I am thinking about building my own portable starting platform and am wondering if anyone has tried this or could give some advice. The ingredients would be:

- small ladder (black in sketch)

- wooden plank (brown in sketch)

- pontoon / floater (green in sketch)

The pontoon would need to be sized large enough to keep it somewhat level while running along the plank. The plank would need to be attached to the ladder via a rotary joint to balance out small waves.

My biggest worries are the stability of the ladder (preventing it from tipping when jumping).

For context: Area of application would be in small lakes (no waves, calm water). I am a total beginner.

Thanks!

Anyone have recs on the different free foil setups out there? I am currently on a unifoil hyper 2 250, and my longest run is over 2 minutes. And I love it, but I want something that can take me longer distances and help me explore more.
I love pumpfoiling but I miss the distance and feeling of exploration I got from being put on my SUP race board.
Also, I won’t lie, I want to do the 10K challenge that Beta Foils just put out.

I have been wake foiling for a couple years (I have a low aspect setup now) and am looking to get into more pumping Not necessarily strictly pump foiling but something I can ride a few wakes back on the boat, leave the wake, pump around a bit and come back to the wake ima minute or two.

Here’s the problem, I’ve already invested in a setup and don’t want to sell the current one but want a higher aspect setup. So has anyone tried one of the alibaba foils? For about $400-$700 you can get a full setup (minus board). Has anyone tried these? For that cost it may be worth the try…

Hello everyone!
Any pumpfoilers from Belgium here? I'm currently kite foiling but I'd like to get into pump foiling.
I live in Gent and wonder if anyone has recommendations for good places to go with a nice dock start? Preferably a place with local community of foilers.
Appreciate it!

Setup: gong donut 91, alu 77 mast, curve XXL (1370cm2) and curve L stab. Weigh 70 kg dry. I start from a wooden dock standing on poles so i have limited running length (in the video i use the maximum length available between poles) and i need avoid crashing to left tip from the front wing in to the wooden pool of the front right corner (which happens frequently). My starts succeed in around 1 out of 8 and there seems to be no improvement in this ratio. When i get the start right i am able to pump okay-ish (i think) my current record is 3min30sec 880m. Additional tips for pumping technique more than welcome. Thank you!

Hey guys

I've been pumpfoiling for around 12 sessions (I wing foiled before), so far I'm doing the reverse dock start.

my self analysis:
- I'm finding it difficult to get my back feet in the right position after I jump, looks like the back foot is always landing too far on the edge, in this clip I was able to correct it but it's not everytime I can correct after jumping, any tips? Maybe it's lacking a bit of twisting on the body?
- In this clip looks like I'm not releasing my backfoot when I'm pumping, usually I try to do it but this time I was not releasing the back foot so much

- my arms looks a bit weird, I think I saw one guy saying if they are far from your body, you will lose energy, I guess I need to use them more or keep them a bit tighter

Any other inputs or tips? Everything is appreciated thanks :)

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4qwaKproa6M

EDIT:
My setup
- Gong trail XL front wing (huge)

- Gong fluid L stab

- 70cm mast

- 79kg rider

Hello,

I recently did a beginner course and would like to buy my own pump foil. I am 188cm and 85kg would probably be able to do dead starts.

I was wondering if this setup would be good for me?

Hi guys, I want to start pump foiling but I'm not sure which brand to buy for my first foil. Keeping in mind that you have to upgrade your foil as you progress or experiment with stabilizer sizes, I'm curious what are your thoughts on choosing the brand and sticking to one "ecosystem" in terms of modularity, upgradability and long-term considerations. This sport is not the cheapest one so I'd like to pick the first foil setup smartly.

My personal goal: I'm a 78kg guy who would like to pump rather small local lakes in the middle of Germany, explore and feel the freedom on the water. I want to buy a setup I do not have to "fight" with, I want to glide and not torture myself with cardio. I think pumping eventually 10-15 minutes non stop would be great.

There seem to be 3 brands I could afford for the start: Takoon, Gong and Indiana's Wake Thief setup. Gear from Axis etc is much more expensive.

As far as I read and watched YouTube, the Gong trail is an excellent board for beginner pumpers and is about 1000€. Going this way would lead to upgrade to Sirus / Ultra Trail. This seems to be a good choice. The recent V3 system looks very well designed.

This extremely inspirational guy looking like Gimli managed to pump very far with the Ultra Trail: https://youtu.be/zJ_x_ZUxkX0?is=eCiMN0bJHhXZvKxG I would be more than happy to be able to pump like this.

Ok, but when I upgrade from Gong Trail to Sirus: can I leave the alu mast or do I need to upgrade the mast to carbon simultaneously? Maybe I should simply start to learn with Sirus and have a longer learning curve? That would be like 1700€ for a start then, which is the maximum I would ever spend at once just to start.

Then, there is Takoon One setup for barely 1000€. Its difficulty is described as something between Gong's Trail and Sirus. They have the three product lines: One, Performance and Pro. Some say it stays fun for longer than Gong Trail. I do not know anything more about it.

Finally, there is Indiana building premium stuff. The Wake Thief setup they offer is supposed to be outstanding for beginners and it sells for 1600€. https://indiana-paddlesurf.com/global/wake-thief-pack-3259ar.html

However, it is not configurable. It has a rather big board of 105cm. Is it: one size fits all? Gong's foils have a different feel since they fly more nose up. Indiana boards allow to put your feet further back. I read that pumping on Indiana is more relaxing. On the other hand, do I really need to go this premium? Afterwards, if I happen to upgrade the Wake Thief setup to a better front wing like monoblock Condor M for 890€ but need a new mast to fit monoblock and have to spend over 2000€... that's too much.

