Foil Review

[TomHorton]

Gong foil review by Chris Beech and Tom Horton


ALLVATOR 65CM (bigger) WING WITH 90CM MAST:
(I won’t review the 60cm wing set up except to say it is nearly identical in all respects to the 65, except you gain about 2mph top speed.)
Pro:
Planes up very early.
Stable at low end speeds as well as high end speeds.
Pitch: Neutral even as speeds increase with no tendency to pitch up. Roll: Stable, but not so much as to be difficult to turn, and remains playful even at speed.
Yaw: Stable, but again, not so much as to inhibit turning or maneuvering. No tendency to wander in choppy water, as some foils that are maneuverable tend to do.
Stalling is gentle and not abrupt as some foils are.
Nice speed range of probably about 7mph with a top end around 18mph with a push to 20mph (maybe 22mph for the smaller wing) on a broad reach.
Build quality seems to be quite good. That will be more of a “time will tell” thing though.

Cons:
Heavy. On paper saying a foil is 1-2lbs heavier doesn’t seem like that much, but carrying to the water, moving the foil around in the water to position for water starts and trying to water start, especially strapless as I was, definitely more difficult because of the weight.
Occasionally had a tendency to “fall out” when pushing hard upwind in light chop (caused by the mast going through a small bit of white water which causes the mast cavitation). Many foils I have ridden exhibit this tendency except for higher performance/speed focused foils.
Not sure about the finish on the wings/masts, just touched the soft mud bottom in the bay and the wings show surface scratches already.


I would say extremely good foil for the price except it is really just a very good foil. Easy to ride yet playful and fun. Let’s be clear, it’s a freeride foil and not going to please someone looking for speed.

GONG ALLIVATOR SURFOIL M 150cm2/70cm

Basically all of the characteristics listed above except:

Planes up very, very early at low speed, like maybe less than 5mph.
Slower speed wing so freeride maneuvering is super fun. You can turn toward the kite when jibing, and because you don’t accelerate nearly as much, you don’t “run over the kite” so it doesn’t fall out. Makes learning to maneuver on a foil easier than most, and more fun for advanced riders. I didn’t get to ride it in the waves but rode a wake wave from a boat for a bit and the advantage of the slower foil means you don’t out run the wave and can stay in it to play. Most foils I have ridden quickly get “runaway train” and run well past the wave unless you are very skilled at controlling speed.

This foil looks to be huge and unwieldy, but in the water it is fun and playful while remaining stable as described above. Maybe only 2-3 mph slower top speed than the 65cm wing reviewed. It really opened my eyes to riding a much larger surf-foil as a freeride foil. I think I would also recommend it for a beginner as the planning speeds are so low and it doesn’t have the potential to get “runaway train” syndrome if you mishandle the kite or get into overpowered conditions. It’s only real con is it planes so easily, it really needs quite a bit of forward foot pressure to keep it down on initial water starts. This could be hard for a beginner but if used with a board that has tracks, it could be adjusted for by setting the foil at the most rearward setting. Likely as I move forward with buying new foils, they will be of this style/design.