I've been kite foiling for 5 years now and do a lot of traveling. I'd like a foil board that could work both with a wing and SUP foiling. I'm thinking about a Cabrinha 2023 Macro Air inflatable 5'9" 140lt to use in both disciplines. Space in our van is limited hence the need for something that packs down. Any advice would be appreciated.
Hi KIT33R, red here.. I love my Naish S26 Hover Wing (5'10x29x4'3-110LTR) for SUP Surf and Wing Foiling. It could be a tad bit longer in the surf but once you get used to it, its on!I am on the GT1400 and FTS14 with this board for both disciplines. pretty cool that my rig works well in both places...I am 74 LTR weight.
_red
Select to expand quoteredtx said..
Hi KIT33R, red here.. I love my Naish S26 Hover Wing (5'10x29x4'3-110LTR) for SUP Surf and Wing Foiling. It could be a tad bit longer in the surf but once you get used to it, its on!I am on the GT1400 and FTS14 with this board for both disciplines. pretty cool that my rig works well in both places...I am 74 LTR weight.
_red
Thanks Red, The Naish S26 Hover Wing looks good. I'll do some research.
I use a Kalama 5,0 by 26,5 92 L for my 80 kg.
It took me some years to get down to this, but I love it.
Select to expand quoteKIT33R said..
I've been kite foiling for 5 years now and do a lot of traveling. I'd like a foil board that could work both with a wing and SUP foiling. I'm thinking about a Cabrinha 2023 Macro Air inflatable 5'9" 140lt to use in both disciplines. Space in our van is limited hence the need for something that packs down. Any advice would be appreciated.
Inflatable boards work ok for winging, but they are a compromise. The compromise is the weight and feel while up on foil, and they are harder to pump up on to foil as well. Also, I could think of nothing more frustrating than pumping up a board everytime I went winging. Wait, trying to sup foil an inflatable would be more frustrating! Bottom line is that only expert sup foilers can ride small boards, and even then, those boards are big for winging once you are past beginner stage. If you have good wind conditions, I'd focus on a wing set up first. Should be lots of good used gear out there to get you past the beginner stage. Then buy a 70-90 liter board around 5'3" if you are average build and making your jibes. The same size intermediate sup foiler would want a board around 5'10- 6'0 and 125 liters. (Anything smaller is really difficult as short sups don't track straight when paddling and you'll fall over if you don't keep them moving.)
I've only used blow up SUPs. If you can fit it in consider a downwind sup foil board. Around 6'1 to 6'6". Litres to suit body weight +20-30L. Nothing wider than 25". Kalama, One, Sunova, DC or Amos.
I personally would never want to use a blow up board for any foil related discipline.
Select to expand quotebaldy123 said..
I've only used blow up SUPs. If you can fit it in consider a downwind sup foil board. Around 6'1 to 6'6". Litres to suit body weight +20-30L. Nothing wider than 25". Kalama, One, Sunova, DC or Amos.
I personally would never want to use a blow up board for any foil related discipline.
Same I don't think I would like to rely on a blow up board.
My 6'1 x 25 ONE Egg sup downwind board, works well as a surf sup and wing board. Unfortunately at my weight and skill level I have gone longer for downwind sup so will have to sell it.
Seriously thinking of selling my dedicated wing board instead.
I've got a 4'6 x 23 Gong wing board I've left with a buddy in Europe. It's the latest Hipe Pro, it's absolutely fine for winging, light and rigid. Second generation carbon foil mount and handle. Maybe inflatable works better for small boards, the others I've tried without the carbon plate are awful wobbly disasters. This would be way too small for Sup foiling but the slightly bigger ones might work, traditional hard board way better though
Select to expand quoteJonathanC said..
I've got a 4'6 x 23 Gong wing board I've left with a buddy in Europe. It's the latest Hipe Pro, it's absolutely fine for winging, light and rigid. Second generation carbon foil mount and handle.
Note that the new generation is there, and Gong has now ... 4 different inflatable production lines, the demand for inflatable boards has been so huge (most Gong foilers have now one in their foil quiver) that it now allows for a diversity of models:
- beginner strapless: simpler, cheaper
- strapless: more rigid and compact than the beginner model
- standard
- pro: more performance but less stability
This is where gong is smart I thing. He creates a line where the user will start from one and increment gradually to the pro...even if realistically he should buy the pro at first time. Same with Foil, they always suggest the entry and make you increment gradually over the same line, then increment gradually to the other higher line and realistically after the entry level you can go to the higher end of the spectrum. What I've noticed with one of my friend who rides gong. I disagree with the carbon plate. I've tried some brand with carbon plate that sucks. I do think the gong inflatable is a very good inflatable, carbon plate is not synonyme as good board for sure.
I am on my second Gong inflatable as I love them for winging. As for the complaint about inflating them each time, I just leave mine slightly depressurized when I store them. It's so nice not having to fuss with board bags and ding repairs. I would be interested if Gong could do an inflatable Cruzader downwind SUP, the trick would be to get a tail that releases well.
