So I just did some travel to the bahamas and took my kite foil setup. The experience was underwhelming (wierd launches etc) and i was really wishing i was winging and i could have proned and DW. I looked at the inflatibles and saw this random brand Zetti had the size and form factor i want in stock for $575 shipped which was already pretty cheap. I would have gone with a more established brand at that price but I reached out and they sweatened the deal with a little discount they said i could share so i bit and i’ve got a review to post.
Shipped from the US, arrived in a week ground shipping from Washington state.
Takeaway - Great travel dimensions, good (not great) on wing, OK (not good) for prone/downwind, possibly cheapest possible parawing option.
Discount Code - Nick5_25
Build quality - Seems fine, I’d bet this is made on the same line as all the other inflatible foil boards with virtually the same materials. I don’t think gong is doing anything different here, i imagine this is a re-brand of something coming off the same tooling as the gong5’11" inflatible DW. If your shopping inflatibles this is going to be all the same i imagine. Carbon plate on the bottom, strap inserts on top, etc. Weight is 12.4 lbs. Comes with nice simple straps, pump, hardware, travel bag, etc.
Winging - I pumped it up and went for a ding in 18kt conditions. I was riding a piece of garbage takuma WK 4.3 and my uni vyper 150. Getting on foil felt great compared to my 5’0" x 24" fanatic. I’d say getting on foil was 25% better than the fanatic Bar of soap at the same volume. I felt like i needed less power and had more glide getting up on foil. Shape felt slippery and did the mid length thing. When i first got on foil it felt a little squishy, definately some noticable flex but rideable. Once i got used to it it felt better, i’d say i was riding at 75%. I was definately held back more by the garbage hand wing (takuma WK) than the board. Strap position was fine for my riding, i rode strapped and boosed a few but nothing crazy. Feels a little wierd hitting the water but not tragic. I’m thinking this might be my new “light wind” wing board and i’ll just ride my prone board in real conditions. The fanatic is getting long in the tooth and this gets on foil better and the ride is good enough to replace it in those conditions. Weight distribution was better than my fanatic. If it was going to be my only board i’d feel worse about it. For skills this is a small DW board at 20" wide. You need to be able to get your feet with both hands on the wing-ding easily on your standard wide board. This was a step harder in balance than the fanatic and a step easier than the prone board but once on your feet getting on foil was by far the easiest of the bunch.
Prone/DW - I did a prone runner session for the review. It took a few extra tries but i caught a wave and did a 1.5 mile runner in mediocre conditions - hitchhiked up and repeated it. Catching waves was annoying but i think thats more of a midlength/longboard thing for me - i didn’t like how it wanted to track straight on the wave i felt like i couldn’t adjust the direction while catching and taco’d a few times where as on my little prone board i’m able to skate it around on take off and make those adjustments easier. I don’t think thats on the board necessicarily more of a mid length design thing that doesnt work for me. Once up on foil i definately felt the squish i’d say my pump was handicaped at 60% and turning/surfing handicaped at 70% . You end up riding more back footed on account of the squish. I was definately putting in more effort for less result but it was definately dooable. I was nice when i switched back to my regular prone board. This is not going to be part of my regular prone quiver in any conditions but if i’m traveling its going to be a good way to squeeze in a session
Parawing - I don’t parawing but i want to (I $500 want it not $2500). Based on how it winged i think it will work fine and now that the wings are cheaper i think i can get into it for under $1000 - probably 1/3 of what i would have had to spend 3 months ago and with a carbon DW board. If you already DW getting a PW is a no brainer but for those of us without a $2000 DW board just hanging out the PW means getting a new board which is alot of commitment for somthing that might not be your jam. The inflatible DW is def a way to test the waters with PW for prone-only and standard wingboard riders.
Travel - I’m thinking this is going to be a good travel option for me - its a versitle option that can wing (well) can prone/DW (OK) and can probably Parawing so i can cover alot of bases on a trip. I’m never going anywhere on a “foil trip” its always a family trip somewhere and maybe i can get a session or two in - as such i always feel like a jackass carting a whole huge prone board around - godforbid i even consider the giant wing-ding board - for a mediocre session. This thing packs small (34x15x3) which means i can pack board, foil, 2 wings and pump in a bag and still be under the 62" Length + width + height for standard checked luggage. My kite foil pocket board is 36x17 wich is worse(based on those airline requirments) so this is a win. I wouldn’t take this thing to Hood river or maui. If foiling was the primary purpose of the trip i’d take my highest performance option and this wouldn’t be it. For “getting a session in” on my family’s bahamas/maine trip this is a winnner though.
