Choosing the board that suits you perfectly can turn out to be a real challenge given the many parameters that define its qualities. In order to better understand all these parameters of length, width, volume, hull, technology and shape of a board, we explain all of their purposes in this How To : Choose your wing board.
The length
It facilitates balance while increasing the glide and inertia. Below 6′, starting out is more complex because the balance is tricky.
The big questions are:
- Do you have room to store and transport your wing board?
A 6′ fits everywhere, a 7′ fits easily in a Golf, and a 8’6 requires a garage and roof racks. Of course, a 5’0 is absolutely magical to carry, but it requires some experience.
If space or transport is a problem, choose one of our inflatable models which, once folded, fit in a backpack. This is not a compromise but a total solution that offers a carefree board with 95% of the performance of a rigid board. You can start with a HIPE First for total accessibility or a HIPE Perf for more versatility and further progression.
- Do you want to wing relaxed or radical?
Below 6′ the boards are very lively while above 6′ they are super chill and boost your early stages.
A longer board also increases inertia, so you have to be a little bit more aggressive in some turns, which is something it doesn’t like so much. But it also offers an incomparable glide, very smooth. A long length also allows you to fly very early by gliding relatively fast on the water before flying without too much effort to accelerate and keep your balance. A longer board will also keep its trajectory on the water, be more docile. In the first sessions, it is very difficult to control the trajectory and have enough speed before flying. It is therefore fundamental to keep length when you start.
A shorter board allows radical turns, or even to break the curves for a more extreme ride. It’s another style, very technical and physical, that condenses energy to burn it better in the moves. You pump more easily, and the board responds instantly.
Very small boards, below 5’0, have a very low glide speed. The balance while standings still and before flight is precarious as it combines the management of forward/backward instability with port/starboard and reduced lift. But with a reasonable volume and width, we can consider winging with this kind of board without being world champion. They are ultra-responsive, offer high performances, and are easily transportable.
The width
With the thickness, it conditions the balance and the lift but also the maneuverability.
Beginners really need to have a lot of surface and volume to stand on. The foil makes this important width totally transparent in flight. But as you progress you will take greater angles while riding and in the curves. A part of the rail will touch the water and put an unpleasant brake stroke. But this width gives you an incredible comfort. So it’s all about compromise, knowing that it’s better to have too much than not enough.
- A 26″ wing board is a so-called narrow board.
- 29″ is a “normal” board.
- A 31″ board is called “wide”.
These are good references. But we can go much less or more depending on the programs and the needs of the users.
Indeed, a narrow board goes fast on the water but in flight it makes almost no difference. In strong winds a narrow board will give your less unpleasant wind surface area. But in normal winds the width generates lift and therefore acceleration at the start. The assumptions that the width would break the speed is unfounded in 95% of the sessions.
- The outline
This outer curve of the Wing board takes the elements of length and width but the way the shaper will join the 4 “corners” of the board will condition everything.
We often use OFO (one foot off) data, width measurements at 30 cm from the front and back. This gives a good reference on the curve of the outline. But in Wing, we use very short boards. As a result, the OFOs are not very relevant.
The most important is the general shape of the board:
- Rectangular outline, wide ends: easy balance, early takeoff, compact board for a lower technical prerequisite.
- Ovoid outline, thinner tips: technical balance, later take-off, but responsiveness and control at their best.
Indeed, the wider the tail is compared to the beam, the sooner the board glides and accelerates faster. These are so-called powerful boards with a lot of acceleration. Likewise, a pinch nose will be more maneuverable because there will be less inertia. On the other hand, it will lift less serenely and will push the water.
Note that the outline is very important for directional stability on the water. A square board goes very straight, a round board turns on the spot.
Thickness
The maximum thickness is a data without great significance. A Wing board is made to fly, so 1cm more or less at the end of a 1m foil in the chop will not change your life; as long as you have the right volume under your feet. Less than 4″ thick is a thin board. Within 5″ is standard. Above 5″ it’s thick.
The most important thing is the distribution of this thickness.
- Laterally
A very domed board (with a dome-shaped deck) will often be very unstable on the water and less controllable in flight. Conversely, a board with a flat deck will generally be very stable and receptive to your feet, which will be frankly connected to the foil’s drive because the deck at 90° from the mast is a very clear and analysable feeling in live. A curved deck is complicated in terms of sensations, including a deck that is too hollowed, which would raise the extremity of your feet. Walking with heels is not the most precise. It’s the same in foil. So: a flat or almost flat deck is ideal.
To have a reference point, know that a flat board, one inch thinner in the centre than a domed board, is usually just as stable.
- Longitudinally
A board that has little volume at the tail is often unstable. In excess, it is a board that will be very sensitive to water motions when standing still. Too much imbalance in the volume distribution will be a source of unwanted behaviour and often this board will prove to be bad and abrupt.
We will favour an almost homogenous distribution in the back two thirds, where the supports are, to finish more and more finely by moving away from the feet towards the nose.
