Superb advice! I’ve been kiting for 20 odd years and just started foiling and I felt like a total muppet again. There’s loads of stuff here that I’ll be using. 🙏
@@erbartlett I think the biggest mistake I have made is having too long a break between foiling sessions, I've seen it as just a light wind solution, which makes it super hard to learn. The other thing which I have done is jumped to too small a board too early. This last weekend was windy and there was a big swell so super choppy, which meant that taxing on the short board was really hard. I'm gonna go back out on my surfboard with a foil, and get that water start onto foil nailed before using my little Slingshot board. I also watched another video where a guy is emphasisng keeping the kite high in the air which makes sense in theory, what do you reckon to that? Basically more towards 12.
@@erbartlett Thought so, I was there getting a foil lesson from ProKite - just before Hurricane Beryl levelled it all. Very sad. Not sure you missed anything of note, perhaps foot positions / board direction on water starts.
I am always amazed seeing how much energy people spend to kite just some hours…. I just started kiting since almost a year and I live near a very good spot, I already use and jump with tt and directional, do tricks, kiteloop etc. and I just bought a foil for lightwind so I can change my cabrinha moto 9/12 for 8/11 new reach
I would love to live 10 min from a great spot. Right now i live 45min-1:15 from a couple good spots that become great a few days a year when the right conditions hit. I’m in a New York City apartment… so there’s some logistics for moving gear around and getting to a spot
Yes, a helmet, I found it helpful to have front footstrap worn loosely to help manage the board as a grab handle, and for waterstarts. Then either get rid of the strap , or add another if you want to jump. But must be careful to stay in control, and get the front foot out of strap before crashes.
Great video. Thanks for the tips. I’m about 5 hours in on my foil (on a short mast). Will try the heel to toe side transition you described in my next session. Then comes the move to a tall mast. Not something I’m looking forward to at this stage.
Once I found a stable front wing, everything else got a lot easier. Switching to a taller mast made the falls a bit tougher, but it made gybes easier because you have more height before you hit water. The extra clearance does make some things easier. Good luck, and let me know if there are other topics i should cover in future videos!
Quality content- thanks for this. I keep reading that getting used to the foil behind a 'ski or boat does save a lot of time and hassle. I'm thinking of hiring some wing foil kit and learning to foil that way- it's probably cheaper than finding a boat.
I found it useful to isolate the skills. Being on a foil was so foreign to me, that it required all of my brain power. Even though I had been kiting for a while at that point, it was still tricky to foil and to think about the kite. I think wing foiling might be pretty challenging... from what I've read, the wing is quite different from a quite, so it might be faster for you to learn to kite foil if you already kite. Good luck, and let me know how it goes!
@@erbartlett I haven't tried wing yet, but a friend went out last winter on skis and picked it up in 5 minutes. That might be the way to go to get used to the wing. Great vid Evan - still haven't gotten my $h!t together to get on foil, but hoping to do it soon. This vid will help a lot.
@@collider4378 I bought a foil and tried it twice in low wind last year- wind was probably too low. It's still scary as hell and so fast it's unreal. It's like being in the first hours of kiting all over again. Getting going and then going faster faster faster was pretty easy- having any kind of control was beyond hopeless. Just dive off before it goes too quick😆
@@erbartlett I’m not very good on this…you covered a plenty of stuff. Reading your videos comments there are same new people on this sport, you might show how to check the kitebar lines length to fly safetly the kite, it's just an idea 😊
Excellent - behind a boat will get you up fastest within 300m on a big foil. My mistake when on a kite was to have a small fast foil - I went backwards and leant nothing... Your foil size chart is Perfect. If your a beginner reading this - follow his chart size ! Cheers :)
How much do you weigh and what size foil wing are you riding? I’m in peak summer which is super low wind… was just out I’m 6-9kts on my 1100cm2 front wing with a 12m single strut and I had a lot of trouble getting out of the water ( I’m 220lbs)
@@erbartlett 165 to 170lbs, I'm riding 1300cm2 on the front. 8 knots isn't easy to up on foil. Another kite that I would really like to try is the Gin Marabou 2. It's similar to the Hybrid, but is more performance oriented. Apparently performs like the Flysurfer Peak, but is also water relaunchable. I've even been able to drift launch the Hybrid from a boat and from deep water, by swimming out, which completely eliminates the need for a beach.
