Riding smaller wings and boards with your Foil Drive is possible, but the right technique becomes increasingly important as you reduce wing size and board volume.

The key principle is simple:

Build speed first, keep the board flat, stay forward and allow the foil to generate lift before attempting to take off.

Trying to get onto foil too early, sitting too far back or using excessive throttle can actually make take-off harder. Understanding how your board, wing, rider weight and Foil Drive system work together will help you get the most from your setup.

For instructional video, see: Importance of Take-off Technique 

Build Speed Before Trying to Fly

One of the most common take-off mistakes is trying to get onto foil too soon.

When you apply power, the motor creates a significant amount of thrust. If your weight is too far back or you try to stand up before the wing has enough speed, the nose of the board can pitch upwards.

This prevents the board and foil from accelerating efficiently.

Instead:

1. Start with your body positioned well forward on the board.
2. Keep the board as flat as possible.
3. Apply throttle and allow the board to accelerate.
4. Resist the temptation to stand up immediately.
5. Once the wing has built enough speed and starts generating lift, smoothly move into your standing position.
6. As you rise onto foil, reduce the throttle as required.

Speed creates lift. Lift allows the foil to fly.

The longer you allow the wing to accelerate before attempting to get up, the easier the take-off will be.

Avoid Sitting Too Far Back

If you find the nose of the board pitching upwards during take-off, you are likely too far back.

A common mistake is to get excited by the acceleration and immediately try to stand up. This shifts weight towards the rear of the board and can cause the foil to stall before it has developed enough lift.

If the board starts climbing instead of accelerating:

Stop, reset and move further forward.

Keep your weight over the front of the board and use your hands and front foot to help keep the board flat while it accelerates.

Once sufficient speed has been built, the wing will begin generating lift and the board can naturally rise onto foil.

Keep the Board Flat

Keeping the board flat is particularly important when riding smaller wings.

When the board is angled upwards, the nose and bottom of the board can push against the water instead of allowing the board to accelerate cleanly. The foil also cannot develop lift as efficiently.

Think:

Flat board → more speed → more lift → take-off.

This becomes even more important in choppy or broken-up water, where the board is already being affected by the movement of the surface.

Don't try to fight the water with aggressive movements. Keep your weight forward, maintain the board's trim and give the system time to build speed.

Don't Force the Take-Off

If the board is repeatedly pitching up, stalling or refusing to accelerate, adding more throttle is unlikely to solve the problem.

In fact, more power can make the situation worse.

If you find yourself:

• Pitching the nose high into the air
• Stalling repeatedly
• Planing without gaining enough speed
• Holding full throttle without accelerating
• Fighting to force the board onto foil

Stop and reset.

Move further forward, flatten the board and start building speed again.

A controlled reset is much more effective than trying to overpower a stalled take-off.

Riding Smaller Foils

As you move to a smaller foil, you have less wing area and therefore less available lift.

This means you generally need more speed before the wing can generate enough lift to take you onto foil.

For example, a larger wing may have enough lift to get you onto foil with relatively little effort. A smaller wing may require:

• More acceleration
• A longer take-off
• More precise body positioning
• More forward weight
• Additional paddling or kicking
• Strategic use of Boost

The smaller the wing, the more important these techniques become.

Using Boost Correctly

Boost is most useful once you already have some speed.

Rather than using Boost from a stationary position and spending its available power simply getting the board moving, first build some initial speed with lower throttle.

Then, when you're ready to accelerate:

1. Get the board moving.
2. Move your weight forward.
3. Keep the board flat.
4. Increase to full throttle.
5. Engage Boost when appropriate.
6. Continue holding the nose down as the board accelerates.
7. Allow the wing to generate lift before attempting to stand.

Use Boost to build speed, not to compensate for poor board position or an early take-off.

Paddle Technique for Smaller Foils

With very small foils, particularly when riding at a heavier rider weight or on a board that is difficult to accelerate, a few paddle strokes can make a significant difference.

A useful technique is the double-overhand paddle.

