GEAR: WING FOILS !!!

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GEAR: WING FOILS !!!

Here is a summary of the different points you need to keep in mind to choose the right Wing Foil, whether you are a beginner, progressing or pro.

 

For whom?

For what? 

  • The GONG Foil Wing Beginner is ideal for smooth progress with its two lengths of masts. It will fly with great stability, even at low speed.
  • The GONG Wingfoil Allvator Rise alu flies with great stability, even at low speed. With its long mast length, everything becomes easier in flight because you have a significant margin. Fewer touches = fewer falls.
  • The GONG Wingfoil Allvator Curve Alu/Carbon opens the door to high performance at a low price.
  • The GONG Winbgfoil Allvator Curve Full Carbon is perfect for turns, waves and transitions. Its high mast allows you to put a maximum of angle in the curves and its wings are the best compromise speed/curves.
  • The GONG Wingfoil Allvator Veloce Full Carbon gives you the highest possible speeds with an important lift foil. Perfection to radicalize your Wing practice.

What sizes of foil wings?

Beginners will have the fastest progression with an XL front wing (any rider between 50kg and 100kg) and a 45cm stab Surf. If you are shy, start with an XL Rise Wing. If you are skilled, start with an XL Curve wing.

For beginners:

In the Rise range: very easy and efficient wings at low speed:
  • XL for everyone and all wind speeds.
  • XXL for very large riders and unstable winds below 15 knots.

For the experienced: In the Curve range: highly maneuverable wings, fast and efficient even at low speed:
  • M for those under 50kg and/or in strong winds.
  • L for the 50kg -> 75kg and all wind speeds.
  • XL for those over 75kg and all wind speeds.
In the Veloce range: high performance wings and 7 knots faster than the Rise:
  • M for under 50kg and/or in strong wind.
  • L for the 50kg -> 75kg and/or in strong wind.
  • XL for those over 70kg -> 95kg and all wind speeds.
  • XXL for those over 90kg and winds below 15 knots.
The size of the front wing determines the speed/lift ratio. The smaller the wing, the faster you will go but will be uncomfortable at low speed. The stabs have a major role. They determine the stability of the foil and help the lift, but at the expense of the maximum speed of the foil. Surf stabs are slower than kite stabs, but have way more lift, and are therefore effective at low speeds. Veloce boards are an excellent compromise between speed and lift.

Which foil mast? 

Except when launching, you will have everything to gain with a long mast. More length = more margin = easier = more performance. Contrary to kitefoil, in Wing you don’t have much opposition to the wing because it pulls gently. So, we put little wind angle to the mast. So, mastering a big mast in Wing is not a problem. And as the boards used are much bigger than in kitesurfing, the inertia is more important. So, your foil is less crazy. Everything is calmer. So don’t be afraid of a long mast. In the chop, in the transitions, in wind holes, a long mast will be ten times more pleasant.

Of course, the must is the 100 carbon Monobloc. Absolutely magical. But the 90 aluminium is great too. For beginners: Aluminium 65cm at the beginning and then 80cm. For the experienced: Alu 80cm or 90cm at the beginning and Monobloc 100 carbon as soon as possible. For the Pros: Monobloc 100 carbon.

What technology?

You have two main choices: 1/ Aluminum foils: Aluminium foils are those with an aluminium structure: platinum, mast, fuselage. But the wings are generally made of fiberglass, or glass plus carbon. It is easy, quick to produce, and not expensive. Ideal for beginners but limited in dynamism and therefore in performance. The biggest disadvantage is corrosion, which requires good maintenance. The multiple pieces have inevitably some looseness.

2/ Carbon foils: All the pieces are made of carbon, which doesn’t mean they are 100% carbon. The mechanical and technical constraints often require the addition of foam, Kevlar, glass, in key areas to mix the qualities and have no weakness. The huge advantage of carbon is its dynamics. It is not necessarily stiffer than aluminium, contrary to what many people think, as an aluminium foil is by nature quite thick. But it will return to its original shape twice as fast as aluminium. The sensations are maximum, and the piloting is precise and light at the same time.

Solidity: Aluminium can bend but rarely break. The carbon will return to its original shape unless you go beyond the critical point, which will cause it to break like glass… Aluminum can be bent and welded, but repairs are difficult. Whereas repairing carbon is very simple. At GONG: We only make top-of-the-range foils. Whether they are made of aluminium or carbon, they are well made and well thought-out foils. Our low prices can only be explained by our choice of exclusive direct distribution. At GONG you will not find Asian copies of well-known foils. We are shapers, designers, engineers and developers of our profiles, architectures, technologies and production processes, and all the skills that make a GONG product come alive are in-house. You have the choice between: 1/ Aluminium foils: evolutionary and economical. 2/ Carbon foils: the top of the range with its magnificent monobloc carbon mast.

What quiver of wing foils? 

You don’t need a lot of foils in Wing, because often you will do everything with just one set of foil after reaching a certain level. But the development of trends in racing, surfing, freestyle etc… will inevitably lead you to switch from a foil for everything to a foil for this or that program. The huge advantage of the GONG range is that everything is compatible. You can start with an economical foil and go from a crescendo of practice to a totally unreasonable one with a crazy quiver of wings ?

To date the most common type of wingfoil quiver is to have a very lifted light wind front wing and a strong wind front wing which will be faster. You can also play a lot with the stabs because they influence the speed and the liveliness of your set. You can of course complete your Wing foil quiver with a foil for the stand up paddle and the surf on windless days, so you never stay dry.

Foil positioning?

For the GONG foils, place the top plate on the back third of the US rails. The more you move it forward, the more it lifts the board. The more you move it backwards, the more the nose of the board dives. Be careful not to move it too far forward. We often tend not to let the rear foot work, especially when we come from a kitefoil background. However, moving the foil back a little forces you to put more weight in the back foot and gives a more harmonious attitude and reduces the effort.

Good to know:

Usually, we recommend the same assembly as in surf foil but with a longer mast. This will give you more margin and make all your evolutions easier. We advise you to do the first five Wing sessions with a 65cm short mast, and then switch to 90cm or more from the sixth session, usually the one where you fly correctly. 95% of wingers use a long mast, an XL wing and a 45cm surf stab.

Forum links:

All you need to know about Wing foils

Choosing your Wing foil

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