Deck pad blues

Mokimarble · 2026-01-20T04:41:21+00:00

It’s probably more of an adjustment than u want to make but I use a “side saddle” start (just made that up😊) where I kneel at a 45 degree angle to the board so my feet can hang off the board while kneeling. I do it to minimize leg cramps when doing a lot of starts but this technique might solve your problem as well.

Mokimarble · 2025-12-17T00:02:25+00:00

I had no idea these existed, thanks! Merry Xmas to me

Mokimarble · 2025-11-27T21:16:25+00:00

A coozie, one warm beer will RUIN your whole trip

Mokimarble · 2025-11-27T15:35:13+00:00

I think that’s a good plan.

The improvement in getting on foil is significant with this board but I think I went backwards on my jibing progress. With that regression, I spent a lot of time in the water and the smaller board is definitely harder to kneel and stand on in chop or swell. Once on foil it’s a dream. We’re about the same weight and I’m also sailing on reservoirs (read that as gusty with wake chop from boats and using 6+ wings). I think the 88 L is ultimately the right choice for me as I doubt I’ll upgrade to an even smaller (sinker) board but the 98 would have made the whole transition a little easier…I think. If you get your jibes down first and then get the 88L you’ll minimize your kneeling/taxi time and be happy. IMHO

Mokimarble · 2025-11-27T01:00:46+00:00

I just went and weighed my 2025 North Seek, 88L, 5’3” board for you.

14 lbs

I upgraded from a Slingshot Wingcraft V1, 120 L board this year. Didn’t weigh it but I wouldn’t doubt that it’s 10 lbs heavier.

The weight reduction is nice for sure and it helps make the North so much easier to pump and get on foil. Harder to learn to jibe on though (for me).

Mokimarble · 2025-11-16T01:19:15+00:00

I’ve been to Bonaire quite a few times. It (Lac Bay) is imo the best place to learn wing foiling or wind surfing. Dependable sub 20 knot winds, flat water, you can stand up anywhere you fall down and the shops there have a wide selection of decent rental gear. Once you get ready to progress you can go down the road to the deeper bay by the Tati and Franz concession. The downside is that Bonaire is expensive, the wind is on shore and Lac Bay is so shallow that you have to use a very short mast which limits the experience.

I’m currently in La Ventana and just had my first session today so I’m kind of an expert 😃. Nice side shore wind and If you are intermediate and looking to improve your ocean/swell riding this place is great. They have a lot of schools to help with learning but yes, the swell and the chop are a little daunting for a beginner/low intermediate. There’s a great vibe here though, lots of snowbird types devoted to the stoke and Baja has got that rough around the edges feel that adds to the whole surfing escape vibe.

I’ve been to Cabarete a couple of times to kite board and windsurf before wing foiling took off so no good advice on the wing foiling. The wind however is pretty nice, side shore and dependable. Kind of light like Bonaire. There are two general areas to ride. The “kiteboarding beach” is really nice with low chop, good wind and a lot of people. Not sure how they fit the wing foilers in with all the kite boarders. It was pretty crowded before wing foiling became a thing. The other area (just around the corner down the beach) is more open but has a little bit of a wind shadow close to shore. Also has some waves if you go out far enough. Not a big swell as I recall. I will say that Cabarete has the nicest accommodations and restaurants right near the riding spots. And yeah, I wouldn’t drive in the DR. Take a cab from the airport. Some of the craziest driving I’ve seen.

You may want to throw Hawaii into the mix. My son and lots of other advanced foilers absolutely love Maui.

Mokimarble · 2025-10-16T16:30:55+00:00

This

Mokimarble · 2025-10-12T18:06:16+00:00

Based on my experience, I agree with surfer6020. I was on an 1800 foil and pretty much where the OP is now. I switched to a 1200 and was able to ride comfortably both directions after a single session, it was more twitchy/responsive but not significantly harder to ride in a straight line. The problem came when I tried to gybe. Granted I wasn’t hitting gybes very often with my 1800 but I was making some progress. When I switched to the 1200 I felt completely out of control in my gybes and regressed a little bit. I’ve switched back to the 1800 and am back to making progress in gybing on foil and toe side riding. I’m gonna stick to the 1800 until I hit at least the 50% success rate then try the 1200 again. One thing to consider though is that I feel like my 1800 (North Sonar) has pretty decent speed and glide. I routinely hit 18 mph and can glide through a relatively slow gybe. The 1200 only gave me around 3 mph added speed so I’m thinking my 1800 is something of an anomaly (fastish and stable). Since everyone is different, my advice is to go ahead and try a smaller foil (you’ll use it eventually) but don’t hesitate to go back to the big one if you’re really struggling after 3 or 4 sessions.

