Chapter 1: Who is The Foil Kook?

Welcome!

My name is Alex and I am The Foil Kook. A few months into my foiling journey, I realized there was so much great content out there but it was 1) Mostly fragmented across many channels (blogs, youtube, forums, etc) and 2) Created by pros. After spending 100+ hours watching and reading just about everything I could find, I decided it would be fun to help the next generation of new foilers with curated content from the perspective of someone who just recently graduated from those early frustrating days.

I have a single goal with this project: To make surf foiling as easy and fun to learn as possible.

To get started, I assume you already know what surf foiling is. If you don't, watch this video of Mister Bennetts on foil for over 7 minutes. Wild stuff.

The feeling of foiling in a wave is tough to describe - it certainly feels like discovering magic as an adult. I'd say it feels something like flying mixed with snowboarding in bottomless pow. And yes - it is way more fun than surfing.

After surfing for about 5 years (mostly on boards 9' or longer), I saw a group of foilers at my local surf break doing things I never thought possible. The amount of fun they were having on such a small wave was absolutely bonkers. And watching them end one wave by pumping out to another and doing it all over again sealed the deal for me - I knew I had to learn.

I had the fortune of being good friends with one of the best foilers in my area and he set me up with his old Armstrong gear - an HS1250 front wing, 72cm mast, and HS232 stabilizer. All I needed was a board and my wonderful wife surprised me with an early birthday present: an Amundson 5'0 Nubby - the perfect beginner board.

Now before all the haters attack me and say there are better setups to learn on - you are probably right - after all I am just a kook still learning. But my advice to all the new people out there - don't overwhelm yourself trying to find the perfect setup right at the start. I guarantee that you won't know what style of foiling you prefer until you do it for a few months.

There are so many great foils and boards out there these days, and there are more insane deals on used gear than ever before. Don't overwhelm yourself doing too much research - just find a used setup within your budget and get out there!

If you need help finding the right setup, feel free to reach out to me. I am happy to help a fellow kook! For more tips getting started - check out chapter 2.

Alright, a little about me:

• 6'0 tall, 150 lbs (always helpful context when talking about foils that work/don't work for me)

• My 5 years of surf experience was primarily longboarding. I had never ridden a shortboard.

• I had zero experience on foil before starting.

• I live at a remote point break in Mexico with relatively small surf (1-3 feet, rarely bigger).

• I come from a snowboarding background

Hate Reading? Looking for someone to just tell you exactly what to buy to get started?

Check out my "I'm Lazy - what do I need?" beginner setup recommendation.