thanks for your comment, yes Im sure the my SUP surf foiling helped a lot. But I think my SUP surfing small boards helped the most. Being able to paddle fast in a straight line in surf stance I think is the biggest part. Going to be interesting to see where this side of the sport goes. Thanks Reuben
Excellent SUP Foiling! Thanks
This is unbelievable, amazing you cracked it so quickly. Excellent video!
Beginners luck,...no it really wasn't too bad. Thanks Reuben
Hey Guys, hope you liked the video. I forgot to ask, if you do please give us a sub. Lots more videos on the way! Thanks Reuben
Thank you for this inspiring video. I am planning start flat water foil sup as well and will surely rely on all those helpful advice from this video. I am on the fence to add an 8'6'' x 19 120l Axis Downwind Board to my quiver, as this might help with gaining tracking & speed to get me up on the foil. We will see... so thank you very much with showing the necessary steps in this vid. I am quite optimistic as I have a lot of paddle experience, but still I will be far away from flying at the very first day like you did.
Keep up the great work! You'll be flying in no time. That foil board sounds like good addition, but keep at it with your current board as well.
Great information,well done
Thank you!
Amazing Reuben. For me it took far more attempts, with apf1880, 86kg. Starting to paddle upwind and dw it 500m, once confident with that will go open ocean with ma1750 and then ma1475. Love the feeling of freedom and flow.
Thanks for the comment Ramon . Glad you are enjoying it too.
Great video.....I will be buying the 6'8" after seeing this! Thanks
Hey Steve, Well it worked for me. I cant believe how that board moved! Crazy stuff. Thanks Reuben
Thanks for this entertaining and educational video guys! Love it. 🤙
Thanks Ethan 👍
Awesome video! Can't wait to have a go at this 😁
Thanks!
Great Video, Informative and fun!
We're glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks, Beau
What was the Mast length? Outstanding result for first attempts!
Thanks , that was with a 865mm
Amazing first go
Thanks, being able to paddle small boards in a straight line really helped I feel. Reuben
Crazy how fast you made this happen. As an advanced winger and SUPer I spent several sessions trying to get this and didnt come close.
Thanks. It is quite difficult. Having the right gear and advice was key, but experience with SUP surfing also helps. Keep it up!
Great vid. It would be good to see where you position the foil mast on the board.
We had it at 4 on the board.
Hello guys.
Very nice vidéo, thanks!
I think I saw you shimmed the mast (negative). Correct? My question is why: for a easier take off?
Cheers
Régis
Hey Regis, Im going to get Will to get back to you on this, unfortunately he is away this week on holiday but will get back next week. Thanks for the question and your patience.
yes, this shimming makes the take offs easier :0) Cheers, Will
Brilliant video. Reuben did brilliantly of course.
One question - other than a fun thing to learn- whats the point in this ? Is it a way of learning to foil without needing a downwind situation or a wing ? Or am i missing something!
Love the innovation- but i wonder if im missing something?
Hey John very good question.... TBH I not 100% sure of where this side of the sport is going to go! But these new boards and foils make the SUP foiling discipline some much bigger. What I feel is the ability to be able to pop up like this on flat water is a but of a fun thing to do, but its not the main thing/ reason for everyone. This really just shows you how easy and early you can get up on foil. So in the real world for everyday paddlers, I see these boards and foils being able to catch the smallest of wave or bump/ wind anywhere, lakes, rivers or seas. At the moment you will still need a good understanding of how a foil works under your feet first. But I think in time, like you say it could be a way of learning how to foil. I hope that makes a bit of sense? We will be exploring this side of the sport very closely, so we will have more to report very soon. Thanks Reuben
Awesome effort 👍
Thanks Paul!
Nice job!
good day. awesome video thank you. Could you provide the exact board and foil you were using that day please if possible. Thank you
all good found it
Hi Reuben! The mast had a base shim, correct? If so, do you know the angle?
We show this on our SUPboarder Pro video. But as you asked so nicely... its a 1 degree backwards shim. Thanks Reuben
@@SUPboardermagwhere do I find this video
Awesome vid 🤙🤙🤙 incredible you got up first go. How much difference would and inch wider board make. For example for a 75kg person a 96L 19 wide vs 107L 20 wide?
