I just got the new 2019 Blue Planet PRONE foil board. (PIC below)

I was looking forward to checking the PRONE foil board out after loving the Blue Planet Easy Foiler SUP foil board.

The Blue Planet SUP foil board really does nothing wrong in the ocean (which is a big compliment), and it's construction has held up great, with just a few indents where I stand. The Blue Planet PRONE board appears like it follows exactly in that tradition in both shape and construction.

More importantly, after getting it out for the first couple rides today, it changes my thinking on prone foiling. I will explain that in a minute...

A couple points... mainly comparing it to an Amundson prone board of the same length, which is a fantastic board.

1) BOMBER construction -- incredible value for the money.
2) Modern shape
2) Super easy to use.
4) You don't NEED this much volume... (but it's kinda nice!)

Quick comments on each point below...



CONSTRUCTION & VALUE

The Blue Planet prone board's construction looks like it's carbon SUP boards... it's light and super strong / stiff (which is what you want for efficient pumping back out).

Many of the other production boards available in the U.S. are really just surfboard construction with a foil box in there... So the Blue Planet construction is night and day from what most people are selling.

For example, I paid U.S.$950 for an Amundson foil board... and was disappointed when it arrived to discover that it was just basically a surfboard with two fin boxes and a bit of reinforcement, but not much. I am afraid those boxes will rip out some day.

To be fair, the Amundson is a great-performing foil board. And the box has held up (there are pressure dings between the boxes). The board does get pressure dings like a normal surfboard -- because it is. And I am much more careful with it, knowing it is more fragile. But on the water, the Amundson is friggin' great. It does nothing wrong (which, again, is my compliment for a foil board).

The Blue Planet foil box system on the Easy Foiler SUPs is entirely different than the Amundson. it is a high-density box that goes deck to bottom, reinforced with carbon, for supreme strength. I have busted the fin boxes out of other foil boards, so i prefer a strong box like this one. I assume this new Blue Planet prone board has this same type of box system.

The Blue Planet was US$1,189 delivered to me from Hawaii (no "bro" deal, I paid full price)... with the carbon construction and the deck-to-bottom carbon box system. So for $200+ more dollars, I feel like I'm getting a lot more value for my money than what most people are selling in the U.S.

In short, bomber construction... light and strong... great value... I like.

SHAPE

My old standby, the Amundson, does nothing wrong. It's a pretty ordinary shape... with thick boxy rails, a parallel-rail outline, a thick tail and a thin nose. But there's nothing wrong with ordinary, The simple Amundson shape really works -- it is the best production prone board I've ridden for our ordinary East Coast U.S.A. waves.

The Blue Planet shape borrows heavily from its own Easy Foiler SUP foil shape. Its also like the Amundson, with a lot of thickness in the tail and a straight outline.

It differs noticeably from the Amundson with the highly beveled "Kalama" rails on the bottom of the board, which help prevent you from catching a rail on turns, among other things. This is probably a more modern development after that Amundson was designed a while ago. Another big difference from the Amundson is that the Amundson's nose thins out considerably, while the Blue Planet maintains a lot of volume all the way to the nose. To me this lets you push the limit of paddling the board "downhill" / underwater while catching a wave, which gets you up on the foil quicker.

PERFORMANCE

Well, this board is easy. Too easy.

I instantly thought "this is the board I'm going to teach on."

It has a lot of volume for its size, which translates into paddling power that I've never had before. That makes the critical moment of standing up a bit less critical. It glides super easy as you get into a wave.

Once up on a wave, honestly, you are riding the foil, not the board. So as long as the board does nothing wrong, you are good. The board is stiff, so pumping translates directly to the foil -- no energy is lost. The higher volume did not seem to take away much from pumping ability.

A buddy and I switched back and forth between the Amundson and the Blue Planet. The Amundson is the same length, but has maybe 10 liters less in volume.

I thought I was gaining a ton of benefit from the volume increase with the Blue Planet, as I could paddle around so much easier. But -- with good technique -- I felt the Amundson was surprisingly able to catch a wave at basically the same time as the Blue Planet.

Once you are in the air, all things being equal, a lower volume board is nicer for pumping and feeling like you are "one" with the foil. (I have a smaller board that is way more critical to catch a wave, but the most fun of all once you are in.)

With such paddle power from the high-volume Blue Planet, I am rethinking how I use my foil boards...