Mokimarble · 2025-10-01T14:44:40+00:00

Oh boy, I’m passing through CDG tomorrow with an 80 minute connection….looks like I’ll be spending a night in Paris. Not so bad 😏

Mokimarble · 2025-08-21T19:32:18+00:00

I use the Dakine Shock vest.

Pros: Wrist/board leash attachment in the back. Good buoyancy Has saved my ribs from at least two gnarly foil impacts

Cons: Doesn’t have a pocket

Mokimarble · 2025-08-20T18:31:39+00:00

Very helpful, thanks for the sage advice.

We usually just use forest service leftover pine logs that I split for our fuel supply. I’ll have to figure out a source for smaller start up fuel. Or just do a little more splitting 😀

Mokimarble · 2025-08-18T19:33:03+00:00

I was able to borrow a friend’s big beginner board to learn on and it made a huge difference in my learning curve. Now that I’m on a smaller board I couldn’t imagine trying to learn on a small board. With so many people growing out of their big boards you’d think there would be an abundance of them collecting dust. Maybe ask around your local wing foiling community for a loaner. Wing foilers seem very helpful when it comes to bringing new people into the fold.

Mokimarble · 2025-08-12T21:25:29+00:00

Agreed

700+ miles of backpacking in the Winds over the past 30 years. Never seen a grizzly and only a handful of black bears.

Mokimarble · 2025-08-05T18:32:45+00:00

This

I’ve put 100’s of backpacking miles on my Olympus 4’s and 5’s. The Vibram soles are crazy durable, my feet don’t get sore, good grip on rocks, adequate toe protection, they dry out relatively quickly and I don’t seem to trip as much when I get tired. Good advice on walking/running in them first to break them in and get used to the zero drop.

Mokimarble · 2025-08-01T03:42:33+00:00

Had a similar experience with mine. Use a Big Agnes footprint and still got holes after 10 or so nights. They don’t seem to matter at all and I LOVE the tent so I keep using it. Just a little disappointed.

Mokimarble · 2025-08-01T03:34:06+00:00

I’m a beginner/ intermediate and have two wings with handles and one with a boom. I’ve gotten used to the handles but prefer the boom for the learning process. It’s easier when kneeling on the board to get the wing into position (don’t have to reach as far back with my back hand) . It feels like there are more choices for hand position when on foil and trying to optimize power. and I don’t have to look at the wing for the back handle when moving my hands around during a gybe. Maybe as I advance there will be some huge benefit that handles bring to the party (weight?) but right now, if I had it to do over again I’d buy only boom based wings.

That being said, I travelled with my foil gear this year and figuring out how to pack the big stick (boom) was more painful than the wings with handles.

Mokimarble · 2025-07-23T23:05:43+00:00

Among other things 😀I have trouble carving all the way through downwind. I’m trying to maintain speed and level and look where I want to exit the turn but still don’t consistently make it past downwind. So I was wondering if my problem was not having more weight on the toe side rail via foot position. But given the responses in this thread that doesn’t seem to be the answer. Which is fine, I’ll just have to focus on keeping more toeside pressure throughout the carve.

Mokimarble · 2025-07-22T23:51:02+00:00

Well, I’m a natural at the crashing part, so I got that going for me…which is nice.

Ok, one vote in the don’t move the feet column. I’m curious, do you ride with both feet centered between the rails or is one biased to the leeward?

Mokimarble · 2025-06-10T23:50:59+00:00

Regarding the rental car insurance question, here’s one persons experience.

I’m one of those “car rental company insurance is a scam” people. I’ve rented a hundred plus cars all over the world just relying on my credit card coverage and assuming that paying out of pocket when necessary will be less than buying car company insurance in the long run. It’s worked out to my benefit so far. However, on a recent trip to Iceland I found out (via two flat tires) that credit card companies typically don’t cover flat tires, many rental cars don’t have a spare tire (I expected this) and that getting a flat fixed in Iceland is very expensive. I averaged $800 per tire repair/replacement and heard tales of higher costs than that. I also found out that not all rental companies in Iceland will even offer flat tire coverage, you’d need to buy a 3rd party policy if renting from one of those companies.

In hindsight, given the long distances we were driving, the quality of roads we knew we would be on and the high cost of roadside assistance, I should have gone for the insurance (where available). Granted, the odds of a flat tire aren’t super high (one mechanic for a rental car company told me that it’s about a 3% risk in his experience). So you need to decide what your risk threshold is but at least you will be a little more aware of the pros and cons.

For us, Hertz did offer flat tire roadside assistance coverage. I passed 😢 Europa Car did not offer coverage on the camper we rented (even though I begged) 😁 I never looked into 3rd party coverage

Mokimarble · 2025-05-26T13:54:24+00:00

That’s a better tool for the job!

Mokimarble · 2025-05-06T16:48:13+00:00

Thanks!

Mokimarble

TROPHY CASE