Tucker and Jeff from MACkite are back, this time diving into the wild, exciting, and slightly humbling world of parawing. Think of it like wing foiling’s cool cousin—less gear in your hands, a different vibe, and a fresh learning curve that’ll knock even seasoned foilers back to beginner mode. These guys aren’t afraid to admit it—parawing looks mellow from the beach, but it’ll serve up slices of humble pie if you don’t show it some respect.
They kick things off joking about the name—parawing, handkite, kite-wing-thing—nobody knows what to call it yet, but “parawing” seems to be sticking. Whatever you call it, this new way to ride waves with lines and a foil is catching fire fast. But here’s the thing—it’s not just winging with extra steps. It's a whole different game, and the rules have changed.
Tucker’s been in it a bit longer and shares some lessons from the school of hard knocks—like trying to learn on a tiny board with a foil built for speed, not forgiveness. Spoiler: that didn’t go great. His advice? Grab a board that is around your weight in kilos, and add 10 liters or so for some extra float. Don’t be afraid to size up. Something in that mid-length, under-6’6” range, with a little width and stability, is the move. For foils, think about what you’d use in light wind winging—big, forgiving, and ready to lift you up early.
Jeff chimes in with his own war stories—going out lit on a board that was way too small, in winds that were way too strong, and basically just getting worked. He’s learned the value of mellow conditions and the right-sized wing. Don’t show up with your usual winging setup and expect it to feel the same. A 5-meter parawing feels a lot different when it’s pulling from the sky on lines. Their advice? Stay on the lower end of the wind range, especially when you’re starting out.
They also discuss the difference in feel. With a regular wing, you can muscle your way into things—pull, pump, lean on it. Parawings don’t play like that. They don’t lift the same. You’ve gotta find the sweet spot, let the wing fly, and build speed to create that apparent wind. It’s more subtle. More flow. And a lot more about board angle and maintaining that momentum.
The board talk gets deep—downwind SUPs can work, but they’re tracky and not super playful. On the flip side, tiny wing boards won’t give you the glide or speed you need to get up and go. Tucker has been working with boards that are just under 6 feet, about 20 to 24 inches wide. Stable enough to learn on, still fun once you start linking waves. Mid-length really is the sweet spot—not too long, not too twitchy.
One thing they both hammer home: be patient with yourself. You’re learning a brand-new skill. You’re gonna fall. You’re gonna get pulled downwind. You’re gonna end up walking the beach back to where you started. And that’s fine. Just part of the ride. Celebrate the little wins—like getting the wing flying without a tangle, getting on your knees, cruising around before you even foil. It’s all progress.
And yeah, practicing on the beach is cool too. You might look like a kook running around with your wing, but it helps. Learn how to sheet in, steer it, and kill the power. Get that muscle memory dialed before you take it to the water. Tucker calls it your “bunny slope”—no waves, no current, no stress. Just you, your wing, and figuring it out one step at a time.
There’s something pretty rad about showing up with less gear, skipping the pump-up, and just heading out. And once it clicks? Riding waves with nothing in your hands but a bar and lines—that’s a special kind of freedom. So, if you’re thinking about getting into parawing, just know it’s not going to be instant, but it will be worth it.
So grab the right board, a big foil, a wing that’s not too punchy, and give yourself some grace. Fall, laugh, paddle back out—and repeat.
Thank you for sharing the kiteboarding and wing foiling stoke with us! 🤙🏽 Please join us in the comments section and get a conversation started. We’re always happy to help!
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