7 Kite Hydrofoil Setup & Safety Tips (For Beginner)

This episode covers 7 safety and setup guidelines for the entry level kite foiler. If you have just begun or are interested in exploring kite foiling, take a look to keep yourself prepared and safe on the water.

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[GestaltReality]

I have just started learning to foil over the last 2 weeks. Currently I use a "Hoof Hook" strap on the back foot, and a loose full strap on the front. For learning just how to get on the board, and cruise with mast fully submerged to get the feel of the foil, I use a slightly overpowered kite so I can park it at 80 degrees, not worry about maneuvering the kite and go really slow. Guys on the beach tell me Im crazy to use such a big kite on a foil, and I have to constantly remind them, I don't know how to foil and am learning to get up and out and need that power for ease of water start learning which is about the first 4+ hours of the learning curve.

Going left regular stance was easy, took me about 30mins to learn. Going right goofy stance, took me about 4 hrs to learn, quite the difference! I am still struggling to find the optimal position for my back foot, and have now adjusted the location of my back "hoof hook" three times. One tip that has helped me is to recognize the center of gravity is directly over the font wing....not the mast like you may think.

Another tip for getting your feet connected to the board when water starting is using your back arm as a brace with hand on top edge of board and elbow near middle bottom bending the board 90 degrees, so you can get your front foot in first. This helped a lot! A full length arm rash guard/wetsuit is advised, I got surf rash on one arm after 1hour.

Another tip I heard for learning, is to try using the front hand to primarily control the kite. This is the opposite of what you normally do on a twintip, and practicing this on a twintip before foiling may help. The reason being is that the back hand method on a twintip helps you lean back, and edge upwind...but if you try this on a foil, you'll crash pretty quick. Going left regular, I found this easier, going right goofy, I found this quite hard, and it feels quite unnatural, and find I need to use both hands on the bar for stability, but keep the focus on power control on the front hand. By using the front hand as primary kite control, you can stick the back hand out freely to help with balance. This distinction is important because I tried it the opposite way initially and crashed super fast.

Now I am progressing to cruising in both directions and starting to raise the board out of the water. Sometimes I pick up too much speed and have to eject. With a twintip speed control can be done quite easily/quickly by edging really hard to a degree, where as on a foil I feel like I am completely at mercy of the kite...

[WillMoody-crmstorm]

Thanks for the tips. That second "this" image has put me off foiling until now!

[jphair]

Great tip. Can't stress enough the part of securing the board first in the situation where you may not be able to relaunch kite. Made that mistake at the beginning and swam downwind for 45 min chasing that damn board. I put board under my butt and lock my legs underneath board back to the mast while trying to relaunch in no wind. But the leash idea is also a good one! Great video!

[smsailfast]

I wish I had watched this before my session yesterday! Specifically, you should never allow the foil board between you and the kite during a crash. I am fine but had the foil tangled in the lines twice. The second time the kite spiraled until it eventually crashed. I sail in a bay with dark water (pine tree runoff) so I had to guess how to untangle the lines from the foil. My one concern with your video is at 7:36 when you appear to push off of your back foot which launches the foil into the air. Other videos describe this as launching axes which I think is a good analogy. I think a whole video could be dedicated to best ways to crash off of a foil board. Hopefully I will be able to push my front foot down as I launch off the board. Controlled crashing is next in my foiling progression.

[KitesurfingAcademy]

So true about foil boards racing downwind on their own!!! Keep an eye on it! Or tether it up! Thanks!!! :)

[myotiswii]

Do I even need any footpocket? When riding directional I dont use any either and its perfectly fine to do the waterstart without.

[canolando]

I know you say eject when crashing, but I learned with 2 straps and I keep them loose. I try to keep the foil on my feet as then I know where it will be.
I got cut bad on my face even with a helmet on when it got free one time.
The tip on putting line on it if your kite crashes is great. It's happens to me a lot and I gotta hold the foil while trying to manage the kite, and yes if you don't it will be gone. After I got cut I wear wet suit all the time, just banging your leg hurts .

[renitoschamann]

Very good tips. I’m already riding quite well since summer and you are spot on!
Of course I learned a few extras today!!Thanks!

[bkujaws]

Excellent video. Extremely well scripted and presented. You bring up very important safety topics and articulate them very clearly. Thank you and happy sailing to you

[whenitswindy]

Generally a good video with many clear points. I need to add something though.
When you jump off the foil using the kite at 8:04 the advise about using the kite to pull you away is great but it would be even better if you didnt pressurise the back foot as you jumped from the board.

Always try to pressurise the front foot whenever you bail. This will send the nose into the water, kill the boards speed and more importantly keep the foil and mast in the water reducing the chance of foil contact even more.

When you jump from the back foot the foil will leave the water and in extreme cases tomahawk.

[taiguy]

Pertaining to point 6, if you don't pay attention to your foil board while trying to get your kite relaunched, there's a 99% likelihood it will head straight for your kite and lines. secure the board and then work on getting the kite back up.

[rasmuspaludan]

Fully agree with everything you say. Once my foil board took off, so I had to body drag back to the beach and get my SUP and paddle out to catch the board. Total waist of time. 😎

[johnded]

I havent seen any foiling lesson videos mention how dangerous the wings are on foil boards when ur both in the water. And to emphasize not ever kicking ur legs and always swimming with only arms. Not even 30 mins into my first foil session I accidently kicked the wing cut my foot and hours later got 4 stitches. If i had hit my toes Im certain it would have severed my toe. Swim with ur arms pretend u have no legs.

[sweisburd]

Great tips! I´m also learning to foil, and I have a question that´s been rounding my mind. I have a Naish Hover 155 (skimboard-foilboard). Is it better to install only one strap for the front foot or is better a two straps configuration? Thank you in advance and sorry for my english!

[davesundaram]

Great content! Love your stuff OK guy. Thank you for all the tips. Loving my two flysurfer souls, 10 and 15. I am almost always riding my 10 meter these days, now that I have a foil and a surfboard. No need for more kite with a 1200 cm2 front foil wing.

[salmonandthai]

Great video and comments. As far as which kite to use when starting to foil? I would say, use the kite you are well aquatinted with. Use the kite you twintip or surf with the most. Then you are able to concentrate on the foilboard more.
I really enjoy strapless unless I’m in very light wind. Then I use one front strap just to hook my toes in to hold the board while messing with the kite in the lulls while trying to water start.

[BDFire]

Really great and thorough video. Thankyou

[johnnywalker]

I like your videos. They meet me at my about to reach level and yes, thanks a lot!

[DmitriyLaktyushkin]

Personally I've learned with rear strap and didn't feel like it made any difference bailing. My straps are rather loose though and I did have a few strap-bruises on my feet from getting ejected at high speed, but those were the safe bails surprisingly. The real danger is when you fall with the board between you and the kite, or worse, over(or behind) your board and onto the foil which happened to me at low speed with a powerful kite. Practicing proper bailing technique is important and I suggest learning falling away from the foil as the first thing you try. Also, a large foil is much easier to learn on, its almost a linear relationship with the foil area - twice the area is twice as easy to learn with. Get a surf foil for learning if you can afford it.

[TylerKaraszewski]

I sit on my foil when I’m relaunching my kite, just like if I was surfing and waiting for a wave. The line is a good option, too, but sitting on your foil is easy and it can’t run through your lines or hit you in the back of the head.