Ok what do you guys think the ideal parawing board is for you?
I’m looking for one that is smaller than the DW board I am using, but is easy to knee start. I’m 175lbs so I’m thinking like 80 liters maybe? I’ll be using it to sail around some, not exclusively DW. Bonus if it could double as a wing board.
Some of those Sunova boards look like they could be good. Or the short Kalama Gator?
Let’s hear y’all’s Ideal 1 parawing board.
I’m on 55L 5’5”x18.5” - weight 70Kg and it’s a good overall board mainly focused for Parawing either in downwind bump rides or proper head high or more waves. It’s small enough to be fun as well with the wing and can be prone surfed too, lately been doing more and more of the prone take off to PW deploy, not that I exclusively intend it, but if in the paddle out to the wind line a good enough wave appears, it’s a fun one to do!
That -15L equation seems to be my sweet spot.
I’ve been pretty happy with this 6’1” x 19” I made recently. It’s pretty much neutral buoyancy at 72L. Long enough waterline to generate boardspeed but not too long for swing weight issues. The narrowness makes starts a bit trickier but helps when going upwind. I kept some volume in the nose to help with starts as I find myself pumping the board quite a bit and the bigger nose helps push back if that makes sense.
I’ve been really happy with my 60L SuperK. It’s pretty much neutral buoyancy for me at 62kg. The length and width seem really well suited to parawing and it’s still great for winging and prone. I have done a little traveling lately and have been pretty happy with it as a one board quiver for all three of those activities. I don’t know what I’d change, it seems ideal to me with where I’m at and what I’m doing.
6’6x19 around 80lts would do me, something slippery to get up to foiling speed fast in light and strong winds, but still small enough for swell riding. Currently doesn’t exist but maybe one day.
One thing I don’t see talked about enough is thickness. If you want a board that’s both short and narrow, you end up adding a lot of thickness to maintain volume. That can create a more disconnected feel on foil, and it also makes managing mast height trickier, especially if you’re used to thinner boards like prone.
I see a lot of people chasing shorter lengths and narrower widths, but that combination usually means a very thick board. For me, that’s a deal breaker. I’d rather compromise slightly on width. Adding just an inch or two can thin the board out quite a bit and improve overall feel.
That’s why you’re starting to see newer shapes trend slightly wider. Most of the latest PW boards are moving into the 20-22.5” inch width range. You’re seeing fewer 18-19” because people don’t want to be riding boards that are 6+ inches thick.
Just something to consider when dialing in dimensions.
Every ideal parawing board will be different but here my key design and reasoning for my third parawing built board that I’m currently shaping. I’m no pro builder but here’s the specs :
Volume
Outline
Rocker
Rail & Bottom
Deck
1/2" deck concave
The concave is shape to have a 2 degrees deck angle compare to the track that are at 0 degree.
Construction
My design approach was to converge everything toward the center of the board (around 50% of its length): widest point, start of the rocker, center of lift, center of mass, etc. I’m not claiming this is the optimal solution, but it’s the main takeaway from my latest build. Any of you have opinions on this ??
I’m 75 kg but ride much heavier in the cold winter and recently switched from a 5’8”x19” 85L board to a 6’3” x 20” 100L board. I’m also getting old and like to go out for long sessions (4 hr+) so I wanted to make my life easier.
I’m quite a bit happier with the bigger board so far, the old board was a bit too short in the nose for PW and had more rocket which means the new board does get in the way when pumping low on the mast which is a bit annoying. Overall the added stability and ease of use make it a worthwhile trade off though.
I think my ideal board would be 6’0” x 20.5” 90-95L, basically a Frank Mini Dart but 1” wider.
Also having a tail cut out and more aggressive nose rocker (but flat middle rocker) so it gets out of my way when pumping.
I got almost those same dims (6’ x 20“) in a 73 Liter Frank and Im loving it at 80 kg. The customs are also VERY light (3.5kg with V strap inserts). Very easy and efficient board for me as a novice parawinger. I think the rocker that he runs is part of the secret sauce.
It’s a really solid wing board as well.
Great feedback y’all! Thanks for everyone’s input. I’ll let you know where it takes me.
This is my baby. 5’6”x20”x4 5/8” 65 liters.
Really simple bottom shape, slight deck concave. Love it.
If I get a do-over, I’d go maybe a *tad* longer, ever so slightly wider, and in return get closer to 4 2/5”.
Wow, Beautiful outline. Widepoint 4" foward ?
Those VB’s always looked good.
Here’s a review of the Omen Emissary. Haven’t made it all the way through yet.
I had Vince shape me a wing board a few years back. Great shape. Excellent construction and super light.
I just picked up a Appletree Skipper dw 6’7x19 92L board. One session in but I really like it. First neutral vol board and I am sold. It takes off so easily even in marginal conditions. And the length is mitigated by the box position. I preferred narrow boards and it seems the current trend is wider for the higher vol boards. Feel lucky to have found this one used.
I was riding a F One 78l mid for the last year and a half. It worked well but needed more power to start. I weigh 195lb
I’ve ordered a hydrocraft 80 liter board (I weigh 75 kg). Think it will be close to ideal as a parawing board. Currently riding the Armstrong 75 ML and I would like to have a longer board and a tiny bit more volume for low wind conditions. Will report back as soon as I get the board.
Ideal for me to upwind and ride bumps back in our local winds is minimum 6’ and 19 or 20 wide and about neutral volume to +10. Surface area is king for PW. It must be light like 4kg for 70l. I want to be able to pump the board up reliably when the wind drops off.
I don’t agree with adding volume forward in any other way than length and after looking at omen above they have a really good volume distribution and length at that size but a bit too heavy for the price. I don’t think its practical to be under 6’ unless you have very reliable winds in your area and if the board is light enough it wont matter if its 6’.
Just put up this vid about my board progression on Sunovas while parawinging. I’d say the one I am on now is pretty much perfect. Pilot Mid, 6’5". It would be better if it had custom graphics.
With your experimentation on lower volume boards, curious whether you have revisited your thinking around BARG factor? Does your experimentation with lower volume change anything or do you still feel that volume/weight is weighted correctly in the BARG factor / efficiency calc?
Just upgraded to the Sunova Mid pilot 6’5, very impressive, may actually get going easier than my North Midi 6’ but with 14lts less volume. Length is your friend, not volume.
