Once you are in your wingfoil journey for about 25 to 40 sessions, you may feel you are ready for the next level. You already know how to take off and get on the foil, you learned how to fly longer distances and you feel comfortable on your beginner equipment. It’s time for advancing from beginner gear to the next stage. Do you want to keep up to date about wingfoiling? Sign up for the newsletter!
At a certain point during this stage, you may become curious about advancing from beginner equipment to a set that brings you to the next level. Sometimes it may feel comfortable and safe to stay on your big foil and board with a lot of volume, but isn’t wingfoiling all about moving your boundaries?
On this page, we go into progressing with equipment to intermediate level.
Why progress from beginner equipment?
A valid question is: why? That beginner board probably has about 30 to 40 liters more volume than your weight, it’s stable, it allows you to fly and it gives you safety. The same goes for that beginner foil which is typically low aspect, with round corners and it allows you to fly at low speed. The answer is simple: you don’t have to change your equipment from beginner to any other type of gear. You can go on and enjoy that wingfoil set for years, and have great times.
However, you may feel that at a certain point you are ready for a new challenge. If that’s the case, read on. For the case of being able to compare the beginner and advanced quiver, we focus on a set of Gong and advancing from beginner gear. Read more beginner tips here.
What is the difference between a beginner set and an intermediate set
Typically, a beginner wing foil set consists of the following:
- A big wing foil board: meaning your weight in kilos plus 25-35 and that number in liters. If your weight is 85 kilos, a 130 to 150 liters board is a good starter board. It gives you enough floatability and it should give you stability to stand on it in low wind. This allows you to practice at a low speed and focus on your first moves.
- A big, low aspect foil (read more about the difference between low aspect and high aspect foils). What a low aspect foil offers is the ability to fly at a low speed, while being forgiving to the rider. This means that if you make a small mistake in balance, foot placement and positioning during flight, you will not immediately be punished by the foil in the way that you crash. It allows for margin of error, which enables you to learn how to get on the foil and fly, build confidence and learn the tricks.
- A beginner wing that’s built for strength, stability and easy handling. You want the wing to withstand you falling on it in the water, and you want the wing to move easily in your hands. You don’t want the wing to be too fast and too much moving around on you.
All this will allow you to learn the basics, get on the foil, start to fly and make hours in the air. You build up muscle memory, self-esteem and you will see you are a wing foiler!
Beginner set
This is a great beginner set by GONG. It consists of a 135 liters Gong Hipe First inflatable board, a 5 meters Gong Plus Wing and a Rise Allvator XL Foil with 2100 cm2 front wing.
For a rider of 85-90 kilos and at 15 to 20 knots of wind, a great set for year one.
Advancing from beginner gear – what comes after?
Let’s say you are ready for the next step, but you don’t know what to do. Here are some pointers and steps you can take. You don’t have to take them all at once, it’s probably better to do it step by step. Advancing from beginner gear can be done in small steps.
- Get a smaller board
You may want to look into getting a smaller board, go down 20 or 30 liters. Move from a 135 liters to a 110 liters board. You may find out that it’s a lot lighter to carry on the beach, and more fun to ride on the water. It’s also a bit less stable at low speeds, but you will learn to handle this difference in no time. Note that a smaller board may be a good step if your board is very big and clunky, but at a certain point, getting a better foil and wing has more impact on your wing foil experience. - Get a smaller, faster foil
If you have that (above mentioned) 2100 square centimeters, low aspect foil, you may consider getting a foil that’s higher aspect and smaller. You may be surprised how stable your flight becomes if you are on a 1400 square centimeters, higher aspect wing. In the case of GONG, you would move from the Allvator Rise to the Curve. The advantages are that higher aspect foils are not only faster and more fun to ride, but they also offer a feeling of more stability and less vibration at higher speeds. It also glides better and longer and they are less clunky on the beach. Be careful, because they also have sharper edges. Avoid kicking the foil in the water. - Get a more rigid wing, maybe even smaller too
That beginner wing is stable and strong, but probably not the lightest or most rigid one. The difference between a basic wing and a more advanced wing is in those elements: a more advanced wing is more rigid, so it doesn’t flap like a a bird when you pump to get on the foil. This allows you to harvest more power from the wind. It also flies more stable at higher speed. It’s a whole different ballgame really. In the case of GONG, you would look into moving from a PLUS wing to a PULSE or DROID wing.
Take small steps from your first set of equipment
Take small steps, don’t change everything at once. At this picture you still see the beginner board but with a higher aspect foil and a much more rigid wing. The rider moved from the 7,5 meters Superpower wing to the 6,5 meters Droid wing which is more focused on performance. The Rise Allvator Foil was replaced by a Curve Foil. Don’t go from a 2500 cm2 foil to a 1200 cm2 as that step is too big.
Improving by getting better equipment: good to know
- On this page we focus on equipment by Gong, but there are very good other brands out there with great equipment for beginners and advanced riders.
- Be prepared for a short, new learning curve. Your body needs to adjust to the new equipment, so don’t expect to get on the water and fly away immediately. You may but you would be the exception. It’s perfectly normal to experience a bit of a struggle in the first couple of runs of advancing from beginner gear.
- A higher aspect foil flies better, faster and more stable, and is more fun. But it requires more speed before it starts flying. Don’t focus too much on pumping with your legs, focus on building up speed with your arms first. It will start to fly, don’t worry.
- You may find out that you start riding better with smaller equipment. Once you learn, you will be able to ride the same wind with a smaller foil and even a smaller wing. This allows you to carry smaller equipment with you.
- Remember that you change your equipment from beginner to advanced, becuase you are ready for a new challenge and a new step in your wingoil journey.
