GEAR: THE TECHNOLOGY OF OUR INFLATABLES SUP BOARDS !!!

At GONG our ambition is not only to offer a SUP that is easy to transport and store, but also a SUP with real ability on the water.

To achieve this, the technology used must guarantee exemplary rigidity while maintaining minimum weight. In addition, at GONG we produce high-end boards which must be durable. This is therefore an ambitious triple objective which required a great deal of research and development.

These objectives are met thanks to the combination of Woven Dropstitch with our welded double layer technology. The COUINE MARIE is a light, very rigid and really solid SUP:

Weight savings of around 20% compared to the classic double layer (no glue between the 2 welded PVC layers).
30% stiffness gain compared to standard technology.
Gain in strength: twice as resistant to drilling and abrasions as standard technology.

Our Woven Dropstitch is first choice

The slightest irregularity is refused and the lot is sold to low cost factories. With more threads per square meter than a basic Woven, it withstands much higher pressures, lasts much longer, and presents no risk of explosion.

To understand Dropstitch, it is two skins that are connected by threads every x millimeters. These skins are made of waterproof PVC and the threads are ultra-resistant. All these threads are vertical and of the same length. They allow the two skins to be parallel under tension. When we create this mesh of threads, we are going to make “knots” on the surface a bit like canvas. Then we drown these surfaces in PVC to form the waterproof skins.

We then describe the particularities of the Woven under two axes

1/ Vertical

The Dropstitch threads are no longer aligned vertically but crossed at different angles, thus forming oblique struts that are cleverly distributed to balance each other. This concept gives much more rigidity to the whole.

2/ Horizontal

The flat braiding of the Dropstitch (the knots) becomes a very compact mesh which brings a great rigidity to the Board. In Woven Dropstitch the fibers are spread out instead of being in cylinders. This mesh is tighter and more homogeneous. It consumes less PVC in the interstices, like combed fibers which consume less resin in the Carbon.

The density of the mesh naturally increases rigidity and requires a thinner PVC backing than conventional Dropstitch (1.9mm vs. 2.5mm for equivalent rigidity).

This optimized weave therefore allows the material to be considerably lighter, without altering its qualities.

The technology of the Couine Marie also includes:

Triple layer central stringer on deck and hull for maximum rigidity and reduced vibration.
Working pressure: 15 PSI. Our Stand Up Paddle Boards are perfectly rigid at 15 PSI. There is no need to overinflate them, but you can mount them at 20 PSI without any problem.
Two-year Warranty on all our Inflatable Boards.
We keep in stock all the elements that make up your Board because we are manufacturers. So, you can easily repair them and make them last for more than ten years. It’s as simple as repairing a bicycle wheel.