Foilboard

The guys from foil-n.com held a Sky Ski demo on Lake Sammamish yesterday and I got to ride their new foilboard. It's similar to the airchair/hydrofoils except it uses snowboard boots and bindings so you can stand up. Unfortunately, I only got to ride behind the boat from a wakeboard rope but the surfing possibilities are endless, think Laird Hamilton style tow-ins. Finally the 40-foot Bayliners would be a blessing and not a curse. Anyway the board is still very new and I'm sure it will be modified but it definitely blew my mind. I've been waiting to try one of these for years and it was sick.

How do you get up? Like a wakeboard or like an airchair? Plus was it hard to control?

that is the coolest thing i have ever seen! other than seein laird ride one at jaws.

Very cool idea!! Hope it progresses.

getting up was a little weird. i didn't get up the first try and for a long time water sports person i felt like a jackass. it's basically like getting up wakeboarding except slower and more gradual. after the first try it was fine.

Are they hard to control?

Those are Flow bindings. That's funny. So you wear snowboard boots and snap into the Flows before your ride? Why not regular wakeboard bindings, is it a safety concern?

As far as control, its very similar to riding a sit-down hydrofoil except that riding heelside felt much more comfortable than toeside. But, the first day of any water sport will feel a little foreign. Jeff you're exactly right about the safety issue, if you came out of the board you'd seriously risk decapitation. On the other hand being locked in has a lot of other safety issues, especially for the knees and ankles. Normally on a wakeboard fall the board stops and you keep going. If you're locked in, you'll stop with the board, ouch! So, I think it will adapt into more of a surfing purpose.

very cool that someone has finally built some of these. i've been wanting to try one since the "Step Into Liquid" movie.

For surfing -- I wonder if our surf wakes will have enough power to push the hydrofoil from below the surface -- I would say no... but would love to be proven wrong!

It would be a lot of fun to surf one of those behind the boat.

I have been riding a custom foil board behind an enzo. The cool factor is high. you can tow this at 15-20mph, rough water, crappy boat or what ever. we are now working on grabs. Ive got the indys down!!

"B" - how much air are you getting with that thing? Would love to see some video!

i've seen videos of guys riding waves that arent even curling.i would imagine you could surf one of those without a rope behind a boat. but there is the very real danger factor of catching too much speed and colliding into the boat.

nwrider i'd love to see some pics of airs and grabs if you have any. have you guys tweaked your knees at all on any falls? that's been one of my concerns as far as the limitations of the board.

this pic was from two years ago. As far as knee tweeks, none so far! I am working on a video clip, yet i am a sport junkie, not a computer dude.
crappy quality from a video shot. here it goes.