What makes for an easy paddle up?

Author: Jon Mann

With the recent releases of the 1401 and 1180 and the surge we are seeing in DW, naturally the following questions follow:

  • Which foil paddles up the easiest?
  • How do they compare to the 1300 / 1201 / 1050?
  • Which one should I buy as my first DW foil?

I understand the questions, everyone wants to make the best choice to make the learning curve as easy as possible. So I’ll let you in on a secret, they are all great! The differences between these foils as entry level downwind foils is small and the main driver between choosing any of these (in my opinion) is your weight. Heavier guys will want a 1180,1401 or 1300 and the lighter guys have their pick of the bunch (though I’d go 1180, 1201 or 1050). For flatwater paddle ups, there is a slightly bigger variance in ease of use across this range and bigger will be easier. But hey, we want to downwind, not flatwater paddle up, so in my opinion (shared by many), being able to flatwater paddle up is irrelevant. 

Quick note: this blog post is written with the beginner in mind. Some of the things I’ve said may clash with what you see competent downwinders doing. It should be emphasised, the use of longer and narrower boards for more advanced foilers is really to get to those higher speeds the smaller foils require to get going.

As a beginner there are a number of things to consider:

  • What makes a foil lift? Speed! Your speed is influenced by 2 things, your ability to paddle and the bump you choose. 
  • Being able to paddle with power (a stable platform to stand on helps) and accelerate is critical. You don’t need to be able to get up on flatwater as the bump will help you which brings us to the next point.
  • Good bump selection is a core skill. Being able to muscle up a massive foil in poor bumps without really paying attention to the bump you are choosing may make you feel like a hero in the short term, but is limiting you in your skill development that will pay off in the longer run. I’m a bit more of an advocate for using a foil you can’t flatwater start when learning to DW for exactly this reason (my personal experience and also from the guys I’ve seen make the fastest progress, has been that they haven’t bothered trying flatwater start and to go with foils they probably couldn’t flat start in the 1300-1600 cm2 AR 7-9 range but are much nicer to downwind). 
  • It’s worth realising that choosing the right bump will help you get enough to speed to paddle up even smaller foils than you realise. This does not mean you should downwind with smaller foils when learning. But this speed should make paddling up your foil of choice a breeze. But again, only if you choose the right bump. How do you learn this? Kind of repeating myself but, don’t take foils that take off in anything. Be patient, focus on the timing. Time it wrong and 30 strokes won’t get you on foil and you’ll be dead. Time it right and 2 strokes is probably enough to get you flying. Use this as a metric to identify how well you are choosing bumps when reflecting on sessions. 
  • The conditions: You aren’t going to go out in rubbish / light wind / small bumps. Unless you are really limited by light local conditions (then you will want the liftier options). As a beginner you should aim to be going out in decent conditions to make the learning curve more enjoyable and increase your probability of success.

So what makes a foil paddle up easily (flatwater or in the bumps):

I think the “ease” of lift is made up of a couple of parts:

  1. How fast can you go vs the low end of your foil? If you can paddle fast and generate good speed, smaller foils are easier regardless (for example I can paddle fast enough to make the 1201 easy enough, but for some it’s hard). As I’ve already touched upon, bump selection is key too. Board choice does help, longer boards will be easier to paddle faster, definitely on flat. But too long can also be a hindrance in bay / lake type conditions where you also want your board to be able to tip into the bumps too. 
  1. Glide of your foil. Glide for me is the time a foil will stay flying. Nothing to do with speed. Faster foils will glide further, but could maybe glide for less time as their stall is higher, so as they slow they will stall earlier. Longer glide time also helps with paddling up when you are in the paddle pump phase. A foil with a forgiving low end and plenty of glide can allow you to accelerate more when paddle pumping as each ‘skip’ will have more time off the water with lower drag, allowing you to build speed easier.  Glide also helps when up. I see glide as a ‘skill buffer’ / ability compensation. The longer you can stay on foil comfortably, the more time you have to choose your line and correct yourself. 

So here’s my thoughts on each of the foils I’ve listed above:

PNG 1300

Has extremely early lift and its speed range is the most forgiving on the low end. Some it’s not the fastest, but its fast enough.For the heavier guys or guys really set on flatwater paddle ups, this is a great foil to get started. Naturally with such a big span it doesn’t turn as well (I’ve heard, no personal experience with this foil). 

ART Pro 1401

Glide monster. Decent low end and probably the next best after the 1300 along with the 1180 in terms of low end. Heavier guys will love this foil to downwind in light wind. Personally I find the span a bit big and the foil is in general on the big side for me at 78kg. Here’s Dave West’s review of the 1401. 

ART Pro 1201

My go to light wind foil. I also use the 1201 when I’m doing flatwater paddle up training sessions. For the middleweight to lightweight riders I would recommend this as a starting foil if you are looking for a foil with lots of glide and efficiency, especially if your local conditions are on the light side. 

Spitfire 1180

Whilst the 1180 doesn’t have the high AR of the ART pros, it still has a pretty high AR and plenty of glide. Unlike the 1401 I would also recommend it to lighter riders as it has an (in my opinion) bigger speed range in which it’s very comfortable to ride whilst still retaining good handling and turning. I see turning as a really important characteristic for beginners as you want to be able to easily change direction without fighting the foil (you’ve got plenty of other things to focus on). The lower aspect ratio than the ART Pros also makes it friendlier to pump with less precision needed than say with the 1401 and the 1201. Here’s Dave West’s review of the 1180.

HPS 1050 / Spitfire 1100

To be honest, if I was to re-do my DW journey with the foils I have available to me now, I would probably still choose the 1050 (ok maybe the 1180, but I don’t think there would be a huge difference). With an AR of 7.55 the HPS 1050 is a solid mid aspect. It’s extremely forgiving, easy to pump (you can just stamp it) and remains easy to manoeuvre, even easier than the 1180. It has a slightly small speed range than the 1180, but a more friendly low end and still more than enough glide to keep you going whilst you look around for where to go next. I’d also put the Spitfire 1100 in with the 1050. It has a slightly higher speed range (so higher low end and high end), a touch more glide and comparable turning. 


As I write this, I realise I’d probably recommend the 1180, 1050 or 1100 to most people learning to DW with the exception of heavyweights (1300 or 1180 then) or those really limited with good wind or with more ocean / spaced out conditions. Then for sure I’d recommend an ART Pro. But to be honest, these are percentage differences. Now I know some people have the mindset that every percent counts. But that only applies, in my opinion, once a minimum competence level is gained and in the early stages step changes can be made purely by: working on bump timing, getting fitter and stronger and getting familiar with your equipment.  So whatever foil you choose as a beginner, consider choosing one you can use for the full range of most of your conditions. Using the same set up for everything really helps you dial in that feeling and lets you foil without thinking and allows you to focus on the rest (personal example: I used the 1050 for the first 5-6 months in 12 – 35 knots on lakes and the North Sea). 

Hope these insights were helpful and as always happy to answer any questions, always open to feedback. Just ping me on instagram or email me and I’m happy to help. For those in the Netherlands interested in trying some of these foils. Reach out and let’s organise a demo session.