foil vs. inflatable

Thinking about kite purchase.

Equipment page at kitesurfingschool.org is ecxellent, but seems dated. For example, F-One doesn't seem to manufacture foil anymore (I assume that both Magic and Mach are inflatables). I also don't see anybody on the foil in my area (3rd Ave SF). Does this mean that foil rendered unpractical, or there still exist places with a mix of different

Foils had been falling out of favor as inflatable tube kite development was much more rapid in the past couple of years. Now modern foil kitesurfing kites have performance which is at least equal to modern inflatbles. For example my flysurfer warrior has more sheeting range than most tube kites and is much easier to relaunch than a high-aspect inflatable.
www.foilfest.com has good info on modern foil kites.

Hi Mikito,

Water relaunchable foils provide more traction per square meter than bladder kites because they are double skinned. Their areofoil profile enables them to fly closer to the edge of the window, meaning that it's easier to stay upwind. They are also easier to setup and packup because there is no inflation required. However, the downside is that you have to deal with bridle lines. Although they rarely get tangled, this often scares people off. Alos, despite more engineering and sewing time, foils tend to be less expensive than inflatables - which is appealing to those starting out.

JoJo has a great line of water relaunchable foils: The Rage and Wet kites. They also have a new double skinned inflatable called the Acro. If you're interested check out our site www.adventureplanetsports.com. We also have bladder kites by RRD, and Cabrinha.

Cheers, Dan