Standup Zone Forum
The Foil Zone => Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP => Topic started by: Admin on September 15, 2019, 05:34:35 AM
-
F-one has updated the info for their upcoming line of wing specific models. I am sure everyone will have a line of wing boards out in short order. It will be interesting to see this new breed of boards show up.
-
Do we really need wing specific boards?
-
Do we really need wing specific boards?
Well, of course we do :). It seems like there is a volume gap between surf foilboards and SUP that will be great for the wing and we do have a different take off dynamic than either of those sports. Transport and travel will get really easy at 5'4. I would like to see them covered with footstrap inserts, though. I like my current board but it is larger than I need and I am ready to be done with the concave deck. That is not for me. Flat or domed sounds terrific.
-
What dimensions you winging?
After doing it (on my 5’8 x 29) I’m torn at this point on the need for me.
Width is the only weakness in performance I can detect so far. With a narrower board, I could lean it over much harder and that would give me better upwind angles. Right now, the rails are kissing chop (even with chines) going upwind.
Then when I consider my 20” wide 4’8 doesn’t turn these big wings....hum
Then I say to myself, should I care about upwind? I want to go down wind more often anyway.
Who knows what I’ll think in another month ;D
Yes to flat decks.
-
Chan's board is 5'10 x 25 x 5.2. I like that better than my 6'6. It is still larger than it needs to be, though. I love having less nose out there. That is really nice. It is also feels too thick. It seems like something thinner in that size range would be a great light wind board for me and then something around 50 or 60 liters to try and learn a waterstart on. Just guessing at this point.
-
Do we really need wing specific boards?
He's an even bigger gear ho than you are, which is saying something.
-
Do we really need wing specific boards?
He's an even bigger gear ho than you are, which is saying something.
I'm sure he is (just like me) just playing catch-up with you. Don't ever let me into your bat cave, that goes down a rabbit hole I won't be able to escape. I'll just buy the damn wing specific board and brag about getting it before you :D
-
I guess these boards are good after the beginners' stage.
-
It won't be difficult to adapt this to our sport.
(https://cyclgeel.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/you-need-a-new-bike.gif)
-
Looks like Takuma has a wing board coming in November. I can't see if this has inserts for footstraps but it is looking terrific!
From Facebook:
Board ZK WING
5’4x24 1/2 : 88L
PVC & Carbon Construction
COMING SOON - Available early November !!
Special design for Wingfoil
(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/70784858_1131857007007763_1062236697535709184_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_oc=AQkSpJGcIVk9cctOojP_k9ewLcyV8ECGsQbhvBpAgDFCyFAfH5Dth8rYkqw9e5UbeM4&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=4625921506e8fdd8dc49fa3629b3b82e&oe=5DFED91F)
-
I think I need a large buddy. I can ride their prone board with a wing and they could ride my SUP board.
Admin’s got it sorted. Guys, here’s your chance to buy your wives some gear.
-
I like that Takuma!
Blue Planet’s Carver series Sup-foil boards would work well.
Unfortunately the carbon models are not much lighter than the standard construction but they are probably quite durable.
I like the 5 foot 2“ x 26 1/2“ board
Foot strap inserts included.
No need for multiple boards, IMO.
Limited availability when I called a couple weeks ago (November).
Freedom Foil Boarfs out of San Clemente has a cool board called “The Skillet”.
They are custom order only.
https://www.realwatersports.com/products/freedom-foil-boards-skillet
-
Any one tried one of these?
https://www.mantafoils.com/e-shop/Inflatable-supfoil-wingfoil-board-110L-p147850085
If I was in the States I would get one. Would be great for travelling. :)
-
Somebody thinks like me. ;D
Check out this preview of Gong’s 2020 wing boards. Short, thick, chunky monkeys. Easy high performance winging.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49179836811_b8d35151fa.jpg)
-
Looking forward to the full specs. Depending on weights, I may bring one back to the US in the spring.
The Zuma though, is no lightweight. Right in there with the Fanatic.
Would love to just lift Patrice's custom in the picture.
-
Merged topics to keep it all together. It is great to see this happening. The future of floaters for sure.
-
Somebody thinks like me. ;D
Check out this preview of Gong’s 2020 wing boards. Short, thick, chunky monkeys. Easy high performance winging.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49179836811_b8d35151fa.jpg)
The stubby wide boards are interesting. I currently ride a 7'10 x 30" 138L board (Takuma BX Hybrid) and I really like it for winging. It's stable in the chop but fun and relatively maneuverable once flying. The thing that I like about it most is that before I'm up on the foil and just getting going it carries good speed with its long shape...I need to going 5++ mph to even think about pumping on the foil.
Aren't stubby (short and wide) boards known for being slow to accelerate? In light wind I wonder how these would perform, if it would make it difficult to get up to speed to pop-up on the foil. Once you're up and flying I'm sure it's a blast though not to have so much board under you, I imagine it would make pumping way easier too.
I sure wish Gong sold boards to the US, as of a few months ago they weren't shipping them to the US due to size. Maybe the stubby little boards will be a different story.
-
Could imagine shipping would likely be around $200, they'd still be a bargain. Suspect it will be at least $150 in excess baggage anyway on United or Condor back from the EU.
-
I am considering getting an inflatable F-one Rocket Air SUP 6'11". The reason is it makes transporting 2 boards to the beach very easy as it rolls up into a wing size bag. I like the side handle placement too, it might be very helpful for getting in and out of shore break. The handle is perfect for grabbing the bottom of the foil and the side of the board.
(https://www.oahure.com/downloads/rocketair1.jpg)
(https://www.oahure.com/downloads/rocketair3.jpg)
Before you write off inflatables, I suggest reading this firsthand experience using a Rocket Air Board.
https://bayareakitesurf.com/f-one-rocket-air-surf-the-wingsurfers-guide-through-progression/ (https://bayareakitesurf.com/f-one-rocket-air-surf-the-wingsurfers-guide-through-progression/)
More Info is at: https://www.f-one.world/product/rocket-air-sup/ (https://www.f-one.world/product/rocket-air-sup/)
(https://www.oahure.com/downloads/rocketair2.jpg)
-
Aren't stubby (short and wide) boards known for being slow to accelerate? In light wind I wonder how these would perform, if it would make it difficult to get up to speed to pop-up on the foil.
As we all know, getting up on foil, is everything. A little, light, short, board can be bounced into the air much earlier than a big board, that has to rely a lot on board speed for help.
So these small thick wing boards, actually get airborne earlier than any other type board. Even with limited skill.
-
Thanks for that link, S-K. I was thinking ...if I ever -was-maybe- interested I would get beat to c'hit ..carbon bloodied and hardboard battered. The F-One blimp looks perfect - 'cept for two details. It is only Tuttle and there are no provisions for footstraps.
There's the Indiana (funny name...) brand with those features but it's microscopic from my perspective.
https://shop.indiana-paddlesurf.com/foil/foilboards/indiana-4-1-foil-inflatable-without-foil.html
There's the Brunotti RDP Glider but check out that mast placement! (maybe they were working on a 2-way foil)
https://vimeo.com/173044247
Only slightly interested.... Jim.
-
This seems like a great idea. I've done some research too but haven't been able to get any real feedback of on one in use. Think I recall seeing a video of behind a boat use. One issue is the KF box, unless you have an F-one foil you'll need an adapter. Gong makes one for their alu masts, probably others too. Going from deep tuttle to KF for instance just sounds wrong.
then there's Manta inflatables as well.
I am considering getting an inflatable F-one Rocket Air SUP 6'11". The reason is it makes transporting 2 boards to the beach very easy as it rolls up into a wing size bag. I like the side handle placement too, it might be very helpful for getting in and out of shore break. The handle is perfect for grabbing the bottom of the foil and the side of the board.
(https://www.oahure.com/downloads/rocketair1.jpg)
(https://www.oahure.com/downloads/rocketair3.jpg)
Before you write off inflatables, I suggest reading this firsthand experience using a Rocket Air Board.
https://bayareakitesurf.com/f-one-rocket-air-surf-the-wingsurfers-guide-through-progression/ (https://bayareakitesurf.com/f-one-rocket-air-surf-the-wingsurfers-guide-through-progression/)
More Info is at: https://www.f-one.world/product/rocket-air-sup/ (https://www.f-one.world/product/rocket-air-sup/)
(https://www.oahure.com/downloads/rocketair2.jpg)
-
Thatspec, good point on the KF box. I am sure F-one has a reason behind their design, although in this case we don't know what it is.
I was wondering why no track mount, but perhaps the track mount is a lot heavier than the KF box.
I have been searching for feedback from users too.
I wonder how hard it is to pump up. I think I read it can go to 25 psi. I am wondering how hard those last 10 pumps are to bring it up to that pressure.
All these boards are very new so hopefully we will start to see some reviews at some point.
-
I wonder how hard it is to pump up. I think I read it can go to 25 psi. I am wondering how hard those last 10 pumps are to bring it up to that pressure.
All these boards are very new so hopefully we will start to see some reviews at some point.
I used to pump my 340Liter board to 25PSI in 6 minutes with the right pump (Red Titan this case) so 2-3 minuets for this seems like a walk in the park in comparison.
-
Here is a really nice video of a low volume (50 Liter) knee start in flat water. It gives you a great idea of what will be required to make that happen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOyKGxM-_E8
-
Jacky tried that, just pinch your knees and magically go from legs hanging over the side, to knees on the deck trick.
It was hilarious....no way people in there 60s can do that. ;D Our joints barely bend. She went back to just climbing aboard and sitting in her knees, then grabbing the wing. Much easier, although not as cool looking ;D
-
The new Gong sup and wing foil boards are now on the website. Well worth a look. :)
https://www.gong-galaxy.com/categorie-produit/wing-fr/planches-wing-fr/
-
SK, "I was wondering why no track mount, but perhaps the track mount is a lot heavier than the KF box."
...could it be that the plate mounts to a single surface (wiggle-wobble-tear) - whereas the Tuttle allows for attachment to both top/bottom without needing something like Robert's 'strongbox'?
https://www.blueplanetsurf.com/foil-strongbox.html
Jim
-
The new Gong sup and wing foil boards are now on the website. Well worth a look. :)
Lots of compact options there. The floodgates are about to open. Stoked to see that Gong smothered these boards in inserts.
-
Think Gong are right on the money with these :D
-
Did you notice the Gong wing boards are priced higher than the SUPs!
-
It seems like there will be a lot of variations on this design:
(https://www.f-one.world/app/uploads/2019/11/2020-Rocket-wing-serie-2019-650x650.png)
(https://www.gong-galaxy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/TB-FOILBOARD-2020-FLINT-GAMME-STRAPS-SUPFOIL-768x768.png)
-
The wing specific boards look v interesting.
https://www.gong-galaxy.com/produit/gong-sup-lemon-fsp-pro/
-
Interesting that the new Wing Specific boards are so small. I believe we have not even seen the tip of the ice burg on Wing Foiling growth and these boards are already so small. Yes I loved playing with a 75l board when I was in Maui and have over 100 sessions on the Wing, and still struggled` to get started sometimes, but the bulk of riders that will be entering the sport in the next few years will want easy (up-haulable). Just like the start of SUP when everyone was on 10.6 and 11ft boards for surfing, I believe people are still going to be starting on 6-7ft boards with 110-170l. 8)
-
Interesting that the new Wing Specific boards are so small. I believe we have not even seen the tip of the ice burg on Wing Foiling growth and these boards are already so small.
Thanks for your post. I also find the boards to be small, especially for people learning to wing foil, which represents a good percentage of the wing foilers, as it has not been around so long yet. Also, light wind or choppy conditions require a board you do not fall off of so much.
Unfortunately I know some people wanting to get into wing foiling, and went out there on a light wind day with a small board, and got no where at all, and decided this new sport is not for them. They will stick to surf foiling.
I understand smaller boards are a lot of fun once you are up and foiling, but for those in light wind conditions and/or learning, the most fun you can have is getting up easily, regardless of the board size.
-
Yeah I believe we have to e careful not to put let the most experienced and enthusiastic Wing people recommend boards that are too small for beginners. Yes it may be more expensive to step down board size's incrementally but better than putting people off of the sport altogether which happens easily when discouraged on first few attempts with gear that is too small, then those people also share their experiences and it doesn't help grow the sport. Especially for people in colder climates where water starting and up-hauling makes a huge difference in personal comfort and time willing to spend learning.
