Learn to kite foil in under 20 hours: avoid my mistakes

In the hopes of getting more people on the water foiling in the summer light winds, here's all the mistakes I made, and all the tips I wished I'd followed when I was learning. My journey was long and filled with hiccups. Now that I'm a pretty independent foiler and starting to think about more advanced kite foiling skills, here's a summary of the fastest way to get from zero to transitioning and riding a hydrofoil independently.
0:00 Intro
0:50 Foundational Twintip Skills
2:15 Foil Gear Tips
4:05 Foil Theory
5:38 Foil Skills Curriculum
12:44 Conclusion
Line Mount Directory: bit.ly/3NuvL3j
Links: kit.co/evbart
Camera - Panasonic GH5, Panasonic 12-60mm, GoPro 10, GoPro 9, GoPro Max, DJI Mavic Air 2s
Kites - Core Xlite 12m , Core Nexus 2 9m, Core XR4 15m, 12m, 9m, 7m, Sensor 3 Bar
Kiteboard - Core Fusion 138, Slingshot Celero Surfboard, Dwarfcraft 110cm Foil Board
Foil - Slingshot Hoverglide with Space Skate , Infinity 76, Apollo 60 front wings
Foil Board - Slingshot Dwarfcraft 110cm, Nobile Infinity Split Foil
Gear - Ion Booster Vest, NP Helmet, Patagonia 3/2 wetsuit, Xcel 5/4 wetsuit, Solite Boots

[@dachuckster2]

Superb advice! I’ve been kiting for 20 odd years and just started foiling and I felt like a total muppet again. There’s loads of stuff here that I’ll be using. 🙏

[@erbartlett]

It’s humbling. Let me know if there’s anything I missed or if you have a good idea for a future video!

[@dachuckster2]

@@erbartlett I think the biggest mistake I have made is having too long a break between foiling sessions, I've seen it as just a light wind solution, which makes it super hard to learn. The other thing which I have done is jumped to too small a board too early. This last weekend was windy and there was a big swell so super choppy, which meant that taxing on the short board was really hard. I'm gonna go back out on my surfboard with a foil, and get that water start onto foil nailed before using my little Slingshot board. I also watched another video where a guy is emphasisng keeping the kite high in the air which makes sense in theory, what do you reckon to that? Basically more towards 12.

[@andyrogers2578]

Great video! I recommend a helmet, too!

[@dentonhess5810]

Great format. Injury shot spoke volumes to me. Thanks.

[@erbartlett]

Thanks! I cut my ankle pretty bad on that trip, and it go so infected and super swollen... foil cuts are no joke

[@jeanba11]

Great vid, thanks !

[@paul-akers]

Great video super advice. I’m at the transition stage now. Couldn’t agree More with everything you said.

[@glidejunkie]

I totally agree with all the tips. Very handy for beginners.

[@giorgio4660]

I am always amazed seeing how much energy people spend to kite just some hours…. I just started kiting since almost a year and I live near a very good spot, I already use and jump with tt and directional, do tricks, kiteloop etc. and I just bought a foil for lightwind so I can change my cabrinha moto 9/12 for 8/11 new reach

[@erbartlett]

I would love to live 10 min from a great spot. Right now i live 45min-1:15 from a couple good spots that become great a few days a year when the right conditions hit. I’m in a New York City apartment… so there’s some logistics for moving gear around and getting to a spot

[@EDWARD_KOENIG_ARCHITECT]

Great video Evan. I'm heading to Coco Beach friday for a foil lesson towing behind a jet ski, with Good Breeze Kiteboarding.

[@erbartlett]

Yes!! So exciting! Is this your first? Do you have a foil setup already?

[@knutSchevik]

I just started foiling. This video is great!

[@erbartlett]

Got any questions I didn’t cover, or find anything I said confusing? Appreciate any feedback!

[@Mike-ms6he]

Quality content- thanks for this. I keep reading that getting used to the foil behind a 'ski or boat does save a lot of time and hassle. I'm thinking of hiring some wing foil kit and learning to foil that way- it's probably cheaper than finding a boat.

[@erbartlett]

I found it useful to isolate the skills. Being on a foil was so foreign to me, that it required all of my brain power. Even though I had been kiting for a while at that point, it was still tricky to foil and to think about the kite. I think wing foiling might be pretty challenging... from what I've read, the wing is quite different from a quite, so it might be faster for you to learn to kite foil if you already kite. Good luck, and let me know how it goes!

[@collider4378]

@@erbartlett I haven't tried wing yet, but a friend went out last winter on skis and picked it up in 5 minutes. That might be the way to go to get used to the wing. Great vid Evan - still haven't gotten my $h!t together to get on foil, but hoping to do it soon. This vid will help a lot.

[@Mike-ms6he]

@@collider4378 I bought a foil and tried it twice in low wind last year- wind was probably too low. It's still scary as hell and so fast it's unreal. It's like being in the first hours of kiting all over again. Getting going and then going faster faster faster was pretty easy- having any kind of control was beyond hopeless. Just dive off before it goes too quick😆

[@hanseich]

Great video. Thanks for the tips. I’m about 5 hours in on my foil (on a short mast). Will try the heel to toe side transition you described in my next session. Then comes the move to a tall mast. Not something I’m looking forward to at this stage.

[@erbartlett]

Once I found a stable front wing, everything else got a lot easier. Switching to a taller mast made the falls a bit tougher, but it made gybes easier because you have more height before you hit water. The extra clearance does make some things easier. Good luck, and let me know if there are other topics i should cover in future videos!