- The scoop
You have to be careful on the scoop line (the banana) of the Wing boards. It is indeed not rare to see absolutely ineffective scoops given the opportunists who throw themselves into this business.
Often, the initial ideas are good but sometimes deviate. For example, it is not uncommon to see Wing boards with a big spatula in front. The theoretical function is to better pass the waves and absorb the touchdowns. This is a mistake. Too much scoop at the front provides a more vertical surface in the water and therefore more grip. So the board will stop and make you fall.
Good ideas that are pushed too far often lead to big mistakes. A good board is a fair compromise that speaks to the eye just as a marine animal seems to be made for its environment.
A scoop must be harmonious and above all in connection with all the other parameters of the shape.
- The hull work
The reason has to outweigh the aesthetic. A very complicated hull, we’ve experienced this in the 80s. Tulips and so on… it made people sell and it hid the technological misery.
Hull work can bring real benefits if it is applied correctly. To say that a deep double concave under the nose sticks less is a misnomer. It offers more surface, so it sticks more, but this surface comes into contact with the water more gradually than a flat surface, so it softens the contact with the water, giving the illusion of more glide. If it is the damping that we are looking for, then yes the marked double concave is a solution. But it makes you lose volume that you have to make up for with more thickness or length, and therefore more rail, and more contact in curves etc etc etc etc etc….
Nothing is simple in terms of shape because nothing is isolated from the other parameters. Compromise and moderation are often the best solutions. In hull work, it is absolutely necessary to think about the hull in action in all its phases.
What volume of wing board?
Beginners in wing absolutely must have a positive volume balance.
Your weight plus that of the board must be less than the volume of the board.
Do not hesitate to take a bit more volume and width if you are not comfortable with your stance or not athletic.
To be comfortable, we recommend that you take a volume of around your weight + 30 = volume.
Regarding the HIPE First, HIPE Perf and Zuma, the length will help beginners take off more easily, and when riding flat.
Examples for a 7kg board and different sizes:
- If I weigh 70kg, the minimum to float is: 70kg + 7kg = 77L. But with my 70kg + 30 = 100L, I would be very comfortable but without excess.
- If I weigh 85kg, the minimum to float is: 85kg + 7kg = 92L. But with 85kg + 30 = 115L, I would be very comfortable but without excess.
- If I weigh 100kg, the minimum to float is: 100kg + 7kg = 107L. But with 100kg + 30 = 130L, I would be comfortable but without excess.
In wing, we identify three main types of relationship to volume:
- Comfort
You can go for a volume sufficient to float : about your weight + 10 = volume.
Example: I weigh 80kg + 10 = 90L to float. Which means that with 90L and more I will be easy, provided I have a good level in wing.
- Sport
You can also sub liter it because some boards are wide enough to be stable. So if you have a great level and want maximum responsiveness, you can switch to negative volumes. Up to your weight – 10 = volume you can go on your knees by leaning on the wing on the water.
Example: I weigh 80kg + 10 = 90L to float. Which means that with 70L my board will sink a little and I should be precise and sporty every time I start.
- Sinker
At your weight – 30 = volume, you will have to start by sinking the board: it’s technical, very physical, and you lose part of the low wind range. And above all: you need depth, which can be annoying. The performance gain is debatable depending on your level, but the gain in sensations and responsiveness is interesting for some. It is also the best way to have light equipment, which is essential for the pros and especially for the biggest riders.
- Example: I weigh 75kg – 30 = 45L to use my board as a Sinker. Which means that with 65L and less, my board will completely sink and I will have to start with the help of the wing to get out of the water. In this case, less volume often makes things easier because we sink the board with ease. This makes it easier to place our feet on the deck or in the straps and climb on it. A small board won’t pop out as a cork, therefore easier to on it but not as quick to take off. Its stability qualities when on the surface remain the same underwater.
Finally, the most unstable volume is often the one between 10L and 20L less than your weight.
By choosing a “comfort” volume, you can safely return to the beach if the wind lets you down during the session:
What Technology?
You have three main choices:
- The monolithic boards: a blank and fiber layers, of all types, noble or not.
It’s simple, quick to produce, quick to break and cheap.
- Sandwich boards: a blank, a sandwich material and layers of fiber, of all types, noble or not.
What will condition the solidity of your sandwich is mainly its thickness. Yes, the density of the material affects its solidity, but the basis of the qualities of the sandwich is in the distance that the sandwich material imposes between layers of fiber. Then come its mechanical properties.
So the 0.6mm thick bamboo sandwich will be less solid than the 3mm thick PVC sandwich, itself less solid than the 5mm thick PVC sandwich, itself less solid than the 10mm thick honeycomb sandwich etc…
But the thinner the sandwich material, the easier it is to constrain it to the complex shapes of a board. So we save time and money. At the same time, the prices of these materials also rise in the above order, in order of their nobility.