PS: I know I won't be on my 75 liter board if it blows tomorrow in the Gorge! It's cold AF, so back to the trusty 6.7 Sky SUP which I can easily uphaul in rough conditions.
-
I like the Flint as my 1st choice, the lemon (funny name though) and the zuma but they dont ship to Australia :o :)
-
Here is a really nice video of a low volume (50 Liter) knee start in flat water. It gives you a great idea of what will be required to make that happen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOyKGxM-_E8
So today Jacky tried a new variation on this method. With her legs over the side straddling the board, she put both hands on the deck and pushed down to pull here knees together and get sitting on the deck like that. Then she grabbed the Swing.
She wants to avoid bashing the board with her harness hook. I told her don’t worry about it, I bash the crap out of mine. It’s Innegra. You can’t hurt it.
-
Do beginners need a wing specific board though. Surely the design overlap between a foil SUP board and a beginner wing board is so great that the niche doesn't really exist?
-
Gong released information and specs on their new foil boards on their website https://www.gong-galaxy.com/en/magazine/news-en/gear-new-2020-sup-foil-and-wing-foil-boards-online/ (https://www.gong-galaxy.com/en/magazine/news-en/gear-new-2020-sup-foil-and-wing-foil-boards-online/)
The photos of the new boards are focusing in on the boards themselves, but take a close look at the wind wings that are being cropped out of the photos...this is a new design if I'm not mistaken. Does anyone have any info on these? Perhaps this is the first glimpse of the upcoming Wing 2 model (since the + model is marketed as a limited production model anyway).
(https://i.ibb.co/qW3kWfp/FLINT-03-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/3M9BMqc)
(https://i.ibb.co/h7JN3wn/FLINT-11-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/znTgqDL)
(https://i.ibb.co/9w6zPS3/LEMON-06-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/s5nk7zJ)
(https://i.ibb.co/d5cHCn5/MOB2-TASTE-10-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/5R9JpqR)
It also looks like full carbon masts are being shown here in a few of these pics.
-
So far I’m glad I went 100L 5’10” SUP from Dwight. I didn’t have a SUP foil board, so this will get me through the learning process winging and I can keep it for SUP sessions after I eventually add a smaller wingding board to the quiver (or learn to use my 4’10” prone board).
-
Do beginners need a wing specific board though. Surely the design overlap between a foil SUP board and a beginner wing board is so great that the niche doesn't really exist?
Floaty and stable helps a lot at the beginning. You may want to borrow or buy used for that period because within a few weeks you will likely be able to move down in size. Once you are comfortable knee starting then you will likely have an easier time overall on a smaller board. Wing specific boards may help you after that (we will soon see) but because your first board won't likely be a long term relationship that is not going to be an important factor.
-
Floaty and stable helps a lot at the beginning. You may want to borrow or buy used for that period because within a few weeks you will likely be able to move down in size.
I agree stable boards are critical when learning.
Unfortunately my learning curve might be slower than others as I have been at it longer than a few weeks and have not quite mastered the air jibe. I am close, but I still hit the water, and once I hit the water the floaty and stable board is a benefit again. At my location I know others on the same learning curve so I am OK with it.
Also, I wonder in 10 to 11 knots if that small board is going to be easier to get foiling vs. something with a bit more volume. In higher winds small boards work great, but are small boards also good boards in 10 to 11 knots?
-
All:
Please keep in mind most of the people that regularly comment on this forum, including me live, are very fortunate to live and ride in very windy places! Also many of us have extensive experience in sports that pre-qualify them to pick it up very quickly...
I believe the growth of the sport will come from less windy places where again a more floaty board is going to work better, and with people who see it and are attracted by it because it looks fun. I just think we need to be realistic because I have seen more than once a pure beginner that is new to the sport and does NOT have the extensive ws or kite background learn very well on a 7ft sup board with a 2500cm foil. Putting them on anything smaller would have just been more frustrating. Lots of stablility and float and easy flying at low speeds, remember the sooner they fly the quicker the smile and more likely they are to stick with it. I know there will always be pure Ninjas and kids that make it look easy or individuals who have been windsporting for decades who generally pick it up in minutes and within a year can rider full sink0er boards. I agree it gets expensive but if their worried about that they should get into running, ping pong or flying a singe line kite.
-
It also looks like full carbon masts are being shown here in a few of these pics.
Gong carbon masts are already available pre order...
-
Did you notice the Gong wing boards are priced higher than the SUPs!
That is interesting (shrewd even). The SUP's are bigger, have more materials in them and it's the same newer carbon construction.
-
Floaty and stable helps a lot at the beginning. You may want to borrow or buy used for that period because within a few weeks you will likely be able to move down in size.
I agree stable boards are critical when learning.
Unfortunately my learning curve might be slower than others as I have been at it longer than a few weeks and have not quite mastered the air jibe. I am close, but I still hit the water, and once I hit the water the floaty and stable board is a benefit again. At my location I know others on the same learning curve so I am OK with it.
Also, I wonder in 10 to 11 knots if that small board is going to be easier to get foiling vs. something with a bit more volume. In higher winds small boards work great, but are small boards also good boards in 10 to 11 knots?
A huge board early on is really helpful. I borrowed Bill's massive board to learn the kneestart. I then went down to a 6'10 135 liter for a few weeks and then a 6'6 120 Liter board which is smaller but still quite large for my weight. Those shifts down were helpful when I was ready for it but those are all steps down to still large boards. I am not suggesting small boards for new riders. The opposite actually. I would say go huge for a short while and then move down a bit. When you go to that slightly smaller board you will shed a lot of weight and bulk and takeoffs will be easier. Slightly smaller boards also get pushed around less by chop and swell but this is also relative. Very small boards are a major handful to kneestart in wild water.
We have been very happy with our 6'6 and 5'10 boards for most of this season. It seems like a kneestart board for marginal conditions and a waterstart board for steady wind will eventually be a good combo. These new wing specific boards are packing a lot of volume into very compact shapes. Something like that looks good to me as a potential replacement kneestart board for light or inconsistent wind. Knee starting on a smaller board is not bad in mellow water. Takeoffs are fine as well.
-
Got my wing board transport system worked out. The big downwinder is happening tomorrow.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6MMuLznR6r/?igshid=11azzl0kiireg
-
cool ride Dwight (DW) :)
-
Looks like my rig--which I've never used!!
-
Very cool ride, but watch those hard left turns 8)
-
Got another reference point yesterday, for who can ride a wing board on day one of winging...
A snowbird from Wisconsin, who comes down every Winter arrived. Expert kite foiler. Never SUP foiled. 55 years old. 158 lbs. Never even seen a wing ding in person. I spent 5 minutes on the beach teaching him. Sent him out on the 5m Swing with a 5’8 SUP and Axis 92 foil. It took some time to figure out pumping the board and the wing in coordination, but he got there and rode all around on foil. No jibes.
Then I offered up the 5’1 90 liter wing board to see what he could do on the Axis 1000 foil. No problem knee starting, but could not pump onto foil with limited pump skill. Then I put the Axis 1020 foil on it. He foiled all over the place like a hero.
So starting with a wing board on day one, is very possible for anyone with some good athletic skill and a kite foiling background.
He’s going to order a wing board and skip the SUP foil board step.
-
i'm about to buy a new smaller wing board.
I own a Fanatic Sky surf 6"3 which i love but i really need something smaller now.
Let's make a list on the possibilities on 5" size (not including the custom made options):
F-One: Rocket Wing (already available?)
Gong: Lemon and Flint (from February 2020)
Fanatic: for sure they are working on something smaller but the new boards will not hit the market before May/June i guess
Takuma: Zk Wing (from February 2020) - but they are doing only 5'4 size
What other brands i am missing?
-
For right now I think you are looking at previously existing SUP models. Robert's current Carver 5'2 is looking very similar to some of the upcoming Wing specific boards. https://www.blueplanetsurf.com/search/carver/
I think that you will have a lot of options by mid summer.
-
At the end of this clip, it looks like they branded the wing boards Duotone.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6Z6eAInh8c/?igshid=5o174ukowmgf
-
They say is 5’ and 75 litres.
-
Looks good. Boomless option for a new wing, maybe a microboom/long handle? Hard to see but rigid handle(s) with a rigid strut connection would be very cool. It already looks like it is flying a lot better from the leading edge handle.
-
Good find Admin, that new Duotone wing interesting.
-
Wow, size perspective
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6nKty5HkBt/?igshid=vxr1fgsfxjcv
-
This guy Patrice is prolific. He puts out more product in two months than the typical Starboard-type brand in two years. They're still serving Nuts (like they need permission of a Private Equity partner to move ahead) while this guy is displaying haute cuisine. Flying saucers.
Jim
-
Got my 200 lb buddy to try the 5’1 x 26 90 liter wing board. He’s the GoFoil team rider. He’s using his GL-240 with special rear wing with flipped tips.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RLVzZqjJmE
-
Looks great DW! How strong was the wind? Jacky was doing just fine on 4.2
Is 6m really necessary?
-
Is 6m really necessary?
No. It’s the only wing he currently owns.
It was a 5m day for me. Wind is a bit weird right now. Cold water (70) mixed with hot air (80) makes for an inversion layer where the wind doesn’t blow at the surface. Very up-down whacky wind.
Did you notice the leash wrapped around his neck! That’s why I prefer a coil.
-
Wow, that 90l board handled an experienced 200# rider knee starting without the slightest hiccup! And those GL and Axis 1000/900 wings seem to rip compared to my Gong pro. Although I do sorta keep wondering why experienced guys like this and FLKiter aren’t mixing in as many tacks as jibes.
That leash neck wrap looks scary :-\. I get mine wrapped around my elbow all the time but never around the neck
Dwight, is that Kelly Park you’re riding from? Do 80-90 cm masts work there?
-
It is Kelly Park. 80cm is easier than 90 there.
Laitham did a few tacks. Just didn’t get one on video.
I laughed when I saw that leash around his neck and he left it there. ;D It’s why I tossed those in favor of coils. Everyone has to find the leash that annoys us the least.
-
This is a good article about progression on these new (upcoming) Wing Specific models. It is a newsletter so it is F-one-centric for sure but lots of good stuff in there all the same.
https://bayareakitesurf.com/part-ii-wingsurfers-guide-through-progression-rocket-wing-boards-by-brian-friedmann/?utm_source=BAKS+Distribution&utm_campaign=a99529bacf-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b8121e1d40-a99529bacf-432535169
(https://bayareakitesurf.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/f2-768x663.jpg)
-
Interesting thread. So given that by increasing the thickness of a board you could build a 5'2" x 26" with either 80 or 100l of volume what is the advantage of less volume? Is there a point at which volume starts to become a hindrance rather than a help?
-
[
-
Do we really need wing specific boards?
Well, of course we do :). It seems like there is a volume gap between surf foilboards and SUP that will be great for the wing and we do have a different take off dynamic than either of those sports. Transport and travel will get really easy at 5'4. I would like to see them covered with footstrap inserts, though. I like my current board but it is larger than I need and I am ready to be done with the concave deck. That is not for me. Flat or domed sounds terrific.
What don't you like about the concave deck? I'm about to buy a board and I like the idea but haven't tried one. ????????
-
I am considering getting an inflatable F-one Rocket Air SUP 6'11". The reason is it makes transporting 2 boards to the beach very easy as it rolls up into a wing size bag. I like the side handle placement too, it might be very helpful for getting in and out of shore break. The handle is perfect for grabbing the bottom of the foil and the side of the board.
(https://www.oahure.com/downloads/rocketair1.jpg)
(https://www.oahure.com/downloads/rocketair3.jpg)
Before you write off inflatables, I suggest reading this firsthand experience using a Rocket Air Board.
https://bayareakitesurf.com/f-one-rocket-air-surf-the-wingsurfers-guide-through-progression/ (https://bayareakitesurf.com/f-one-rocket-air-surf-the-wingsurfers-guide-through-progression/)
More Info is at: https://www.f-one.world/product/rocket-air-sup/ (https://www.f-one.world/product/rocket-air-sup/)
(https://www.oahure.com/downloads/rocketair2.jpg)
If anyones not used an Isup they really dont' have a clue how rigid they CAN be. While certainly not the same performance (rails suck) most non surfers wouldn't know they were inflatable if you didnt' tell them. Hard as heck when inflated. Especially the 20psi versions. More so with battens. Going to have to look hard at that.
