Wing specific boards

[Dwight (DW)]

Did you notice the Gong wing boards are priced higher than the SUPs!

[Admin]

It seems like there will be a lot of variations on this design:

[supunk]

The wing specific boards look v interesting.
https://www.gong-galaxy.com/produit/gong-sup-lemon-fsp-pro/

[river]

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. 

[supkailua]

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.

[river]

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.

[JEG]

I like the Flint as my 1st choice, the lemon (funny name though) and the zuma but they dont ship to Australia 

[Dwight (DW)]

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. 

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.

[Solent Foiler]

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?

[Seattle-Wind]

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/

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).






It also looks like full carbon masts are being shown here in a few of these pics.

[VB_Foil]

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).

[Admin]

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. 

[supkailua]

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?

[river]

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. 

[Solent Foiler]

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...