The Wingfoil Waterstart (On Low Volume Board) Step By Step & Tips

As wing foiling continues to gain in popularity, and in my opinion, understandably so, there has been a consistent push towards the philosophy of the smaller the board, the more fun that you will have. What started on very large boards progressed to having a board that just exceeded your weight by a few liters of buoyancy, then to foiling on a board with much less buoyancy than the rider. What this video will answer today is twofold. First of all, how to water start on a small volume wing board, and then what kind of commitment and training does it require to do so? Please subscribe to the OK Kiteboarder if you haven't already, and I would love to hear your experience with small liter wing foil board water starts. It doesn't take long to get influenced into purchasing a small volume board when you see it being performed so easily in YouTube videos by professional wind sport athletes. Many times you hear that a couple of sessions on a large volume board, and then you're ready to go small. This definitely influenced my wind buddy, Daniel the Mayor Nicholson, in his first wing board purchase. After all, Daniel is the best kite hydrofoiler I have ever ridden with. He's been kiting for over 20 years, he rides a monofoil setup, he even tandem rides on foil, so it's fair to say that when he saw what others were doing on small volume boards, even though he didn't expect it to be easy, he expected it to be manageable with some practice. He had already wing foiled on my F1 Rocket 90 liter board a handful of times with no issues, so consensus would say he was ready to go with the 55 liter Fanatic board. This is all to say, Daniel is well beyond the OK Kiteboarder status, yet it still took him countless hours over a two month period, that included texts of failure, second guessing, and buyer's remorse before being able to water start on a 55 liter wing foil board. It was as if he didn't know what hit him for a period of time. So all this to say, when we see what professional riders are doing out there, and their personal experience with progression and minimal difficulty, well, as amateurs, we cannot expect similar journeys. But while all of this is fresh in Daniel's brain, let's go through the steps that he uses to successfully get up and foiling on a small liter wing board. To begin, pull the board under you while holding the hand wing by the handle or shortened at the leash attachment. And this allows for support through the leading edge of the hand wing once on the board. The larger the leading edge, the more flotation, which is a benefit of a hand wing like the Duotone unit. While using one hand for balance through the leading edge, the other hand will move to the other windward side anterior portion of the board. This is due to usually needing to push the nose of the board down a bit at this point. Once level, put your front foot in the strap, make sure that you have loose straps to allow your foot to get more centered on the board. Sometimes you may need to put both hands on the hand wing in order to work your foot into the strap. Once the front foot is up and in, move your back foot to the windward side of the board while moving your knee forward towards the other front strap on the leeward side of the board. At this point, your leg is at an angle across the board. The next and the hardest step is getting the hand wing up and flying. Keep the front hand on the wing while sliding the back hand under the leading edge and feel for the strut. Once you're in a ready position, release the pressure from your top hand while pulling the strut towards you with the trail hand. Some hand wings have the front handle far from the leading edge. And with a big wing, this process is quite challenging. Once you have the front handle with the trail hand, grab the leading edge handle with your front hand. Now it's time to use your head. Literally use your head. Put the leading edge against your head while pulling hard with your back hand. And this action keeps the wing stable while moving the lead hand to the front handle. For a moment, you have both hands on the front handle while pulling the wing against your head. Next, quickly move your back hand to a near rear handle position. And then lift the wing and present it to the wind. Once you have forward motion, the board begins rising and then move your back hand to the normal sailing position and put your back foot into the back strap. If you're moving but don't have enough power to pump it on the foil, then move your back hand to the back handle to generate more power. Okay, I would say that is pretty technical stuff. I have, however, been able to witness the payoff for Daniel on the water following this long, long journey. Some points that Daniel wanted to make that aided him in successful progression were the following. Number one, never give up no matter the looks you get from the beach and on the water. Number two, practice balancing the board in the water first without the hand wing. Number three, put a partially deflated ball under the board and practice kneeling on it at home. Number four, practice climbing on the board in the water. Find a mounting approach that works best for you. For Daniel, it was from the posterior approach to the board. Number five, practice balancing with the board and the hand wing once you feel comfortable with how that small volume board squirts out of the water from underneath you. This is to say, make sure that the shish kebab danger is at a minimum. Next, even in almost no wind, practice standing up and just letting the board sink. And during all the steps above, the board will be going up and down, tipping side to side under the water as the wave power engages the foil. And all of these changes will change the way that you interact with the hand wing. And lastly, rinse and repeat hundreds of times unless you're Kai Lenny. And most importantly, try keeping a good attitude. Once committed, just don't give up. So these are the steps that have worked for Daniel. Your experiences and your successes may vary. I would like to thank him for sharing all these tips. But as for me, I think that I will just stay put on my 90 liter F1 Rocket Board. And then I'm gonna look at the Gong Heap 85 liter inflatable board for traffic. If you think that you're ready to give a small liter board a go or are ready to get into wing foiling, then check out Green Hat Kiteboarding for all your wing ding needs. Thanks for watching. And we'll see you next time on the OK Kiteboard.