-
Do we really need wing specific boards?
Well, of course we do :). It seems like there is a volume gap between surf foilboards and SUP that will be great for the wing and we do have a different take off dynamic than either of those sports. Transport and travel will get really easy at 5'4. I would like to see them covered with footstrap inserts, though. I like my current board but it is larger than I need and I am ready to be done with the concave deck. That is not for me. Flat or domed sounds terrific.
What don't you like about the concave deck? I'm about to buy a board and I like the idea but haven't tried one. ????????
So many years on domed decks. Concave just feels a little unnatural to me but I am slowly getting used to it :).
-
I wonder how hard it is to pump up. I think I read it can go to 25 psi. I am wondering how hard those last 10 pumps are to bring it up to that pressure.
All these boards are very new so hopefully we will start to see some reviews at some point.
I used to pump my 340Liter board to 25PSI in 6 minutes with the right pump (Red Titan this case) so 2-3 minuets for this seems like a walk in the park in comparison.
I have a 20 psi RPC board and it's crazy hard to pump the last 10lbs. I'm 210lbs and strong (lift weights twice a week) and it's all I can do to get it there. Get an adapter to use a compressor!
Website I saw said 21lbs (odd 1lb)
-
Your super light concave deck acting like a spoon holding water. Early SUPs tried it. It came and went like a cheap suit.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49417143016_38513f8f24_b.jpg)
-
Here to give another shout out for Dwight at Foil Surfmachines and his new wing board design. Had my first session yesterday at my training spot (Canadian Hole in Hatteras) and decided right away that this is an awesome board! So I downsized from my first board (Blue Planet Carver 5’8” x 27.5” x 5.3”, 114 L, 18.8#) to a FoilSurfMachine 5’1” x 26” x 4.75”, 90 L, 12# board. I suppose at my butt niicked weight of 78 kg (add 8# for all that wet neoprene) I could have easily chosen his next size down (5’1” x 25” x 4.5”, 80 L), but at a klutzy 61 with bad knees and other various questionable joints I was happy to err on the no brainer side. Didn’t seem like the extra half pound savings was worth it.
I was able to knee-start as easily as my bigger board (those boxy rails rails really help) and also got up on the foil just as easy. Once on the foil, it’s like being in a new world. I finally feel like I’m riding a foil and not this massive “dampening blob” sitting on top of a foil. Didn’t think 7# would feel that different but it does. Lots more pitch and carve sensitivity. Heck, I even breached and splattered a few times getting used to it! I do think in the early learning phase the damping effect of some extra size and weight would be a plus, especially if you don’t have previous foil experience.
In the video clip I was getting pretty tired and riding sloppy (rusty and still on meds from the flu). On one half botched tack I slammed the board off the foil, but it handled my spaziness with ease :)
https://youtu.be/jSxrJvIrn-Q
-
Good instructional 'get up' video with interesting offset foot positioning - thanks for posting Dave.
Jim
-
Good instructional 'get up' video with interesting offset foot positioning - thanks for posting Dave.
Jim
Have u noticed Derek Hama’s foot position. Looks like his offset is at rear foot and front foot is over the Center of board.
-
great vid obxDave and like seeing people like you showing us how to knee start 8)
-
great vid obxDave and like seeing people like you showing us how to knee start 8)
So with my Hero 7 mounted on the back of the Duotone boom you don’t really get to see what I think is the harder part of the knee start. By the time the wing comes out of the water and the camera sees anything I’m already up on my knees and flying the wing with forward momentum on a broad reach. From that point standing up and getting onto foil is pretty easy (with enough wind!)
The harder part you don’t see:..... you are in the water and have to get wingding and board in the right position relative to the wind, then slide onto the board prone style while holding the wing, and using both hands to pull yourself onto the board. Pretty awkward to do while holding the wing front grab handle in the “downwind” hand. Once lying on the board the wind will tend to quickly want to point you directly downwind. Next I use my hands holding the outside rails to push up on all fours (hands and knees). If your not balanced just right on a small board when you push up, you’ll just tip over into the water backwards, sideways, even forwards, depending on your “push-up” start position.
Once up on all fours and balanced pointing downwind, I quickly let go of the board with my hands and fly the wing. The “free” hand that isn’t on the front grab handle has to quickly grab the boom (or rear handle) to sheet the wing in. By sheeting in quickly you gain forward momentum on the board and can quickly turn the board back to a broad reach sailing sideways to the wind on your knees. Once sailing on a reach on your knees it gets way easier and standing up is really the easiest part of the whole routine.
On a smaller board it all gets a bit more challenging. On my new smaller board I balance myself a wee bit farther back on the board so that when I’m knee sailing the front of the board is riding higher in the water.
Note that on small volume boards some riders will straddle sit on the board like sitting on a prone surfboard and transition to a knee position from there. There is no way my bad knees would handle that! So the very unglamorous technique I describe is what works for me. Maybe I’ll try a different camera position on the board to show everything I’m describing.
-
Good instructional 'get up' video with interesting offset foot positioning - thanks for posting Dave.
Jim
Have u noticed Derek Hama’s foot position. Looks like his offset is at rear foot and front foot is over the Center of board.
Probably a bit deceiving. You can’t have one foot on centerline and the other off it unless you want to start turning, or something else (like pull from the wingding) is counterbalancing. I offset to have easy carving control. I don’t think about it too much, it’s just where my feet want go. :P
-
Good description of the struggle to mount to the board obxDave.
Just the other day, Dave (the other Dave) and I were laughing about how pathetic we both feel going through this board mounting process. Neither of us can stand if we sail along on our knees for more than a few seconds. Our joints hurt so bad, we become stiff and can’t move. We’re just better off going for the standup move right away. Sucks getting old.
-
Good description of the struggle to mount to the board obxDave.
Just the other day, Dave (the other Dave) and I were laughing about how pathetic we both feel going through this board mounting process. Neither of us can stand if we sail along on our knees for more than a few seconds. Our joints hurt so bad, we become stiff and can’t move. We’re just better off going for the standup move right away. Sucks getting old.
Me too. Also true for foil surfing. Paddling out at Ka'a is a long haul, and it's nice to not have to stand the whole way if it's choppy. Kathy Shipman has both the flexibility and balance to sit on her board and paddle out, and somehow come to her feet from that position without a walker frame, which is what I'd need. I hate seeing her do that--pure envy. If I stay on my knees for any length of time I will almost invariably pitch off the damned thing when I stand. Any time I don't is a victory for PT and stretching.
I do have a tip for the geezer get up though. Once you get your front and back legs in position and are ready to toss yourself into the drink, tighten your core, especially on the back leg side. It makes tottering to my feet at least 50% easier, and when I remember to do it my success rate skyrockets from 10 percent to 20 percent.
-
"my success rate skyrockets from 10 percent to 20 percent" ...well put, Bill. I sorta feel as if I arrived at a sorority house party at 3 am. Everybody else is hooked up?! I thoroughly hope to make that 20% this coming season. Press on.
Jim
-
I do have a tip for the geezer get up though.....tighten your core...
You mean you don’t just grunt real hard and try not to crap your pants? I know I’m going to someday soon.
-
Tighten your core is the opposite of that, and hopefully prevents part 2 or maybe that's number 2.
-
Does anyone have any experience or input on the 2020 Naish Hover 95 for Winging? It's 5'7 x 27 and 95 liters. I'm looking to downsize my current winging board, which is a 7'10 x 30" x 138 liters (Takuma BX Hybrid). I weigh about 165lbs.
https://www.naishsurfing.com/product/hover-sup-foil-carbon-ultra/
-
Does anyone have any experience or input on the 2020 Naish Hover 95 for Winging? It's 5'7 x 27 and 95 liters. I'm looking to downsize my current winging board, which is a 7'10 x 30" x 138 liters (Takuma BX Hybrid). I weigh about 165lbs.
https://www.naishsurfing.com/product/hover-sup-foil-carbon-ultra/
It would be a massive improvement. Do it ;D
-
Do you guys think that the super beveled tails have any real benefit on a wing board or are they just a carry over from SUP foil boards?
-
I think super bevelled tails help a lot to pump the board in low wind.
When there is plenty of wind you don't need them, a board with no tail rocker might even be easier to get flying.
I have two custom boards in the works, both with a super bevelled tail=a lot of rocker after the tracks , but I will use these boards for sup foiling as well.
-
Let’s get into bottom shape theory and you decide. There are two main principles or types.
1) Steep bevel chines to avoid rail contact in turns, then some kind of carryover bottom from the surfing world. Concave usually. The early Kalama had that style chine and it seems the whole industry copied it. Kalama moved away from that. During his podcast appearance he explains why.
2) Shallow long chines to reduce the bottom contact patch and create what is basically a displacement hull bottom. I credit Takuma for being the first to use this “on a SUP”. It has been in use on kite foil race boards for years, but for different reasons. Kiters do that chine to reduce rail touches when heeled over racing. Kalama uses this style today. So do I.
Kalama did some testing and found the type 2 chine would unstick from the water better. I was already riding that bottom shape with a kite and knew it was the least sticky, and least draggy, when my kiteboard would constantly kiss the water during my kook stage learning transitions.
Next I think it comes down to what you think helps YOU more. The type one with a planning bottom or the type 2 that unsticks better. I personally never plane up. I can pump it into the air near instantly. So unstick is king for me. While others, might just stand there and wait to plane, then fly. That person is a type 1 user.
Tail treatment is a whole new topic. You can view the tail chine with the same principles of the rail. Unstick in the same way. Or you can treat it with planning in mind, and go for a sharp edge somewhere.
-
I ask because I had the opportunity to try a friend's board with a beveled tail (relatively long bevel) and it made me think. The problem was that even though there was substantial area behind the track (wider and longer back there than I am used to) it lacked the stability that its length and width would have seemed to allow. It wanted to rock or fall back onto that bevel rather than getting support from it. This was mostly noticeable when on the knees. In this new sport the board is really not doing all that much. We need to be able to kneel comfortably and it can make it as easy as possible to get to our feet. I am wondering if a lot of the bevel is counterproductive for us and if it is just excess that could either be trimmed or if that width (or part of it) could be used better as "full contact, full support" bottom.
-
I ask because I had the opportunity to try a friend's board with a beveled tail (relatively long bevel) and it made me think. The problem was that even though there was substantial area behind the track (wider and longer back there than I am used to) it lacked the stability that its length and width would have seemed to allow. It wanted to rock or fall back onto that bevel rather than getting support from it. This was mostly noticeable when on the knees. In this new sport the board is really not doing all that much. We need to be able to kneel comfortably and it can make it as easy as possible to get to our feet. I am wondering if a lot of the bevel is counterproductive for us and if it is just excess that could either be trimmed or if that width (or part of it) could be used better as "full contact, full support" bottom.
You are a wise man. Yes, those extreme tail chops are counter productive.
-
Admin, I like what you are saying.
I have tried all the bevels including the rear and the side and the board was not very stable. Then I tried one with no bevels and it was very stable.
I honestly can't tell the difference in early take off. As long as I have enough wind in the wing I can take off easily. If I don't have enough wind neither option will get me in the air.
For me having the volume in the back instead of the extreme tail chop means the swell has more board to push and I am floating higher in the water. I believe this is the same concept as long surf boards vs. short surf boards. The long boards have more volume, you ride higher, and the push from smaller swells is much greater than on a short board. When you take away that volume there is less area to get pushed by the swell.
Once in the air the bevels don't mean a lot for me. In extreme turns I can hit the side of the water and I don't notice a big slow down from the non-beveled rail. It gives my turn a reference point and some bounce back up from the turn. So I find that I really don't ride with the side of my board in the water, and when in the air the bevels mean nothing.
Those extreme tail chops look a lot cooler than a big fat backside on a board. The tail chop gives the board a smaller look in my opinion. However, I prefer the stability and volume even though I look less cool.
One other important thought on tail chops and beveled rails is they are not great for beginners. When you are just starting out stability is really important. I have seen too many people fail to get anywhere because they are using that small board with the fancy beveled bottom they surf foil with to wing foil, and initially the wing is pulling them in different directions so a stable board makes the learning curve easier.
-
You have to get all the design elements working together. A huge tail chop, throws the distribution of volume way off. Everything needs to be in balance. You need to be able to mount the board, stand on the board, get your feet in the right spot to pump and fly, all in control and easy to do. Plus have enough tail chop to make it pump easy. A straight tail does not pump well.