While holding throttle:

1. Start moving at moderate throttle.
2. Move your weight towards the front of the board.
3. Increase throttle or engage Boost once you have some momentum.
4. Use several strong, double-overhand paddle strokes.
5. Keep your weight forward and force the board to remain flat.
6. Once the board accelerates and the wing generates enough lift, smoothly stand up.

The paddling provides additional forward momentum, but it also helps flatten the board and lift the rear of the board slightly out of the water.

A small dolphin kick can also help generate additional forward momentum when using very small wings.

Rider Weight Makes a Difference

The wing and board combination that works for one rider may not work the same way for another.

A lighter rider can generally use a smaller wing because less lift is required to get onto foil.

A heavier rider may need:

• A larger wing
• More board length
• More acceleration
• Additional paddle strokes
• More precise technique

This is particularly noticeable when riding very small foils.

Don't assume that because another rider can easily take off on a particular wing, you should be able to do the same setup without additional technique.

Rider weight, board shape, foil size, water conditions and system power all work together.

Board Shape Can Be More Important Than Volume

Board volume isn't the only factor that determines how easy a board is to take off.

Two boards with similar or even very different volumes can behave very differently depending on their:

• Length
• Width
• Nose shape
• Rocker
• Bottom shape
• Overall waterline

A longer, narrower board can sometimes accelerate more efficiently than a shorter, wider board with more volume.

A wider or more heavily rockered board may push a larger bow wave and require more effort to accelerate.

Once the board is flying, these differences become far less important because the foil is carrying the rider. The challenge is getting the board up to sufficient speed in the first place.

When choosing a prone board for Foil Drive, consider length and shape as well as volume.

Building Speed Efficiently

If you want to accelerate, keep the propeller submerged while building speed.

Rather than allowing the propeller to repeatedly enter and exit the water:

Keep the motor engaged → build speed → then allow the foil to rise.

This is more efficient, gives you better control and reduces unnecessary propeller noise.

It is also more considerate of other people in the water.

Conditions Matter

Take-off technique becomes more difficult in choppy or broken-up water.

When possible, use smoother water to learn and experiment with smaller wings and boards.

When taking off in chop:

• Wait for the larger bumps to pass where possible.
• Keep the board flat.
• Stay forward.
• Avoid aggressive movements.
• Build speed progressively.
• Don't try to force the foil up before it has sufficient speed.

Water conditions can make a setup that works easily in flat water significantly more difficult.

Controller Position and Signal

The Controller communicates with the Electronics Box through the board.

For the best signal, particularly when the board is submerged, keep the Controller close to or on top of the board.

If the board is completely underwater and the Controller is held away from it, the signal can be significantly reduced or lost.

Keeping the Controller close to the board can allow communication to continue even when the board is temporarily submerged, which can be useful during manoeuvres such as duck diving.

Keep the Controller close to the board when riding and particularly when the board is submerged.

Key Take-Off Principles

Whether you're riding a large wing on a high-volume board or pushing the limits with a small wing and prone board, the fundamentals remain the same:

1. Get forward

Keep your weight over the front of the board.

2. Keep the board flat

Don't allow the nose to pitch up while you're building speed.

3. Build speed

Give the wing time to accelerate across the water.

4. Don't stand up too early

Wait until the wing has developed enough speed and lift.

5. Use Boost strategically

Build initial speed first, then use Boost to accelerate when needed.

6. Use paddle strokes when necessary

Smaller wings, heavier riders and difficult board shapes may require additional forward momentum.

7. Let the foil do the work

Once you have speed and lift, avoid aggressive movements.

8. Reset when things go wrong

If you're repeatedly stalling or pitching up, stop, move forward and start again.

The Takeaway

Foil Drive provides plenty of power, but more power doesn't always make take-off easier.

The goal is to use the available power to build speed while keeping the board flat and your weight forward. Once the wing reaches sufficient speed, it will generate lift and allow you to take off.

This becomes increasingly important as you move to smaller wings and boards.

Build speed. Stay forward. Keep the board flat. Let the wing fly.