I'm thinking of investing in a mid to low-aspect ratio freeride/freerace foil to keep my windfoiling in light to moderate wind interesting. Windfoiling started to get boring as my Slingshot HG 76cm foil setup has me plateaued. Great to learn on initially but it's slow, not particularly stable in the jibe, doesn't go upwind well, and is hard to keep down during downwind runs. I'd like to windfoil with my kitefoiling friends here in Sheboygan and need something that has better upwind capabilities, can jibe with decent stability at speed, and can reach 25/30mph top speed in control without shooting up out the water.
I'm looking for a foil system that's modular and has nice upgradable parts. How about the Starboard and F4 foil system? Does anyone have good experience with any of these? Any recommendations? Thx

Thanks to Bob B. for some good advice. Anyone with riding experience on F4 and Starboard foils, please don't hesitate to drop a line with your thoughts. Thx.

Got a new toy!
Took some research to level out the complexity of choosing the right combination of stuff for my particular goals.
Hopefully, I picked the right gear! Time will tell.



105 fuselage
95 carbon mast
1100 freeride mid-aspect ratio front wing
330 tail wing

I wanted:
Faster foil than my Slingshot 76 but not race (1100 front wing), up and downwind capability (long fuselage), stability at speed and through jibes (mid-size rear wing), control at speed (rigidity of carbon mast), pairing ok with Tabou Fifty 115 and Falcon Lightwind 159.

Hey Greg, I've had the same thoughts about my foiling. I'm currently on a Ride Engine and use a the 76 wing in light winds and the 68 wing when trying to get more speed. The Ride Engine foils are really Sling Shots that have been rebranded. I've been extremely happy learning with this set up but i want to go faster. I started researching the faster foils last fall but the amount of information and options were overwhelming. I'll look forward to your thought about your new set up. Looks great by the way! Wendell G.

Hey Wendell,
Can't wait for warmer days to give this kit a go. I'll let you know what I'm thinking.
Slingshot HG 76 lineup is great to start foiling the first couple of years or for those who are looking for easy rides at moderate speed across the bay on a summer weekend!

In the meantime, here are a few things that I learned as I've researched the topic.

If you want to:
GO FASTER, go high aspect ratio front wing (~800cm2 or 900cm2), and small tail wing. The goal is the minimize drag.

PERFECT YOUR FOIL JIBE: Go for a mid-aspect ratio front wing and slightly wider tail wing (the ones I got) as it provides more stability and gives you more time to do the foot switch and sail flip.

POINT UP AND DOWNWIND: Use a long fuselage (~100cm and above) with some good space between the front wing and the foil mast.

DO SNAPPY TURNS IN WAVES or SWELL: Pick a shorter fuselage

HAVE STABILITY AT SPEED: Go for a brand that offers the possibility to adjust the pitch of the tail wing as this is a good way to control power and lift for your weight, board, and setup.

LIFT EARLY: Either you go for a low aspect ratio and large surface area front wing but this will make everything slower, or you go high aspect but large (1000cm2 or above) front wing that should deliver speed but this will require more skills and an 82-85cm wide board (or wider) to keep things under control. If you want more control and comfort while foiling while still being fast, go for a mid-aspect ratio large surface area front wing (above 1200cm2).


Compared to the Starboard Stock Freeride foil kit, I changed a few things to better suit my needs:

Stock Mast: 85cm Aluminum > Switched to the 95cm Carbon (Longer mast to ride in L-Michigan swell with more forgiveness and carbon because it is stiffer and offers better control at speed when I'll upgrade my wings to a low aspect ratio front wing.

Stock Fuselage: 95cm > Switched to 105cm (I want to be able to track upwind at a more acute angle and go downwind with more stability. Also, it is a better fit for low aspect ratio wings that I intend to upgrade with later on. Tardeoff is not as turny as with the 95cm Mast)

Stock Tail Wing: 500 > Switch for the 330 (Offers less drag to go faster but still with some stability to keep training with my imperfect foil jibes)

Stock Front Wing 1100 Freeride > Unchanged

in 2023, in addition to the 1100cm2 front wing freeride, Starboard is offering a 1300cm2 Freeride front wing to lower the lift threshold for those who want to ride in very light wind or for heavier riders.
F4 has comparable foil steups as Starboard. F4 seems to be a bit more expensive.

Good Morning,

I have a full quiver of starboard foils now. My lightest wind front foil is the 1100 you got. It works well in light stuff. If your really interested in getting going in the mid-west winds add a 500 rear stabilizer to the 1100. On top of that if you have more budget get the 115++ fuselage.

The 330 rear stablizer is a good one for flying gybes. Much easier to fly thru them w/ the 330 than the 255.

Also, what I have learned in variable lake conditions, run the shim at +1 on the rear if you have foil control down. I also, pretty much run the mast base all the way in the rear for all conditions now to promote lift.

My biggest issue w/ foiling is crashing into fish. So be careful if you switch up to something faster. The face plants suck when hitting them. Yesterday hit well over 10 fish so had a few face plants.

The game changer for foiling I have learned is getting foil specific sails. All of last year I used larger formula type sails which don't glide too well thru the lulls and also are challenging to gybe as the swing weight is large. For a trip to Florida, I got a 8.8 and 10.0 foil specific for course racing. The 8.8 works well when paired with a smaller front foil for slalom type sailing even with gusts up to 25. The 10.0 when paired with the 1100 and 500 pretty much flies in the smallest of winds.

Dennis

Dennis Koscielski wrote:
Ha! I experienced the foil-fishing activity! That's why I don't foil on any small inland lakes anymore - especially in May and June during the spawning season when many species tend to swim close to the surface. It is less likely to happen on lake Michigan. The only danger on Lake Michigan is floating logs that drift down the nearby river after a good rainfall. Unless I ride when the sun is low on the horizon and reflects on the water, logs are fairly easy to spot in advance in most cases.