Yeah, exactly: When you start realizing that everything is silent, then you know you've reached a threshold in this windfoiling initiation! It's very cool to experience.
And yes, it seems like many people are using old Formula to get started. I'm not the expert here but it is wide and stable and floaty so it will help you in the first steps. My Fanatic Falcon is shy of a Formula from a dimension point of view and it does the job. Seems like there are new improved theories on what works best year after year. The sport is in constant evolution and I've seen Slingshot board prototypes without a nose at all! So it's a good idea to invest with caution in new material and especially because the risk of breaking stuff is pretty high. Good luck to you. It's worth the pain and efforts!
Awesome video, nice job figuring it out, and killer ding repair. I"m now thinking i gotta make this happen. Do you think an Old formula board would work? I could glass a tuttle box in whatever might work for light wind. That looks so fun.Dam