The history of wingsurfing dates back to 1986 when Tom Magruder presented his "Weapon of the Wind", a free-spinning sail that is firmly mounted on the surfboard. In the following years the technology is adapted and comes back on the market again and again in different versions and with new names. The use of wings is not limited to water sports, they are also used for snow, beach or land sports. The names "Skate Sails", "Wind Skates" or "Kitewings" are milestones in further development. Most of these variants have in common the use of a rigid frame to stretch the wing, which doubles as handlebars or handles. [1]
The reason for the moderate success of all these developments is of a physical nature: friction. Because wings large enough to propel a slow, heavy surfboard, including the surfer, must be very large, bulky, and heavy. It was only with the introduction of foil surfing that wingsurfing experienced a renaissance, fueled by kite brand Slingshot's idea to transfer the manufacturing technology of kitesurfing to wingsurfing: creating a wind sail that is inflatable, compact, lightweight and economical at the same time offers sufficient propulsion, especially in combination with aluminum decks.
This technology also convinces surf icon Robby Naish and other well-known manufacturers who are also developing inflatable wings for summer 2019.
Wing Foiling is a water sport that combines foil surfing with a sail[1]. When sailing without a hydrofoil it is also called "wing surfing". Wing Foiling consists of handling a wing unattached to the board and carried with two hands while standing on a hydrofoil mounted on a surf or stand up paddle board. [2] The pilot harnesses the power of the wind with a portable, inflatable sail called a "wing" to be propelled through the water on a surfboard mounted on a hydrofoil.[3]