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DW board for winging

Posted by Ethan Fritzberg on

While hydrofoiling has been around for quite some time now, two newer disciplines have exploded in popularity in recent years; wing foiling and downwind SUP foiling. SUP foiling has led to the creation of an entirely different category of foil boards, downwind foil boards. In this post I will be discussing how downwind foil boards have a place in the wing foiling discipline, and provide some advice on what to look for when purchasing one for yourself.

What is a downwind foil board?

The width of a board has a significant impact on both the hull speed and stability of the board. These variables are inversely related, for example a wide board will be very stable but slow to move through the water. Downwind foil boards are made to travel as efficiently as possible through the water. This is achieved by a longer and narrower board shape, the length allows the board to track straight through the water, and the width allows the board to track efficiently through the water. Hull speed, or planing speed, is critical in foil sports as you must reach a certain velocity for the board to release from the water and allow the foil to take over.

What are the advantages of using a downwind board for wing foiling?

As discussed above, downwind boards are more efficient than traditional wing foil boards. This is beneficial because it allows you to ride in lighter winds using the same hand wing and foil, or use smaller hand wings and foils in your typical winds. Being able to ride with smaller hand wings and foils can improve your maneuverability and speed. Also, having a smaller hand wing flagged out in front of you when riding swell makes the experience much better.

The disadvantages of using a downwind board for wing foiling?

The main disadvantage of using a downwind board for wing foiling is that the swing weight is substantially higher. Swing weight refers to the force needed to pitch the board up and down, from the nose of the board to the tail. The biggest implication of swing weight on performance is that with increased swing weight the board is more difficult to pump.

What downwind board to get for wing foiling?

If you are past the beginner stage in wing foiling, you are ready to utilize a downwind board if you wish. Due to the narrow width of these boards, you will likely want to size up in volume from your typical wing foil board for stability. I think that it is safe to say that you should go with a downwind board that has 20-30 more liters of volume than your standard wing board.

If you are also interested in getting into downwind SUP foiling but want to use the same downwind board for light wind winging you can absolutely do so - just keep in mind that you will need significantly more volume in your downwind SUP foil board than may be necessary if the board was just for winging.


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