I know how to windsurf and windfoil.. i want to learn how to foilkite... should i skip the twintip thing alltogether and just learn how to use the kite?
Oh goood question. I think learning to twin tip is quite a bit easier, and you could learn all the kite skills you need there before going to the foil. Its also pretty easy in most places to buy a cheap twin tip board and sell it. The foiling skills will definitely give you an advantage, but the kite skills needed to foil are actually quite a bit more subtle and nuanced than twin tipping. I suspect it would be a lot harder to learn kite control with a squirrelly fast foil on your feet. That being said, it can always be done, it just would take a while longer.
Thanks for the video. I have the same Nobile split board you’re riding but noticed you have a slingshot foil. Is the nobile foil that came with that board the race one you said slowed down your progression? I’m only a couple hours in, first time out I got the same ankle slice you have, your video came out a couple weeks too late to save me, hopefully you help some other noob’s lower extremities.
I’m trying to spare people from making my same mistakes! Sorry I was too slow! Prior to the slingshot I tried both the Shinn foils and the Nobile one and at the time they didn’t have very big stable front wings in the line up. That may have changed since. The slingshot setup was pretty cheap and had a lot of big wings to choose from, and the Infinity 76 wing (1500cm2) turned out to make foiling very very easy and stable for my weight (220lbs). I wish I’d found that sooner. Now I’m riding the Apollo 60 (1100cm2) which has a lot more speed but is still very stable. Hope that helps!
I did and I thought it was easier. If your foil and board aren’t perfectly tuned, you’ll want to be able step forward or backward to get the balance right. I also think it’s a bit sketchy to risk getting stuck in straps when you fall while learning. The only place straps helps a bit is on the water start as it can help make it easier to keep the board on your feet. A half strap can help during water starts, or you can just learn to keep the board in place with pressure from your feet and the pull of the kite. Hope that helps!
Should you go aluminum or go for carbon at first? Also lessons and rent then buy a more advanced setup? How long until you get sick of the beginner setup, if at all.
I am still having fun on my beginner aluminum setup and it’s been almost 3 years. Keep in mind you can change wings and progress with different wing shapes and speeds. For me, the aluminum setup was ~700 usd, and the carbon was closer to 2-3,000usd, so it didn’t make sense to jump straight to carbon. You will probably want to upgrade from a beginner board after a year (depending on how frequently you get sessions). So I’d go aluminum in most cases, and upgrade wings and boards as you progress.
@@erbartlett I don’t remember if you talked about this, but it sounds like an e-foil lesson makes it easier to learn board control. Also, are you trying wing foil at all? In New England, beach access is always tough. People are very uptight however with wing foiling, you can go to any beach anytime.
Hi Evan, Greetings from Germany. Great summary of how-to-dos and very nice video footage!! Unfortunately it was too late for me - I took the hard path 🤪How do you mount your 360° cam for the third-person shots?
@@erbartlett Great idea. Just watched your video on that DIY solution. I would be a bit scared to lose my Insta360 with this rather loose fixing. But may be it's worth a try 🤔. Thanks anyway for sharing!
Where in France?? I'm half french, so I'm there quite a bit. My main local spot is on long island, about 45 min from NYC. I tend to kite in the great south bay around fire island.
I live in paris but i ride in the north in the baie de somme . I use to live in Connecticut but didnt kite there. So you can only kite in the summer there? @@erbartlett
i'm in paris but i kite in the baie de somme in the north of france. I use to live in connecticut but didn't kite then. You only kite in the summer i guess? @@erbartlett
Hi Evan, As always, great content! I just moved to NYC (my gear isn’t quite here yet unfortunately) and would love to start exploring kitespots around here and get into the scene. Are there any groups, fora etc that you would recommend I get into? Thanks!! Julian
The NY Kiteboarders one has a really active whats app group, there’s also a North East kiteboarders one but it’s not as hyper local. Where were you riding before?
