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Soon to be addicted to foiling. Need help


isellacuras

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I'm looking into getting my first foil. I have been watching for used foils in my area. I have passed on some old cast air chairs. There is a sky ski pro SS for $900 on Craig's list. Ad says it's an "older model" so I wanted to know what kind of differences there hve been from the old to the new. I see that there are scratch and blem packages available from SS for $1400. I would like to get in as cheap as possible but I have bitten by the cheap bug in the past and want to make sure I don't spend more in the long run by going about it the wrong way. I am 6'4" and 250 if that makes any difference. Thanks.

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I have been foiling for about 6 years -- solid intermediate, starting to flip. I started with a new entry level air chair ($1200) but 4 years ago moved to the top SS (LE evolution tower, $4200). Needless to say you do pay for what you get. These are completely different foils. If I was to do it over, I would have purchased the launch series by SS. They aren't as expensive (2 piece bar) but get you much closer to the LE. I would recommend expanding your search and look for one of these. Of course, you could just jump to the LE with evolution since once you start this sport there is no turning back. Why not start at the top -- look used. I don't have any experience with the entry level pro SS. This stuff is really expensive and hard on the pocket book. Good luck.

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I ride the Pro SS, it's a great foil to learn on. When you start jumping and landing tricks your going to want more. I'm look to upgrade and I'm on my first season. That's a pretty good price for a used one and there is not a lot of difference between the years that I know of for the Pro SS.

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If you have never been on a foil before a pro ss may work for you. It may be a short time or a long time before you want more. It truly depends on your progression and how fast you take to it. The one positive note about foiling is the fact that the equipment does not loose much in value over time.... It is a niche market and there is not much on the used market. I would get acquainted with foilforum.com (it has been hacked in the last few days, so it has been down) but it is the best resource for foiling and finding equipment. As the previous post mentions you will get what you pay for. The B-39 launch from Sky ski is the middle of the road (two piece t-bar) but will accept all the bigger wings available today. It is my understanding that the Pro ss only has three holes in the t- bar to mount the front wing. With the newer larger wings, you are going to require 5 holes in the t-bar to truly hold the wings and not damage your t-bar and lose your wing There is a new line of two piece foils available from NEXT hydrofoils. It is new to market and created by the original Mike Murphy. The money that you can spend is endless. I personally was in the same boat as you two summers ago. I started asking all the questions that you did and ended up with a b-39 launch. Ended up replacing the wings after one summer of riding. Look to get into the best thing that you can afford. It is going to eat a hole in your pocket one way or the other once you are hooked. All you need to do is attend a Fly-in and see all the other shiny new rides and people going huge to want the next best thing. It is also the end of the season for most people and some will be looking to upgrade... Good luck.

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The Sky Ski Pro is a good starter ski, but as others have said, the B39 is even better.... The B39 is going to give you a little more room to grow as you can upgrade wings, etc....

Check out Foilforum.com for used equipment.... Don't buy off ebay, they go for too much on there.

Check with some dealers also to see if they have any trade-in equipment. Cinch in Lousiana, Midwest Hydrofoil in Wisconsion, and East Coast Hydrofoil in Florida all seem to have used equipment around.

It can get expensive, but it's worth it!!!

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One thing I tell people is to take a look at the other things you've done in the past. Are you the type who gets into something for a year or two & then moves on to something else? Or are you the type who jumps in with a ton of time & effort & tends to really go aggressively? Doesn't matter if it's riding a mt bike, motorcycle, wakeboard, paddleboard, whatever. They all cost money. And if you buy a beginner setup, inevitably you want something better in a short amount of time.

I've been doin the foil thing for about 20 yrs now. I'm about 6'1", 230 lbs & consider myself an intermediate/advanced rider. I can stick a handful of inverts, sometimes even while everyone is watching & screaming.... ;) I rode the SS Pro for about 3 yrs. Then rode a B39 for about 8 or 9 yrs. I've been on an LE38 for about 7 or 8 yrs now. Being a fairly big guy who is frankly not all that good at things initially, I crash big, a lot. So I bent & broke a few things. Rock & shock tower seats, cast foils, several of the old style boards, etc.

The current SS Pro is intended to be a good all around ski for everyone, big guys, women, children, etc. The B39 is made of the same grade aluminum that that the Pro is, but it's longer & accepts LE style wings, which allows you to go bigger & crash bigger. The B39 isn't the lightest ski in the world but they are tough. The LE style foils is where you get into a higher grade aluminum (7075 billet) that is lighter & stronger.... and also more expensive. Older SS Pros & ACs were made of cast aluminum, which has a tendency to break. So if you run into any used foils out there, run it by one of us so we can tell you what year/model it is. A guy your size just isn't going to push a cast foil very far before it gives. The same goes for the other components of the ski, ie; seat & board. There have been a number of designs over the years, some are lighter or heavier, some are known to be stronger.... or not. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions about a used ski you might see out there.

And last but not least, there are now 4 foil companies out there. AirChair is the original. The partners in that company separated at some point & Mike Murphy started SkySki, which has dominated the market for a long time for making stronger & lighter foils that the riders demanded. He sold out of SS a few years ago & recently started NextFoils. Another AC partner started his own company too, X Air. All 4 companies make good quality skis now days. But there were a few years of foils I'd stay away from.

There are quite a few guys in your area who ride. Several on FoilForum.com, where you might find some used gear listings & more foil info than you can absorb. Like I said, if you have questions, get in touch with me or one of the other guys who have been around the block. Good luck & welcome to your new addiction!

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