GEAR: 2027 HOLLOW WING BOARDS

Ultimate technology, now available across an unprecedented range!

The days of having to sacrifice volume to gain responsiveness are over.

The hollow construction of our 2027 range is at least 30% lighter than a conventional board.

Even more impressive, its internal skeleton delivers unmatched stiffness, dramatically enhancing your connection to the foil. The improvement in feel and performance is immediate.

Everything becomes easier, more direct and more instinctive.

With Hollow Full Carbon SCC^® technology, your everyday board delivers the lightness, responsiveness and maneuverability of a board with 30L less volume:

• take-offs are ten times easier,
• every input feels more natural and responsive,
• every movement requires less effort.

A new SCC^® factory?

SCC^® technology is proprietary to a major factory renowned for its expertise in the very high-end segment, which offers this same technology to numerous premium brands.

Since 2013, we have contributed significantly to its development by producing our first foils there and developing numerous tools and projects, including our Pro paddles, for example.

The aim of sharing this technology is to gradually move users towards a new standard that is less polluting and more responsive. We also believe it offers greater repairability and recyclability.

Bringing together different strengths around the same project will, over the long term, drive major advances for everyone, concentrated through the expertise of this factory.

SCC^® Technology

This construction replaces the traditional EPS foam core with an internal sandwich skeleton. Material is no longer used to fill the board’s volume or simply as a lamination support: every gram is positioned precisely where it delivers the greatest benefit.

The two hollow half-shells are entirely vacuum-molded using a high-density foam and premium carbon sandwich, in a mold that perfectly reproduces the shape.

The meticulous assembly of these three bonded elements then completes the construction.

The result is spectacular, with a weight reduction of around 30% at comparable volume compared with FSP Pro construction.

Overall, the manufacturing principle is very similar to that of an IMOCA racing yacht, for example, with two half-shells and internal bulkheads, some locking the three-dimensional shape in place and others also handling loads from components (boxes, inserts) or the rider (heels).

If this technology can race around the world at 25 knots ++ through the toughest oceans, we make it surf and jump.

Lightness comes with a new standard of stiffness.

Under the stance, the structural skeleton made from laminated high-density foam sandwich panels is integrated into a carbon / high-density foam / carbon sandwich structure that firmly connects your feet to the foil.

This architecture has two main advantages:

1. It concentrates strength in the areas that actually handle loads from the rider and foil. The reinforcement beams are sized and positioned for optimal use without unnecessarily adding weight with heavy foam where it serves no purpose.
2. The skeleton beams work on edge, maximizing their mechanical efficiency. Imagine the strength of 12 cm vertical sandwich beams connecting two horizontal sandwich shells instead of polystyrene foam: it’s 10 times stronger, so you need less of it.

Rider input is transferred directly from your feet to the foil, a feeling further enhanced by the full carbon boxes. The board and foil react as a single unit, with no loss of energy or delayed response.

So what does it actually change?

You notice the difference as soon as you pick the board up. But it’s on the water that it truly comes into its own. Less mass to move means less energy required for pumping, changing angles, rotations or getting going again after a touchdown.

The board takes off much, much more easily, to an almost shocking degree. It follows the foil more fluidly and disappears beneath your feet. In freefly and downwind, it requires less effort to reposition. Through turns, it transitions more naturally from rail to rail. In freestyle, it pops and stays under control with incredible ease.

 

Malo Guénolé, GONG Team rider, riding the Cruzader Diamond Hollow with a Droid Light wing.

SCC^® technology available across the entire range!

The lightness of Hollow Full Carbon unlocks the full potential of every shape. Pumping becomes more efficient, acceleration more immediate, changes of direction quicker, and rotations easier to initiate and stop.

Because GONG doesn’t do things by halves. Because GONG doesn’t reserve high-end technology for pro-level shapes. Almost every shape is available in Hollow.

The glide of a Cruzader becomes even more incredible. The repop of an Hyperloop or Stunt becomes more explosive. The freedom of a Lethal comes alive in every carve and every air. The precision of a Racer reaches another level from the start all the way to top speed... and the Mint becomes twice as easy to transport, carry and handle, while taking off suuuper easily in Hollow. Everyone wins.

Each model retains its program and character, but x10 with Hollow technology, which simply removes an intermediary between the rider, the shape and the foil. And when you think about it, that’s very GONG 😉

A new model for even more finesse in lowkite and wing foiling!

The new Cruzader 2PK, to pack 😉 pushes performance even further with a program dedicated to lowkite: ride upwind, pack the kite and head back down with big freefly carves.

The magic formula? A Diamond length-to-width ratio, a Squash deck and a Point bottom combine the qualities we all dream of in a board that is simple, beautiful and outrageously efficient for stretching out every bump.

