Looking to upgrade my foil and reading a lot about how great these new high aspect wings are surf winging (Go Foil GL, Uni foil Hyper, Axis s).
Is this just to make me buy more stuff or is there something to it?
How do they work in the surf and do they need more wind to get going?
Are they to extreme for the average winger?
I have not winged with them so my experience is from kitefoiling and general knowledge. HA foils tend to have more lift than a lower aspect foil with same surface area and profile. They have much better glide so they just feel faster and this also makes them a bit hard to ride well until you get used to the "quickness". Pitch control is harder but they are more roll stable (which can be good but harder to learn to carve tightly). They pump and glide really well and therefore popular with prone and SUP foilers in waves and on downwinders. They stall much more abruptly than lower aspect wings and seem less forgiving of a wing tip ventilation (at least in my experience).
So it all depends on what you are looking for. If you are still at the stage where you are working on things like transitions or weak side riding, lower aspect wings are easier. If you have it all dialed in and what something livelier, HA might do it. If you are just getting into surfing waves and not super comfortable yet in waves, lower aspect is easier.
They are amazing. Amazing. When you are riding bumps and are one- handing the wing they just project forward so much more when you pump than low aspect wings. Amazing glide. I learned on an Axis 102 then after 5 sessions switched to the Axis 1000. Total revelation. Recently got the Axis 1010 for lighter winds , it has great low end lift and also very good resistance to low speed stalling. There’s almost no downsides to HA wings in my eyes , low aspect wings just feel so slow by comparison . And you outgrow LA wings quickly. Don’t see any reason why you couldn’t learn on an HA wing of around 1300-1500 cm2. My two cents.
I'm also super excited to get my hands on the new HA wings. For a good explanation of the differences between the new GoFoil 'GL' wings compared to their original range you can watch the 'GL unveiling' videos (in 3 parts) - link to first one below.
I expect there are differences in performance between different brands, but the GoFoil HA wings are meant to glide through the water super fast and smooth - once up and flying they don't slow as easily which makes it much easier to connect bumps. They also turn and surf pretty well - you can see no end of videos of various people ripping it up on Gofoils in the surf, mainly using the GL180 or 140. Search YouTube for Austin Kalama or Derek Hamasaki or just type in GoFoil 180 and you'll find loads. They are also pumping machines. Austin Kalama connected 25 waves in a row on the 180.
The downside to them is they haven't got quite as much initial lift, so are a bit harder to get going, and people say they are more sensitive to pitch as well. These traits means they aren't the right choice for a beginner, but most people say that as soon as you can ride reasonably well you're ready to use them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdDmK5bIZ8g
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