F-One IC6 Hydrofoils in Cape Town South Africa

UPDATE:

F-One IC6 Version 2 Hydrofoils have just been released and are now available. 

Hydrofoiling and hydrofoils are the biggest craze in the Watersports industry at the moment and we seeing them being implemented into all facets, whether it be Kitesurfing , Windsurfing , wakeboarding, SUPing, Yachting.

Even though the hydrofoil is no new revelation , Waterskiers have been using air chairs for the past 30 years! Using Cast stainless steel masts which weighed a ton, they were incredibly difficult to learn how to ride and came at a massive cost.We’ve recently seen hydrofoils being introduced to the Kitesurf industry, and are becoming far more user friendly with the aid of modern technology and the ability to fuse carbon , plastics and Aluminium, F-One have managed to bring out a product which now comes at a far more fathomable price for the consumer. You can now purchase a complete foil package including carbon board , with aluminium mast and Carbon plastic fuse moulded wing for under R20 000. The F-One IC6 comes with a standard 850 wing which is perfect for learning as it offers considerable lift at the slower speeds and is far more predictable. This along with the Carbon 51 TS Board offer a great combination. The 51″ Stands for 51cm wide!!

Width is your allie when learning to Foil, as it offers a stable base to tack and jibe. As well as keeps you from harms way when falling!!! i.e. you want to stay well clear of the wing and mast of the foil when falling as it has sharp edges which can cause some serious injury. The F-One 51TS is a result of progressive R&D by F-One who are the market leaders with Foil. Its a great board to learn with and still offers enough performance to progress to an advanced level! When spending a large portion of your salary on these kinds of toys.. you don’t want to have to upgrade the board to soon 🙂 The 51 TS comes standard with an external KF aluminium removable box which has become the industry standard.

All in all this is a great, well finished product which has been through the teething  evolutionary process of design and research, and by far the best money for value from what I’ve seen on the market.

Setup.

Foot Position on the foil… when learning , we’ve found and recommend you only place the front foot straps on the board and leave the back strap off!! This allows you manoeuvre your back foot to the correct and most comfortable position whilst mounting the front foot strap to the furthest forward position which enables you to control the lift of the wing with greater ease!!

A couple learning tips I’ve acquired which will help you through the steep learning curve of Foiling

1. Place your weight over the centre of the board, and take a stance like you carrying a tray. when you have a large mast under you.. the board doesn’t edge like a normal kiteboard or wakeboard!! DONT Try edge the board at 1st!!!
2. Let go of your back hand !! by letting go your back hand, you will be able to control the mast of the foil with much greater ease and will allow you to get your weight over the centre of the board more.
3. Place your weight on your front foot!! This is an NB factor as it will allow you to control the lift of the board and eliminate the foil from unpredictably lifting up out the water.

Safety first !! Wear a helmet and a wetsuit when learning !! Think about an impact vest as well! Most importantly Have Fun