When you’re just start looking for your first efoil board, efoil wings can be like looking at a different language. There’s a lot to unpack when it comes to their shape, the amount of aspect they have and the differences between larger wings and smaller wings.
We’re giving you a crash course on everything you need to know about eFoil wings. We briefly covered the anatomy of hydrofoils in an older post.
We’ll explain the different experience and performance between efoil wings in as much plain english as we can. But first, here are some terms so you know what we’re talking about.
Foil Wing Terminology
The components of the wings work together in harmony to help your efoil glide across the water.
- Foil: Hydrofoil under the water
- Mast: Structure that connects the board to the fuselage
- Fuselage: The structure that connects the Mast to the hydrofoil
- Front Wing: The part of the foil that creates lift. Surface area measured in cm²
- Rear Wing – Stabilizer: A small rear wing that balances the front wing
- Aspect ratio: The ratio between the wing span and the chord
Foil Wings: Front wings vs Back Wings
Foil wings are designed specifically for particular ocean conditions, riding, and rider preferences. For the purpose of this article we’ll keep things high level to avoid confusion.
The front wings are very important to watch out when it comes to the performance of your efoil when purchasing a new efoil.
Front wings will determine your take off speed, your max speed, and the control and carving performance and efficiency of your efoil. The front wings vary in size and it can be difficult to figure out.
The back wings are also called tail wings. The easiest way we can describe the tail wing is the larger the wing the easier it will be to ride and the smaller the wing the challenging it will be to ride. Smaller tail wings are faster and looser compared larger back wings.
If you’re a skateboarder, you can think of it like a longboarding. The looser the trucks the smaller the back wings, while the larger the back wings the stiffer the trucks will be.
Smaller Wings vs Larger Wings
When choosing the size of the wing it’s important to consider your weight and your skill level:
- Smaller wings tend to be faster, more reactive, and easier for maneuverability.
- Larger wings tend to be slower, give the rider more stability, and easier to control but won’t turn on a dime.
Smaller wings are better suited for advanced riders and experts while larger wings are better for beginners.
TL;DR: Larger wings are better suited for novice and heavier riders (weigh over 190lb+) while smaller wings are better for experts and lighter riders (weigh under 190lbs)
Foil Shapes
The wing span is the length of the wings from side to side. While the chord is the top of the foil to the bottom. The balance between chord and wing span help determine the shape of the wings.
The more surface area a wing has the more drag it will have.
Speaking of drag, that brings us to the aspect ratio of the wing which drills down further on the performance of the wings.
Low Aspect vs High Aspect Wings
An aspect ratio a proportional relationship between the height and width of the foils wing.
A high aspect ratio wing is typically longer, thinner, faster, less drag but lower lift. A higher aspect ratio makes turns longer and more drawn out.
A low aspect ratio wing is shorter, fatter, and has higher lift but also higher drag so they’re designed for lower speeds but a cruisey surf feel. High aspect ratio wings are used by riders focused on hitting higher speeds.
Lower aspect wings are better suited for beginners because it’s a mellower takeoff although they don’t hit max speeds like the higher aspect wings. High aspect wings take off in a hurry and can max their speed out pretty quickly because they have less drag and are more maneuverable.
Epic Foils take: If you’re a beginner stick with low aspect. If you’ve been foiling for awhile, you’re probably not reading this post anyway.
If you want to get a better idea on how wings preform, check out this video comparing all of the Fliteboards wings.
What eFoil Wings Should Beginners Use?
Beginners should stick to large wing front wings and tail wings with low aspect.
This will help the rider with a stable takeoff at the cost of more drag and less speed. However, it will be much easier to balance for novices to learn at lower speeds.
Can I use different brands wings on a different eFoils?
No. The wings are built to be compatible with the native brand. You should never use foils with different brands wings.
Do not switch your wings on to different efoils. Foil wings should only be changed with the boards that were designed for. Example: You should never put a fliteboard’s wings on a Lift board or vice versa.
How much do wings cost?
The classic answer, it depends! Foil wings can range from $600 – $1,000+ depending on what type of material is used. Higher aspect ratio wings tend to cost more than low aspect ones.
Used wings will be cheaper to buy than buying directly from the brand. Some brands are cheaper than others.
However, if you’re buying a brand new efoil for the first time, we wouldn’t recommend getting used wings.
Which brands have better quality wings?
Lift, Foil, and Fliteboard offer the most shapes and different settings on the market compared to other major brands.
Waydoo only offers two different sets of wings while Lift, Foil and Fliteboard have multiple sets ranging in different size, aspect ratio, and shapes.
Which wings are faster?
Smaller wings with higher aspect ratio will be capable of hitting higher speeds. The foils with more speed have more maneuverability but the rider must be able to handle it.
Which wings preform better in choppy water?
Performance will vary in choppy waters. The size of the wing matters.
Larger wings preform better in choppy water because they offer more stability to cut through wind chop. Smaller wings will not have the same efficiency.
Can you surf on an eFoil?
Absolutely. The wings will determine how responsive the foil is to turns and carves but you can surf waves on an eFoil.
Larger wings will be able catch smaller waves because of the surface area of the wing but with less maneuverability. It’s easier to learn and surf on larger wings.
Smaller wings will be less stable and maneuverable but those should be reserved for experts.