foil

 Shinn Jackson and Airush Ultra....glassy ultra light wind conditions!

The last year has seen a huge rise in the number of kitesurfers getting into foiling, obviously great business for us but why are so many taking up this side of our amazing sport.

Well the last few months have helped to promote them hugely, with all these hot sunny days with super light winds, there are a growing number of us still getting out regularly on the water.....whilst everyone other kitesurfer moans!

Obviously most of us would still prefer a good storm session boosting or smacking some waves however the bottom line is we are still getting wet and pushing ourselves whilst loving another new element to this amazing sport.

There are a number of kitesurfers I know who now consider themselves foilers rather than just kitesurfers!!!

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The Airush Core Foil Board with Airush Ultra V2

The last 5 days I have been out 4 or them and the day I missed I could have been in also (we went mountain biking for a change).

The discipline of foiling changed a year or so ago when a certain Mr.Shinn introduced the P Foil....to be honest it doesn't look sexy and slick like the previous high end wings, the P wing was fat and round. This all new wing allows you to get up super fast at the slowest of speeds, making learning so much more pleasurable not to say safer and quicker also!

I mentioned this to Shinn over a cold beer post foil session and he sat and thought for a moment before replying "but the fat ones are always easy" Strangely Shinn Kiteboarding never used that one in there adverts!!

Until this point the majority of brands were targeting the race side of the sport and not the regular every day recreational kitesurfers at every beach up and down the country.

The Shinn P Foil that changed the sport for so many people. 

Fast forward a year and the progress for those buying into this system is staggering. Shinn have now expanded the range to include various length masts some suitable for just starting out on your first runs but also great for shallower water locations. There are now also a multitude of wings available all compatible with the Shinn Jackson setup. P Foil / K Foil / Mega K / F Foil etc etc (check out our website for more information on these)

https://www.blastkiteboarding.co.uk/kiteboards/kitesurf-hydro-foil-race-boards/

 Mrs Blast, ready to rip!

We run several trips abroad each year and each year we see more and more people out on foils,  Two weeks ago in Portugal there were approx a dozen out, the  year before there were only three and two of those were us!!

I simply wouldn't go anywhere without the foil now, it's the difference in riding each day or not. Added to that the amazing feeling of riding on a cloud and it's not hard to see why we have the massive rise in foils at the beaches everywhere now.

Shinn Jackson Review

Can I use my regular kites?

Obviously you can use your normal kites and they will be just fine but there are now several new kites on the market specifically targeted towards light wind kiting. In our opinion the best of these is the Airush Ultra V2, an amazing kite which is so so stable in even the most extreme light winds.

It's simply not just the fact it's a single strut kite (as many believe) but the fact it really is exceptionally light using the very lightest materials available but also more importantly amazingly stable in next to no wind....no fear of it dropping like a stone like most regular kites when it gets super light. The Airush load frame allows them to make these kites with latest light weight fabrics, they even lengthen the life of the kite by as much as 30% (that's what the advertising blurb says anyway).

 Sav and I even managed a game of footie whilst the rest of the country watched the World Cup Final. Photo: SarahSavagePhotography.Com

Yesterday was the latest in many an eye opener,  it was marginal to say the least...if you didn't have a foil then you were not going to kite!

I took out the 12m Airush Ultra and Core Foil and cruised from Rest Bay Porthcawl all the way along the coast to Swansea Bay and back approx 34km round trip. My legs feel it today as it was just one long tack there and back.

Meanwhile those without foils were stood on the beach cursing. Many of these people are reluctant to start foiling and yet some had driven upwards of 2 hours only to get to the beach to find 8-10knots.

Yes you will be like a beginner all over again, but embrace it , enjoy it, oh and wear a helmet and be prepared to scream & laugh like never before!

So if you are thinking about it - just do it, you will not regret it.

email us any questions you may still have

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On the 24th April we had the great pleasure in getting to not only demo the very latest foil from Shinn Kiteboarding but also have the man himself (2 x World Champ) here to both show it off on the water but also to explain the principles of the thing. We also had the UK distributer for both Shinn and Airush here and believe me he was as keen as me to try the Jackson out...it really is a big thing!

So after a few exchanges of small talk we got down to the task ahead and got kitted up. I took the all new 9m Airush Ultra's (man it is so small and light when packed up - and was also a revelation in the sky, particularly with the foil board)

I grabbed the P Foil as this is the wing we believe will shake up the whole foil world as we know it.

For too long the high end brands have been pushing the whole sexy sleek carbon wonders, sweet to look at but a bitch to learn with. yes they look sexy, yes they are super light weight but this comes at a cost both in $ but also in general user ability and also durability.

The Model F & Model P

The Jackson sits firmly in the "friendly" perimeter of this discipline however don't pigeon hole it as simply a beginner board that you will grow out of in just a few short months...you won't.

The Jackson is obviously not as light as a full carbon set up but it is way lighter than most alu mast foils including the current El Stubbo.

As soon I dived the kite I was up, instant! So instant it took me by surprise and as quick as I was up I was back down...but relatively gently. Once I'd found the balance spot which is super easy on this I was off. I instantly felt comfortable and really inspired to push to advance my beginner/intermediate level.

I really cannot wait to get one for our demo fleet so I can push my strapless/tacking etc.

After the session we sat in Mikes van and chatted over a beer about just how crazy this new foil is, how it will hopefully change foiling for the better.