[@Mortensens01]

Good video thank you

[@erbartlett]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@BADASSBASSBOY69XXX]

Hi Evan, Excellent work, i thoroughly enjoyed this and makes a perfect sense form physics point of view. I have a question regarding foil sizing before i start, I have the slingshot hoverglide space skate and recently bought the infinity 76 based on your previous recommendation for a beginner foil wing because of the stability it offers. Am 73kg, probably 80+kg with all gear on ( Wetsuit, flotation device, etc) Which foil size do you recommend please? And what would be the first indications to look out for if the foil is either too big or too small? Many thanks for all your efforts contributing to this great Sport.

[@erbartlett]

Glad it’s helpful! Let me know if there’s any other topics I should be covering. The 76 is probably a bit big for you, as you are almost 25kg lighter than me. A ver similar wing would be the 63 which is great for beginners or the Apollo 60 which is really stable but also has good high end speed for when you progress. I’ve seen both recently on sale for like $200

[@sauce729]

I highly recommend 7.5m Flysurfer Hybrid. Good for 8knots to 25knots.

[@erbartlett]

How much do you weigh and what size foil wing are you riding? I’m in peak summer which is super low wind… was just out I’m 6-9kts on my 1100cm2 front wing with a 12m single strut and I had a lot of trouble getting out of the water ( I’m 220lbs)

[@sauce729]

@@erbartlett 165 to 170lbs, I'm riding 1300cm2 on the front. 8 knots isn't easy to up on foil. Another kite that I would really like to try is the Gin Marabou 2. It's similar to the Hybrid, but is more performance oriented. Apparently performs like the Flysurfer Peak, but is also water relaunchable. I've even been able to drift launch the Hybrid from a boat and from deep water, by swimming out, which completely eliminates the need for a beach.

[@danieldeer2726]

Thanks for the video. I have the same Nobile split board you’re riding but noticed you have a slingshot foil. Is the nobile foil that came with that board the race one you said slowed down your progression? I’m only a couple hours in, first time out I got the same ankle slice you have, your video came out a couple weeks too late to save me, hopefully you help some other noob’s lower extremities.

[@erbartlett]

I’m trying to spare people from making my same mistakes! Sorry I was too slow! Prior to the slingshot I tried both the Shinn foils and the Nobile one and at the time they didn’t have very big stable front wings in the line up. That may have changed since. The slingshot setup was pretty cheap and had a lot of big wings to choose from, and the Infinity 76 wing (1500cm2) turned out to make foiling very very easy and stable for my weight (220lbs). I wish I’d found that sooner. Now I’m riding the Apollo 60 (1100cm2) which has a lot more speed but is still very stable. Hope that helps!

[@dlmob]

Should you go aluminum or go for carbon at first? Also lessons and rent then buy a more advanced setup? How long until you get sick of the beginner setup, if at all.

[@erbartlett]

I am still having fun on my beginner aluminum setup and it’s been almost 3 years. Keep in mind you can change wings and progress with different wing shapes and speeds. For me, the aluminum setup was ~700 usd, and the carbon was closer to 2-3,000usd, so it didn’t make sense to jump straight to carbon. You will probably want to upgrade from a beginner board after a year (depending on how frequently you get sessions). So I’d go aluminum in most cases, and upgrade wings and boards as you progress.

[@dlmob]

@@erbartlett I don’t remember if you talked about this, but it sounds like an e-foil lesson makes it easier to learn board control. Also, are you trying wing foil at all? In New England, beach access is always tough. People are very uptight however with wing foiling, you can go to any beach anytime.

[@koschinho]

Hi Evan, As always, great content! I just moved to NYC (my gear isn’t quite here yet unfortunately) and would love to start exploring kitespots around here and get into the scene. Are there any groups, fora etc that you would recommend I get into? Thanks!! Julian

[@erbartlett]

The NY Kiteboarders one has a really active whats app group, there’s also a North East kiteboarders one but it’s not as hyper local. Where were you riding before?

[@koschinho]

@@erbartlett thank you so much, I will take a look at those! I was in DC before so mostly in the Chesapeake bay and the Delaware seashore. I don’t have a car so I was relying on the WhatsApp group there to hitch rides when lucky. Hope that I can do some kiting via public transport in NYC 😊. Plumb beach looks accessible and not any worse than Chesapeake bay spots (?)

[@terryscott888]

hello from France! Thanks a lot for this video! where is your beautifull kite spot?

[@erbartlett]

Where in France?? I'm half french, so I'm there quite a bit. My main local spot is on long island, about 45 min from NYC. I tend to kite in the great south bay around fire island.

[@terryscott888]

I live in paris but i ride in the north in the baie de somme . I use to live in Connecticut but didnt kite there. So you can only kite in the summer there? @@erbartlett

[@terryscott888]

i'm in paris but i kite in the baie de somme in the north of france. I use to live in connecticut but didn't kite then. You only kite in the summer i guess? @@erbartlett

[@joaopaulolopes8224]

What range of wind do you think is better for a 9m and a 12m 3 strut kite? (In my region it goes between 12 knots (off season) to 22 knots (top season)

[@erbartlett]

It really depends on your body weight, your skill, and the board. I'm 220lbs / 99kg and I ride a 12m from 19kts to 25kts, but that wouldnt work for someone whos 70kg.

[@joaopaulolopes8224]

Tks! @@erbartlett

[@erbesnard]

If you start foiling, go with the 12m for the first sessions and once you can fly in both directions you will see you can take the 9m in 14-20kts and over 20kt take the 6m or below. Have a good ride!