F4 Wingfoil Review by Leon Delle GER-6
Used Foil: F4 Wing Freeride Foil
– 85cm aluminium mast
– 70cm fuselage
– 228cm² rear wing
– 1400cm²/2000cm² frontwing
I bought the the F4 Wing Freeride Foil 1400 in summer 2021 and already had some nice sessions in Denmark before. In October I could spend three weeks on Sardinia where I had plenty of time in different conditions to ride and test the F4 Wing-Foils.
To increase my time on the water I got myself also the 2000cm² Frontwing. I was using the foils with my i-99 Winger Pro 80 and the i-99 Wing in 5.0m². My weight is around 74 kg.
The first days on Sardinia I was pretty lucky with the wind and I was using the 1400 set-up most of the time. For me as a rider with the skill level somewhere between beginner to advance the 1400 set-up with the 85cm aluminium mast was my first wing specific foil ever. It’s a perfect allround foil which takes off easy, has a stable ride and also responses quite direct and smooth. It can go fast with this set up but it never feels to fast and it also has a great low-end speed. Even pumping and jumping feels good with this foil and it always works well, no matter what kind of rider you are or which condition you use it for.
I was using the foil in flat water to work on my jibing and tacking skills but I was also using it in 3 meters of swell where I had the most fun so far. The foil always gives you a feeling of good control. Only sometimes I felt as I wanted to get a bit faster and the speed potential of the foil is limited a bit too early for my needs but actually it’s not built for speed foiling. There the race set up of F4 comes into play.
After a few days without wind, I was tired of waiting and thought I just give it a try although the wind was super light. I was using the 2000cm² front wing for the first time which was easy to adapt as it works perfectly together with the same 70cm fuselage that the 1400cm² is using without changing anything as for example the screw length as it is the case at some other brands. Once in the water the wide frontwing gives you an extra piece of stability while not foiling. Because of that it should be also perfect for beginners that don’t come from other watersports. I was pumping my wing in almost no wind but as soon as the foil got a bit of flow it felt like it started its motor and lifted me up into the air without any effort.
In the air the foil was going like on rails and although the speed was not fast it never felt like the foil didn’t have enough power to stay above the water. The ride was even more stable than on the 1400 set up but also it was a bit less manoeuvrable which is surely a positive effect for beginners. Although it was less manoeuvrable it was still responding good by doing jibes and tacks.
Impressed by the low wind performance of the 2000cm² Frontwing I came to the conclusion that the combination of the 1400cm² and the 2000cm² with the same 85cm mast, the same 70cm fuselage and the same 228cm² backwing is a perfect combo to cover almost every wind condition while using only one wing. The only thing that is missing in my pocket now is the race set up which will by on my Wishlist for Christmas.
