Hi. I am making the jump to downwind foil learning.
172 lbs in Santa Barbara ca . Competent wing and kite foiler.
Got a deal on a lift 220 hax, which I plan to use on 36" mast.
I have carve tails to use with the 220.
I’m wanting to find an appropriate entry level downwind board, considering the naish 125l dw model.
Any advice on what I should be looking for as other options or any used boards available? I want to be able to eventually use it with a paddle to start but probably pair with small wing to start.
Also, will a 36" mast be a problem ? I am used to it on kite/wing.
Goal is to downwind on big blow days around here, which are not often… I want the easiest learning process possible
I have yet to try a dw run with a paddle, but you prob want a shorter mast to help pop out water sooner/easier. Long mast with wing is fine…and useful in chop, but with SUPfoiling on calm waves…28” mast is all u want. Look for a board with a V-hull in the tail for tracking. Good luck!
Recently through the worst of stage of learning to DW, tried a handful of boards, stick with the 8’+x19-20" range IMO. some might argue slightly harder to balance but the difference is nominal, a wide board is going to be slower through the water and not help your balance by much. you also have more heal to toe tipping but less nose to tail balancing that you need to worry about on the longer board so you can focus more on balancing in one direction. it’s a trade off that you’ll paddle faster through the water and be able to paddle up easier. you want a 28" mast, 30" is fine too but you may need a couple extra paddle strokes to get up while you’re developing good technique. DW is hard, put your head down and keep at it… 8’+ board that’s reasonably narrow so it paddles fast, 28" mast 1300cm foil, colorful vocabulary
The naish boards are to wide to paddle fast. If you want learning to be as easy as possible, and by god you do. 8ft or longer, 18-20 wide, no less than 110L no more than 125L. The 220 will get you popping up but you will struggle to keep up with ocean swell. A foil like the code 1300s or 1075r is a good balance of low end- able to go fast. Those foils helped me break through! Good luck, the learning it tough but so worth it, all the cross training helps, sup surf, flat water paddle etc
Good info here. Go to Mondo’s with your setup and learn there. Don’t attempt DW unless you can get up on any wave/bump that you choose. You will severely shorten the learning curve by spending time at Mondos instead of struggling in open ocean to paddle.
