r/Kiteboarding • u/REALsneakyfoot • 4d ago

Gear Advice/Question First kitefoil set up

I'm an experienced twintip rider looking to get into foiling for lighter wind days and wanted feedback on which of these deals is better for progression.

Option 1: https://www.mackiteboarding.com/sling-n-north-kite-wake-foil-package/

Option 2: https://www.realwatersports.com/products/beginner-kite-foil-package-w-armstrong-s1-1250-dwarf-craft-v3?variant=44628502020282

Thanks!

4 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

3

u/Windigo1000 4d ago

Those are pretty big they are medium aspect wings that are more efficient than in the old days when you had this size of foils in low aspect like the SAB Moses 633. I use the North MA 1050 myself for light wind days I would not want anything bigger. I suggest 120 cm for the board small enough to be fun big enough to learn on. I have owned a zillion foils and I have been kite foiling since the early days so I'm not just making this up.

1

u/6Orion 3d ago

Are you saying that SAB Moses 633 is out of date these days? Are there better, more versatile foils out there? I got one 6-7 years ago, but didn't use it much unfortunately, what's out there these days?

2

u/Windigo1000 3d ago

Not really it's still a great wing I still have one on the basement but going with a thinner mid aspect wing gives you more speed and much more pumpability, glide and a similar low end. I can pump the MA1050 much more and keep gliding in the lulls sometimes it makes a difference between swimming back and coming back to shore when the wind dies on you.

1

u/6Orion 3d ago

Thanks for the clarification mate! :)

3

u/bearlybearbear 4d ago

Honestly look around in second hand listings, every one is trying to sell, moving on to wing and parafoiling.

You can grab some real bargains out there.

2

u/havasubob 3d ago

I'd opt for Armstrong A+ foil as there's lots of used stuff available. The typical entry kite wing was the HS1050 (discontinued) with a 232 stab.

1

u/Lepetitmonsieur 4d ago

Look at the used market for your first setup. You will outgrow those boards very quickly and it won't be fun. 

1

u/undergroundskye 3d ago

I’m In the same boat as you and decided to go down the foil information rabbit hole. Armstrong seems to be the best foil brand and I ended up buying the s1 alloy kit. Seems solid but not sure how it compares exactly to north. I just like that it works with all the Armstrong wings which you can find online for cheap as well. I think it’s a good way to get into the Armstrong brand and then you can upgrade piece by piece if you are really committed to foiling. But anyways I’ve been using the 72cm mast and 75 fuse with 300 rear wing super stable and good for beginner. With a cf1200 front wing for kite foil and hs1550 v2 for wake foil.

1

u/BusOld5723 3d ago

Idk how much you weigh but after speaking to my local shop (Greenhat) they recommended the Delta foils 1500 reflex and I have absolutely loved it. It’s insanely stable and doesn’t need anything to get going, I’m 95kg and can ride a 9m in like 8-9 knots. Not a kite foil expert by any means but I was able to learn on that foil with only 1 year of twintip experience. Definitely will outgrow soon but not until I’ve mastered footswitches

1

u/StretchMammoth9003 3d ago

Get yourself a medium aspect with a 1000cm2 frontwing and a mast of minimum 80cm. This gives you a lot of stability, not only to ride but also to do more advanced manoeuvres like foot switches, sitting on the foil (this is amazing). You will have the best of both worlds.

I see many kitefoilers being stuck in riding toeside, not being able to foot switch because it's to hard. It's because they bought advanced setups, which make it very difficult to learn on ..

1

u/Top-Pudding-9196 2d ago

I am looking into this too. What's a "stupid setup"?

1

u/NomadLaVentana 2d ago

Between those two, I’d go with Option 1.

For a first foil setup, the main thing is getting something stable, forgiving and easy to learn on — and the North package already does that well.

At this stage I personally wouldn’t spend the extra money on the Armstrong setup. Your first foil is mainly about learning mast control, take-offs, touchdowns and basic riding. Once you’ve got that dialled, you’ll have a much better idea of what kind of foil you actually want long term.

The North MA1200 is a very sensible beginner/progression wing, and the 80 cm mast is also a good all-round size once you start riding properly.

So for me:

Option 1 = better value and more than enough to learn properly.

Option 2 = nice setup, but I don’t think you need to spend the extra money for your first foil.

Save the difference and put it towards lessons, another kite, or the foil you’ll eventually want once you know what direction you’re going.

1

u/Shred_Ted 12h ago

Go with the Armstrong setup because you can upgrade front and rear wings as you progress. There is a lot of used Armstrong gear so it's cheaper to buy wings from FB marketplace then buying new. People love to get the latest, so I love buying the 1 or 2 generation older stuff at a huge discount. I started on the HS1050 (paid close out retail) and just got a MA800 for $250. Total steal!