@EfoilJunkie @bfoiler
You guys are an inspiration. Since I enjoyed reading your detailed reports, here is mine.
Got my boards in January, have been riding excessively since. I am probably at 200-250 sessions but have stopped counting. Starting in winter was a challenge as in the beginning you tend to fall more. But thanks to proper wetsuit/booties/gloves that was easier than expected. Only thing ever to get really cold was the trigger finger. Probably since this one is always a bit under pressure…
Did progress fast from the 5’6 to the 5’0. I recon it took me 3 sessions to get the flying and the takeoff to 100%, then went down and never ever looked back. I sometimes switch boards now with people I teach and the 5’6 appears to be a tanker now. I believe most people will get there that fast too, at least it is what I see with people I teach.
About 1-2 months ago I got the folding prop and the 250 surf and that has become my go-to combo. Chasing every wake there is on our lake… So fun. Figuring out the folding prop and riding depowered is quite a learning experience.
Here are the key points…
- go fast then don’t ease out the power, but depower in a split second (think boom), I almost always depower on the high end of the mast, you may drop a bit but once the motor is out, you don’t climb that easily
- at the same time, put much, much more weight at the back foot. The motor pushes you up all the time, this will stop immediately. anticipate this, and probably put your back foot back a bit, just on top of the mast/foil.
- learn to pump, you will need to feel where the power is in a wake, it is easier when you push in a bit. Easiest way to learn is just extending the glide at the end of each little run by a little bit. Do a couple of pumps until it feels more natural… try to extend the landing as far out as possible. I actually find it quite amazing how far you can glide with no additional power whatsoever (no motor, no wake, no pump)
- learn to anticipate where the power in the wake will go, then go there, too.
- learn to transition between wakes, from left to right and back etc (I am not quite there yet)
- if losing the power of the wave/wake you can actually bring back the prop while foiling. This is a reverse 1) obviously, so act accordingly. You need way more weight upfront. So move there…
I think one big prerequisite for waves/wakes is that you have your turns mastered. You need to be very nimble and execute your tight turns well in waves/wakes. Waves but I think wakes even more so are challenging environments for efoils since it changes so fast how high the mast is out of the water.
One of the weirdest feelings ever, is if you come from behind and try to overtake a wake. You will effectively go up a small mountain so you will have to point the nose of the board up but once you reach the top you need to immediately correct and push the nose down or you will crash fast.
Hope that helps. I actually believe learning to ride ocean swells has to be easier than that. We only have crap waves close by (think 1m+, 4-5s periods) so I work with what I got 