@@erbartlett thank you so much, I will take a look at those! I was in DC before so mostly in the Chesapeake bay and the Delaware seashore. I don’t have a car so I was relying on the WhatsApp group there to hitch rides when lucky. Hope that I can do some kiting via public transport in NYC 😊. Plumb beach looks accessible and not any worse than Chesapeake bay spots (?)
What range of wind do you think is better for a 9m and a 12m 3 strut kite? (In my region it goes between 12 knots (off season) to 22 knots (top season)
It really depends on your body weight, your skill, and the board. I'm 220lbs / 99kg and I ride a 12m from 19kts to 25kts, but that wouldnt work for someone whos 70kg.
If you start foiling, go with the 12m for the first sessions and once you can fly in both directions you will see you can take the 9m in 14-20kts and over 20kt take the 6m or below. Have a good ride!
Superb advice! I’ve been kiting for 20 odd years and just started foiling and I felt like a total muppet again. There’s loads of stuff here that I’ll be using. 🙏
It’s humbling. Let me know if there’s anything I missed or if you have a good idea for a future video!
@@erbartlett I think the biggest mistake I have made is having too long a break between foiling sessions, I've seen it as just a light wind solution, which makes it super hard to learn. The other thing which I have done is jumped to too small a board too early. This last weekend was windy and there was a big swell so super choppy, which meant that taxing on the short board was really hard. I'm gonna go back out on my surfboard with a foil, and get that water start onto foil nailed before using my little Slingshot board.
I also watched another video where a guy is emphasisng keeping the kite high in the air which makes sense in theory, what do you reckon to that? Basically more towards 12.
Great video and super helpful as I transition to foiling from Twin Tips. Some nice locations too, was Union Island / Palm Island in that mix?
Yep, Union Island and Palm island where in there!! Anything else I could have covered to make it helpful?
@@erbartlett Thought so, I was there getting a foil lesson from ProKite - just before Hurricane Beryl levelled it all. Very sad. Not sure you missed anything of note, perhaps foot positions / board direction on water starts.
Great video! I recommend a helmet, too!
Great format. Injury shot spoke volumes to me. Thanks.
Thanks! I cut my ankle pretty bad on that trip, and it go so infected and super swollen... foil cuts are no joke
I totally agree with all the tips. Very handy for beginners.
Great video super advice. I’m at the transition stage now. Couldn’t agree More with everything you said.
I am always amazed seeing how much energy people spend to kite just some hours…. I just started kiting since almost a year and I live near a very good spot, I already use and jump with tt and directional, do tricks, kiteloop etc. and I just bought a foil for lightwind so I can change my cabrinha moto 9/12 for 8/11 new reach
I would love to live 10 min from a great spot. Right now i live 45min-1:15 from a couple good spots that become great a few days a year when the right conditions hit. I’m in a New York City apartment… so there’s some logistics for moving gear around and getting to a spot
Yes, a helmet, I found it helpful to have front footstrap worn loosely to help manage the board as a grab handle, and for waterstarts. Then either get rid of the strap , or add another if you want to jump. But must be careful to stay in control, and get the front foot out of strap before crashes.
@@scottmeineke3820 great tip
Great video. Thanks for the tips. I’m about 5 hours in on my foil (on a short mast). Will try the heel to toe side transition you described in my next session. Then comes the move to a tall mast. Not something I’m looking forward to at this stage.
Once I found a stable front wing, everything else got a lot easier. Switching to a taller mast made the falls a bit tougher, but it made gybes easier because you have more height before you hit water. The extra clearance does make some things easier. Good luck, and let me know if there are other topics i should cover in future videos!
Quality content- thanks for this. I keep reading that getting used to the foil behind a 'ski or boat does save a lot of time and hassle. I'm thinking of hiring some wing foil kit and learning to foil that way- it's probably cheaper than finding a boat.
