Wingfoiling - High Aspect Vs Medium Aspect

What’s the difference between a high aspect or a medium aspect foil? What should I chose when winging?

[@davekurtz1438]

Great review BUT,……..make sure to include flat water riding that does more than just include flagging out and riding/gliding/jibing on waves or swell. Some riders become so fixated on swell/wave riding that they begin to think it’s the only worthy form of wing foiling. Tons of wingers are riding typical flat water conditions and they are not just plowing the field back and forth; they are jumping and doing all types of freestyle moves, even done strapless. Connect a bunch of toeside and heelside 360’s, tacks, backwinded variations, etc, and see how the different foils work for that style of riding, and report back….. Thanks!

[@ryanrygogoloversic8826]

For sure! Waves are what caught my eye. I’m open to all disciplines as I progress and film with other riders. We’ll cover all the bases. Thanks for the feedback. 🤙🏼

[@Tobeon2]

I was about to request for the same thing.. 😎😋.. Flat water & light wind condition!! 😁

[@Kitesurfing]

Welcome back!

[@WingsurfingMagazine]

oops. Wrong account lol.

[@ryanrygogoloversic8826]

😂😂😂 good to be back? 😛

[@peternajim584]

For Freestyle, I like my Slingshot Phantasm G800/710 fuse. Aspect ratio is 5.5

[@ryanrygogoloversic8826]

Thanks for sharing mate! What characteristics draw you to this setup for freestyle?

[@martinomovies]

Not all HA foils are actually HA or created equal. I recently switched from Naish HA to Axis HA foils for winging. The difference was incredible. I finally know what it means to glide. At 220 pounds, I can now drop the wing and surf with these HA foils. Going back upwind, the HAs are a dream because they cut through the waves without being pushed. They also give you a couple more seconds to make the gybe without dropping off foil. I'm not good enough yet to read the bumps and traverse from bump to bump, but I'm supposing for Chicago's Lake Michigan bathtub chop, HA is the way to go because the waves are short period and sometimes coming from different directions.

[@ryanrygogoloversic8826]

Thanks for sharing your insights Jake! Glide is so helpful on a wing. Haha yep the Great Lakes are a different animal. It can be amazing when things line up too. 🤙🏼

[@ben3989]

Interesting! Are you riding an HPS wing?

[@martinomovies]

@@ben3989 yes. The 1050. It’s awesome. I also have the 1300 and 1310 because we get a lot of light wind days.

[@walterbunso3675]

Ryan how's the wing foiling summer lake michigan? I'll be there in a few weeks.

[@ben3989]

Have you riden enough axis stuf to compare HPS vs BSC? I’m riding a BSC 970 and it’s real easy but really curious about the higher a aspect stuff.

[@ryanrygogoloversic8826]

Have not yet tried any Axis! Maybe someone else can chime in? Feel free to share your insights if you get a chance. 🤙🏼

[@martinomovies]

I have not tried the BSC 970 but the 1050 is about the same area. So it would be a great transition foil over to HA. You will need to adjust pumping up on foil as it takes a longer runway. Kick up too early and the thing will stall and drop. But once up it is fast, full of glide, and doesn’t want to come back down. HA is also easier on your shoulders, elbows, and fingers because there is much less drag. I use a harness going upwind and then when I turn around to go downwind, I hardly use the sail.

[@Velocidrone]

I have the BSC 970 and also the HPS 830, HPS 980 and HPS 1050. I would recommend that for a transition to something similar to the BSC 970 but in the HPS range (but much faster and much better glide) the HPS 980 is a nice foil that you won't struggle to master. Once you get on HPS foils you just won't go back, I tend to think of the BSC 970 as my beginner foil now but there is no way I want to be riding it anymore.

[@raghuram2815]

Slightly off-topic. When are you going to review the AK Phazer board? There are a few outlets selling the V1 Phazer at really low price. But the largest one is 110L and I'm 95 kg beginner. So debating whether or not I should go for it. Any suggestions?

[@ryanrygogoloversic8826]

Raghu! The phaser has a lot of glide. So it’s easier to get the speed needed to get up on foil. I started on a huge flat inflatable and I really wish I had leaned with the glide of the phaser. If you’re new you want stability, easy release and glide. It will hit all three of those. It does go up to 140 and is super stable to learn on. If 110 is what’s on sale, I think it’s still a decent starting size. A lot of people advocate not going as big as 140 because it’s a huge gap when you actually cross over to something like a 78L. I had some difficulty making the leap myself. If I could start over I’d probably do 110 for storage, transportation and the stability. Even if it’s not quite a boat haha. As for a board, I really like it. It released really easy from the water. The rounded rails don’t hang up on touchdowns or hard low turns. The outline is cool too. The 66 and smaller can be use for prone foil surfing and funny enough, I use mine for lightwind kite foiling. The track pad is great. It has good grip but isn’t to hard on the knees. Wearing boardshorts while learning my knees and feet got a little sore but not torn up like some older track pads I tried last years. The board has good response and I appreciate the handle on the bottom. It’s manageable when you make those first walks back upwind. My first 140 wing board was a bear to move haha. The phaser 110 is manageable and way more chill to carry. Hope that helps mate!

[@ryanrygogoloversic8826]

I should mention the larger sizes have been optimized for easy release while smaller are for performance and better touchdowns. If you touch down with the larger sizes, it’s a stable glide like feeling as you engage the foil again.

[@raghuram2815]

@@ryanrygogoloversic8826 yeah heard of this in their product videos.

[@raghuram2815]

@@ryanrygogoloversic8826 thanks for the detailed comment. Very helpful. Also, I'd been trying to get the weights of various boards. And seems like the Phazer is lighter than Quatros and even the Fanatic Sky Wing boards, I read. Is that your experience as well?

[@ryanrygogoloversic8826]

@@raghuram2815 yep, my experience matched what the designer promised. The glide was noticeable compared to the fanatics. As for weight I have a 140 phaser and had a 140 skywing. The phaser was easier to carry. I’ve not tried Quatro much. When I did, it was small so it was light haha.

[@bmrbca3658]

What about for learning? Better on a low aspect or mid?

[@ryanrygogoloversic8826]

Low is better learning with a kite or a boat. You can learn at lower speeds and it’s easier. For wing, you need that glide. A large high aspect will have the glide and stability needed.

[@raghuram2815]

​​@@ryanrygogoloversic8826 Can you define what surface area (or wingspan, whatever you were referring to) as "large HA"? Is it something like 1200cm2 ?

[@ryanrygogoloversic8826]

@@raghuram2815 There is a designer joke that this years HA is next years MA. 😂 Anything that is made for glide and looks like a mustache - long and narrow is HA in my book.

[@ryanrygogoloversic8826]

@@raghuram2815 As far as large, yeah probably anything over 1300 is large. Most beginners find success on 1600 and up.