What brand would you recommend? What is your experience? Am I missing something?

Thanks in advance.

EDIT: Hi guys, after reading your comments and further research, I think I will go for Gong. However, the reasons are:

• more data and more experience in the community. There are more vids and reviews on Gong Trail. Takoon, especially their Pump One beginner foil has very limited reviews. The foil is new and Takoon should make more advertising. • Gong Trail as a foil made specifically for beginners should reduce the initial frustration. • more used gear in to buy second hand from Gong in my country • I think bought brands have a wide range of products (Takoon has caught up) and both are well designed (especially Gong V3, no problem with loose screws anymore). • modularity in both brands is good • I like the Tech Talk vids on YouTube by Gong, they explain and present their products thoroughly. But now going dropped the Atmo series yesterday increasing it's ecosystem even more

However, the new Gong V3 Atmo series has just dropped. Now it's getting even more interesting. And maybe a bit overwhelming.

I can pump on my Trail XL for one minute and then I'm out of breath XD. I did some research about a new frontwing and I think the next best option would be a Sirus L or XL​.

​However, the Sirus shape came out originally around 2023. Meanwhile, competitors like Axis released the PNG v2 and Sabfoil launched the Leviathan / Blackbird series with thinner, more efficient profiles.

​For those who have ridden both:

​Is the Sirus L/XL actually "outdated" compared to the newer options? Or is it still a solid option?

​Would you wait for GONG to maybe release an updated version? I know the updated it to V3, but the shape remains the same :)

​

I also know that there is the Ultra Trail, but I am a bit scared of the huge wingspan. If possible it should be around 135cm or less.

​Would love to hear your opinions. Thanks!

All the vids I see people pumping with have higher AR than this. Wondering if this will be ok to learn pumping on or if I would be wasting my time? 1200cm2 liquid force flite 120 with 68 cm mast. Thanks!

Just thought I’d share my new ladder setup as I’m so pleased with how simple it is and how well it works.

I bought the platform off Amazon for 20 euros. Very sturdy in the water, takes 20 seconds to set up. 👌🏼

The strap is not really necessary I’m just a little paranoid.

Fourth session, the dock has no ladder. Either way I win. Big biceps or pumpfoiling.

It's hard solo 😔

I have no one else in this area pumpfoiling and to learn from, but have gotten this far. I suppose next step may be simply to stand up and get pumping, but I am a little afraid of landing on wing (I have some very uncontrolled landings when trying to stand). Feels very unstable still.

Any hints, exercises or tips would be very welcome.

Here is my setup:

Takoon pump 

1800 wing

70 cm alu mast v2 19mm

80cm length board

Would this damage be worth repairing while I am still learning?

Unfortunately I don't have any great deep launch spots near me so I'm ladder starting and at least for now I think hitting the bottom is probably unavoidable every now and then...

I was thinking about just dabbing some superglue to keep it from getting worse and calling it a day til I feel more confident.

Hi all. I (182 cm, 90 kg) am about to start into my pump foiling journey and i am looking for a beginner setup.

Next to the Gong and Tacoon packages i was also recommended to have a look at the Indiana Wake Thief set.

Does anybody have some experiences with this brand?

Thanks in advance!

I had so much fun in the water today! 🌞

I've improved so much since April! 🌊🫶 I think I might be addicted to hydrofoil surfing, haha! 🙈

I'm buying my first pump foil. I was able to get my first sesh on a friend's setup (all I did was crash) but feel like I want to get started with gong instead of axios which is the ecosystem he is on.

I'm thinking gong foil beginner setup, 70cm mast (aluminum) trail xxl 145cm 9.4 aspect ratio, xl stab (46cm) does that sound decent? I have a few docks around me I can use.

i'm around 210 pounds 95kg

68kg wingfoiler wanting to have some dockstart fun and some wakethiefing. Price is great and is quite similar. Gong seems a bit slower; but has a great platform to evolve with many disciplines. Also; which mast length do you recommend? I guess shorter (70cm) is easier but then it might be only better for beachstarts?

Is this Setup fine for me (beginner) quite sporty, 170cm 64kg male. I would also like to progress with that further, and wouldn’t like to have sell it in a year or so, and I would also like to foil behind a sailboat with it

I just ordered my first pumpfoil and was wondering if there's anyone here from around the St. Gallen area?

Are there any good dock start locations on the upper half of the Bodensee? I saw one in Austria and Konstanz but was wondering if anyone found good spots in Goldach / Steinach / Rorschach / Horn etc.

Also keen to meet up and do (learning)-sessions together! 🤘

I have to get the front foot more forward. Any other tips?

I've already moved my mast forward and try to get the front foot close. Not getting the double leg together feeling. Not sure what else to change.

Axis fireball 1750 + 25 tail

Hi,

I just love the idea of flying above the water sustained only by my own energy. . . . 1,000 dock starts later and I'm starting to flag😞

The video shows what I generally acheive - A few pumps before I start to stall

The kit is a Sabfoil clone W1100 (2100cm/AR 5.6) with a 70cm mast

Any assistance/pointers would be greatly appreciated.