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Hydro Foil Kite Board

Imagine being able to kiteboard above the water. Gently floating over the chop in silence.

Imagine being able to go upwind like a racing yacht.

Imagine you are riding in a light wind day, powered up enough to go wherever you want to, as fast as you dare to go, with no one else on the water.

You are riding on a foil kite board!

Index

  1. What is it a Hydro Foil Kiteboard?
  2. Who should need a Hydro Foil Kiteboard?
  3. Hydro Foil Kiteboard Lessons in Sardinia (Italy)
  4. Where to buy a Hydro Foil Kite Board?

1. What is it a Foil Kiteboard?

Hydro Foil Kite Board Wings
Hydro Foil Kite Board

A Foil Kiteboard (or Hydroifoil Kiteboard) is almost like a mini aeroplane, which is connected to a very long fin under your kiteboard (metal sword to the bottom of your board). Once you get up to speed, the foil will make enough lift to hold your weight and you will be able to lift the whole board off the water and keep riding only on the submerged foil.

hydro foil kite board | hydrofoil kiteboard  in Sardinia
Hydro foil kite board | Hydrofoil kiteboard

With a foil kiteboard it is possible to ride faster than any kite race board, going multiple times faster than the wind speed and definitely faster than most sailing boats.

But, if kite hydrofoiling is so good, why it is not so popular?

  1. First, it is expensive. A hydrofoil with board will set you back around 1500-2200 Euro.;
  2. Second, it is the learning curve. If you have not learnt to use a hydrofoil, then it is not just a matter of a couple of minutes to get used to it. You can say it is a totally new sport, both in terms of learning it, and in terms of the new sensations it brings;
  3. Third, it is the lack of availability of these high tech kite boards.

2. Who should need Hydrofoil Kiteboard?

  • People who mainly freeride and want to experience new acrenalinic emotions;
  • People that have to make the most of conditions available riding (and having fun) in marginal wind conditions;
  • Raceboard riders that want the fastest board, which requires much less physical effort (but maybe quite a lot more mental effort).
hydro foil kite board | hydrofoil kiteboard  in Sardinia
Hydro foil kite board in Sardinia

The kite board hydrofoil offers a new feeling to the sport of kitesurfing and opens the sport to a much larger range of conditions. If you can keep a kite in the air, you can go out and ride. The dramatic increase in efficiency from a traditional board to a hydrofoil allows you to explore new areas and sensations. Sailing upwind and downwind is effortless, which allows the rider an unlimited sailing area.

3. Hydrofoil Kiteboard Lessons in Sardinia

KiteGeneration is offering, to people interested in trying and lerning Hydrofoil Kiteboard, specific lessons.

To have more infos about the Hydrofoil Kiteboard Lessoms, click here.

4. Where to buy a Foil Kite Board?

Spotz

It is not a beginner foil, and for large chop and ocean conditions. But for flat water riding, this is on of the best hydrofoil on racing foil, very fast, but also surprisingly stable.  However it is a full,

Taaroa

If you need to be one of the fastest guy on the water, then this is probably the foil for you. An out and out racing machine, and attracting some the big names in kite racing. Given the price and how sore wipe outs can be at speed, this hydrofoil raceboard is not reccomended as the first foilboard.

Zeeko

Zeeko Kites offers both a racing wing and a free ride wing making its hydrofoil very versatile. The fact that you can get a foil that can fully come apart, and have race and beginner wings on one foil must have made this foil very popular.

Carafino

This is the original kite hydrofoil manufacturer. Thanks to these guys for growing the sport when everyone was still figuring out how to ride a twintip!

Alpine Foil

This is another kiteboard hydro foil with a good top speed but easy enough for beginners. It can be fully disassembled and comes in a very good carrying bag. I personally like the idea of a large wing (for light wind and for easy learning or handling difficult situations since you can go slower) with a design as streamline as possible to get a nice glide feeling and excellent speed/upwind performance.

Horue

Another very good quality French made foil. Company starts to produce foil since 2007. They offer different models for use both in kite foiling and windsurf foiling.

Moses Hydrofoil

An Italian made foilboard. Their beginner kiteboard foils are good to learn on, and the foil itself floats making strapless starting a bit easier. They have released a racing foil recently as well.

Delta Hydrofoil

This is probably the first hydrofoil manufacturer based on mainland USA. The design is definitely made to go fast.

MHL Customs

It is a good beginner foil.

Magma Foil

A Spanish foil that looks solid and by all accounts should be a great foil to learn on. What is nice about this foil is that the T-piece can disassemble unlike most foilboards that have their keel and fuselage parts permanently joined together. This makes the Magma great for traveling.

Skyski

Although designed for towing behind a boat, the differences between a foil for boat hydrofoiling and kite hydrofoiling is minimal. These guys were making a stand up hydrofoil board in 2002 already which probably makes them the earliest available commercial stand up hydrofoil manufacturer.

Next Foils

If you though stand up hydrofoiling was new, then you have not heard of Mike Murphy. He started stand up hydrofoiling in 1966! Long before any kites! He co-founded AirChair and Skyski and now you can get his foils from NextFoils.

Liquid Force

The first mass-produced aluminium hydrofoil for sale with a good price.

North Kiteboarding

After a long time in development, the first big kite company is ready to launch a hydrofoil. It looks well refined from the pictures.

Alex Aguera Foil

A famous kite raceboard shaper Alex Aguera is now turning his attention to hydrofoils.

F4 Fins

From the construction description on the website and design it looks like these guys know what they are talking about.

Cape Town Foilboards

If you are looking to get custom made G10 fins as an upgrade to your existing hydrofoil, then this is the place you can get it.

 

Spacial thanks to kitehydrofoil.com for many infos

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