Sky Wing 5’8’ vs. Quatro Wing Drifter Pro 5’8’

[MasFoil]

Hi All,

First off, thank you all for your participation in this community. I’m new to winging and have been learning a lot from the forum. This has been one of the best sources for equipment research.

I’m just about to pull the trigger on a new board and wanted some comparative feedback between the Sky Wing 5.8 and the Quatro Wing Drifter Pro 5.8. I’ve been shortboard surfing for 20 years but have little wind sport experience. I’m 210lbs/95kg at 5’11’’.

- Has anyone ridden both? How do they compare?
- The Drifter Pro does not have a vent plug, has anyone heard of delamination issues? I’ll be riding in Texas, where summer air temps can reach 100F.
- I read somewhere that Fanatic will eliminate the Sky Wing’s arch bar. Has anyone found it uncomfortable? I though people were liking that feature.

Aloha and thanks again!

[Pasquales]

I ride the Quatro 5'6" and weigh 200 lbs.  Haven't ridden Fanatic boards.  A buddy has one and sold his because he wanted a board that weighs less.   I previously owned an F One Rocket 120 liter, and wanted to downsize.  The quatro uses a dense EPS core, carbon wrap and lighter glass.  With the carbon layer, I've found them to be sufficiently durable.  There are plenty of other brands that also manufacture this way, and don't use vent plugs.  Boards that use low density foam should definitely use a vent plug. 

[gone_foiling]

I ride 5.4 quatro and liking it a lot. Board is very light - have no experience with fanatic wing board offerings. I am sure both options are fine. I hear your concerns about heat - I am in Florida and we had 75 degree weather yesterday and board got really hot within minutes so don’t know hoe it’s going to fair in 90 degrees. Sorry couldn’t be more of help.

[MasFoil]

I ride the Quatro 5'6" and weigh 200 lbs.  Haven't ridden Fanatic boards.  A buddy has one and sold his because he wanted a board that weighs less.   I previously owned an F One Rocket 120 liter, and wanted to downsize.  The quatro uses a dense EPS core, carbon wrap and lighter glass.  With the carbon layer, I've found them to be sufficiently durable.  There are plenty of other brands that also manufacture this way, and don't use vent plugs.  Boards that use low density foam should definitely use a vent plug.

Thanks for the insight, Pasquales. Definitely board weight is a factor I’m considering. I’m actually loosing weight, so have though about getting the 5.6. How’s flotation with a 200lbs rider? What’s the lowest wind speed you need to get on foil?

[MasFoil]

I ride 5.4 quatro and liking it a lot. Board is very light - have no experience with fanatic wing board offerings. I am sure both options are fine. I hear your concerns about heat - I am in Florida and we had 75 degree weather yesterday and board got really hot within minutes so don’t know hoe it’s going to fair in 90 degrees. Sorry couldn’t be more of help.

Light weight is definitely a plus of the Quatro over the Fanatic. I’ve read in the forum that the Fanatic’s weight reduces its flotation by 6L.

[surfcowboy]

Is this your first board? Have you learned on a loaner or SUP? If not, try to.

Rode with a buddy yesterday and he had the 5’8” Quatro. He’s probably 185lbs and was more than floating on that.

I’m actually taking my arch bars down now for my front foot. I like them for SUP but need them less for winging. I’ll probably put a tiny one (2mm?) so I can feel center or see it looking down. Still like it for back but I probably won’t need it much longer really and a minimal one will work fine.

[paddlur]

I have the 5’8” 115 L and it works very well for me at 225lbs dry highly recommend it,real light and build quality seems pretty good so far after 4-5 months so.my only suggestion for V2 would be to put a couple of inserts on deck for a strap webbing handle option for holding by deck over whitewater navigating in shore break,bottom handle is nice too for carrying as well just real nice board not sure why they did not put vent on it though but never had a issue in this regard🤞think the fanatics are bit heavier too

[MasFoil]

Is this your first board? Have you learned on a loaner or SUP? If not, try to.

Rode with a buddy yesterday and he had the 5’8” Quatro. He’s probably 185lbs and was more than floating on that.

I’m actually taking my arch bars down now for my front foot. I like them for SUP but need them less for winging. I’ll probably put a tiny one (2mm?) so I can feel center or see it looking down. Still like it for back but I probably won’t need it much longer really and a minimal one will work fine.