- Inflatable boards
GONG was with the HIPE Perf at the origin of the innovations that have allowed inflatable boards to become an essential alternative for wing foiling. Equipped with patented technology, the HIPE Perf clearly offers the sensations of a rigid board. The advantages of this technology are numerous:
- Ease of use, on land but also in the water.
- Transport of course.
- Strength because the inflatable tech is not afraid of shocks.
- Safety if you hit your board.
- The performance of a rigid.
At GONG, we only make top of the range boards. Our low prices can only be explained by our choice of exclusively Direct Sales and distribution.
You have the choice between:
- The FSP 2X which is both light and super strong. It is the best-selling technology because it mixes the most advantages and at a very reasonable price.
- The Wood 2X which is much cheaper, but not as light.
- The FSP Pro which has its PVC Sandwich that’s enveloped with hyper dynamic Full Carbon.
- Double-layer welded Woven Drop Stitch inflatable technology.
For Whom?
- Beginners without experience: Inflatable HIPE First, HIPE Perf, or ZUMA in large size.
- Sporty beginner: LANCE or ZUMA in your size.
- Beginner in wing but already foiler: LANCE, or small ZUMA and MOB 2TASTE / FLINT for versatility.
- Experienced looking for the swiss army knife: MOB 2TASTE, ZUMA, CRUZADER POINT, DIAMOND. ou FLINT.
- Experienced looking for a SUP foil / wing high performances combo: FLINT, CRUZADER POINT ou DIAMOND.
- Anyone who wants high performance in wing: HIPE Fre Fly, HIPE Pro, MINT, STUNT, LEMON, LETHAL
- Those who want sinker boards: MINT, STUNT, LEMON, LETHAL and CATCH KITE FOIL, et LETHAL SURF FOIL FSP.
- Travellers: HIPE Fre Fly, HIPE Perf, HIPE Pro, HIPE Cruzader Strapped/ Strapless for inflatables, or micro board such as LEMON / MINT / STUNT / LETHAL.
For What?
The concept of each board of the range can be summed up very simply:
- HIPE First: the perfect inflatable board to learn wing foiling!
- HIPE Fre Fly: the best of strapless on an inflatable foil board.
- HIPE PERF: the inflatable foil board with 95% of the performance of a rigid board, in an easy and scalable shape.
- HIPE PRO: the inflatable board with 95% of the performance of a rigid one with a shape dedicated to advanced foilers who want fluidity and maximum responsiveness!
- HIPE CRUZADER strapless: the strapless inflatable board with 95% of the performance of a rigid board with an ultra specialized shape, ideal for light wind winging and chilled out SUP foiling.
- HIPE CRUZADER strapped : the inflatable board with 95% of the performance of a rigid board with an ultra specialized shape, for the highest performance in light wind winging.
- MOB 2TASTE: three sports in one board: SUP, SUP foiling and wing foiling.
- ZUMA: the easy rigid board for SUP foiling and wing foiling, and with good performance.
- LANCE: the compact Zuma, with great lateral stability, ideal for beginnings in wing foiling.
- CRUZADER POINT: fantastic in SUP downwinders, pumping on the flat, but also in light wind conditions in wing foiling.
- CRUZADER DIAMOND: The versatility of SUP Foil and wing in performance mode.
- FLINT: high performance in SUP foiling, great in wing foiling because it is simple and efficient in light wind.
- STUNT: pure freestyle board. Outstanding take off and re-pop!.
- MINT: compact without being too technical thanks to a perfect length and its round nose. Great performance in strapless too.
- LEMON: maximum reactivity and liveliness, while maintaining stability.
- LETHAL: Absolute radicality among volume boards.
Some will go for even more extreme with low volume boards like:
- LEMON FROM 4’3 TO 4’5: maximum responsiveness and liveliness.
- LETHAL FROM 4’3 TO 4’5: absolute radicalism.
- CATCH KITE FOIL: it works as well in kite foiling as with a wing when well powered.
- LETHAL SURF FOIL: asymmetrical straps and minimum width to dare everything.
.
What quiver of wing boards?
You don’t need many wingboards, because often you’ll do everything with the one you love the most.
But as you progress, you can be tempted by two complementary volumes. Possibly by completing a generous light wind board with a more radical board.
The choice will be led more and more towards complementary programs. For example having a 100% waveriding board and a Freerace or Freestyle board will make up a luxurious quiver. This is the big trend since several seasons: a board and a wing for each style of session.
You can of course complete your wing quiver with a range of stand up paddleboards without foil. And surfboards for windless days, so you never stay out of the water.
Good to Know
The Foil strongly stabilizes a SUP when you are used to it. Do not compare the board width of SUP without Foil with SUP with foil. 5cm less is painless with Foil, except with a strong back wash.
This extra width is necessary to speed up these very small Boards when rowing and not to get in too late.
Having a little water on the tail stabilizes the Board. Sometimes too much volume is worse than anything. This is very true in compact boards that are wobbly.
