As the technology has improved with Sups and foils - the Old wing surfers have found their rightful place in Global watersports and accessible by anybody. The regular sup crew wont be restricted by a headwind anymore, great fun for them on ocean swell :)
All they need to do now is make a hideaway extendable Paddle slot - with an elastic net to strap down the wing, if the wind dies and reverts back to awesome flat Sup weather again. Win Win
The harness line setup will wont be far away either..
Excuse my cynicism, but we're going to have to see just how long this lasts IMO.
Is this a one or two season fad, or is it actually going to be "something"?
Come back to me in two seasons & show me up/happy to be corrected if manufacturers haven't walked away due to lack of sales.
Just add a mast and all you kiters will be windsurfing like real men in no time Evolution is a fact!
BTW - I'm with you Juddy
Robby was my hero in the 80s, and to see him standing there on that sup at the start, dredging along - how the mighty have fallen. He obviously has no shame. Please move this to the SUP forum.
Imagine how good that wing would be if you added some long strings, then it could generate heaps more power and you could do jumps and stuff, that would be awesome....
It looks dumb to me but I can see it becoming "something " mainly due to accessibility and the booming sup market.
far canal
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its the inflatable "i-Rig" that is a cheapo soft version of the windsurf kids rig, developed in the last couple of years to make it easier for beginners. But without the attachment to the board.
How lame.
Kite OR windsurf. Pick one (or do both)
Don't blur the lines with cheesy crap to try and recruit the disinterested. Naish should be embarrassed. Especially as the windsurf world champ for 13yrs running, then inventing kiting.
Robbie- seriousy .... sack the millenial marketing "geniuses" who though of this.
Please. Its like trying to sell a tricycle to those who might want to do triathlon.
SUPing combines the worst of surfing and kayaking (you have a craft which paddles slower than a kayak and surfs worse than a surfboard)
Now you have a craft that has the above terrible features plus:
1. It can be windsurfed, but it's slower than a windsurfer.
2. The sail isn't see through like a windsurfer and it isn't above you like a kitesurfer, so you can run into more stuff
3. The sail is handheld 100% of the time so gusts can either knock you off, or make your back hurt.
4. You get both the inconvenience of an enormous windsurfing board, and the inconvenience of having to pump a kite up.
It's pure genius.
I am looking forward to see how it pans out. It could be a very useful tool to have.
My one niggling concern is that it promises that we can catch waves, turn off the sail, properly surf the wave, then sail back out again. You'd think that with all the brands and riders testing them then we would see somebody doing exactly that. It shouldn't be that hard to do in front of a camera. The most I have seen is somebody riding about 5 seconds of slop.
I guess that now that sales (sails) in winsufering have dropped to nearly nothing and all the sail boarding shops have closed around aussie, Naish are trying to fill the void of lost sales and market something that's like sailboarding but you don't need a trailer to get all your gear to the river and is not as restrictive and is a bit more modern and free.
I am looking forward to see how it pans out. It could be a very useful tool to have.
My one niggling concern is that it promises that we can catch waves, turn off the sail, properly surf the wave, then sail back out again. You'd think that with all the brands and riders testing them then we would see somebody doing exactly that. It shouldn't be that hard to do in front of a camera. The most I have seen is somebody riding about 5 seconds of slop.
How do you turn it off when on a wave? Too cumbersome to just make it disappear when on the wave
I am looking forward to see how it pans out. It could be a very useful tool to have.
My one niggling concern is that it promises that we can catch waves, turn off the sail, properly surf the wave, then sail back out again. You'd think that with all the brands and riders testing them then we would see somebody doing exactly that. It shouldn't be that hard to do in front of a camera. The most I have seen is somebody riding about 5 seconds of slop.
How do you turn it off when on a wave? Too cumbersome to just make it disappear when on the wave
Let go the back hand. There's at least one example in the video.
SUPing combines the worst of surfing and kayaking (you have a craft which paddles slower than a kayak and surfs worse than a surfboard)
Now you have a craft that has the above terrible features plus:
1. It can be windsurfed, but it's slower than a windsurfer.
2. The sail isn't see through like a windsurfer and it isn't above you like a kitesurfer, so you can run into more stuff
3. The sail is handheld 100% of the time so gusts can either knock you off, or make your back hurt.
4. You get both the inconvenience of an enormous windsurfing board, and the inconvenience of having to pump a kite up.
It's pure genius.
Perfect. But for one or 2 seasons you can be the best pro out there on one. Maybe even a shot at some title. Waterman doesn't even come close to also holding one of these contraptions in your hand.
The market I could see more is something packaged with an inflatable sup. just cruising around not looking at any performance. I think combining with a foil board will die down real quick compared to foil kites. IMHO
I am looking forward to see how it pans out. It could be a very useful tool to have.
My one niggling concern is that it promises that we can catch waves, turn off the sail, properly surf the wave, then sail back out again. You'd think that with all the brands and riders testing them then we would see somebody doing exactly that. It shouldn't be that hard to do in front of a camera. The most I have seen is somebody riding about 5 seconds of slop.
How do you turn it off when on a wave? Too cumbersome to just make it disappear when on the wave
Let go the back hand. There's at least one example in the video.
Didn't see any examples of "turning it off", at 50 sec he catches a little mush burger left he's still wrangling the big wing ding that's made for catching wind
A great laugh at all the Dementia knockers - who have conveniently forgotten where kitesurfing and windsurfing came from.
And now your riding your favourite brands lol.
Should we take away all your kite gear because some kook years ago said - look at that twit with a kite getting dragged off downwind full power !!!
If the person on a sup with a wing decides he wants more power, takes kite lessons and buys a kite and all the associated gear that helps fund R&D for your favourite kite brand.. is that a bad thing ?
What have the kite companies just achieved ? Opening a doorway for those who otherwise, would not have bothered with kiting or windsurfing at all.
On the other hand - if your local shop goes out of business, your gonna be paying more for your gear to be delivered..
That foiling "Fad" is now a thing too.. in case y'all forgot that too
I thought you said surfing not doing a foil downwinder riding swells that havnt broken yet, and your still got a big wing ding flapping in the breeze
I think it's got potential myself and I see some pretty interesting downwinder potential on a sup foil. Bit cumbersome on a wave maybe. Who knows where it will lead. Exciting. Reckon inland crew on lakes and whatsnot would enjoy it with their normal shifty winds. Even coastal crew with crappy wind conditions.
Hey gets you on the water and that's all that matters hey.
Im bullish on it.
im excited about the potential it has to get my kids and wife out on the water sailing. safer than kiting, easier than windsurfing. they can get going on my mini mal or surf SUP.
no harness is going to be a good feeling.
no extra gear or technical setup makes it an easy entry into either kite or windsurf.
I reckon it's the worst of both worlds.
I bet you make your own within 2 years out of old gear in your shed.