-
Dwight, I agree. The ultimate board is as you are describing. If the tail chop takes away the control, then I would prefer the straight tail vs. loss of control. If you have all the control and a tail shape that pumps well then you have it all.
It seems the ultimate boards are the one's you are building. The one that Admin tried and said "it lacked the stability that its length and width would have seemed to allow" is what happened to me too.
-
I have the advantage of being old, so it has to be easy. ;D
-
Admin, I like what you are saying.
I have tried all the bevels including the rear and the side and the board was not very stable. Then I tried one with no bevels and it was very stable.
I honestly can't tell the difference in early take off. As long as I have enough wind in the wing I can take off easily. If I don't have enough wind neither option will get me in the air.
That is my feeling exactly. It seems like these "SUP Foil" bevels are shortening (and narrowing) the primary balance area way more than they should be for a very limited return in ease of take off. Don't get me wrong, that may be super important for SUP Foil. Trying to take off using only a paddle and swell power is likely a very different deal. Maybe ease of takeoff is the primary concern there. With these wings, though, we have a relative ton of power in our hands. On the other side, we have no paddle to brace with. In fact we are in a pretty wobbly position with the wing overhead when there is little or no wind support. Board design can help a lot there. I think we can likely get a lot more stability in the same size board (or the same stability in a significantly smaller board) without sacrificing much.
-
[/quote]
That is my feeling exactly. It seems like these "SUP Foil" bevels are shortening (and narrowing) the primary balance area way more than they should be for a very limited return in ease of take off. Don't get me wrong, that may be super important for SUP Foil. Trying to take off using only a paddle and swell power is likely a very different deal. Maybe ease of takeoff is the primary concern there. With these wings, though, we have a relative ton of power in our hands. On the other side, we have no paddle to brace with. In fact we are in a pretty wobbly position with the wing overhead when there is little or no wind support. Board design can help a lot there. I think we can likely get a lot more stability in the same size board (or the same stability in a significantly smaller board) without sacrificing much.
[/quote]
The Starboard Hyperfoil is shaped with this philosophy - smaller bevels, parallel outline and channels which all aid stationary stability.
-
Admin, another good point you bring up regarding SUP Foiling vs. Wing Foiling. Both boards I am using were designed for SUP Foiling, not Wing Foiling.
I believe the bevel in the back was initially designed for SUP Foiling where you take off on a wave, the idea being it allows the wave to push the back of the board without tilting the foil down which would make take off harder. In Wing Foiling we don't need to wait for a wave to lift off, so our needs are different.
SUP Foiling tends to be done in non-windy conditions, so the water is normally not choppy. Most don't go SUP foiling in high winds, but we love Wing Foiling in high winds so the water is very choppy. Again, different needs.
I experienced this first hand when I was learning to Wing Foil. I had a board I could paddle without falling off in light winds. However, on my first attempt with that board with a wing in high winds and choppy water I could not even get off my knees. It was a humbling experience, as many have had trying to learn to wing foil.
I am sure in time more manufacturers will look at the needs of a Wing Foiler only and come out with boards specific to this discipline. They probably will still have the bevel in the back for pumping as Dwight said, but they will also perhaps be more stable in choppy water.
-
This is a kiteboard but I wonder if an upsized variation on this theme would not be better for me. It seems like the overall dimensions could be very compact in a design like this and you would move a lot of volume to the rails where it can help a lot with stability. Really boxy rails do get pushed around by chop so a little softening might be needed but it would not likely need to be much. A lot of the windfoil (windsurf) designs are really flat bottomed, flat broad tailed and boxy railed. Different set of needs there but some similarities as well.
(https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52fddf7ae4b0a44284e92bf8/1551389542314-F25GMK0EOGMPMDEBSJNR/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kPAYLZwXCk8Zy5Hm3O9EMdtZw-zPPgdn4jUwVcJE1ZvWQUxwkmyExglNqGp0IvTJZamWLI2zvYWH8K3-s_4yszcp2ryTI0HqTOaaUohrI8PI3K-P4Jti9nn5HVLhH11AMhAPBTdm2oxSlNcXU_EY8T0/caneri+proBL.png?format=1500w)
-
Wow, kiting is so dead.
https://youtu.be/dB46G5PdAy0
-
Awesome vid.. Those tight 360s are amazing.
-
Admin - aren't you describing Gong's Flint? Or are some elements of that which don't fit your criteria?
-
Admin - aren't you describing Gong's Flint? Or are some elements of that which don't fit your criteria?
The Flint is closer but still gives up 2-3 inches on each rail and 6-8 inches at the tail to bevels. I am wondering inf we would not do better bringing those numbers near zero, especially as we go shorter. We would either get back a lot of volume or could trim those dimensions.
For our sport, board features that effect flying such as water avoidance, tap and go, etc don't really seem to add up to much outside of basic board dimensions. It seems like those inherited cuts and angles have a much greater negative impact in stability reduction than they do positive effect on flying enhancement.
Ease of launching? Same thing. I am on board with what SupKailua wrote above. If there is enough wind (and it takes very little) you are going to get airborn. They all launch. Less weight is definitely nice here and volume is certainly helpful but we have a lot of power coming from these wings and getting up is going to happen.
Personally, I would like to see max planted volume in the smallest reasonable package and I don't think we are there yet.
-
I’m not sure where the concern with stability is coming from. We have wings in our hands! Stability comes from the wing. Once it’s in your hand, so easy...even when not on foil. You sure don’t care about stability just getting to the knee start position...that’s just technique you learn pretty quick, even in wild sea states.
What does mater, is not getting sucked off foil. A completely flat bottom is a PIA on barely there jibes. One slight touch on the jibe, and 50% energy is sucked from you, and you likely end up back in the water. Same rules as actually SUP foiling. Slight touches ruin your ride, especially with intermediate skills. All those narrower surfaces that can kiss the water, bottom center panel, and chine panel, really are lower drag when they kiss the surface, so you make way more jibes. We will always kiss the water, even when an expert. The chop size, the wave size, you can’t help but kiss the surface when cranking turns. Not breaching is more important than kissing the surface, so kissing it so often has to be a design consideration.
There is another stability factor in affect. The foil is king. The bottom fights the foil. There are differences in the frequency of wobble and the way the body fights against the bottom and foil.
-
There are a couple of (top board priority for me) scenarios where board assisted balance is really important. They are almost opposites.
The first is when it is super marginal. This is when you are getting almost no support from the wing and you are often holding it up. Knee starts are tough or impossible then. Even knee cruising gets difficult when you are really under. When the windline is a little offshore it is nice be able to stand start and eek out to it but that is not always a graceful affair. I did a lot of that this past couple weeks. The board can help a lot here.
The second is when it is full on. Really crazy water that is moving you around a lot, wing is going nuts. Board stability goes a long way in making these conditions manageable. At the same time you don't want a mondo board to get that benefit.
You see a lot of rail to rail , zero bevel, flat tail designs in windfoiling and some now in SUP. I think that concept could be optimized for the wing as well. It might not be for everyone but I see a lot of value in that.
-
It’s a tricky issue. At todays Foil Racing League contest in Cocoa Beach, my buddy was a line judge during the morning heats and told me what he saw.
In SUP foil, Austin Kalama 1st, Alex Aguera 2nd, our own flkiter 3rd, and another pro I won’t name, dead last on a flat bottom board that sucked him down with each touch, and he couldn’t get it flying again. But then Alex is on a flat bottom board.
The final results were unchanged at the end of the day. Austin also took 1st in prone.
I stayed away. Covid-19 distancing myself from airline fliers.
-
It’s a tricky issue. At todays Foil Racing League contest in Cocoa Beach, my buddy was a line judge during the morning heats and told me what he saw.
In SUP foil, Austin Kalama 1st, Alex Aguera 2nd, our own flkiter 3rd, and another pro I won’t name, dead last on a flat bottom board that sucked him down with each touch, and he couldn’t get it flying again. But then Alex is on a flat bottom board.
The final results were unchanged at the end of the day. Austin also took 1st in prone.
I stayed away. Covid-19 distancing myself from airline fliers.
Correction, just heard flkiter took 2nd. Alex finished 3rd.
-
Admin - aren't you describing Gong's Flint? Or are some elements of that which don't fit your criteria?
The Flint is closer but still gives up 2-3 inches on each rail and 6-8 inches at the tail to bevels...
Gotcha - thanks
-
Some new entries from Takoon and Korvenn
(http://korvenn-wing-and-foil.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/wing-glider-5-4-korvenn-board-1.jpg)
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2503/9576/products/d72f228f-f95d-4691-ac33-87afbdd8b711_1080x.jpg?v=1583228715)
https://takoon.com/collections/wings/products/comet
http://korvenn-wing-and-foil.com/index.php/en/wing-glider-bamboo-wing-foil-board/
-
Here is a pretty cool one showing a down tail (zero chop). He is edging in super hard and getting started without issue. I would love to see that carried further forward as well. I dig the outline on that takoon above but it is using the chopped SUP profile. I modded it below to show what may be getting closer to my dream board :). Flat full volume tail, lowered and shortened entry (nose) rocker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46OakwwAr4k
(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/84788642_2606667562713933_570988547356491776_o.jpg?_nc_cat=108&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=xzr2FcinW5YAX8fbeo5&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=8bb69dc7fab7233847e72818032de0c0&oe=5E95C263)
-
There is a market for that type wing board for sure. I see plenty of people who can’t pump the board, and really just need a board to sheet in and go, plane off, then fly. I also think that customer just needs to wing with a SUP and not a little wing board. So maybe beginner/intermediate wing boards will be different that advanced wing boards.
The Horue looks like his old windsurf board with the tracks moved up for winging. I also know for certain, you really do feel the straight tail making pumping harder. I built a straight tail years ago, then made an identical board with some tail chop. It only takes a small tail curve/chop to free up the board and allow pumping the nose to feel so much easier and free.
-
There is certainly room for different designs and I am sure we are going to see plenty of them. That is awesome and I am very glad to see it happening.
I see this a little differently. He is charging. I am not seeing anything beginner oriented there. I do think that stability will be added that allows smaller boards in more conditions but I see that as a benefit to anyone at any level that values that quality. If you are referring to the couple of board pumps on the surface to get flying I don't see that as a big deal. Glide first, pump first or a combination, it all works pretty well. Looking at the specs of the 5'10 in this Horue model for example he has packed in the same 120 liters as my Outwit 6'6 (29.5 wide) but has done it in a package that is 5'10 x 26.8. Being that he has pulled that width all the way the the rails at the tail and kept the base planted behind the tracks (no angled chop), I would guess that this has the same or more stability than my board. These are all early designs and I feel like he left room for even more refinement/reduction forward on the board.
-
That Horue foil is an anomaly. I used to own that foil. It needs speed to lift. It zips right along, even at somewhat slower speeds, then you drop like rock...SPLASH. Seeing him riding the same shapes and foil from 3 years ago, makes me think he lost access to whoever he once had design the original gear.
I’d look to other guys for the board type you want...just sayin. Takoon, Korvenn, or someone on Maui who will custom make it for you.
-
Admin, what do you think about the design of the new Fanatic Sky Wing board?
-
I noticed on Slingshot boards like the Outwit the Admin mentioned, the front comes to a point and also gets a lot thinner. So they are adding to the length, but because it comes to a point and is thinner it does not create as much swing weight I assume and probably behaves like a shorter board than the actual length.
With the Slingshot Airstrike you could take over 2 feet off the length and still have most of the usable part of the board.
As we design wing specific boards in this thread I am wondering the pros and cons of the pointed front end extending the board length vs. chopping it off similar to the Kalama board.
(https://www.oahure.com/Boards.png?v=2)
-
Admin, what do you think about the design of the new Fanatic Sky Wing board?
Wow! I am not even seeing those on the Fanatic site yet. Please link me if they are there. I googled and found the video (posted today). That is pretty close to what I was thinking about. high volume, broad, no chop tail. Broad nose.
Still has some bevel to the rails but much less and it looks good to me. It looks like they carried a lot of volume to the rails. I like the idea of the flatter rocker they mention on the 5'4 but even the two smaller sizes look like modest rocker compared to many. Also, they exactly matched my hopes for footstrap inserts.
