Any 200 plus have experience foiling a UFO? How do they go in general?
They go just fine! There's a video of Steve Clark (one of the designers) foiling and he's in his late 50s and likely in the weight range you describe.
You'll need the kind of fitness you'd need to handle a Laser in a good breeze.
The big thing with foilers is that it's tricky to get started, to get past the initial learning curve, because you need
- a very particular boat and rig setup
- some techniques that are very counter-intuitive for a sailor coming from conventional boats
So my strong recommendation is that you find someone who's foiling a UFO (or a moth or a wazsp) in your area and hang out with them, do your first couple flights alongside. I can offer that kind of friendship in Miami 🙂
A couple more resources
- I've written the unofficial owners' guide for it https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mEjNqTfleXX2sS3nMUZI2tGcwFLzrTzPxNjSRwO-lTA/edit
- Kelly Federal has some excellent videos on learning how to foil it https://www.youtube.com/@kellyfederal/videos
- There's a lively forum thread in the Sailing Anarchy forums https://forums.sailinganarchy.com/threads/steve-and-dave-clarks-unidentified-foiling-object.176284/latest
hope it helps!
Oh, and one more thing.
A sailor here in FL bought one thinking she could sail it like an even smaller Hobie 14. Launch it through (modest) surf, sail it like a cat. She was disappointed.
The UFO will do lots of things for you, but cannot do that particular one.
Yes I have.. Awful little things... I always said the most I ever swam was sailing an I-14.... the UFO was worse. It takes quite a while to figure out how to shift your weight gracefully as being so small, everything is exaggerated. I have a couple of videos of me getting up on a foil and it usually ended in a full Red October maneuver. I have a contact who has a few of the S9's for sale...
Yeah, if you're expecting a cat, the UFO is an easier, more forgiving, cheaper Moth/Waszp. Small and every movement is exaggerated applies to all of them. Massive wipeouts as you learn, that too. And very much none of these are catamarans.
The Stunt S9 is a proper cat. Lots of fun (I sailed it a bunch). Also a completely different beast.
But it's comparing a motorbike to a car.