FEEDBACK: HIPE 5’5

Used to sailing with his Lethal FSP Po 5’1, our Ambassador Yohann opted for the ease of transport of the HIPE during his vacations. He shares with us his first experience on an inflatable foil board.

“I borrowed a 145L 5’5 HIPE for my 2 week vacation. I was only able to sail in flat conditions, I did not dare to go for the local waves outside of the harbor. So I mainly sailed in the harbor.

Considering the 145L I thought I would get up without having to be very focused, well not really: with a weak wind and if I don’t pay attention to what I do, I can fail at getting up because of some tilting from front to back. It’s quite surprising because just with some focus, the HIPE is stable enough to start without going through the kneeling stage (standing up without the wing and bending down to catch it).

The take off

I had to pump for take-offs. Its glide is not as good as that of my Lethal 5’1. The pumping is a little different, but once I got the hang of it, the inflatable offers a kind of bounce that you can exploit: I felt like I took off really early with it.

In the air

In the air, 5’5 is still short enough to be lively, the wider nose requires you to be a little more careful in the maneuvers. It’s rather easy to pump. The deck is really super nice, especially in the maneuvers. I had the impression of having a super thick pad, I loved it.

Regarding the touchdowns, with its thickness I had a bad feeling before my first session and I was wrong: it’s really very permissive.

In summary: I had a much better vacation thanks to the HIPE 🙂 🙂 and since I came back I have been looping with the idea that I should have one for the next time or for small family trips. I just haven’t figured out what size would suit me best ;)”