My standard lately has been:

Beach breaks: Prone foil
Way-out rivermouths: SUP foil, as it's a long paddle and you can chase down peaks easier.

But with all this paddle power, I might just take the Blue Planet prone foil out to the rivermouths.

I give the Blue Planet prone foil board a big thumbs up... Strongly built... light... modern shape... great value for the money... does nothing wrong... and has immense paddling power for its length due to it's volume...

If you are new to prone foiling, it is a super easy way to learn, in a board that you probably won't be able to hurt.


These are the rough specs:

4'10 x 20 x 3.2 x 46.5L

5'4 x 21 x 3.2 x 54L

6'0 x 22 x 3.5 x 69L


If you are experienced a prone foiling, or you're an experienced shortboard surfer, I would suggest buying a shorter Blue Planet prone board than you think... They pack a lot of volume into a small package. Go by the liters, not the length. And get one maybe a few liters more than your traditional shortboard.

Well, I probably wrote more than I should, considering I only have a couple waves under my belt. The board just arrived, I had to get it on the water... and I figured you guys would want to see and hear about it...

Thanks great write up!

Hey big Seppo and other foilers
I've been foiling on my retro fitted 7'8 x 115L minion.. but I think to progress further I need a dedicated foil board and looking at the BP range. Was wondering what size you or others who have tried the BP boards would recommend for my weight 92kg ..I'm thinking the 6'6 - was wondering if the 6' mite b a push too far. My lowest volume SUP board i use the most is a Sunova Acid 8'7 x 10

im still only a beginner really ,at 10 or so sessions..im flying but struggling with controlling turns and wondering if part of that might be swing weight and length of minion. Most foil boards I see now are sub 7ft.

Chur

Hi Supmaori,

I would wait to change for a smaller board till you have about 30 sessions under your belt.
Smaller boards are definitely easier to turn in flight, but harder to take off on till your technique is not honed, and their nimbleness make them easier to control in flight, but also amplifies mistakes.

Controlling turns is learning to smooth our movements, a heavier/longer board where you must anticipate more can actually help learn the turning technique, rather than "cheat" trying to jerk the board. The exception is if your foil position is very far back, then the unbalanced front swing weight of a longer board might be an issue.

I could definitively learn to control turns with my 8'9" 130l, don't worry. I switched to a 6'10" 125l after 35 sessions, I do not regret having spent time on the 8'9". I feel I could have switched after 25/30 sessions, but not earlier.

Hi Supmaori. Hope I'm not off topic on this thread. Like you I fitted a foil to my 7.2 Minion and with nothing to compare it to, think it is great. I've had advice from this forum which has been invaluable.
My personal comments would be to use a front foot strap to make sure your front foot is in the right position. I'd love to get a dedicated sub 7 ft foil board but taking Colas advice and hanging in with the minion. Only negative is that the minion is such a great SUP board and ive added a wee bit of weight with the Tuttle box and foot strap.
I was very interested to hear you using the Sunova acid. I have the Speeed which is great but getting to thinking of a different shape board after reading the threads on perfect 3 or 5 board quivers.
Do you prefer the acid to the speed.
sorry to have changed the subject of this thread... just saw comments from Colas and Supmaori who have both sent me advice in the past.

Thanks Colas..good advice man
Hey Tannaman
It ironic..after contemplating on selling my minion/ foil, I had the best session so far on it today..long smooth rides with some nice turns and glides..got out super stoked. I put it down to the conditions..perfect waist high rollers..sloppy and full..I improved more in my session today then the last few put together. I think I've been so keen to get it dialed that ive gone out in poor foiling waves and got frustrated with my lack of improvement. Not today tho! Haha
The Acid..I have the 8'7x 106L and I'm 95kgs. It's an all out performance board and right on my limit for stability ..I use it in all conditions tho ( even when I should be on my speeed) cos I like the challenge. I have to concentrate otherwise it can throw me off out the back. It lively under foot but the flat deck helps ...it doesn't paddle as good as the speeed so you have to take off a little closer to the critical part of the wave..which means it can be less forgiving..and you have to set up quicker . It's for more punchy hollow waves ..and its all performance once on it .as you would expect given its profile and shape..a great compliment to your speeed I believe. I'm no expert but that's what I've found...stoked i pulled the trigger man.
Now with the foiling, I feel I got most conditions covered with my quiver
Chur bro