How soon (if ever) until we see what I’m calling prone mid-length boards where the intent is to prone paddle into non-breaking waves somewhat near shore? While DW is all the rage, those boards seem to be wider than what’s needed for prone as you don’t need the width for stability. Adam Bennetts put out that clip recently where he’s riding an Amos Sultan which looks cool and is most likely a custom board. We have some outer sandbars where I live and I’d love a board that could get me into those waves when they stand up but don’t necessarily break. Anyone built any boards targeting this use case?
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I’m getting something kind of like this built right now. My intent is to downwind wing with it using very small wings. I’m doing 6’ x 19” x 80L which is probably longer and higher volume than a board you would use to paddle in, but I’m sure there are design similarities. Curious to hear what designs are out there.
Proper has a similar design (5’6 x 19)
Amundson does a mini Malolo (5’9)
Majek has a super nice looking design
I think there is lot coming to this space…
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I also wonder if construction methods will be reconsidered as a small wave prone board won’t be under the same physical stress that a surfboard or even wingfoil board are. Use carbon to support the foil and the deck but maybe think about E glass for the rest of the board. Might be able to bring the price of these boards down a bit which wouldn’t hurt.
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Stiffness and connection to the foil is going to be just as (if not more) important for a board like this and keeping a larger board stiff is harder than a smaller board. Love the idea of getting cost and weight down but not at the expense of stiffness. Maybe some interesting things to do to lighten the tip and tail though? If there are viable construction improvements I would imagine we will start see them in downwind boards given that market is slightly ahead.
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The board I learned on was 6’ and 80L, standard surfboard construction. I don’t think I’ve any chance of paddling into non breaking waves on it.
Hopefully someone figures it out because then we could foil anywhere
I think this is something that will start to become more and more popular. I’m trying to decide myself what dimensions will work for me. 6’ x 19 in a DW style shape is what I’m leaning towards. But I have doubts that I can paddle it fast enough to catch unbroken waves. Longer would be easier, of course, but dealing with longer than 6’ would just be a chore.
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Something like what Jim Bones is exploring with the foil drive type electric assistance is another avenue for that type of wave setup.
On first glance, even myself I’m thinking I’m anti efoil and it’s maybe sorta geeky. But at the end of the day he’s scoring those un breaking rollers and he’s on a thin (stiff and nice connection with foil) board and shorter.
I’d also argue it’s a lot cooler than involving a gas jetski. (As I’m shopping for skis on craigslist 
)
My DW board is 6’9.5" x 21.25" x 5" and I designed it to be paddled prone maybe but from my experience I’d way rather be on a ~4’ thin ~30l board and chip in way on the inside and pump out the back vs the times I’ve proned on the DW board and it just feels like a tanker.
Of course there are epic spots where there’s no chip in to be found so I definitely think it’s a worthwhile thing to figure out.
Whatever happened to the flipper boogie starts? Seemed like a good idea
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My hope is the boards don’t need to be much bigger than the prone boards. Catching unbroken waves mostly technique and timing, I can catch unbroken waves on a 4’4x16" 32L board when the timing is right and the wave stands up just enough but doesn’t trip over, but takes a ton of energy I use the boogie bounce and some finless kicks and it works really well. I think 50L volume and a bit of length and I would be able to catch super weak waves.
I think calling it a mid-length is exactly right. A performance board with paddling power and early entry. Historically a 50-60L board paddled poorly for all that volume due to the width, and was effectively a foam beginner board equivalent. A 60L board aimed at advanced riders is a very interesting idea.
Key issue for me is the thickness, I would like to find the optimum balance between it paddling like a canoe on the water and it not feeling like a canoe on foil. I think recessed decks to allow for more effective volume while minimising thickness might be worth something? Similar to race knee board. 100L is way too much foam if you don’t need to SUP it
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Yeah love it! Thinner the better in my experience under 3" if possible
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Definitely already in use. Check out @Mauifoilgirl on Instagram (Skeeter Tichnor). She rips on any board, but uses a mid length at Ka’a point to help with a long paddle out.
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Early entry is technique more than anything:
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Very good point. So little energy required when your in the right spot and paddle at the right time
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Took the downwind board to what I had hoped would be a good bay-run setup but turned out not to work so did some prone paddle-ins on a tiny chip. Incredibly easy to catch these bumps, could happily go way down in size or half the thickness from roughly 6’4x21x5 as the board is really big once you are up and not comfortable to turn at all. I caught about 10 waves and it really is easier to catch flatter waves as the pitchier steeper waves lead to massive overcorrections as you find your feet.
There was 10-15knots of wind, probably better off on the wing in conditions like that 
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Super interested in getting a little help with catching unbreaking waves. Have many a closeout in Canada/Wa with easy chip in reefs or point breaks few and far between. Really interested in how much aid one could get with one of those boost powered fins. Tried a friend’s foildrive and was surprised that it actually provides way more power than needed and can use it to efoil a <50L board. Wonder if 10lbs of thrust at just the right time while paddling into an unbreaking wave could be the lightest ticket to riding any little bump?
The boost fin is $400 but you’d need to glass in an additional fin box to get it on your board. If you know how to do that then seems like the best option
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Glen Pang has more models than any person could reasonably keep track of, but here is one that’s 5’1x17.5 @50l doing what you are talking about: Majek on Instagram: "@ayersupply sampling the new Burner DW model"
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Both of those look super fun
created an account to share our board designs that fit the “mid-length” description in the larger sizes. Looking forward to hearing if you guys think we’ve hit the mark!
I’m using the 40L as my go-to and intended the 60L to be for light wind winging and the occasional surf day when the swell doesn’t show up. What’s surprised me is how much fun I’ve been having proning the 60L in messier surf when I’d have otherwised struggled with current and inconsistent waves on a smaller board. Had a few amazing novelty sessions recently in spots I’d never thought of as surfable, getting better at fighting the urge to always grab my 40L and pick the right tool for the job!
Thanks for setting up this forum Erik and everything you’ve done to build the foil community. I’ve learned to surf foil through listening to your podcast!
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Can you set the two boards side by side so I can see track location of both of them?