Caught up with Francesco Maffei "Frank" at the AWSI 2025 at Hood River, and he gave a great rundown on his new Para Wing Boards.
Select to expand quotePiros said..
Caught up with Francesco Maffei "Frank" at the AWSI 2025 at Hood River, and he gave a great rundown on his new Para Wing Boards.
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Thanks for sharing! I'm curious about the different sizes.
Update: Here's the lineup on on the Frank Mini Dart: axisfoils.com/collections/frank-mini-dart
I should have waited. I picked up an Armstrong ML after riding it this spring. They look great and priced well.
Would have been nicer if the smaller sizes were a little longer for their volume. 70l under 6' is bit bit short I think.
i wonder what the weights will be?
I am also very interested to know the weights. Also do they have foot strap inserts? Personally I hope they don't to keep the weight down.
Select to expand quoteYoungbreezy said..
I am also very interested to know the weights. Also do they have foot strap inserts? Personally I hope they don't to keep the weight down.
The production boards only have front inserts.
Does anyone have the thickness specs?
Looks like a fantastic board. I'm eyeing that 90. Also looking at Super K2s, armies and Omens line but this could be a winner once that and weight come out.
These new Frank boards all look sick. Axis are killing it at the moment with all the new Carbon toys. I'd like to know the thickness of the boards at the boxes. Over 6" and things start feeling to unconnected. for Perth the dart sup range looks like a perfect downwind board solution. I'd be happy on that 7'4x19.5x110L all day long.
Select to expand quotewindwaterfoil said..
Great episode. Lots of design ideas shared and I agree with a lot of the design points when comparing to the shortcomings of my Armie ML that has been serving as my PW board.
interesting that Frank mentioned that the extra thinness/rocker in the tail would NOT be good for winging, so this board apparently is parawing specific. i thought it was another all-round midlength.
Select to expand quotebeached57 said..
interesting that Frank mentioned that the extra thinness/rocker in the tail would NOT be good for winging, so this board apparently is parawing specific. i thought it was another all-round midlength.
I have a pwing/wing crossover with similar tail rocker and I don't think it hinders me in either discipline. In my eyes, tail rocker becomes important with any board over ~6' because otherwise you are catching tail as you release. Maybe he's saying that because you can build more board speed with a wing, so the takeoff angle isn't as steep (vs a pwing which requires more leg pumping and steeper takeoff)? Thats all I can think of - but he knows a lot more than me.
Hoping to get my hands on the 80 or 90L model for a demo as a SUP surf board when the local shop has stock (currently the Appletree 87L ML and Armstrong ML85 have been my favourites for this purpose)
Select to expand quotedrc13 said..
Hoping to get my hands on the 80 or 90L model for a demo as a SUP surf board when the local shop has stock (currently the Appletree 87L ML and Armstrong ML85 have been my favourites for this purpose)
do you mind me asking how much you weigh to be sup surfing the ML85 ?
Select to expand quoteWingman WA said..
Get a Frank axis ML or custom smik "the jack" that's what I need to decide. What do you think wingman?
Select to expand quoteYoungbreezy said..Wingman WA said..
Get a Frank axis ML or custom smik "the jack" that's what I need to decide. What do you think wingman?
The jack if you want an effortless floater, the mini dart if you want a (semi)sinker. For pw you need sufficient nose volume to not dig the nose and have rebound when pumping. The mini dart pushes volume forward for that, but that means the tail sinks more which might be less comfy while slogging. A floaty jack will have sufficient volume in the nose for pumping and in the tail for comfort.
personally, shaping my own boards, for 1:1 weight/volume, I like a rounded nose with rails that are wider in the nose and at the front foot. The result is that I don't push more volume to the front compared to a wing board, but place it more strategically by spreading it out where it matters. I remain standing over the middle of the board for reduced swingweight. At least that's my own made up theory.
Select to expand quoteYoungbreezy said..Wingman WA said..
Get a Frank axis ML or custom smik "the jack" that's what I need to decide. What do you think wingman?
Your Ben Tardrew custom would be hard to beat.
I'd be very curious how these board perform for winging. Hoping to use this as a one board quiver for winging and eventually parawinging.
Select to expand quotehilly said..Youngbreezy said..Wingman WA said..
Get a Frank axis ML or custom smik "the jack" that's what I need to decide. What do you think wingman?
Your Ben Tardrew custom would be hard to beat.
Yeah it is a great board, it will be hard to beat it on weight. It's more of a displacement hull though and it seems like everything is going to planing hull. The board still gets up really well though. Maybe I should just cool my jets for a bit. I will need to wait to see when the axis boards will get delivered to WA and their price.
Select to expand quoteNicoDC said..Youngbreezy said..Wingman WA said..
Get a Frank axis ML or custom smik "the jack" that's what I need to decide. What do you think wingman?
The jack if you want an effortless floater, the mini dart if you want a (semi)sinker. For pw you need sufficient nose volume to not dig the nose and have rebound when pumping. The mini dart pushes volume forward for that, but that means the tail sinks more which might be less comfy while slogging. A floaty jack will have sufficient volume in the nose for pumping and in the tail for comfort.
personally, shaping my own boards, for 1:1 weight/volume, I like a rounded nose with rails that are wider in the nose and at the front foot. The result is that I don't push more volume to the front compared to a wing board, but place it more strategically by spreading it out where it matters. I remain standing over the middle of the board for reduced swingweight. At least that's my own made up theory.
Yeah I am thinking the 6'4" x 20.5 x 100L is the perfect size for my 105kg. If I was to get a custom smik it would be those dimensions or the frank looks great. I would just use this for all conditions and use an inflatable wing when the wind is too light for pwing. I have kind of gone off using the DW board for light winds as I just don't enjoy it as much. Also I am only gaining an extra 3 or 4 knots low end from using a DW board and that's getting into " why bother" territory for me. I would generally prefer to be winging on a mid length when it's below 15 knots. I usually keep my mast attached to the board and my front wing, fuse and stab all together. It's really nice being able to just screw in 2 small bolts and be ready to go. Ive got a 2 month old baby at home so when I do get sessions I just want them to be fun and successful with minimal swapping gear and faffing about.