I am not thrilled with the deep concave deck (personal thing). I also owned a larger Fanatic SKY foil board last year and the durability was really poor. It had eggshell outer that fractured from really minor stuff. I hope they have improved that a lot. Even with those things I think these look really good. I could see us getting all 3.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U37BkXMSHo
-
They look nice! But not tail chop free. Similar chop distance to mine.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49666692318_1d426903b5.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49667272781_c22a05d2d9.jpg)
-
Ooohh! This is up now. https://www.fanatic.com/foil/boards/wing-specific/sky-wing
These look really good. It does look like there is a brief partial chop ( 3 inches?) but pretty darn good. Cool that they were able to shorten the tail behind the track so much. I love that they left the nose so thick. That should keep lots of volume and stability up there.
Like SupKailua wrote above, it is like they carved the excess off a more conventional 6'2 or 6'4.
5'4 x 26 at 95 Liters. Hmmmn. I will likely bite on that. :)
-
The Sky Wing looks very attractive. I would want to know more about build quality and I also wonder why weights are TBA.
-
Don’t forget to order the 5’0 for Chan ;D
-
Those Fanatics look great! I want a two pack: one for how hard I wish it was blowing and the light wind machine.
-
Those Fanatics look great! I want a two pack: one for how hard I wish it was blowing and the light wind machine.
I called our local dealer and these are in COVIDK status. 2-3 months...but...
I would be stoked to see them add some larger sizes in this design. A packed 5'8 or 5'10 at 27 or 28 wide would be a great addition. I still think that 110-120 liters will be a very valuable size for a lot of riders. Still small enough for a hatchback. It looks like Fanatic is suggesting their SUP designs for larger sizes but those now have a really significant tail chop.
-
Admin, what do you think about the design of the new Fanatic Sky Wing board?
Wow! I am not even seeing those on the Fanatic site yet. Please link me if they are there. I googled and found the video (posted today). That is pretty close to what I was thinking about. high volume, broad, no chop tail. Broad nose.
Still has some bevel to the rails but much less and it looks good to me. It looks like they carried a lot of volume to the rails. I like the idea of the flatter rocker they mention on the 5'4 but even the two smaller sizes look like modest rocker compared to many. Also, they exactly matched my hopes for footstrap inserts.
I am not thrilled with the deep concave deck (personal thing). I also owned a larger Fanatic SKY foil board last year and the durability was really poor. It had eggshell outer that fractured from really minor stuff. I hope they have improved that a lot. Even with those things I think these look really good. I could see us getting all 3.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U37BkXMSHo
Curious Admin about build quality as. I had a 8’10” allwave sup 5 yrs so ago and that was pretty well made,actually transformed it myself to one of my first supfoil boards years ago but was to big and heavy!perhaps the BQ has gone south in past few years? Did the box tracks hold up as that would definitely be a concern for me,as it’s paramount that boxes be installed properly or your just pissing money away!Ive been interested in a sky supfoil dual purpose for wave supfoiling and winging too but thinking twice now hearing that, my friend bought a bigger AW at same time as me and he had issues too so kinda on the fence here,Like the new fanatic wing specific boards too but agree they need a little bigger model especially for us heavyweights like myself be great if they added one more size up on there options,maybe they changed build factory locations and BQ has gone down? Any other riders up in the gorge area that you know who ride fanatics too? Think there would be quite a few of them up there between windsurfing,DW foiling etc get a few other opinions of there BQ of late.another concern is fanatics weight seems they have not been more diligent in trying to keep there weights down as we know is so important in foiling nowadays,certainly another concern of mine
-
Hey Paddlur,
Yes, we have owned Fanatic windsurf boards over many years and they had all been great. This board was a 2019 SKY SUP and it had a really light construction. In just a few weeks of use it had 4 fingertip sized shell cracks that went through to foam. They were all from different occasions. In my opinion it was just underbuilt. I saw the 2020's and it looked like they had already changed construction so I am hopeful that this has been corrected.
-
Yes Admin i looked at the new Sky Wing and i was imaging it was matching with some of your favourite features.
i also have a sky sup model since 7 months now but i have no cracks and i'm quite happy with the construction but i really wish those new ones are much lighter!
i'm waiting my Sky Wing and i will let you know my thoughts about it.
-
110 to 120 liters would be a useful size for many people. Perhaps it just doesn’t scale up that long due to the foil tracks being set so close to the tail? Of course, I don’t know jack about foil board design, but I one of the things I like about this design is that you can stand right on the tail block as opposed to a foot forward like most sup foilboards. When your back foot is right on the leash plug, even with a 5’8” you have a lot of board in front of you so I am guessing that it makes it difficult to balance the distribution of volume in the board once you hit a certain length.
I really like the look of those boards and it is nice to have something fun to think about these days. Also, I have no idea what the construction is on the Sky Wing boards but I have a 2017 fanatic in the Ltd construction and have had no problems with it.
-
I noticed on Slingshot boards like the Outwit the Admin mentioned, the front comes to a point and also gets a lot thinner. So they are adding to the length, but because it comes to a point and is thinner it does not create as much swing weight I assume and probably behaves like a shorter board than the actual length.
With the Slingshot Airstrike you could take over 2 feet off the length and still have most of the usable part of the board.
As we design wing specific boards in this thread I am wondering the pros and cons of the pointed front end extending the board length vs. chopping it off similar to the Kalama board.
(https://www.oahure.com/Boards.png?v=2)
Hi SupKailua,
I pulled our trusty Slingshot Outwits from our travel bag yesterday and did a little measuring. We have loved these boards (and will likely be riding them for most of this year as well if CV keeps supply down) but they were designed for SUP and I do think there could be a lot of trimming done for winging.
The boards are 5'10 x 25 and 6'6 x 29.5. These both have very significant rail bevels. The flat base width on the 5'10 is 19 inches at its widest. The flat base width on the 6'6 is 22 inches at its widest. The tail chop on the 5'10 is 7 inches long. It is 8.5 on the 6'6. This is a more subtle angle than on many boards so not as much tail volume is lost. Both boards lose about 6 inches of of their max width a foot off of the nose and tail. The 6'6 also has a very pronounced ski tip flip up at the nose. This doesn't typically make contact with the water. The 5'10 has a much flatter nose.
There is a lot about these boards that works really well for winging. The flat rocker from just behind the track to in front of the front foot position is awesome. It is super stable fore/aft and it allows really quick surface cruising with virtually no plowing.
I would love to see Slingshot do a chopped tail, wide flat spot, no nose version of the Outwit. Call it the Dipshit. I will be be the first buyer.
-
Another shot of the Horue. It is like we are slowly whittling down to just the essential core of the board.
(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/90269013_3802688909803809_7894580894311120896_o.jpg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=FhctQSVDrG8AX859PWj&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=c98998ebffb90ab9f09d3120c76ee00e&oe=5E987753)
-
I noticed on Slingshot boards like the Outwit the Admin mentioned, the front comes to a point and also gets a lot thinner. So they are adding to the length, but because it comes to a point and is thinner it does not create as much swing weight I assume and probably behaves like a shorter board than the actual length.
With the Slingshot Airstrike you could take over 2 feet off the length and still have most of the usable part of the board.
As we design wing specific boards in this thread I am wondering the pros and cons of the pointed front end extending the board length vs. chopping it off similar to the Kalama board.
(https://www.oahure.com/Boards.png?v=2)
Hi SupKailua,
I pulled our trusty Slingshot Outwits from our travel bag yesterday and did a little measuring. We have loved these boards (and will likely be riding them for most of this year as well if CV keeps supply down) but they were designed for SUP and I do think there could be a lot of trimming done for winging.
The boards are 5'10 x 25 and 6'6 x 29.5. These both have very significant rail bevels. The flat base width on the 5'10 is 19 inches at its widest. The flat base width on the 6'6 is 22 inches at its widest. The tail chop on the 5'10 is 7 inches long. It is 8.5 on the 6'6. This is a more subtle angle than on many boards so not as much tail volume is lost. Both boards lose about 6 inches of of their max width a foot off of the nose and tail. The 6'6 also has a very pronounced ski tip flip up at the nose. This doesn't typically make contact with the water. The 5'10 has a much flatter nose.
There is a lot about these boards that works really well for winging. The flat rocker from just behind the track to in front of the front foot position is awesome. It is super stable fore/aft and it allows really quick surface cruising with virtually no plowing.
I would love to see Slingshot do a chopped tail, wide flat spot, no nose version of the Outwit. Call it the Dipshit. I will be be the first buyer.
Admin, I'm glad to hear you are still enjoying your Slingshot Outwits. Especially since I bought the board on your recommendation ;D ;D
Am really looking forward to getting it wet one of these days.
And thanks again for the recommendation. It helped me a lot.
-
Admin, I'm glad to hear you are still enjoying your Slingshot Outwits. Especially since I bought the board on your recommendation ;D ;D
Am really looking forward to getting it wet one of these days.
And thanks again for the recommendation. It helped me a lot.
It is a great board and I am stoked for you. It will be dialed for your condition. Yes, the next wave of wing specific boards will likely one-up what we are riding today but the key there is riding today. I haven't yet seen any production boards that are available that have made me want to make a move yet.
-
Hey Paddlur,
Yes, we have owned Fanatic windsurf boards over many years and they had all been great. This board was a 2019 SKY SUP and it had a really light construction. In just a few weeks of use it had 4 fingertip sized shell cracks that went through to foam. They were all from different occasions. In my opinion it was just underbuilt. I saw the 2020's and it looked like they had already changed construction so I am hopeful that this has been corrected.
Admin: The 2019 Fanatic Sky SUP were cnc and vacuum bagged at Cobra, since we knew they would have to be changed quickly we didn't invest in molds at Cobra. The new 2020 boards are Cobra Molded boards, and I would say 2x's stronger and more impervious to dings than the 2019 models. Anyone who knows the biz, which you do:), can appreciate the build quality of a Cobra molded board. Also much more expensive because each size is made using 2 molds, one for the foam inside and one for the overall. The new 2021 Sky Wing boards are made in China at the same factory as the Duotone directional kiteboards. They are super light and built pretty damn tough. Tripple vacuum-bagged from what I have heard. I have only ridden the preproduction models and I loved the 5.0 at 75 liters. I still have trouble getting going about 15% of the time but I am starting to figure it out and what works for me and my sensitive knees.
-
Hey Paddlur,
Yes, we have owned Fanatic windsurf boards over many years and they had all been great. This board was a 2019 SKY SUP and it had a really light construction. In just a few weeks of use it had 4 fingertip sized shell cracks that went through to foam. They were all from different occasions. In my opinion it was just underbuilt. I saw the 2020's and it looked like they had already changed construction so I am hopeful that this has been corrected.
Admin: The 2019 Fanatic Sky SUP were cnc and vacuum bagged at Cobra, since we knew they would have to be changed quickly we didn't invest in molds at Cobra. The new 2020 boards are Cobra Molded boards, and I would say 2x's stronger and more impervious to dings than the 2019 models. Anyone who knows the biz, which you do:), can appreciate the build quality of a Cobra molded board. Also much more expensive because each size is made using 2 molds, one for the foam inside and one for the overall. The new 2021 Sky Wing boards are made in China at the same factory as the Duotone directional kiteboards. They are super light and built pretty damn tough. Tripple vacuum-bagged from what I have heard. I have only ridden the preproduction models and I loved the 5.0 at 75 liters. I still have trouble getting going about 15% of the time but I am starting to figure it out and what works for me and my sensitive knees.
That is excellent to hear, River. The new boards look amazing. Great that you can make the 5.0 work. I am hopeful that the 5'4 will be big enough.
-
river,
i checked the new sky wing review online and i see they put a lot of volume in the back in order to stabilize the knee start, but you have still problem with that, why? I'm interested in your answer since i also have the 6'3 Sky sup 2020 model and i'm waiting the new 2021 Sky wing 5'0 that you already tried.
thanks
-
Takuma products in the US in 4 weeks, according to Chinook, the new importer.
The Wing Boards are $1439 USD. 5’4’’x24 1/2’’x4 7/8 : 88L
https://www.takuma-concept.com/91-zk-mini-sup.html
-
Takuma products in the US in 4 weeks, according to Chinook, the new importer.
The Wing Boards are $1439 USD. 5’4’’x24 1/2’’x4 7/8 : 88L
https://www.takuma-concept.com/91-zk-mini-sup.html
Thanks, but I'd prefer local made. ;)
-
I have only ridden the preproduction models and I loved the 5.0 at 75 liters. I still have trouble getting going about 15% of the time but I am starting to figure it out and what works for me and my sensitive knees.
