Foiling - Stopping the Rocket

[g00mbs]

I just started foiling and completed my 4th session. I'm getting to the point where I am foiling above the water for some distance before crashing spectacularly. I"m in control for a while, but there comes a point where the speed is just too much and I lose balance, etc. Once the foil lifts the rocket starts ;)

As much as I like to make a huge splash, I'm looking to find a way to slow down to plop down in the water gracefully. Do any of the foilers out there have suggestions on what I should do to slow down without crashing?

Thanks!

[dwaynej]

- Smaller kites / depower kite / kite high in the sky / bar out to lose some power.
- Point higher upwind or point lower downwind.

Now that you are foiling, the kites that you have been using for Twin Tip and Unidirectional are too large.

With right kite size you can control speed with bar pressure/depower and how high and low you point.

Pointing low/downwind foiling is your next skill to learn. May require you to sine the kite. Water start as you normally would then drop downwind... Don't try to water start pointing downwind.

[Rakky]

Good topic.
How small should the kite be for Foilboarding vs twin tip or surfboard? i.e., how to downsize the kite

[dwaynej]

For me, two-three sizes down. If I used a 12M on a Twin Tip, I would now use a 9M on the foil. As you increase your skill, you can start downsizing. I also made the jump to foil kites - 11M Flysurfer Sonic FR is my largest kite for 9kts-15kts and a 9M for 14kts+ before i switch over to a 7M LEI for 20kts+

[g00mbs]

I was dropping to down to a smaller kite, but I think I need to make a bigger jump. For instance, wind I would ride a 17m in I would drop down to my 12m. When the wind picked up a little, I think I needed to drop down to my 9m, but didn't. I'll have to keep an eye on what the feeling is like to figure out what my new wind ranges are. Very different from TT and Directional riding for kite selection.

[sflinux]

For me, If I'm on a twintip, I go one kite size down for a surfboard. If I'm on a surfboard, I would drop another kite size to a hydrofoil (non-race). It sounds to me, like you are using too much kite. Even a 9M may be too much kite, my most used size is a 8M, followed by a 7M. All you need is enough kite power to get up and going (loop).
Not sure what you mean by rocket (bucking broco, porpoising?), but with my hydrofoil, the rear foot placement makes a huge difference. I recommend riding without a rear foot strap so you can make microadjustments with your rear foot. If the front foot placement is correct, and If you are still having trouble balancing the board, you may consider shimming the rear foil to adjust it's aoa.
It took me a good 6 sessions before I felt comfortable on my hydrofoil, the hardest part figuring out where to put my feet (front strap placement, rear foot placement, rear wing shim).

[dwaynej]

I was dropping to down to a smaller kite, but I think I need to make a bigger jump. For instance, wind I would ride a 17m in I would drop down to my 12m. When the wind picked up a little, I think I needed to drop down to my 9m, but didn't.

Definitely drop to the smaller kite. Being overpowered on a foil is no fun. Used to fly a 15M Chrono on light wind days and now this kite is too much for me - As soon as I start, I am over powered. The trick is the water start and once you are able to pull off downloops to the direction you need to go, you don't need the bigger kite to get you going.

Just for comparison, friend was on the water with a FlySurfer Speed 4 21M and a twin tip. I launched my 11M Sonic FR Foil and with my Foil board had a session in very light wind all by myself.

Here's a video from Saturday and you can see my downloop water starts and transitions...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6JwPH1Tp3U[/video]

[g00mbs]

Not sure what you mean by rocket (bucking broco, porpoising?)

I just mean getting used to the speed. I though I'd get some speed before. It doesn't even compare to the speed on a foil.

The trick is the water start and once you are able to pull off downloops to the direction you need to go, you don't need the bigger kite to get you going.

I will work on this in upcoming sessions.

[flippersurf]

Apart from kite-size, the "break-through" for me was using those first 5-10sec of riding (and before speed built up) to put the kite higher in sky (like between 11-12).

In any case, sounds like you're riding a great foil, otherwise you wouldn't have this speed problem. Yeehaw.

[Aloha]

Dwayne I could feel the men in grey suits circling just watching that video... but very cool shot!

To add to the downloop start thing: small kite + lightwind don't fight to go upwind until you're foiling ... up until that point you should be footing off (aiming for a reach, but giving up ground if you have to in favor of crosswind speed) and just going with the flow while you build board speed with the downloops

Boardspeed = lift and once that happens, well you know the rest - from the kite's perspective all your kite has to be is sized at: "what would my shih tzu ride on his twintip today?" because that's about how much drag you're producing at that point