Brand?
Model?
Type? V-tail? Rail shape?
Volume? Sweet spot for body weight?
Length? Longer the better?
Width? Minimum I can balance?
Is it possible to have too much volume, because I need to learn to bounce/pump the board in the water? If so, what is the best ratio of board volume to body weight?
Have you SUP paddled before?
What foil are you going to use with it?
Do you mean true flatwater? As in a lake?
Longer is better. Yes, it’s possible to have too much volume. Seek out videos from Gwen on Leroy Damoy’s YouTube page. Or Simeon on Voyager foiler YouTube Page.
If you really want to flatwater paddle and can get video of yourself regularly, join Coach Casey Club.
Flatwater paddle ups are not necessary to DW.
I’ve SUPed plenty on flatwater and I’m surf.
I kitefoil, and am learning to wingfoil.
In my offseason I’m minutes from a river, and hours from the ocean.
Gwen makes everything look so easy I can’t tell what is the best learning setup for mortals.
I’ll check out Simeon on Voyager.
I’m 41yo, 87kg.
Gong Sirus XL (136cm), 65cm mast, smallest Gong Fluid stabilizer. Neg 1.5deg baseplate shim.
I’m worried I won’t be able to balance on a KT Dragonfly, so narrow and rounded. The North Horizon is long and narrow, but not quite as rounded?
Leaning towards a AFS WhiteBird 8’2”, since it’s wider (23”)
Your foil provides most of the stability on the narrow boards. So if you’re on glassy flat water and you have a nice wide foil. I would go no wider than 19". You probably already know how to brace with your paddle. Plus the longer boards get forward momentum super quickly which provides stability. Same as riding a bike. When you’re moving forward it’s easier to balance.
Over 8 feet long. 19" or less. In flatwater you will learn the balance. Simeon gives a formula in one of his recent video’s. It’s from James Casey though. Your weight in KG x 1.3 if you’re intermediate advanced. Or weight in KG x 1.4 if you’re a beginner. That’s a jumping off point.
Lots of good info in this post that’s a similar topic: SUP foil advice - #20 by Jef_spicoli
Hey Man, I’m your size, 48yo and have the Sirus XXL 156. I’ve been so busy dockstarting for the last few months but I haven’t been able to get the paddle up with this foil yet. In the past year I’ve probably only tried paddle ups 6 or 7 times. I have used my 7’6" Hipe Cruzader listed at 132L and my friend’s 8’2" 2023 KT Dragonfly Ginxu. This KT felt considerably glidier on the surface than the Cruz which I use for winging. Now that I’ve met some of the goals I set for dockstarting, I’ll probably put more effort into getting the Cruz flying with this big wing. I know it’s doable, I just keep gassing out to soon. I’m hoping my dockstart training will build my cardio for paddle ups.
Hi Dr. I’ve got you covered! For sale locally here in the pacific nw. Hood River or Portland.
A+ condition, 121ltr 8’2" x 21" KT Dragonfly. $1,500. Comes with bag and rail tape.
Length is key for speed. Width is key for stability. Volume is key so the board floats nicely. Wing it, flat water paddle up, ride ocean ground swell, or rip it on the river. I do it all and it’s a one board quiver. Great board if your starting the balance game or just a fun overall big boy toy for all disciplines. I’m one year into sup-foil and have lots of advice based on experience. Cheers.
@503Foil thanks for the offer.
I’m seeing at least 3 other similar boards for sale right now on Facebook marketplace, all in the The Gorge area.
It’s hard to believe that 18” width vs 21” makes all the difference, but that’s the latest thinking.
And I have my doubts about my ability to balance on a 18” width board, even with a big foil underneath, and my experience bracing while SUP surfing (non-foil).
The AFS blackbird looks nice, but the 8’0” x 18” is only 115liters, and 1.4xbodyweight = 120-125liters
Eventually, I’d love to switch to a Gong HIPE Cruzader inflatable SUPfoil board, for travel without oversize hassle. But they look harder to paddle up, so I’m assuming I’ll need a great hard board to learn and progress. (From my winging experience, inflatable boards stick to the water much worse than hard boards)
