Beginner Wing Foil Setups

Our range of foils covers all your desires, from beginners !

Find below all our foils for wing, followed by our advice to equip you.

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What sizes of foil wings?

For beginners

The X-Over range for athletic beginners or with some foil experience: very easy and efficient wings at low speed, but with a nice top speed.

  • M is for kitesurfing or wake, rarely for wing foiling.
  • L for small riders and strong winds.
  • XL for everyone and all wind speeds.
  • XXL for very large riders and unstable winds below 15 knots.

The size of the front wing determines the speed/lift ratio. The smaller the wing, the faster you will go. You’ll have more pop and will be more radical, but also less comfortable at low speed.

Understanding Wing Sizes

“I designed our foil wings naming them S M L XL etc … so that everyone can easily find their way around.

You have to see it as follows : after progressing on a Curve L, you might want to evolve on a Fluid for example. Well, the size you need for the Fluid would be L again.
Indeed, it’s the change of program that is judged: you go from a versatile and easy surfer wing, to a faster and very manoeuvrable wing. But your weight remains the same, so does your spot, and the wind range in which you use it too.

The right size for you in one model is therefore the size that is right for you in all GONG models.

That being said, you probably also want a light wind or a strong wind front wing. The variation in available power will require you to adjust the size of the wing of your foil. (It is not an absolute requirement by the way.) In this case, you want another size, M or XL for example.

But remember that I have scaled all the wings on a single equivalence grid. An L is an L.

You will tell me yes but the Fluid L is much smaller than the X-Over L !!! It’s true and that’s precisely my job: to estimate exactly your progress when you decide to switch from one to the other and to calibrate the sizes so that you feel like in slippers with your new wing in a new program. You go from an athletic beginner to a radical carver, it is logical that the necessary surface for your performances will drop considerably. And I am the one doing the math to adjust the ranges. ” L’Ours.

Which stabs?

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.

Thus, thick stabs are slower than thin stabs, but are much more load-bearing, and therefore effective at low speed. Rectangular stabs are more stable than stabs with fine points.

For intermediaries

In the Curve range: very manoeuvrable and efficient stabs also at low speed:

  • The M 39cm is ideal for steady winds and light riders.
  • The L 43cm is great for most riders and wind forces. Best seller!
  • The XL 46cm is facilitating for the strong ones. Best seller!

For the experienced

In the Fluid range: quick and manoeuvrable stabs with a super rail to rail:

  • The M 40cm is ideal for steady winds and light riders.
  • The L 43cm is great for most riders and wind forces. Best seller!
  • The XL 46cm is facilitating for the strong ones. Best seller!

In the Veloce range: high performance stabs but with a lot of lift:

  • The M 39cm is ideal for steady winds and light riders.
  • The L 43cm is great for most riders and wind forces. Best seller!
  • The XL 47cm is facilitating for the strong ones. Best seller!

In the Fast range: very neutral stabs that generate the least drag:

  • The M 40cm is ideal for steady winds and light riders.
  • The L 45cm is great for most riders and wind forces.

Which foil mast?

Apart for launching, you have everything to gain using a long mast.

More length = more margin = easier = more efficient.

Unlike kite foil, in wing there’s little opposition to the wing because it doesn’t pull as hard. So we put relatively little angle on the mast to counter the pull. Thus mastering a large wing mast isn’t an issue.

And since the boards used are much bigger than for kite foil, the inertia is greater. As a result your foil is less crazy. Everything is calmer. So don’t be afraid of a long mast.

In choppy water, in transitions, in challenging winds, a large mast will be ten times more pleasant. Go on a mast of about 85cm, whether it is aluminium or carbon. This is the hey size.Shorter is a hassle.

  • For beginners: Alu 65cm at the start then 85cm.
  • For the experienced: Alu 85cm (or 95cm in freeride), and Carbon Monobloc 85cm in freestyle and surfing or 100cm.

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, even if it is close to zero with our new conical fitting.

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 of aluminium or carbon mast

  • 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 : evolutive and economical

2/ Carbon foils : the very top of the range with its magnificent carbon monobloc mast

  • Compose your foil by assembling the parts of your choice to do it exactly to your style.
  • With more than 36 front wings and a dozen stabs, the combinations will inevitably make the foil of your dream.

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 wing foil 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 in the center 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. Ideal when getting started because it’s easy to manage.

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.

Understanding the different stability axes of your foil

To fly with total control on a foil, you have to understand its behavior. You cannot simply transpose your reflexes acquired in surfing, kitesurfing or windsurfing to the same practice with a foil.

Whatever your background is, your beginnings will be a hassle if you do not integrate some basic notions. Among these notions, there are the axes of stability of your foil. This basic knowledge will also allow you to adapt your foil to your needs as you get better. Let’s see this together!

Finding balance on a foil board is a different story than staying on your feet on a classic board. Because basically, from your takeoff, you are no longer gliding on a hull but flying on an airplane with the deck of your board as the cockpit. The stability of this airplane is governed by the 3 axes of stability: pitch, roll and yaw.

Depending on the foil set-up you are using, you can change the balance. Beginners will want an ultra stable flight and those with more level, a foil as free as possible. Learning which details influence these aspects will help you to better understand and above all to choose the most suitable foil for your needs. All explanations here.

Which cover?

Don’t forget to protect your foil, we have developed a cover that allows you to protect the plane: the front wing, the fuselage and the stabilizer. You don’t risk damaging your foil by storing it in your garage or loading it in the car.

For carbon masts, you can also protect it with our mast covers. This way your foil is fully protected.

Never forget your spare parts

There is nothing more annoying than arriving at the spot, seeing perfect conditions, and then realising that you are missing one or more screws, or that by being in too much of a hurry, you have just screwed up a screw head. Consider that screws are consumables and that they should be changed regularly, and ideally, you should have some in advance.

We also advise you to protect your aluminium foil from galvanic corrosion by using Tikal Tef-Gel. This prevents blisters from forming on the surface of the metal and reliably protects it from corrosion by galvanic currents between different types of metal. You will also avoid jamming your screws, and you will have a much better tightening torque.

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 85cm or more from the sixth session, usually the one where you fly correctly.

95% of wingers use a mast of 85cm, an XL wing and a 45cm Rise Stab.

Forum link:

All you need to know about wing foils

Choosing your wing foil