Hi River,
I saw the video below. Are you having to shim the mast? Please also post up images of the 5'4 when you have them. The flatter rocker on that one sounds like what i am after.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhH0KMqMRwQ
-
Buddy shot this yesterday. I told him to be sure and leave the knee starts and light wind struggles in. 90 liters when you weigh 190. 6m day.
https://youtu.be/nlTOfKgE6-8
-
Buddy shot this yesterday. I told him to be sure and leave the knee starts and light wind struggles in. 90 liters when you weigh 190. 6m day.
https://youtu.be/nlTOfKgE6-8
Looks good DW. I am glad that you left that stuff in. It really shows the board off. What width is this one?
-
26 wide
-
Your board does look nice and stable on the starts and when you are off the foil. I also liked the long sections where you were winging crossed-up(toe-side, I believe you kiters call it). I love that set-up with the wing.It feels really similar to the loading moment just before you throw a backside hack on a surfboard. Or maybe it’s just because I am lame at riding switch on a foil. :)
-
This vid gives a look at the 5'4 Fanatic. That one has zero tail chop (7:40), almost no rail bevel (6:00) and looks to be very flat rocker through the tail and significantly further forward. That is exactly what I am after. I don't want to struggle with knee starts on a knee start board. 5'0 x 24 sounds like a struggle at my size but this maxed out 5'4 x 26 looks like it would be stable enough. Now they just need to be available.
https://youtu.be/iWo2jFosjLE
-
When I saw that video last night I immediately thought of you Admin. The 5’4” looks very close to the shape you have been describing. Hopefully they will be available sometime before summer.
-
More real world light wind video shot today. All the other wingers are sitting on the beach waiting for better wind. Axis 102 wing.
https://youtu.be/YEgmDg0GXbg
-
Dwight, how come others were on the beach? Did they not have a size 6 wing or is the Naish 6 more powerful than the other size 6 wings or was it the Axis 102 that gave you the edge.
-
Dwight, how come others were on the beach? Did they not have a size 6 wing or is the Naish 6 more powerful than the other size 6 wings or was it the Axis 102 that gave you the edge.
Same old story for anyone into wind sports for years. Let the wind dummy go out, watch, and wait for perfect wind. They had big enough wings to ride with me. I was home eating dinner when the wind got strong. I love my 6m, so I’m happy as can be to ride it.
-
When I saw that video last night I immediately thought of you Admin. The 5’4” looks very close to the shape you have been describing. Hopefully they will be available sometime before summer.
We pulled the trigger on these yesterday. All this sitting around pushed me over the edge :)
-
Yay! I am glad somebody is getting one. I am so tempted, but I am guessing it would just be sitting on my living room floor for quite a while so I am trying to restrain myself.
-
In stock now.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-O13DDDZoe/?igshid=1hr9t9j1q0ovt
-
Any idea of weight on the Fanatic Sky Wing. Fanatic doesn’t list any weights on any sizes. I know it’s hard to judge from pictures but it looks heavy.
-
I will be sure to weigh them when they arrive. These are volume packed boards so I am hopeful for light but I am not thinking of waterstart board weights. I really like the idea of the carry in the image below. I have done some goofy stuff getting in and out of the water. Right now my carry is tail forward, foils upwind, and wing downwind. It works well but it takes a little situating when you get in the water. This looks light and super manageable. Drop and go. There are also pretty big dimension differences in the 3 models (even though the lengths graduate by only 4 inches) so I imagine pretty notable weight differences between the sizes as well.
SKY Wing 4'8'' 55L 22" / 56 cm 4'8" / 142 cm
SKY Wing 5'0'' 75L 24" / 61 cm 5'0" / 152 cm
SKY Wing 5'4'' 95L 26" / 66 cm 5'4" / 163 cm
-
The Sky Wing looks like a well thought out board. Handle top and bottom is a great move. I have ridden the F-One wing board with handle bottom and used small foil SUP with handle on top and thought it would be good to have both options. The design looks fairly progressive, concave deck, channel bottom and straps/strap inserts. My concern would be in the cost, the Sky Wing is at least a couple of hundred dollars less than other competitors in the same size range, but it offers more features. I believe the expression is strong, light, cheap pick two. What is being sacrificed to meet the price point?
-
I imagine everyone is testing the market for this new category. SUP foil prices or Surf foil prices? $1200 seems pretty substantial to me (especially for the 4'8 x 22 55 L). You have Takoon, Gong, Etc selling wing specific boards at just under 1000. Again I have no first hand info of what weight or durability will be but $1200.00 didn't surprise me for MSRP.
-
What is being sacrificed to meet the price point?
Nothing is my guess.
There has always been a few European based brands that want our US dollars based off their Euro. So overpriced for our market. They never reach the top in the US.
While Boards and More, the owners of Fanatic/Duotone globally is based in Europe, they have never based pricing off the Euro converted to dollars. So they dominate the US market with competitive pricing.
I might be all wet, but that’s my view of it.
-
Last Friday I received my new 5'1" 74L FoilSurfMachine Wing Board (thanks Dwight). I'm 65 Kgs (145 lbs) and have been learning on a 5'11" 105L FSM. Here are my initial notes for anyone interested:
I took the 5M F-one, Armstrong 2400 wing and 74L FSM out in 12-18 MPH side-onshore wind with building wind chop in the knee plus range. After a quickly figuring the center balance point for the knee-start, I was up and riding with ease!
The 1 hour session was my best to date in terms of distance covered, percentage of successful gybes (over foiled on maybe 2 or 3 total). Just a joy to ride! Towing myself into knee high wind swell runners....Never thought it would be possible in the river by my house! Almost nailed my only tack attempt too (ended up Touching Down).
I was worried about the lower volume for schlogging, but I was surprised to be able to maintain balance in the chop while waiting on gusts as the wind died towards the end of my session. I fell off once or twice, after the nose went pretty far submerged by mistake. I never lost complete power in the wing, so if it went dead flat, balance would have been more of an issue for sure.
The 'volume worry' turned to curiosity so I took the board out today in calm water for a paddle with my SUP Paddle. In 15 minutes of messing around, I only fell in once! (About the same as my first session on the 5'11" months back). I was about 75% there in terms of flat water starting with the straps installed. I found it easier to paddle 'straight' than my 5'11" 105L board for some reason. Maybe more room to paddle in towards the rail at an angle with less nose and width. I'm going to give it a go in offshore conditions SUPing to see if the 105L gets the axe.
-
https://youtu.be/0FZSdgR5RRA
-
Here’s a short vid from today’s session on the 5’1” board in some of the most hectic conditions for me to date. Winds jumped to from 20-30 to 30-40 mph right when I launched. Wind meter on a dock 50 yards from launch site. Swing 3.5M
https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-0bUVMjMFc/?igshid=z3nuzzm34d6c
-
Interesting new video about new Armstrong wing foil SUP boards from Real Watersports.
Interesting shapes and use of dual carbon parabolic? stringers around affixing the foil boxes to the deck, bottom and innards of board.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6KYMMXfczc&t=638s
-
Interesting new video about new Armstrong wing foil SUP boards
It seems like they are still committed to having SUP crossover capability. I wonder how optimized that is for Winging. Those are among the largest tail and rail chops that I have seen. Almost the opposite of what Fanatic is doing on their wing specific models (especially the 5'4). You can really see the differences in each design. Removing all that extra material is notable in the specs.
Armstrong 5'5: 5’5 x 26.75 at 80 Liters
Fanatic 5'4: 5'4 x 26.00 at 95 Liters
(https://www.armstrongfoils.com/media/1713/armstrong1056s.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=900&rnd=132313522360000000)
(https://www.armstrongfoils.com/media/1714/armstrong1062s.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=900&rnd=132313522370000000)
-
My guess is the Armie boards were originally designed for SUP and at some point as Winging came on, they did some minor tweaking and called it a SUP/Wing board.
-
Yeah, give your money to Fanatic or Fone.....real wing boards.
-
We actually had 6 wing boarders at our local spot yesterday. A record! Two new smaller Naish boards (95 L maybe?), two of Dwight’s wing boards, my old Blue Planet Carver board (I sold to a friend), and one smaller Slingshot Outwit. Every board I think was under 6’. Everyone was up and riding (every rider here has a kite foiling background). Plenty of different foils and wing a dings present. It was way cool that we outnumbered the kites. Just a few boards (not following the social distance rules!) shown in the pic.
Hopefully moving into the ocean when things warm up a bit more
-
ObxDave- Which Axis front wing are you using. Do you guys ever swap out foils to test back to back?
-
ObxDave- Which Axis front wing are you using. Do you guys ever swap out foils to test back to back?
Hi Cnski -- That's my Axis in the pic -- straight beginner setup: 1020 front, 500 rear, short fuse, 76 cm mast. It's has been great for an average (at best) kite foiler to learn on. But I haven't foiled with any other wing over 1200 cm^2
-
ObxDave- Which Axis front wing are you using. Do you guys ever swap out foils to test back to back?
Hi Cnski -- That's my Axis in the pic -- straight beginner setup: 1020 front, 500 rear, short fuse, 76 cm mast. It's has been great for an average (at best) kite foiler to learn on. But I haven't foiled with any other wing over 1200 cm^2
And mine on Dave's old board. I have an Axis 92 with a short fuse and 400 rear wing. With 60 and 76 cm masts.
Dave uses Gong and Moses foils. Amongst the others in our group we have one using Lift, one using Naish, and one using Slingshot foils.
-
Man, I want to make the trip down from SE/VA to session with you guys when this whole lockdown eases up!
-
Man, I want to make the trip down from SE/VA to session with you guys when this whole lockdown eases up!
Yeah, looking forward to the visitor ban being lifted. Hopefully towards the end of May. Ocean should be warming up by then as well
-
Wing Board Tips
https://youtu.be/SPmSEm28Eq4
-
Double channel bottom board -- different strokes for different folks.
Sure looks like a lot of fun!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQQNMJCROek
-
Cool video, I would love to jump like that. Zane is a great guy but he's the last person I'd use as an indication of what is usable or doable for humans. His standup surfboards wouldn't support a 70-pound kid--they look like standard shortboards for the most part. Inspirational? Absolutely. Usable information about what works? Only if you're in that tiny group of people that grew up on a wave.
-
That double channel makes for a great bottom handle
-
I’m sorta guessing this means Groove (based in Italy) is now producing wing foiling boards (maybe SUP as well). No discussion to go with the pic’s and nothing new on the website. They are well known for quality recreational/race kite foil boards and generally sell direct to customers. I’m assuming people outside of kite foiling have never heard of them.
(I’ve had a Groove Skate kite foil board for a couple of seasons now)
-
Yup, Groove makes nice boards but they need to put a handle on the bottom. To me, it is a must for any wing boards I consider in the future.
-
I hope Groove is making those stronger than their kitefoil boards. There were some issues with the standard skate. I broke one in half :-/
-
I hope Groove is making those stronger than their kitefoil boards. There were some issues with the standard skate. I broke one in half :-/
Never had the slightest issue with my Skate including numerous high speed abrupt groundings. Oh well. I wouldn’t expect a Groove wing board to be bomb proof heavy and I wouldn’t expect it to be cheap. We’ll see.
Speaking of smaller wing specific boards, this was a recent review link from Wingsurfmag posted in Wingsurf Group on Facebook;
[Let’s start with the Lemon Pro 4’8’’. The board is very light, even lighter than the Fanatic Sky Wing 4’8’’. The Lemon Pro 4’8’’ has a volume of 70 Liters and allows knee waterstarts. Overall, it is a super user friendly hyper fun yet performing board that requires less skill than the Fanatic Sky Wing 4’8’’.]
Bottom line: The Lemon had 15 more liters than the 55 liter Sky Wing, so easier knee starting, and was still lighter than the Sky Wing. They liked the Fanatic but you can tell their favorite. Of course durability wasn’t really discussed. Always a balance between performance, ease of use, bomb-proof,...and cost. Might have to try and talk DW into building me a 4’8”, 70L Innegra board with foot strap inserts (so I can torture my knees trying to jump.......) later this season :D
-
The Sky Wing 4'8 is probably going to be for a very different rider than the Lemon 4'8. 22 inches wide vs 27 on the smallest Lemon. 15 less liters as well. The Fanatics are not the lightest option. It would be great to have them be lighter (that could only help) but if the strength is there (it seems to be, but time will tell) they feel as expected. We lost significant weight from our old boards so they are light to us and they are very nimble in use.
