Let me start with a big thanks to all of you guys for this goldmine; so much to read and plenty of valuable knowledge all over the place… !!
I’ve been kitesurfing for some years now (and windsurfing before) and recently decided to move onto kitefoiling.
I therefore just got myself a cheap kitefoil setup. I’d also like to use it as an e-foil to learn faster as I’m not too close to the sea and I believe an efoil should help me learn foiling much faster.
Though having read some of your builds I’m not sure I can use my current setup… Front wing is 950cm²… and board is 145x50 pocket style with next to no volume (F-one IC6 v3 & pocket 145) and I’m a rather big chap 100kg 1m90 (220lbs 6’2)…
What are your thoughts…? I’ve seen some of you with even smaller foils… but I assume they are not beginners.
Any chance I can use my current kit? If I was to get something else, I believe I’d go for a 145 liter board and a ~1800cm² foil, does it sound right ???
You can use a 950cm2 Foil for an eFoil, I even use one with 750cm2. Bigger is easier to learn with. Volume of the board is a bigger problem, 11l is not enough. 100-120l is suitable for beginners (80 is OK), not too short, around 160cm. The shorter the boar and longer the mast, the harder to launch because you need to push down the front harder. Recommended mast lenght is around 80cm. Shorter is easier but more limited in swell.
You could build/adapt a bigger board and use your existing foil with the option to get a bigger one (if you stay with the same brand).
1800cm2 is too big (and slow) in my opinion, better get something between 1200 and 1600cm2.
145 liter is doable, but besides it being a barge, it will also be very sensitive to wind, and you will have to use more force to initialize and stop a turn.
1800cm² foil is also doable, but as it wants to fly at a low speed, you WILL need to put a lot of force on the nose to keep it down till you are at speed to actually foil and not stall the wing. Also, you will very quickly outgrow this size wing!
I now have a 707cm² foil ( a small Veloce V2 from Gong), and love it, however I would still like to go smaller just for the fun of it.
If your goal is to have something JUST to learn how to foil and then after that you will ONLY kite foil you might consider just taking some Efoil lessons from a pro teacher. Very short learning curve with proper gear and good teacher. Likely you will be up flying in first lesson.
Well… I’ve seen those thanks… BUT the cheapest 2nd hand one I could find is 4500€ !! Way more than what I’m willing to invest.
I plan on going the DIY route as I’m lucky to have access to all the tools one could dream of.
I understand completely - that’s a lot for a used board only! I managed to get a couple from a dealer that runs a big Fliteschool. He sold me boards out of his “classroom stock that had some minor dings.
In any event the classic Fliteboard ( the ones I have are 100l) and have lots of flotation in the right place for their rating of 250lb rider. I had a novice rider that weighed more than that and they didn’t have any problem (well at least with flotation )
I just looked at euro pricing and found this NEW board
Interesting that there’s now AliExpress imitations. The inflatable FliteAir can be purchased as a board only. Through a dealer I got one for $950USD. I think it’s a good price for a board with a water tight battery compartment. One potential issue is the battery compartment is smaller on the Air board and less room to work with.
OK, I guess I’ll start by selecting the motor as it will size the ESC…
What would be a wise choice, keeping in mind I’m 100Kg and will be using a rather small 950 front wing…?
I think the 6384 might also work, but it’s more common for foil assist. There have been a few efoil builds that have used it and it is much cheaper.
The 65121 is the weakest of the 3, less torque and less power. Again a few builds have successfully used it but it may lack the power to get you up on foil at 100kg with a smaller wing.
Overall 65161 is the safest choice
Your question sounds simple but if you research here enough you will see what the pros and cons of each component are.
My suggestion is you pause the purchasing of items that might not all work together the way YOU need them to. I chose to buy a Flipsky group kit based on a 65161 motor as that gave me some assurance that those parts would work together as it was well documented here.
Yes motor choice has an effect on VESC choice but so does battery etc. Just picking a piece without considering ALL of the variables can get expensive
For example it looks like you are going with a total inflatable board, that means you will need some type of waterproof case to house components, that drives how are you going to cool the VESC, how big is the battery, how do you attach the case to the board so it’s not in your way, are you going to ride in waves in salt water or full efoil in flat water, how long do you want the battery to last in a session etc etc etc.
What would be the benefits of running 70165 vs 65161?
I guess
The added torque would help for “waterstart” ? But on the other hand, more drag, more power hungry… ??
@Foilguy Thanks for your input, I appreciate it. To be honest, with the reading I’ve done, I’ve already prepared a list of all the items I’m to buy. My main concern was board size and motor choice, now it is more or less settled… I just wanted to validate with the knowledgeable people : YOU ALL that I’m not doing anything stupid… as you said it can add up quite quickly $$
As for attaching the case to the board, I’m going for a simple proven design
Yes, more power more torque, more poles and also a little bit more resitance due to the bigger diameter. Good if you want to go fast or for heavy riders with small boards.
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