What is Wake/Surf Foiling?
Foiling is a commonly requested topic of information at Trojan and we heard you! So here is our comprehensive summer foiling guide.
First let's answer the question: What is foiling?
Foiling is the perfect mixture of flying, surfing and wakeboarding all at once. Foil boards use a hydrofoil to lift the board out of the water to reduce drag and allow the board to glide utterly smooth over the top of the water. Foil boards lift you out of the water, which means you have the opportunity to ride new wakes and ocean swells that normal boards could only dream of.
That's right! You can foil both behind the boat and out in ocean swells. Videos of both can be seen below!
Therefore it is important when choosing a foil to work out where you will be doing most of your riding. Surf foils are designed to be ridden at slower speeds (4-6 MPH) whereas wake foils are designed to be ridden at faster speeds (8-10 MPH).
We hear you ask how do I choose which foil will work best for me? Well firstly as we've previously stated you will want to work out where you'll do most of your riding this will determine what style of foil you will need.
Next, you will need to pick what mast size will work for you!
Mast size is the total height from the foil to the board. Mast’s usually come in 2 main sizes. These are beginner masts (15-18 inches) and surf/wake masts (24 inches).
Board construction is also another aspect that needs to be looked at! Similar to wake surfs there are three main construction designs. The first of these is a fibreglass compression moulded board. These are great for beginners as they are heavy and slow down the movement in the foil and also lower the vibrations, however, if you are after a faster more reactive board a carbon or full surf construction would be more suitable. These boards provide a more precise riding feel and also a more reactive ride. These boards are better for the advanced riders out there!
Say you are a beginner wanting to use your foil behind the boat, you would go for a fibreglass compression board with a 15-18 mast with a wake-style foil. Say you were an advanced rider wanting to foil at the beach, you would pick a surf construction board with the 24” mast with a surf foil. Easy!
Now a common question we also get a lot at Trojan is how to actually wake foil! Here is a video from the guys at Liquid Force explaining exactly what you need.
Liquid Force - How To Wake Foil
Now you know all you need to get started with wake foiling here is a link to our foil section. Wake Foils
So if you want to see some extra crazy content revolving around foiling check out this insane 15-mile downwind session in Hawaii.
Foiling 15 Miles Downwind
If there are any questions about any of this information, we are always happy to answer any questions via our website, email and our contact number (02)45775333. See you out on the water!