Hey, good question. I dont think it would of made getting up that much harder really. The board felt like it was releasing after the first few couple strokes really. Maybe if the board had less bevelled rails it would've been slower to pop up but I think I could've gone wider and it wouldn't of been that bad. But again this is still a hunch ! Thanks Reuben
Thanks a lot for the great video. I have a lot of SUP experience and a little bit of windsurf experience (4 years). Would you recommend to start wing foiling or flatwater SUP foiling as a next step (into the direction of foiling)? What is easier to learn (wing or flatwater foil)? Mahalo!
hey, if you are coming from windsurfing then starting with a wing should be your best bet. I guess you can try both tbh but winging will get you flying earlier for sure . Thanks Reuben
@@SUPboardermag Dear Reuben, thank you very much. Mahalo. All best for you. Jörg
Awesome video! What's your weight? It would be nice to demo the different sizes.
Reuben's weight is 75kg. Thanks!
Fantastic effort! 13 minutes in, we can see a mast head shim. Is that similar to moving the mast foward in tracks or does extra nose down help the pump at low speed? What angle is the shim?
Hey, yes the shim is a 1 degree backwards shim. And yes it helps keep the board flatter. TBH Im still learning about how to set this type of gear up. Thats why it was great to have the pros do it for me before ha ha ha. Thanks Reuben
Hello Rubin
Thank you so much for the great video. I got my KT Ginxu 105L a few days ago and it was tough just standing on it . Eventually I got the balance but then going straight became the challenge. I found paddling out to in more effective then closing the blade. It was suggested going 45 degrees to the current- but the question is 45 degrees on which side and it seems to make sense to go right with regular left foot front and left with goofy right foot front . Am I correct ?
Hey Robert. Yes I think thats right ha ha. Definitely if you can go out with a little bit of current helping you or wind on your back as well it can really make a difference to getting up. But in this session we had very little of both really. Good luck Thanks Reuben
This is great info. Is it recommended that someone becomes proficient at regular SUP surfing before going to anything with a foil?
Totally agree, this makes a massive difference when starting off.
@@SUPboardermag thank you! I’m building a regular SUP before summer then!
Hello again Reuben, I have been out 5-6 times with my KT Ginxu and definitely making progress but still lack the explosive power to get up ! I am 145 lbs using the 1150 Axis front wing and also tried my friends 1310 front wing but actually prefer the smaller 1150. You see guys using huge front wings eg Gofoil GT 2600. Is bigger the better or the rider’s weight also should be considered ?
Hey Robert - I have been paddling up the 1150 Axis a little and its a great wing for paddle ups at your weight. I think you can paddle up on the really big wings but they will not pump very well once up, that is the drawback. The 1150 has more lift than the 1300 when I tried back to back so in my opinion easier for the paddle ups. Are you using the Ginxu or the dragonfly for your paddle ups - Will - SUPboarder
Ginxu Dragonfly 105L 7’4”
Really appreciate your advise and I will persevere with the 1150🙏
@@robertho1770 yes keep going - its is all very possible with the gear you have. In time we will make a little more content to help people with the specifics of tuning technique to get the paddle ups but until then certainly consider trying to film yourself and send it into us for a SUPboarder PRO Readers video breakdown - we might be able to help you spot where you can improve techniques :) You can find details of how to do that on the SUPboarder Website. Regards, Will
Ok let me do that 🙏👍
Just had a go on the Dragonfly 120 - paddles up very well, so I think you have a great set up to manage it, looking forward to seeing your technique so we can coach you through it. Will - SUPboarder
How about that baseplate shim?? I would've thought Armstrong's board/foil combo's to be tuned and ready to go, so I'm surprised Aidan had one but it makes sense to increase the lift before take-off. Does he always have it on or did he put it in since he was going to teach you?
Hey Greg. With the foil setup I was using and the fact we were doing a flatwater paddle up. He said he used the shim. Think this was after a lot of teams testing they found this was the most comfortable set up for the gear used. Hope that helps?
Awesome video to help get one started. I am working with a similar setup. Were you using a shim in the tail? If so which shim(s). Thanks
Hey Jay, Glad the video helped. I dont remember it having a shin in the tail?? Just a base shim. But TBH Im not the most techy guy when it comes to foiling ha ha. I will ask Will about this, he is away fro his xmas break at the moment. Hope thats ok? Thanks Reuben
Yeh no tail shim just base plate shim. Cheers,Will
Now we want to see you send a downwind!!
😂 Sometime soon!
Loving this vid, well done SUPboarder team. What volume would you recommend? Armstrong says +20L. Did you find that holds tru? How was the APF in speed once up?
