Kite Foiling Gear Progression | A Coach's Perspective
In the video and below, REAL Pro Coach Brendan Guthrie will walk you through the gear progression of kite foiling, from beginner to advanced.
If you are looking for tips on gear progression for other areas of foiling, please follow these links: Surf Foil Gear Progression; Wing Foil Gear Progression.
Beginner Kite Foiling Gear
Focus on a bigger foil board to maximize stability when starting and easy recovery if you breach foil or don't have enough speed off the start. Small front foil, low aspect wing to allow more speed control, and not a lot of lift of the start. Recommend starting with front or dual foot straps
Foil Package: Armstrong S1 Alloy Wake Foil Package w/ WKT Foilboard
Intermediate Kite Foiling Gear
Sizing down to a smaller board after nailing transitions and moving to a smaller MA wing to achieve more speed and be able to have more control or maneuverability if working on jumps. I recommend the MA1225 for light winds and then sizing down to the MA1000, MA800, and MA625 if you want to get more speed. Pair this with the performance masts 725 or 795mm.
Foil Package: Armstrong A+ System MA Mid Aspect Foil Package
Advanced Kite Foiling Gear
Smallest board and foil possible to reach high speeds or going with a longer mast to go upwind easier or be able to ride in light winds. Another option is to stick with an intermediate foil setup and ride with the smaller kite to have more performance and control with kite and easy rides on foil to cruise at slow speeds or flow on foil more. If you want to start working on jumps, freestyle foiling or reaching higher speeds and get into foil racing you will want one of the longer performance masts and the smallest foil setup possible. For easy recovery on jumps stick with the MA800 and MA625 paired with the performance masts 795mm-1035mm. Tails recommend the glide 220, surf 205, speed 180, or dart 140. If you want to push the boundary on speed go with the smaller HA foils 680-480, the longest performance mast and the dart 120 tail with a longer fuselage for maximum speed and stability
Foil Package: Armstrong A+ System High Aspect (HA) Foil Package
If you have questions about your foiling gear, call us at 252.987.6000 or email us at REALpro@realwatersports.com.