Guys, I’m currently doing wake foil and surf foil, but I also plan to get into downwind foil and wing foil. What would be the ideal quiver? Would it make sense to have one surf-foil board and one mid-length board? What do you recommend?
Do you currently wake and surf on the same board?
You could get away with a surf/wake board and a wing/downwind board, particularly for beginning. Ideally you would have a wake/surf board, a midlength that you could surf or wing in higher wind (or just get a dedicated wing board if you don’t want to surf the mid), and then a downwind board that you could also wing in light conditions.
You sure you want to downwind? That kind of skews the equation for a sport that you “plan” to get into.
1 Like
I feel Iike you could plan to have a 2 board quiver…eventually. But don’t try to go straight there. Spend some time on a regular old wing board for winging and a regular DW board for that then go to the mid when both those activities are too easy.
1 Like
Important clarification here is if you mean SUP downwind, or just any downwind.
You could really just do 2 boards:
- Prone board that doubles as a wake board.
- Mid length that doubles as a wing & parawing downwind board.
If you wanna SUP, add a SUP downwind board to that list. Although I don’t know why you would these days (maybe you want to train for the big races?).
1 Like
Guys, let me explain it better. I’ve been doing wake-surf foil with an Armstrong FG Wing Surf Foilboard (39L) and the S1 aluminum foil with the 1250 front wing. I’m now progressing to the MA890. I also want to start doing downwind, either with a SUP or with a parwing.
Local conditions here are weak, short waves for surf-foil, but long downwind runs — so I’m trying to build a setup that works well for both.
As someone who also plans to get into downwinding and is currently winging
-
8’2" X 23" 145L for winging on >6kt days
-
5’4" x 27" 98L for >12kt days. Unless I’m trying to <600cm foils. Then I’ll use the big board for the ease of takeoff.
-
15L pump foil board for <6kt days. Pump foil has improved my winging skills
I would recommend a narrower downwind board or a midlength because most of the balance is from the foil, not the board width. I’d probably be happy on a 6" x 17" 90L board for most days though.
1 Like
I like the idea. I have 50yo, 165 ponds. Any suggestions?
if you’re planning to SUP you can do that, wake foil, parawing and sup surf, on a downwind board they’re pretty versatile when you get used to a bigger board. we sup foil off my boat sometimes, it’s great to learn paddle ups and its a fun way of getting a bunch of guys on the water without dealing with tow ropes. someone falls you loop back around and throw a big wake as you pass them by. theoretically a good downwind board and a mid length will cover all forms of foiling, maybe not optimal for everything but you’re covered and all still fun.
N+1 is a good rule of thumb
3 Likes
I run 3 boards each has it’s specialty but they can also share the load.
85L Mid Length 6’6 x 21. This is predominantly my SUP surf board but also gets used for parawing and very very light wind winging
48L Armstrong Surf 4’11 x 20.5. This is predominantly my wing board but I’ll also use it on very low energy prone sessions
29L JS Mr Bennetts. This is predominantly my prone/tow board but when we get some decent consistent wind I’m actually considering having a crack at winging it.
2 Likes
I thought it had long been established that the answer to that question was N + 1
Applying that rule to your current situation of N = 1, adding a midlength board would open up your options. At 75kgs, and if you don’t have previous experience in wind powered foiling, you’d want to size it up for comfort and ease of use. Maybe around 85-90L. But if you expect to paddle it, you’d need significantly more. Probably around 110L, but then that kind of makes it a bit too big for wingfoil or powered riding. Could be a case of N+2…
2 Likes
I go with a prone board and a paddle board.
The prone board is optimized for proning but can be used for suboptimal dockstarting or as a sinker for winging in stronger winds.
The paddle board is a big board for winging but does the trick, especially for lighter winds. It doubles as a paddle board and could be used for downwinding.
1 Like
I have a bunch of boards, but I’m pretty stoked with the fact that I can prone and wing the same board and be happy…a 55ML. So if I want to keep it simple and do both in the same day, I bring just that.
1 Like