100% new shapes for 2027

For 2027, the programs remain, but the shapes evolve down to the finest details.

Rather than going for a heavy-handed revolution, Patrice Guénolé has refined each shape based on feedback from riders, amateurs and professionals alike.

Make no mistake, refinement requires an enormous amount of work to achieve the beautifully intertwined lines that define each shape.

Beyond the almost artistic details, the range evolves with:

• deeper recessed decks, bringing the rider closer to the foil for more direct control.
• the introduction of a bulbous tail that distributes more volume from nose to tail, improving balance around the rider as well as take-off.
• ergonomic deck profiles that make offset stances easier by eliminating pressure points.
• a shorter stance, with repositioned boxes.

This new generation is the culmination of countless iterations, thousands of rider feedback reports, hours spent on the water and R&D pushed down to the smallest detail. Every decision has been considered, tested and optimized.

More than an evolution, it is the synthesis of unprecedented expertise: our most mature, coherent and accomplished range to date.

Do lightness and durability go hand in hand?

To jump or not to jump? Strong or not strong? The simplest answer isn’t that simple 😉

The two shells are, broadly speaking, almost identical between a full sandwich construction and this Hollow technology.

So let’s break down the arguments:

Repairability:

Hollow architecture offers a major advantage in terms of durability and repairability. With no hydrophilic EPS foam core inside, there is no foam to absorb and retain water after the shell is punctured. The skeleton uses hydrophobic foam and is laminated. You can therefore fill and drain it with water without causing damage. In practice, a hole in the shell of a Hollow will let water in. Head back in, drain it, tape it up, ride again, and repair it later. With an EPS core, every infiltration adds grams that are difficult to remove, drying time, etc...

In short, with a Hollow, simply drain the board, let it dry for a few hours, then repair it like a conventional board.

Every Hollow board is equipped with a drain plug that opens by hand and must always remain open when the board is out of the water, as well as a pressure-release valve that balances internal pressure on the water.

Recyclability:

One subject that matters greatly to us is what happens to gear at the end of its life. Put simply, the fewer components there are, whether in terms of different material types or quantities assembled together, the easier it is to dismantle or shred the product and recycle whatever can be recovered.

One of the main obstacles to recyclability is transportation cost. A block of polystyrene is generally not recycled because transporting it costs far more than the value of the recovered material. So if we make Hollow boards that can be shredded to reduce their volume by a factor of 100, the potential for recyclability emerges. The complete solution still needs to be invented.

Strength:

When it comes to impacts, it is a high-density sandwich like any other, made to the highest quality. No difference. As a reminder, if you scrape the carbon bumper of your dream hypercar against the garage wall (it’s the same technology), it’s going to hurt! But it’s also easy to repair.

When it comes to dents, a heavy heel impact should not be an issue because the load passes through the deck, then the skeleton beam, all the way to the bottom. It takes a lot before damage occurs. On the other hand, a solid elbow strike on the nose, far from the beams, can trigger some instant frustration 😉 And yes, you avoid elbowing the hood of your hypercar 😉

The joint line along the outline is a critical area that must be treated carefully. Heavily reinforced with an internal overlapping sandwich (double thickness) and additional external lamination, it’s strong. But you still need to avoid dropping the board rail-first onto the corner of a sidewalk. It's a bad look 😮 

The box / deck bond is THE Area 51 of this technology. This is serious business, it’s the keel / mast connection of our IMOCA. Everything happens here.

There are then two possible scenarios:

• an impact, even an impressive one, that breaks a shell: conventional repair. Easy.
• a beam delamination or failure: ouch. We’re into extra time... and getting close to the final whistle.

Over a small area, a beam delamination can be repaired by opening an access panel, rebonding the structure and closing it again.

Over a large area: recycling or decoration. Its riding life is over.

But note that this is no different from a sandwich board built around an EPS core, where a small delamination can also be repaired easily, while a very large delaminated area with damaged foam can mean the end of the object that brings us so much fun.

Fortunately, this is very rare, but it needs to be said.

Finally, as with racing yachts, bonding the bulkheads is a key point, optimized through the use of highly specialized modern adhesives. A few grams of adhesive can withstand almost 700 kg of tensile load. It’s pretty crazy. For comparison, a boom withstands 350 kg of tensile load, 400 kg in carbon. So we’re a long way from a Loctite or double-sided tape job 😉 Rest assured.

But yes, if you leave a hollow board sitting in full sun with the drain plug closed: pop! That’s where its life ends, despite the pressure-release valve.

You get the idea, this is to boards what a hypercar is to cars: the hyperboard. Capable of record-breaking speeds, stunningly beautiful, and deserving the care of a passionate owner.