This will be my first board, but I have some sessions on a loaned 6foot 120L board. Im ready for a 5.8, just don’t know if o should go to the 5.6 105L board.

[MasFoil]

I have the 5’8” 115 L and it works very well for me at 225lbs dry highly recommend it,real light and build quality seems pretty good so far after 4-5 months so.my only suggestion for V2 would be to put a couple of inserts on deck for a strap webbing handle option for holding by deck over whitewater navigating in shore break,bottom handle is nice too for carrying as well just real nice board not sure why they did not put vent on it though but never had a issue in this regard🤞think the fanatics are bit heavier too

Thanks for the feedback, paddlur!  Great pic! You’re flying high. What length is that mast?

[paddlur]

I have the 5’8” 115 L and it works very well for me at 225lbs dry highly recommend it,real light and build quality seems pretty good so far after 4-5 months so.my only suggestion for V2 would be to put a couple of inserts on deck for a strap webbing handle option for holding by deck over whitewater navigating in shore break,bottom handle is nice too for carrying as well just real nice board not sure why they did not put vent on it though but never had a issue in this regard🤞think the fanatics are bit heavier too

Thanks for the feedback, paddlur!  Great pic! You’re flying high. What length is that mast?

Thanks no problem at your weight and first winging board I’d stay with the 115L board personally as you can use it maybe as a dual purpose winging and supfoiling board as with the 105L bit more difficult,just my opinion.I generally use a Axis 85cm 19mm mast winging👍

[Pasquales]

I agree with others the 5'6" 105 liter might be too difficult as an initial board.  It can be done, but seems like it might be unnecessary.  Local spots nearby I'd characterize as being on the lite side - Average 10-12 mph winds, 10 to 15 on a handful of good days per month.  So wing boards for me must be small and lite weight period to get up on foil. If you live in more wind prone places, weight/size may not be such an issue.  Anyway  I can definitely fly in 15 mph winds.  When it gets below it gets dicey.  At 12 mph I've struggled but more experienced lighter guys are still flying.  Don't think you can go wrong with either board, but ultimately comes down to your local conditions.

Thanks for the insight, Pasquales. Definitely board weight is a factor I’m considering. I’m actually loosing weight, so have though about getting the 5.6. How’s flotation with a 200lbs rider? What’s the lowest wind speed you need to get on foil?

[PonoBill]

The biggest reason for vents in SUP boards is that they are generally made from light, cheap EPS. Any leak through the skin yields water that travels through the entire board. Water in the board = water vapor which expands with temperature differences like crazy. Mush bigger volume increase than water--live 4 times more at least.

[deja vu]

You might want to consider buying something "big" (130 or 140 litres) on the used market to get comfortable with.  Once you feel good with it then move to something smaller -- you could probably sell it for close to what you paid.  If you already have a lot of foil experience (i.e. wind foiler or kite foiler) then no problem -- you can start with something pretty small (115 to 125 litre).

I think the biggest mistake some people make (especially after watching the Youtube videos) is that they can hop on a five foot board and away they go.  Some are in for a very rude surprise.

The first few tries with a wing can be brutal so make life as easy as you can for yourself.  Progress is pretty quick but the initial attempts can be tough.

Here's a video of someone with a lot of kite foiling experience talking about board size and other things related to winging (he's 75 kilos).  He recommends a a board that's 15 litres above your body weight (in Kilos).  Most recommendations are for 40 litres above body weight, however, you'll want something smaller pretty quickly.

[MasFoil]

Thanks for the video, deja! Great resource for beginners.

[Pasquales]

I weigh 90 kgs, and started on a  6'0" 120 L F-One Rocket.  I found the board to be extremely lite weight and perfect for my local conditions.  At the time I purchased the wing board, there were several boards on the market, but many seemed too heavy in my opinion.  If you live in windy areas, maybe board weight isn't such an issue. 

The 120 L board (+30) was really easy to get up on.  I've been prone surfing for over 30 years, and found I could just stand up from a prone position and pick up the wing.  After switching to a 105 L board (+15), knee starts were required.  Honestly, the first few sessions were not fun as I had to learn to tread lightly when knee starting, and not stuff the nose.   Then the lights came on and it's not such a problem now.  But I remember back to the first day being surprised by how difficult it seemed.