It would also be great to see Fanatic expand the Sky Wing line (or separate it into 2 lines, which it really is) and add 2 more sizes above the 5'4. A 5'8 x 27 and a 5'10 x 28 would be really well received. Those are still nice, compact dimensions and would be great additions.
-
The Sky Wing 4'8 is probably going to be for a very different rider than the Lemon 4'8. 22 inches wide vs 27 on the smallest Lemon. 15 less liters as well. The Fanatics are not the lightest option. It would be great to have them be lighter (that could only help) but if the strength is there (it seems to be, but time will tell) they feel as expected. We lost significant weight from our old boards so they are light to us and they are very nimble in use.
It would also be great to see Fanatic expand the Sky Wing line (or separate it into 2 lines, which it really is) and add 2 more sizes above the 5'4. A 5'8 x 27 and a 5'10 x 28 would be really well received. Those are still nice, compact dimensions and would be great additions.
Completely agree. Durability is a big factor. How all these boards hold up getting pounded in big surf or handle jumps from a 110 kg rider remains to be seen. I don’t fault Fanatic at all for being a bit conservative. Same goes for hand wings and foils. Tried to pretend I could ride my 4m Duotone just now in these winds. Not fun. Heck, it took everything I could muster to rig gear without the wind launching it into hard objects......Quitting while I’m ahead and anxiously awaiting delivery of a 3.3m Echo......
-
The Lemon choosing to go wider, to recover lost volume from being shorter, is something I debated a lot.
When I was winging on a SUP in the early days. The two big drawbacks were rails hitting from width, and nose weight when pumping.
I decided rails kissing the water bothered me the most. Heeling it over upwinding, going rail to rail in waves, tail corners kissing in turns.
So I picked my width, then reduced length as much as possible. Ultimately it landed me with a length that doesn’t nose in and submarine during kook moments.
It’s fun to see where everyone goes with wing board sizing.
-
The Gong boards are definitely on the wide end of the spectrum (for given volume) but the current trend may be in that direction. FOne recently came out with V2 of their wing specific board. The best I can tell, nothing has changed except for different sizes from V1 with more width/volume. The width will help beginners kneel start a smaller volume board but I think there is definitely a penalty to pay once on foil. In addition to hitting the water more, I find wider boards harder to maneuver and harder to ride toeside. We naturally associate swing weight with length but I think width also matters quite a bit. (maybe as much as length)
-
The Lemon choosing to go wider, to recover lost volume from being shorter, is something I debated a lot.
When I was winging on a SUP in the early days. The two big drawbacks were rails hitting from width, and nose weight when pumping.
I decided rails kissing the water bothered me the most. Heeling it over upwinding, going rail to rail in waves, tail corners kissing in turns.
So I picked my width, then reduced length as much as possible. Ultimately it landed me with a length that doesn’t nose in and submarine during kook moments.
It’s fun to see where everyone goes with wing board sizing.
I’ve read enough of Patrice’s posts to know that he definitely favors easy knee start boards (even for advanced riders), and compensates for all that easy-knee-start-extra-width with a seriously long Carbon mast (100 cm) which he also promotes to advanced riders. It’s what he rides all the time. No worry of rails catching the water when your riding fairly high on 100 cm mast. He won’t even produce a carbon mast in the 80-90 cm range, just a 70 cm that you will almost never see any Gong riders using. That 100 cm mast promotion to go with those wide Lemon’s is definitely a bit unconventional, but it’s sorta hard to fault a guy who isn’t 25 yrs old and still rides 100 times better than most mere mortals ever will.
He also thinks water start boards are way beyond average rider skills/stamina, are worthless in lighter winds, and even the body weight (in kg) minus ~10-15 L rule of thumb isn’t always worth the extra hassle. I notice more and more riders saying that as well. Even with plenty of wind, thinking someone’s gonna advance to doing windsurf style water starts like Alan Cadiz while taking 20+ sessions just to figure out flying foot switching does make me chuckle a bit....
Kinda reminds me of the tiny high wind windsurf board I barely ever used and the silly little 110 cm Hannah Crew twin tip board I briefly had in the early kiteboarding days......
-
Given the choice I would go longer before wider to add stability. I am actually really liking the 26 inch width on my new board. In a lot of ways that (narrower for me) width is actually making it easier while getting started. Now that I basically know the width that I need my knees or my feet at while trying a start, it is helpful to be able to edge in a bit. The missing length is a little harder. Even with a relatively flat base, my board is very pitch sensitive. When I blow it it is almost always because I am too forward. That is not pretty.
On the Sky Wings it feels like there is very little weight in the nose. With the bamboo, two handles, foil tracks, footstrap inserts, hardware, plugs, pad, kick and arch bar being towards the tail, the nose has nothing going on and is very light. I would have been open to a 5'6 or a 5'8 in this same concept if it were available. That is what I was originally thought I was looking for. I am stoked now that I have this, though :).
I completely agree that going too small on a wing specific kneestart board is more frustration that it is worth. On the other hand, if the difference between our SUP foilboards and our Sky Wings is any indicator then the jump from these boards to 7-8 lb, 4'ish waterstart boards should be epic. I am down for the pain of learning. It doesn't have to be an everyday thing. We have amazing boards for that now.
-
Patrice is not alone in being a tall mast guy. Ken Winner is a tall mast guy too.
We are handicapped by shallow water. I might try to make 82cm my new everyday mast and just hit bottom more often.
Hanna Crew! Did you eat at their Burrito joint when you were here? It’s called Dakine Diego’s.
-
...and even the body weight (in kg) minus ~10-15 L rule of thumb isn’t always worth the extra hassle. I notice more and more riders saying that as well.
A floaty board also makes self rescue a very minor inconvenience. I could have been washed downstream a mile yesterday after landing on my already bent leading edge and popping the bladder. Instead I just wrapped up the mess and knee paddled in to where I started in ten minutes.
Many thanks to Admin for lending me his 6M Swing ;D turned out to be a pretty great session.
-
I have only ridden the preproduction models and I loved the 5.0 at 75 liters. I still have trouble getting going about 15% of the time but I am starting to figure it out and what works for me and my sensitive knees.
River - Any more impressions, updates, tips for the Fanatic Sky Wing boards? I'm particularly interested and torn between the 5'0 and 5'4, I'm 85kg, would you say it's fairly easy (with practice of course) to knee start the 5'0 at 75 lt? Thanks for any info and updates! Rob
-
The Lemon choosing to go wider, to recover lost volume from being shorter, is something I debated a lot.
When I was winging on a SUP in the early days. The two big drawbacks were rails hitting from width, and nose weight when pumping.
I decided rails kissing the water bothered me the most. Heeling it over upwinding, going rail to rail in waves, tail corners kissing in turns.
So I picked my width, then reduced length as much as possible. Ultimately it landed me with a length that doesn’t nose in and submarine during kook moments.
It’s fun to see where everyone goes with wing board sizing.
Another benefit of a more narrow width is for easy of self recovery when prone paddling. A 27" vs 24" width can make a big difference in prone paddling comfort. Prone paddling my DW SUP vs DW Wing board, there is a stark difference in comfort.
I am keen to take out my DW wing board on a small surf day and paddle into waves super early. I can prone paddle it so well!
-
...and even the body weight (in kg) minus ~10-15 L rule of thumb isn’t always worth the extra hassle. I notice more and more riders saying that as well.
A floaty board also makes self rescue a very minor inconvenience. I could have been washed downstream a mile yesterday after landing on my already bent leading edge and popping the bladder. Instead I just wrapped up the mess and knee paddled in to where I started in ten minutes.
Many thanks to Admin for lending me his 6M Swing ;D turned out to be a pretty great session.
I assume you know that Airtime can fix all that for you. I popped a bladder in one of my Duotome wings. they fixed the tears and installed a new bladder in a day.
-
Hanna Crew! Did you eat at their Burrito joint when you were here? It’s called Dakine Diego’s.
Nope, not enough time but it sounds great. Maybe next winter when I return to pick up my next FSM board after I decide on the best length, width and volume ;D
-
I assume you know that Airtime can fix all that for you. I popped a bladder in one of my Duotome wings. they fixed the tears and installed a new bladder in a day.
Dropped it off there yesterday, they're communicating through the window and wearing masks at work but open for business.
Could be as much as 240 usd with a new LE bladder :( that was an expensive jibe!
-
Well, better than 900 bucks for a new one. They actually do fix it good as new. They put a new bladder in my 4.0 Duotone and it was a bit thicker. They fixed my scabby patches and it was like new. Of course Admin took one look at it and said "that looks like a hobos handkerchief", but if you don't have to pass his inspection, you're good.
-
New wing board from George at Delta Hydrofoil. 5'4" x 29" x 5.25" @ 112ish L. Previous board is a 6'8" @ 150 L. I weigh 250 lbs w/o a thick wetsuit, which is the norm here in New England most of the year. First session was a dream, the second quite a bit more challenging but the performance gains from a wing specific board were immediately noticable.
-
Wow, that's a slick-looking scooter. What kind of attachment points are those? Threaded bushings in a PVC block? I've been thinking of through-bolting a plate, though it seems unnecessary since I've mostly stopped hitting stuff. That's roughly the dimensions I plan for my next board, maybe a little wider, but i don't need my wing board to be longer than 6 feet, probably 5'6" X 31"X5" which sounds absurd as I type it, but it will work with a wing.
-
Pono- Yes, it is a slick little scooter! Thanks. You need to be on this size board now!! Glad you noticed the attachment. We used stainless t nuts set in paulownia stringers. There are a couple more attachments that are glassed over and can be drilled out if need be. We used this on my kitefoil board and I have had no issues so far with that board. The stringer method is actually quite a bit lighter than using a track box. Those things are pretty heavy. The board came out at 13.5 lbs with a 5mm Seadek pad. Also has a PVC deck w/carbon. Time will tell how it stands up. I tend to break EVERYTHING argghh. We also didn't use any bevel. Just a bit in the nose and half way down. The back section is boxy and hard rails. With all the theory on water unsticking from the bottom of the board we decided to go a different route with the rails. We decide to make it like a windsurfing slalom/course board rail for quick water release and acceleration. It's obvious to us that when you pump a wing and foil simutaneously you are not just rising vertically, but forward and vertically so that's why we did that. However, as it's been said here before with any amount of decent power the board will rise. First pic is my kite/tow/surf board with the same stringer attachment point as my wing board:
-
https://youtu.be/Jl4qE8kgXSI (https://youtu.be/Jl4qE8kgXSI)
Has this been posted yet?
-
https://youtu.be/Jl4qE8kgXSI (https://youtu.be/Jl4qE8kgXSI)
Has this been posted yet?
Game over. Checkmate for Gong. Wow.
-
Looks like they'll come in a compact little pack, so they will also be able to ship worldwide at a reasonable cost! Really interested to see more about these. The videos make them look very stiff with little to no flex. I'm sure there will always be a market for hard boards but man this is the most tempting inflatable I've seen!
-
Poor old Manta and Indiana inflatables have been out for about a year and get no notice. Even the F-One blowup seems invisible. Maybe the 'idea' is appealing but runs into resistance when it comes to pumping your Visacard. It seems like a no-brainer for a clumsy old Fuc like me...
Jim
-
It looks like Gong did a great job with this. The concept is terrific and this looks like a great execution. We had mind-vented this in this Zone thread https://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,35646.msg410908.html#msg410908 but had determined that it basically already existed in a number of forms. I wonder what elements Gong is looking to patent.
-
I think they patent the plate mounting design. I don’t think anyone has done it that nice
-
I think they patent the plate mounting design. I don’t think anyone has done it that nice
That is quite possible. It does look really clean. I am stoked to see them working on it.
The video mentions I-carbon. I wonder if that refers to an I-beam design. That is what I had envisioned. I can't tell if they are doing a rigid plate on the deck and if so have they connected the deck plate to the base plate for a true I beam design. Possibly they only did a patch over the carbon base plate to secure it. That may be rigid enough but it does seem like it would leave room for some really stiff alternate designs.
-
Very slick. The front of the carbon insert looks to be several inches thick (frame .09), that essentially makes it like a wakeboard with an inflated overlay for flotation and standing stability. I can't see exactly how the straps attach, but I wouldn't be surprised to find a firm connection between the front standing area and the plate.