Later in the week Mike has reported that our initial response to the Jackson had been repeated where ever they had demoed it...here's a few responses.

- "Oh great" said one foil expert, rather sarcastically, "now any rider is going to be able to foil"
and
- "I feel like I have just wasted a year trying to learn on a traditional foil"

My initial feedback was that It's floaty, but not so floaty like the Moses (harder to initiate strapless), when it touches down it bounces right back up. It gets up extremely early and in next to no speed at all, very inspiring.

With this type of purchase it really is so so important to get the correct board as many if not most out there will be simply waisting there money and it will inevitably end up being sat in the back of most peoples cars after a while.

With this setup the humiliation of learning to foil is all but removed.

I can honestly recommend this foil, I was truly gobsmacked when i took it out so much so I don't really want to use our current ones now lol
I know the Bridge family (multiple world foil champs) and the Kiteworld tester Neal Gent were out on the P foil later in the week also and gave pretty much the same response as me.

Shinn had a newbie guy in Kenya with them recently who could barely kite up wind, he took the P foil out and within an hour he was riding both ways comfortably upwind....it really is that much easier than what we were learning on.

However this foil does not top out early like many of the beginner focussed foils out there and Shinn confirms comfortable speeds nearing 30knots

Think depowerable bridled kites compared to C's, this is looking to be a similar story!

The only negative is the wing doesn't look that sexy compared to the full on race wings, but the up side is you'll learn so fast without all the pain that is the norm but then you can work on your transitions or strapless etc

I should also mention that when on the board it feels kinda like your "in it" rather than precariously stood on top, it feels way more balanced/stable even at speed. The rails are chimed both on the top and bottom which gives it this feature, it also helps with the inevitable touch downs.

So....my recommendation..... the one to go for is 100% the 145cm and the 90cm mast (we all agreed the short mast is still too on off for many but the market is dictating the need to offer them at least)

Even Shinn preferred the 145cm rather than the the shorter 125cm version

I am well aware that I am gushing over this foil but I genuinely believe Shinn has stumbled on a real winner here.

Stock is due in the next couple of weeks so if your deffo interested I'd get an order in pronto, I'm doing the same!

A quick edit of our demo

M

More information and prices etc here : https://www.blastkiteboarding.co.uk/shinn-jackson-foil-board-complete-package/

First off...I'm deff no expert but thought it may be worth sharing some of my experiences with starting out on a hydro foil board for a complete beginners perspective and honestly it's not as easy as it looks.

We've all seen the video's of the pro's effortlessly gliding a metre above the water making it look oh so easy, well believe me it ain't....not in the beginning at least!

Obviously it helps if you are a competent kitesurfer but to be honest it really is like starting kitesurfing all over again but that's part of the big attraction. Something new and exciting, a totally new challenge.

I bought a used Sroka foil off a friend who was looking to upgrade to a new race wing, the Sroka is a pretty good setup to start with...so I'm told.

My first session was a total disaster, I had my first go back in February on a freezing winters day, I even had gloves on that day (I rearely use gloves but it was extremely cold easterlies) which did not help. Just getting your feet in the front straps at the beginning is hard enough..it's hard to get the board up on an edge so you can get your feet in. Then there is the whole balance thing, the board just wants to shoot up into the sky..it's alive!

 Sharp enough to chop your digits off!

It's advisable to wear all the protective gear you have at the start i.e. Impact Vest/Helmet/Boots/Gum Shield...everything :-) (both the wing and mast are razor sharp) as this thing will try it's best to kill you. I'll tell you what, go stand on your kitchen table and then imagine traveling at speed only to be thrown with force into the water several feet below and you will get some idea of what it is like!

After each session it really felt like I'd been in a car crash, aching from head to toe from the multiple wipeouts but smiling like a fat kid in a sweet shop.

I found that 30mins was all I was interested in doing at the start (poss as it was a lot colder then) and many times I just did a quick 15mins and stopped as soon as I felt the progression was slowing. But then I had a few awesome moments up and flying and each session it has generally got better....not always but generally.

So far I have chosen mostly lighter wind days, using my 11m Renegade which has a huge wind range and plenty of de-power.

But lately I have been out in much lighter winds (as I'm starting to improve) and the sheer amount of apparent wind it can generate is quite phenomenal. Today there was barely enough to keep the kite in the sky when I launched the kite, however once up on a plane your off and away upwind. Then the next problem is how to go back down wind as it really is "too easy" to go upwind.

When way out the back today I fluffed a turn and whilst trying to restart I suddenly became aware again how little wind there actually was...the kite just slowly fell into the water...there was no way I was ever going to relaunch it so I started a long swim back for the shore, but I was stoked anyway..just to be out in so little wind.

I checked later and the wind was dropping rapidly as soon as I had gone in, it was probably about 6-7mp when I was out...on an 11m LEI kite!

Next I'm really looking forward to getting the new Shinn/Zeeko Hydro Foil set up asap and mastering the downwind tacks and gybes etc

I'm absolutely hooked, OK I can't wait till the next big storm with loads of swell to use my trusty surfboard but I'm loving this so much now I'm happy with 12mph for now!

So to summarise, it really really is amazing, it's extremely hard to put into words what the feeling is like, silky smooth, knife through butter etc etc .....but you will have to try it for yourself and see if you can describe it any better.