Hi, any info on the lateral or side to side stiffness or flex?
I didn't see or hear any mention of this.
Hi
I used to windsurf about twenty years ago at intermediate level and mainly inland waters before selling up due to lack of windy days and difficulty transporting long heavy boards and bulky expensive kit.
The foiling craze has caught my attention as it seems possible in lighter winds with less bulky kit. Having never used a foil, surf or sup board before I am wondering if I should go the windsurf foil route or hand wing foil route?
This Gong hipe foil & wing setup interests me mainly due to relatively low price and smaller transport size for taking on touring holidays and hopefully less prone to knocks and scrapes than a hard board.
I am 80kg and considering the Gong Hipe 5`5" 145Lts with XL foil and 5m3 hand wing, do you think this would be suitable for a complete foil beginner, will I grow out of it quickly or should I look at something else instead?
Thank you.
Keeping in mind that I neither Wing foil nor Wind foil, from what I read, Wind foiling is easier to learn, as you have more control, but people seem to get bored quickly with it on flat water, unless they only like to try to go as fast as possible. The freedom of the Wing on the other hand seems to keep people entertained by trying lots of tricks, as they are less constrained by the wind direction. Plus the gear is simpler as the Wings have more wind range than Windsurfing sails.
Also, at first, you can foil in less wind with a Wind gear. But it seems like that with technique, you can end up being able to get out in very low winds too with Wings. On the last session of the Gong team, Diane was reported flying with 6 to 8 knots of wind, and she is more a casual winger than the rest of the team. But you will need 15+ knots to learn Wingfoiling.
I would be wary of the crossover option, as the added bulk of the board for Windfoiling use may be noticeable when Winging.
As the actress said to the Bishop its not the length but the width that's important. In chop width more important than length in my experience. Mike
The Gong Hype 6'5" has 170lt and a removable front center fin for easier upwind sailing off the foil and is 0.6kg more over the Hype 5'5". Would these features really make a big difference to the beginner foiler/winger verses the extra weight?
Some unboxing videos, while we are at it. Done by a team rider, so you can expect the praises, but the different views of the board is still useful info. French with English subtitles.
Can you please clarify this issue. The 6.5 box is not an actual US box? Will the plate adapter (track) from Slingshot Hoverglide work on this box? Looking to use the SS 84 with the 6.5. Thanks.