I found it useful to isolate the skills. Being on a foil was so foreign to me, that it required all of my brain power. Even though I had been kiting for a while at that point, it was still tricky to foil and to think about the kite. I think wing foiling might be pretty challenging... from what I've read, the wing is quite different from a quite, so it might be faster for you to learn to kite foil if you already kite. Good luck, and let me know how it goes!
@@erbartlett I haven't tried wing yet, but a friend went out last winter on skis and picked it up in 5 minutes. That might be the way to go to get used to the wing. Great vid Evan - still haven't gotten my $h!t together to get on foil, but hoping to do it soon. This vid will help a lot.
@@collider4378 I bought a foil and tried it twice in low wind last year- wind was probably too low. It's still scary as hell and so fast it's unreal. It's like being in the first hours of kiting all over again. Getting going and then going faster faster faster was pretty easy- having any kind of control was beyond hopeless. Just dive off before it goes too quick😆
Great video Evan. I'm heading to Coco Beach friday for a foil lesson towing behind a jet ski, with Good Breeze Kiteboarding.
Yes!! So exciting! Is this your first? Do you have a foil setup already?
Hey Evan! I love your videos, your way to explain…Thanks, greetings from Italy
@@DavideLungoni Thanks for your support! Do you have any good ideas for future videos?
@@erbartlett I’m not very good on this…you covered a plenty of stuff. Reading your videos comments there are same new people on this sport, you might show how to check the kitebar lines length to fly safetly the kite, it's just an idea 😊
Excellent - behind a boat will get you up fastest within 300m on a big foil. My mistake when on a kite was to have a small fast foil - I went backwards and leant nothing... Your foil size chart is Perfect. If your a beginner reading this - follow his chart size ! Cheers :)
@@Cadburydrams foil size makes a huge difference, learning on the wrong foil can really slow you down
I just started foiling. This video is great!
Got any questions I didn’t cover, or find anything I said confusing? Appreciate any feedback!
Great vid, thanks !
I highly recommend 7.5m Flysurfer Hybrid. Good for 8knots to 25knots.
How much do you weigh and what size foil wing are you riding? I’m in peak summer which is super low wind… was just out I’m 6-9kts on my 1100cm2 front wing with a 12m single strut and I had a lot of trouble getting out of the water ( I’m 220lbs)
@@erbartlett 165 to 170lbs, I'm riding 1300cm2 on the front. 8 knots isn't easy to up on foil. Another kite that I would really like to try is the Gin Marabou 2. It's similar to the Hybrid, but is more performance oriented. Apparently performs like the Flysurfer Peak, but is also water relaunchable. I've even been able to drift launch the Hybrid from a boat and from deep water, by swimming out, which completely eliminates the need for a beach.
I know how to windsurf and windfoil.. i want to learn how to foilkite... should i skip the twintip thing alltogether and just learn how to use the kite?
Oh goood question.
I think learning to twin tip is quite a bit easier, and you could learn all the kite skills you need there before going to the foil. Its also pretty easy in most places to buy a cheap twin tip board and sell it.
The foiling skills will definitely give you an advantage, but the kite skills needed to foil are actually quite a bit more subtle and nuanced than twin tipping. I suspect it would be a lot harder to learn kite control with a squirrelly fast foil on your feet.
That being said, it can always be done, it just would take a while longer.
Thanks for the video. I have the same Nobile split board you’re riding but noticed you have a slingshot foil. Is the nobile foil that came with that board the race one you said slowed down your progression? I’m only a couple hours in, first time out I got the same ankle slice you have, your video came out a couple weeks too late to save me, hopefully you help some other noob’s lower extremities.
I’m trying to spare people from making my same mistakes! Sorry I was too slow!
Prior to the slingshot I tried both the Shinn foils and the Nobile one and at the time they didn’t have very big stable front wings in the line up. That may have changed since. The slingshot setup was pretty cheap and had a lot of big wings to choose from, and the Infinity 76 wing (1500cm2) turned out to make foiling very very easy and stable for my weight (220lbs). I wish I’d found that sooner. Now I’m riding the Apollo 60 (1100cm2) which has a lot more speed but is still very stable.
