Yesterday a lot of people asked me how I got up and foiling with small low volume boards. So here is some raw video of the technique I use. I am using the Indiana Paddle & Surf Co. 4'5" 40L Board in this video. I have even managed to start boards down to 15 liters (North Scoop) with this technique. It is important to note that this needs power in the wing and won't work if you are underpowered. I am using the North Sonar 1650 and 4m WaspV1 in this video. Wind is about 23knots.
I hope you like it and will share it so it can help others get going.
There will be a proper how to coming for this too so stay tuned.
https://www.facebook.com/kitechino/videos/729268151231405/--
Gunnar
Gunnar, Would you mind putting that on Youtube or Vimeo. Zuckerberg will not allow us who do not bow to watch.
Jim
Gunnar, Would you mind putting that on Youtube or Vimeo. Zuckerberg will not allow us who do not bow to watch.
Jim
Hi Jim,
Here you go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GsAQWcMsCkI did check just now and I can watch it on Facebook without logging in.
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Gunnar
This is great input. Thanks Gunnar.
The key here is the moment you have both hands on the airwing, and some element of power in the wing, its a gamechanger, you are very stable, and can then standup ... a few pumps of the kite to get your going and then you can standup once the foil engages adding stability.
Once you are pointed downwind with the board, and your knees are in a position where the nose of the board would lift if you had nothing there, you have the wing pointing face down in the water so that when you lift it it will hold wind, and have both hands pushing down on the airwing you are stable. Not even I fall off from that position, its pretty stable, most of my weight is on the airwing. So the key challenge is how to get from that position of two hands safely pushing down on the wing, to both hands on the airwing with the airwing powered.
The way I think of this is to use the body and wing as a counterbalance ... to use how forward I hinge from the hips and how high I lift the wing with my arms, which has weight to balance the tipping motion...
So I typically know I am not going to fall off the back of the board because the wing has weight as a counterbalance so if I feel myself going off the back I lean forward onto the wing, and if I feel like I am going to roll forward I brace forward onto the wing, then I put one hand on the nose of the board to keep me falling off the back, at this point I am holding onto the board for dear life, its the most unstable part of the sequence, and then raise the airwing with the other, as the airwing engages it pulls me forward and I can grab with the other hand and I am stable.
If the chop is big, and the board is tippy you are either:
roll over the front as the nose sinks
or off the back as the tail sinks.
Falling of the front is avoided by pushing down on the airwing with both hands.
Failloff of the back of the wing is avoided primarily by holding onto the nose of the board, and by pulling the airwing out of the water with your other hand or just lifting it.
So that is the balance, hinging at the hips, holding onto the board, and lifting the wing until you can safely grab it.
Anyway, sounds a lot more complex and harder that it is. That is the dance you are doing, trying not to roll over the front or fall off the back, hinging from he hips, leaning back pulling on the wing when the nose dips, and leaning forward onto the airwing when chop lifts the back of your board.
P.S. Falling off the side is reduced by really leaning on the wing, and having your knees apart. I have found this rarely happens.
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