Awsome vid Mark. I remember as a kid seeing a guy with something like that on a skateboard. My brother and I went home and bolted windsurfer footstraps to skateboards and held up a bed sheet between the 2 of us.
I think now with foils there is potential for this. Will I buy one? No I have lots of **** i never use already.

Surely a land boarding option !

I must admit, I reckon that to have a small portable wing sitting around with my SUP and kiting gear has a lot of appeal. I would love to see one being used on a SUP in waves, where the wing replaces the paddle. Also, it would seem that all the major manufacturers are bringing one out, so why not? Also, with the incredible start to our ski season, it would be fun on a slope with skies.
This is a definition that really defines it-
Wing surfing is the sport of riding a foil board - or a standard SUP - while carrying a hand-held inflatable sail.Wing surfing is not supposed to replace windsurfing, kiteboarding, and surfing. It's a complement, an addition, an alternative, and subgenre of wave riding and sailing.Wing surfing was not designed to ride faster or jump higher. That's not the point.It's all about carving around, having fun, and bringing the wind element to water sports enthusiasts that have only experienced wave riding and have never sailed before.

www.straplesskitesurfing.com/2019/04/26/this-is-wing-surfing-kai-lenny-ozone-strapless-kitesurfing/

eppo said..

Gorgo said..
This video shows a bit more promising footage. I'd like to see wave riding on a normal SUP or longboard.

Can I ask from learner riders how the hell you get up on a prone surfboard to start with???

Hey Eppo
They don't show too many getting started on a Prone Foil board unless the board has got heaps of volumn or unless you are say Kai Lenny.
Ability and body size.
Mainly Sup 90ltrs plus volume.

Who needs a fancy wing when a free airline umbrella will do the trick??

Ok, my 2 cents worth.

I basically don't write anything off until I have tried it and actually far from writing these off, I am thoroughly looking forward to trying one and will be hitting up Action Sports WA or anyone that has one for a demo as soon as I can.

I have over the years been addicted to surfing, windsurfing, freestyle kiting, wave kiting, SUP surfing, SUP downwinding, kite foiling and most recently SUP Foiling.
Every one of those disciplines had me frothing to getting on the water whenever I could and I still rate them all.

My main aim ATM though is to master SUP foil downwinding with just a paddle, however, it is not easy and in order to gain experience SUP foiling, I have been SUP foil surfing lately.
I never believed foils belonged in the surf as I thought you had to be actually connected to and riding the face of a wave to enjoy surfing and only really started doing it to gain experience to fast track downwind foiling.
However, my addiction to SUP foil surfing is now as strong as any previous sport if not stronger.
No, it's not like surfing but yes it is a buzz.

Anyway, my take on the wing surfer is that no it's not meant to compete with kiting or windsurfing and it is going to have limited appeal.

Basically, I think they are only really going to be useful if you have a SUP foil, they will be too hard to get going on a kite or prone foilboard and a normal SUP will have too much drag making it hard work and slow.

Yes I have tried SUP foil downwinding with small kites and bought a 3mtr for this purpose, however, even if you are fully gliding down a swell you still have to keep a bit of constant pull in the kite and have to keep an eye on it and keep it moving to stop yourself from overtaking it and have it fall out of the sky.

With one of these kitewings you should be able to go upwind fairly easily and then when going downwind be able to pretty much switch it off completely and use the power of the swell to glide downwind.

I couldn't give a damn how dorky it looks or what the naysayers have to say I already have a SUP foil so will be trying one, bring it on!!!

Can someone please explain how you water launch this especially with no straps ? How am I going to hold the foil at 90deg AND hold the wing up ??

Alysum said..
Can someone please explain how you water launch this especially with no straps ? How am I going to hold the foil at 90deg AND hold the wing up ??

m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2903031129714946&id=1255091557842253

Alysum said..
Can someone please explain how you water launch this especially with no straps ? How am I going to hold the foil at 90deg AND hold the wing up ??

That is why I said they would mainly be of use on a foil SUP, where you can stand up then lift the wing and go.
On a kite/prone board you would want one with a bit of volume and straps so you can go along for a while with it partially submerged until you can generate enough speed to get you up and planning.

Alysum said..
Can someone please explain how you water launch this especially with no straps ? How am I going to hold the foil at 90deg AND hold the wing up ??

You don't water start. The wing is too small.

I don't know. I've never tried a wing surfer. I did have a practice run on my SUP with foil attached and a kite.

I climbed up onto the board and got in a half kneeling position. Pulled a little power into the kite. Once I got moving a little it was easy to get to my feet then up onto the foil.

I am guessing starting a SUP foil and wing surfer would be similar. There are videos of people uphauling the wing surfer. Clib to your feet with the wing at the end of the leash. Yank the leash, grab the wing, ride away.

well that doesn't look awkward at all... Not sure I want to stand on my foil...need a sandy bottom a no waves. anyway...it is possible

Hi Guys,

I'm really surprized so many people are writing off this new toy without even seeing one in the flesh or having held one. There was once a time when loads of people wrote off kiting as a fad and a bad joke too.

We have played around with them and it is a unique sport in it's own right, but also a simple add on to what many are already doing. The best bit, is with the right gear, its really simple to do. You don't even really need a video or even more than a few words of instruction. Especially if you have windsurfed or kited or foiled. If you have done all of the above, you will be foiling in 2 minutes.

I like the ability to access off shore reefs that don't actually break, but are awesome for foiling. Downwinding will be epic and catching a few more waves, swells, bumps, or wakes is going to be very accessible and easy for everyone.

Don't knock it until you've tried it. I think it'll be a definite addition to my toy box. I even bought a SUP again :-O

Have fun and play more on whatever you ride. It's all winning! I will have a setup in Perth from Saturday when we return from the dealer meeting. Carry on!

DM

I think, as the king of windsurfing (Robbie Naish) has said,
" Its a more freer, open , maneuverable form of windsurfing which when combined with the new foils, leaves the older style of windsurfing in its wake" .
Mr Robbie has been right about everything else for the last 30yrs, so Im sure he will convert plenty of windsurfers to embrace the future.
Hey.... he did it when he marketed kites and got the majority of windsurfers to progress onto kitesurfing, and he made a billion out of it.
The guys a marketing guru legend, anything he says you need, the windsurfing fraternity jump on board

Another potential save for the industry

1. Being able to sell a garage shelf, i mean SUP, in 2019 - for wingsurfing

2. Undoing the industries own watering down and hence support of disciplines /events within kiting

3. Undoing the industries (last 10 years) drive towards too many products/ high tech feature marketing (high margin - as opposed to actual riding) resulting in an overall fail / no more young riders, I heard Robby Naish say this at the Naish dealer meeting too

4. Will the kooks at world sailing claim it as sailing/ hence owning the term "world champion" like how they are slowly f#$#ing up kiteboarding.

watch this space!

the cycle will repeat...... before you know it $4000 wingsurfing boards and $1600 wings - u need them, the marketer says!


One thing i reckon is that it will saturate very quickly, and being that there does not seem to be anything like as much of a potential progression factor like kiting has had, it might not last long. Wing surf racing - absolutely no doubt that will become a thing, $$$ = a $hit fight over ownership . . then an "open design class" to enable more profit - the rich (only ones that can afford to compete) get involved, everyone else loses interest and the sport dies..


sound familiar?

repeat.

Just ignore me.