FEEDBACK: FLUID

The latest edition of the Fluid front wing was tested by Filippo, GONG Ambassador in Italy, who shares his first impressions with us.

Wing foiler: Patrice Guénolé, Boss & Shaper GONG, with the Fluid, a Stunt FSP Pro and a Droid UPE Aramid.

Conditions of the test

“Second and third day of testing the Fluid front wing. I weigh about 72 kg, without my wetsuit. On the first day, the wind was around 20 knots then quickly increasing up to 28 knots. I was geared up with the Neutra UPE 4.5 to test the front wing in overpowered conditions, then with the 3m Neutra 2024, first underpowered then in its wind range. I was sailing with the Lethal 2023 4’8 of 75 liters and a Fluid 38 stab.

Regular side, a little bit of side-on wind. Wind waves of one meter (on the rocks) and half a meter of bumps in the inside.”

Rail to rail and speed

“The front wing Fluid in size M is in great balance with the stab. Great! Very tight turns, always radical but smooth and very fluid, good drive, good glide. The Fluid allows you to change direction without delay, a nice feeling! The rail to rail is the strong point of the front, it carves without pressure on the rail, it follows your eyes. The cruising speed (relaxed, hooked with the harness, without forcing on the legs or sheeting in the wing to the maximum) is more than sufficient. When you press on the legs the speed is excellent (not as a Veloce, but perfect for its program).”

Instinctive surfing

“It is fluid, instinctive, reactive, it changes direction without losing lift, speed or glide. And also fast in tightest turns at full speed. Very good control in tight turns on the face of the wave of just before it breaks… the previous Fluid-T was in crisis when you had to go through the white water, the new one recovers on its own. It surfs very well and behaves well both on the peeling waves and on the super mushy waves. It shines on powerful waves, steeper and even breaking. The Fluid never stops in ultra mushy waves but you have to find the right trajectory. It manages to go up more vertically (obviously this is what I perceive at my poor skill) and closes turns easily, without excess lift, tight top turns and round houses and then quickly accelerates again… The feeling of a 70L windsurfing board!!!”

The Fluid compared to the Veloce

“The wind increased so I went out with a 3 meters wing: no control problems (I usually use an S in 30 knots of wind). I think it’s an excellent do-it-all front wing in waves for those who weigh around seventy kg and don’t expect to fly at 10 knots. Second day, wind was side, slightly side-on, 21/22 knots increasing. I used a Neutra 4.0 2024 with hard handles. Perfect. Waves of two meters out the back but not great, a perfect meter on the rocky point and a good meter inside with long and well-spaced swell… a paradise. Ideal day to compare the Fluid M (with stab Fluid 42) and the Veloce M (stab Freestyle 41). Both truly wonderful, very different feelings so they can be complementary. With such a strong wind there is no point in discussing early take off, they take off instantly. Premise: both surf any wave very well, but, for me, they have their own preference shining in different waves. If the Fluid excels on a breaking wave that offers a shoulder on which you can carve hard in an instant, the Veloce (which however surfs everything well) gives its best in non breaking waves thanks to the greater glide. Fluid could be a front to attack the pocket, Veloce to destroy the shoulder. The best quality of the Veloce front is, for me, the high-speed control when going down the waves: it makes you want to turn when, with other fronts, you would prefer to escape.

But the rail to rail of the Fluid is superior, faster, more instinctive. The Veloce front requires more pressure to turn (nothing special, but it is noticeable compared to the Fluid which turns on demand). The Veloce glides with more effective pumping.”

Radicality with full control

“The Fluid = radicality with full control in turns, tighter radius carving. Be careful, I’m not saying that pumping isn’t effective with the Fluid, I’m just highlighting the qualities of the two fronts as I perceived them. The comparison between the two fronts was superlative. Huge progress of the Fluid and Veloce compared to the previous ones.”