Foil wings for heavy riders

I’m just starting to consider my first build. I’m on the heavier side, being 250lbs. I’ve never foiled before, but I grew up on a lake waterskiing and kneeboarding. I also built and ride an electric skateboard. I’ve been putting together a rough parts list in my head… 14S14P 18650 battery, Maytech 300A water-cooled ESC, MTI65162 Motor. I’ll be building and shaping the board myself, and 3D printing the motor mount. I’m considering a folding prop so I can glide on wakes with less drag. I haven’t settled on a mast and wing though. I’d want a mast that can be easily modified to run wires and a water intake line. As for the wing, I’ve heard some conflicting info… For a heavy beginner rider you want a large volume (for lift) and a low aspect ration (for stability). I’ve also heard that a high aspect ratio wing will give exceptional glide ie. lift, and help heavy riders. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I was heavy when I started to Efoil and learning , 98kg , i don’t think you will find a « all in one wing » , for my You would better to get a easy wing : large area , early lift , do some practice and then you will know what you need and want , after you keep the set up , change the front wing and eventually the rear …

Usually wings go with fuselage and mast , it is harder to mix something , mast : takuma axis rl gong… are fined to run phases wires

If you go with wing and flat fuselage of the same brand you can always drill in to fit a mast

If the wing has a bolt on on top then you use other fuselage and mast …

Most carbone mast are not hollow but I can be drilled ( done on a gong here) for lift ?

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Usually wings go with fuselage and mast , it is harder to mix something , mast : takuma axis rl gong… are fined to run phases wires

Yes, I would prefer a wing/mast/fuse from the same company.

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You would better to get a easy wing : large area , early lift

From what I’ve seen, the larger wings are in a low aspect config. I can find low aspect wings around 2400sqcm. The higher aspect wings are topping out around 2000sqcm. Are you saying I should place more emphasis on square cm over the shape?

These are the wings I’ve found so far…

Ride Engine Manta Wing 99 Front Wing 2371 sqcm

Slingshot Infinity 99cm Wing 2371 sqcm (I think this is the same wing as the Manta above)

S26 Naish Jet Foil Semi-Complete 2450 sqcm

I’d love some feedback or suggestions.

Whatever wing I end up getting I would buy the whole system mast/wing/fuse.

As a heavy rider, with large wings, you’re going to stress the mast a fair bit, and it’s super important then to consider stiffness. Axis has probably the stiffest aluminium mast in the industry, with plenty of room to route your wires inside.
On top of that, Axis provides a vast ecosystem of foils/wings/ with a solid distribution network. Kind of future proof.
I’m not 100% up to date in terms of their latest range of wings, but something like the 1020 is/was a trusted good option for beginner/intermediates.

You can also have lots of lift on smaller wings, but you just have to go faster! So it depends on your objectives, on your motor and battery specs, etc…
Large wings like that will be comfortable around the 13-15kts speed range, but it’ll probably take a lot of effort to push it past 20kts. That’s where thinner, higher ratio wings will come into play (later in your foiling journey), with less drag, still plenty of lift, provided you drive the board slightly faster before takeoff.

I think a moderate speed when starting foiling will save you some extra pain in the falls. And those thick-ish profiles have the merit of being reasonably blunt for the few times you’re going to get in contact with your wings.

Hope this helps!

I’m 230 lbs and started on a gong XXL wing but when i switched to curve LT wing it was easier to ride. Sure i had learned a bit with the first wing but i am confident it would have been easier with the curve LT already from the start. Difference is between 1450cm2 for curve LT to 1844/2137cm2 developed.

I don’t think you need a larger wing than the curve LT size based on my experience.

Thanks for all the advice from everyone. I think I’ve decided to go with the BSC 1120 Carbon. It’s got a large surface area and has a higher aspect ration than other large area wings on the market.

I think it might be too large and slow for you in the end but please tell us how it went when you have used it for a month or two :slight_smile:

I think it might be too large and slow for you in the end

My main concern is having enough lift with me being 250lbs.

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Well, as said, i am close to your weight, no problems to lift with smaller wing than the axis wing. There’s a limit of course but i find that the gong curve LT is enough.

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