OK, no, I paged through the video a frame at a time. The fold happens right at the front of the white plate cover, the rear attachment point for the straps is just forwards of that, so I'd guess no rigid connection to the top deck.
Look at frame 0.16 to see the positioning.
The least expensive way to do an inflatable is to use single thickness drop stitch fabric. The front end of the plate is much thicker than the track area. I wonder how they accommodated that in the fabric. It may actually be variable thickness drop stitch.
I want one. I don't know why, but i do.
-
Looks like a number of different sizes are planned (40-200 liters from their website).
They appear to be using a 5'3" x 27 9/16" 110 liter version... I might even be willing to 'pre-order'.
-
Finally a decent inflatable!!! The only problem I see is if it folds in half it still might not be small enough to be under the 62” baggage limitation which would defeat the purpose of having an inflatable imho. I travel a lot so beating the $150 each way charge would pay for itself within a few trips. 64”/2=32”+28”width=60” then add thickness of bag and it’s likely just over 62”...maybe one size smaller?
Looks like they used the 100cm sold carbon mast with it and seems pretty stiff...nicely done gong! Now maybe the shipping will be affordable...
-
Naish have a couple of inflatable Hover foil boards due out in a couple of weeks.
-
Finally a decent inflatable!!! The only problem I see is if it folds in half it still might not be small enough to be under the 62” baggage limitation which would defeat the purpose of having an inflatable imho. I travel a lot so beating the $150 each way charge would pay for itself within a few trips. 64”/2=32”+28”width=60” then add thickness of bag and it’s likely just over 62”...maybe one size smaller?
Looks like they used the 100cm sold carbon mast with it and seems pretty stiff...nicely done gong! Now maybe the shipping will be affordable...
Doesn’t apply to Golf Bags. Get one.
-
Naish have a couple of inflatable Hover foil boards due out in a couple of weeks.
Oooh! New segment heating up. It will be cool to know the details of how they have each gone about this. What they are doing inside the board and how they are keeping rigidity from base to deck? There is a real opportunity here to do that incredibly well. It seems like a permanently attached variation on the (existing) carbon foil mount design in itself might be a strong start but may not be ideal https://foilmount.com/products/foilmount-3-0-carbon.
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1618/6985/products/IMG_3794_1024x1024.JPG?v=1563803155)
-
Finally a decent inflatable!!! The only problem I see is if it folds in half it still might not be small enough to be under the 62” baggage limitation which would defeat the purpose of having an inflatable imho. I travel a lot so beating the $150 each way charge would pay for itself within a few trips. 64”/2=32”+28”width=60” then add thickness of bag and it’s likely just over 62”...maybe one size smaller?
Looks like they used the 100cm sold carbon mast with it and seems pretty stiff...nicely done gong! Now maybe the shipping will be affordable...
Doesn’t apply to Golf Bags. Get one.
Got an old SS golf bag for years... I’m 50/50 on getting away with it.
-
I don't quite understand that picture. the stick-on carbon foilmount being pictured doesn't have that thingy on the bottom--which looks like a mast box.
It does, however, make me think that the ideal foiling inflatable would be like a donut encircling a carbon core structure. For that matter that would be ideal for hardboards as well. The standing spread of our feet on a foil board is about 24 inches, and our back foot is directly over the mast. A core carbon piece that's 12" X 24" on the deck and mast track length and width on the bottom would make the construction of the rest of the board non-structural as far as supporting the rider and foil.
Making such a structure in one piece would be a bitch, but simple as a two-piece part that gets bolted together. That would simplify the rest of the structure as well. You could even unbolt the parts and swap to another board or or roll up the inflatable donut for a stowed size somewhere close to 12" X 24". A simple adapter plate would enable any thickness.
The stick-on plate guys might have a head start on a universal part like this--if they see where it could go..
-
That is just a part they are using to elevate and display the plate.
It looks like Gong has done a similar plate but a bit wider and with about twice the length to spread the load a bit. That is great and should reduce some of the distortion.
My thought was that you could do a full rigid insert which would contain the mast track, handles , deck pad, plugs and footstrap inserts. Any construction would work. It would probably need to be 30 inches long or so. It could have concave sides to accept the inflatable donut by a simple pressure fit. That would allow for the same insert to be used on multiple donuts, so you could have a variety of sizes for conditions or even sports and the donuts would be simple and inexpensive.
-
We are thinking of the same kind of part, and I agree, it doesn't have to be carbon though that would be lightest for similar rigidity, and probably the least expensive for short runs though molded polycarbonate would be cheaper in long runs. About 30 inches long would be right for included footstrap mounts, shorter if only the rear mounts are included. The upper plank would have to be wider for both mounts, but could be more like 6" wide if it's only rear mounts. I'm going to buy one of the stick on mounts and use it as the basis for making one of these. Not for an inflatable, but for a hard board. I love the idea of bolting a rigid foiling structure into a simpler closed cell body. Its the equivalent of Beasho's and Sam Pae's simplified foil boards made from busted foamies or boogie boards.
Companies like Wavestorm could pop these out like Twinkies.
-
Yup. As long as the surround is light, connects firmly to the insert and does not flop around you have a winner. This could be expanded into some seriously cool products that offer a ton of modularity.
-
https://youtu.be/1XNCGjkBqJI (https://youtu.be/1XNCGjkBqJI)
25 mins of details!
Edit - well, 22 mins, with some action footage... ;)
-
Except for traveling or space issues (which may be very important to some), I don't get the appeal of inflatables. They seem heavier, lack handles and back foot straps, lack some rigidity compared to a solid board, are probably a lot of work to pump to a firm pressure and there is always a small chance of deflation while you are out there.
-
Aside from the specifics, I think Patrice does a spectacularly good marketing job. He not only has great personal athletic and shaping skills, but he also presents a neutrality that allows him to explain his concept and products without needing to talk fast or down as if he is 'selling' something. I even turn the sound up to listen for inflection. I understand a few words, but mostly tone. He's also smart enough to not focus much on travel. It seems a great idea, but...' until a vaccine.
Given I have pretty much always had some sort of quiver, whether in boards or power tools, this looks like it would make a great addition. I like the 'soft crash' idea the most. I like the thought of 'pumping it up' the least. I just might have to add a little tugboat to the fleet.
Jim
-
Speaking of wing boards ideal for travel, we might end up seeing a “split” solid Wing board similar to the split kiteboards that have been out for awhile. Another cool idea would be something like split board that’s 60 liters in the split mode and say 90 liters in the combined mode (with an add-on nose adapter). A two in one board quiver ;).
Got an old SS golf bag for years... I’m 50/50 on getting away with it.
About the same here. I’m assuming I can stuff my 5’1” FSM board into the same bag my (very old) 4’10” kitefoil board would easily fit into.....haven’t tried it yet, since air travel seems to be on hold for now....
-
Speaking of wing boards ideal for travel, we might end up seeing a “split” solid Wing board similar to the split kiteboards that have been out for awhile.
Saw this on FB yesterday:
(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/84195155_2137936349686321_6399539533373714499_o.jpg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_sid=07e735&_nc_ohc=oQfVg2pFlpAAX_zVcD2&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=3afae56c9e0b379c34daac5540543e26&oe=5F0FBCBE)
(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/82187871_2137936649686291_585105524881197031_o.jpg?_nc_cat=111&_nc_sid=07e735&_nc_ohc=8kz73vJXvmEAX8h9pbr&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=51b0b6d7cc0bd1e50753bc2c9cfca5e5&oe=5F0D6C70)
-
That's a Carbon Compact construction. Very convenient but adds few more pounds to the board.
-
My next board is a custom Camet. 4-8 by 25 inches, 77 L for my 70 kg, beginner/intermediate skills. Hope I didn't go too short :-\.
-
It looks a sharp little charger... You'll be 'Phils with skills' in short order.
Jim
-
Definitely an aspirational choice
-
My thought was that you could do a full rigid insert which would contain the mast track, handles , deck pad, plugs and footstrap inserts. Any construction would work. It would probably need to be 30 inches long or so. It could have concave sides to accept the inflatable donut by a simple pressure fit. That would allow for the same insert to be used on multiple donuts, so you could have a variety of sizes for conditions or even sports and the donuts would be simple and inexpensive.
Yes, plus 1!
There are a bunch of different shapes and volumes I want to try and it cost a fortune to do this with hard boards.
I can't see myself riding an inflatable as a daily driver but great for experimenting and as loaner boards or getting kids into this. Also the gong dagger track seems to solve problems for the first sessions.
-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_M8xJSIyPc&t=742s
-
My thought was that you could do a full rigid insert which would contain the mast track, handles , deck pad, plugs and footstrap inserts. Any construction would work. It would probably need to be 30 inches long or so. It could have concave sides to accept the inflatable donut by a simple pressure fit. That would allow for the same insert to be used on multiple donuts, so you could have a variety of sizes for conditions or even sports and the donuts would be simple and inexpensive.
Yes, plus 1!
...
Was thinking the same, based around my 34 litre foil surf board. Modular system where you can add volume to suit...
-
New inflatable
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBr-ksgDpUZ/?igshid=1vixy47ylqjjt
-
New inflatable
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBr-ksgDpUZ/?igshid=1vixy47ylqjjt
Cool! Looks wider like the new hard boards:
https://www.mackiteboarding.com/2020-naish-hover-sup-foil-carbon-ultra-foilboard/
-
New inflatable
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBr-ksgDpUZ/?igshid=1vixy47ylqjjt
No footstrap inserts that I can see?
An oversight?
-
My thought was that you could do a full rigid insert which would contain the mast track, handles , deck pad, plugs and footstrap inserts. Any construction would work. It would probably need to be 30 inches long or so. It could have concave sides to accept the inflatable donut by a simple pressure fit. That would allow for the same insert to be used on multiple donuts, so you could have a variety of sizes for conditions or even sports and the donuts would be simple and inexpensive.
Something like this should do :) The basic concept is there but it would be much better with a wider insert so that you could stand entirely on the rigid portion.
(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/106959988_10217879145675772_7489461922933895702_o.jpg?_nc_cat=100&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=Z5Ra_3TGp00AX8FeE8V&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=ceef8503b276b7e3fefd346b6a22b426&oe=5F2642D2)
(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/107627270_10217879145355764_5039544411652871260_o.jpg?_nc_cat=107&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=qCRGMw_KDRwAX__fER1&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=098a45417e658f3d89b95c85eb9bd22c&oe=5F2705ED)
(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/106988253_10217879145635771_3352510746218711858_o.jpg?_nc_cat=104&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=AG5lhiBMVXoAX_Gin5a&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=c0908a4e2bb5d22e53d9091e33aaa7fb&oe=5F26E481)
(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/106920798_10217879146675797_8656741300784232687_o.jpg?_nc_cat=106&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=MfFwBd-25kIAX8ISzuB&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=7ad1fa61bf722b3743fdb36404da1a8c&oe=5F28BABF)
(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/107375719_10217879147155809_4045215378812524823_o.jpg?_nc_cat=107&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=k5F-2fQDJpgAX_4P6Zm&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=ad838a722e08b7cb8242234a1e2d54d3&oe=5F27B791)
(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/107103180_10217879147395815_1786306061852991869_o.jpg?_nc_cat=106&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=2DngXbUBu8EAX8AZT32&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=2b932c1439430bf43dcf97e597215ab4&oe=5F276FA2)
-
That looks neat! Would work well if you ride with both feet in the straps but agree a wider insert would be better for those like me who have a wondering back foot...
-
That looks neat! Would work well if you ride with both feet in the straps but agree a wider insert would be better for those like me who have a wondering back foot...
Yup. The deck plate could also be wider than the base plate and overlap the inflatable deck. That would help move rigidity out past the portion that would be possible from insert only. They could also employ a keystone shaped insert (or an hourglass keystone) to add more width up front where the board allows and where it is needed. Anyhow, I am stoked to see them pursuing this. Douche comment alert: I do wish that they had started with my retrofit rigid strut handles though :).
-
Does anyone have any intel on the latest offerings from Axis, re the Froth Carbon Foil Boards? Some very interesting sizes in the lineup. Little to no information/descriptions or images other than length, width, volumes. Are they available and shipping
https://axisfoils.com/collections/wing-surf-foilboards (https://axisfoils.com/collections/wing-surf-foilboards)