Foiling is one of the newest and fastest-growing watersports out there, and for good reason. For riders with a solid wakesurf foundation, it presents a new challenge to test their skills and it has a completely different feeling from just about any other watersport. It's closer to flying than riding, and any surface chop you're used to absorbing with your knees when wakesurfing or wakeboarding is completely eliminated with the foil because you're riding above it. You'll see for yourself soon enough — Here's how to get up on a foil behind your Malibu.
The Boat
It couldn’t be easier to set up your Malibu for foiling thanks to the innovations available through the Malibu Command Center. Just dive into the 12-inch watersports screen and select “Surf Left” or “Surf Right” and hit load. The boat will fill the ballast, engage Surf Gate™ on the side you’ve chosen, and set Power Wedge™ III. Before you get started, you’re going to want to empty almost all of the rear ballast and at least half of the front ballast. Next, you’re also going to want to place Power Wedge™ III into Lift Mode. This setup will give you a long, mellow wave that will be perfect for learning to foil. Foils are extremely efficient, so they don’t need a lot of push. The driver should take off really slow, and freehand the throttle to go as slow as possible while still being on plane.
The Line
When you’re first starting out, it’s helpful to use a wakeboard main line. Eventually, you’ll work up to a wakesurf line, but for now, there’s no reason to contend with prop wash. Don’t worry — you can still play in the trailing rollers when you get more comfortable.
The Setup & Stance
Lay in the water in a curled-up position with the board at your feet and the mast extending out. You will want to place your back foot slightly in front of the mast and let your front foot fall naturally where it would in your wakesurf stance. This will help keep the board on the water. Hold onto the rope with your forward hand and keep your back hand on the board to keep it against your feet.
Because of the foil’s efficiency, it takes very little power for the boat to pull you up. Stay in that curled-up position until you’re on top of the water. Because your stance is forward, you should be riding the board on top of the water and the mast shouldn’t be rising up. Get comfortable here before you do anything else.
When you’re ready, start shifting your weight back so the foil wants to rise up. As soon as you feel it, ease your weight forward again so the board is riding on the surface of the water. As you get more comfortable with this, the board can stay out of the water longer and longer until you only have to bring the board to the surface of the water when you get in trouble.
Remember that foil falls aren’t like wakesurf falls. The foil wing is sharp and you need to get as far away from it when you fall as possible. To that end, don’t try to save a fall, just dive away from the foil and try again on the next go. If you’re falling forward, you can hold onto the handle a little longer than normal so the boat pulls you away from the wing.
Foiling is not easy, even if the pros make it look like it is. It may take a while to get the hang of it, but put in the time, stay patient, and you’ll get there eventually. When you’re ready to experience foiling behind the most popular watersports boats on the planet, build your custom Malibu in our 3D Build-a-Boat tool or contact your dealer for a day on the water.