Hope that helps!
Thank You 🤙🏼…. Do you recommend starting strapless?
I did and I thought it was easier. If your foil and board aren’t perfectly tuned, you’ll want to be able step forward or backward to get the balance right.
I also think it’s a bit sketchy to risk getting stuck in straps when you fall while learning. The only place straps helps a bit is on the water start as it can help make it easier to keep the board on your feet.
A half strap can help during water starts, or you can just learn to keep the board in place with pressure from your feet and the pull of the kite.
Hope that helps!
@@erbartlettThank You so much! Very Helpful to know !!! 🙏👊🏼🤙🏼
Excellent !
Should you go aluminum or go for carbon at first? Also lessons and rent then buy a more advanced setup? How long until you get sick of the beginner setup, if at all.
I am still having fun on my beginner aluminum setup and it’s been almost 3 years. Keep in mind you can change wings and progress with different wing shapes and speeds. For me, the aluminum setup was ~700 usd, and the carbon was closer to 2-3,000usd, so it didn’t make sense to jump straight to carbon. You will probably want to upgrade from a beginner board after a year (depending on how frequently you get sessions). So I’d go aluminum in most cases, and upgrade wings and boards as you progress.
@@erbartlett I don’t remember if you talked about this, but it sounds like an e-foil lesson makes it easier to learn board control. Also, are you trying wing foil at all? In New England, beach access is always tough. People are very uptight however with wing foiling, you can go to any beach anytime.
Good video thank you
Glad you enjoyed it
love it. Thanks man
Hi Evan, Greetings from Germany. Great summary of how-to-dos and very nice video footage!! Unfortunately it was too late for me - I took the hard path 🤪How do you mount your 360° cam for the third-person shots?
I did a short video on it, but its a selfie stick in an impact vest ua-cam.com/users/shorts50cPc4teArY
@@erbartlett Great idea. Just watched your video on that DIY solution. I would be a bit scared to lose my Insta360 with this rather loose fixing. But may be it's worth a try 🤔. Thanks anyway for sharing!
hello from France! Thanks a lot for this video! where is your beautifull kite spot?
Where in France?? I'm half french, so I'm there quite a bit. My main local spot is on long island, about 45 min from NYC. I tend to kite in the great south bay around fire island.
I live in paris but i ride in the north in the baie de somme . I use to live in Connecticut but didnt kite there. So you can only kite in the summer there? @@erbartlett
i'm in paris but i kite in the baie de somme in the north of france. I use to live in connecticut but didn't kite then. You only kite in the summer i guess? @@erbartlett
Hi Evan,
As always, great content! I just moved to NYC (my gear isn’t quite here yet unfortunately) and would love to start exploring kitespots around here and get into the scene. Are there any groups, fora etc that you would recommend I get into?
Thanks!!
Julian
The NY Kiteboarders one has a really active whats app group, there’s also a North East kiteboarders one but it’s not as hyper local.
Where were you riding before?
@@erbartlett thank you so much, I will take a look at those!
I was in DC before so mostly in the Chesapeake bay and the Delaware seashore. I don’t have a car so I was relying on the WhatsApp group there to hitch rides when lucky. Hope that I can do some kiting via public transport in NYC 😊. Plumb beach looks accessible and not any worse than Chesapeake bay spots (?)
What range of wind do you think is better for a 9m and a 12m 3 strut kite? (In my region it goes between 12 knots (off season) to 22 knots (top season)
It really depends on your body weight, your skill, and the board. I'm 220lbs / 99kg and I ride a 12m from 19kts to 25kts, but that wouldnt work for someone whos 70kg.
Tks! @@erbartlett
If you start foiling, go with the 12m for the first sessions and once you can fly in both directions you will see you can take the 9m in 14-20kts and over 20kt take the 6m or below. Have a good ride!
Took 15 minutes hahaha
Ive seen people get up fast on efoils, but not that fast on a kite!