Hey, Im 75kg and the 96L felt very stable for me. So I think thats about right. As for speed when up on foil... as i only got up and had very short flights , im not the best to comment yet. But it felt like an average speed foil , then. I hope that helps? Thanks Reuben
Hey man, great video... Just wondering what you think about mast length? 75 or 82 be better to start with?
We started on 795, but the general opinion is that shorter is easier for flat water paddle ups - Oskar Johanson does an interesting video on this. In my option, strong paddle technique Is of much higher priority though. Regards, Will - SUPboarder
Hi excellent. What foil are you using and mast size? Any recommendation for a novice?
1675 PF front wing
220 Glide Stab
875mm Mast
96L DW board
A big foil like this is defo the way to go when starting off.
How long was the paddle? What's the expert's recommendation? Head high or longer/shorter?
Aaahhh , I don't want to say what is best yet. Because I dont really know yet.
What I mean is since this session, I have been riding with paddle shafts that are, from just above my head hight to using my current surf paddle, which is at eyebrow right. The shorter paddle I find easy to get the power into the pump and get the board moving but is obviously pretty useless went up on foil. So I'm a bit on the fence of what the best height is to advise at the moment. Does that make sense? Reuben
Hello, Nice video. It's possible to startup in flat water with wingboard 5'4" x 27" and front wing axis 940 ?
Im not going to say its impossible but i think its going to be very, very hard work. Best of find a wind creek with tide against you. Thanks Reuben
@@SUPboardermag Thanks for the answering.
Long thin downwind board is a must surely for mortal men.. I'm not sure anyone I know of could flat water paddle up a 5'4 x 27 board even in dream conditions
@@reecewatson9720think it could be done on a 6’1 x 25 nsp Dw spitfire ?
The wind noise makes the viewing experience quite dreary, tbh... Too bad - the content is sweet.
A set of decent wireless lavalier microphones/dictaphones with wind protectors would probably be an investment to consider
Yeah sorry about that. It was a very spontaneous session.
What was the length of your board?
That was a 96L: 6’8 x 19 ½” x 5 ⅝” thanks Reuben
what was the front Foil size?
1675 PF front wing
220 Glide Stab
875mm Mast
96L DW board
What paddle lenght do you use?
At the moment we are all using about 6" above head. Thanks Reuben
Mast, front wing and stab?
Hey , 1675 PF, 220 stab, 865mm mast and a 96L board . Thanks Reuben
Any particular reason you wouldn't have used the 202 pump tail?@@SUPboardermag
Hey John, Sorry I haven't got 100% answer on that one (as Aidan set it up for me ha ha ) and I should of paid more attention in class! ... But at a guess, It will give me a little bit more control and stability when I was trying to get up. Theres alot going on with paddle, pump and timings so I didn't want the foil to be too reactive. I will find out more for you. Thanks Reuben
But.. whats the whole point of Sup Foiling (without waves) when u put all your energy to get Foiling and then u can barely keep it up for some seconds..? I dont get it.
Yeah not much point, but it's great for learning how to get up on foil so when you are getting into catching small waves and riding downwind its much much easier to get up and flying.. Hope that makes sense?
Thanks Reuben
This discipline seems to demand a lot of effort for not so much output even if you master it well. It’s rather the surprising effect of getting out of the water for a short time than a continuous way of riding a board.
Go watch some other videos. Many keep on going for ages once they are up on the foil.
@@theseb1979 ok didn’t know that. My statement referred to this video
@@mvhan911 Yeah I make it look really bad... ha ha. Thanks Reuben
@@SUPboardermag I actually have a question on that, Reuben. Obviously we have seen you wing and sup surf foil. What do you think is the reason why you could not stay up on the foil on this board? Lack of speed? Different feeling?
Because Im unfit and I should of stretched! Ha ha... fitness has a big part but , also because I had never ridden the foil before when i did get up I then had to understand how to use the foil. So ideally I guess if I had foiled with it in surf, behind boat or with a wing first. it would of given me a better understanding of how the foil needed to be pumped and trimed. Does that excuse sound plausible? ;-) Thanks Reuben
Hello Will
Do I just need to subscribe to Supboarder Pro to send you videos?
Hi! If you are looking for a technique breakdown, you can sign up to SUPboarder PRO and send in via Readers Video Breakdown. If you would like to access further content, then singing up to SUPboarder PRO is recommended. You can sign up here: supboardermag.com/pro/
Awesome 👏 this is amazing how easy you picked it up. Just awesome. I got three friends of mine that are now really getting into it. It’s probably just gonna take over the whole planet when I think about it. There’s a lot more paddle boarders in the world then we realize.🤩🙏
👍🍺