Hi frothers can you shed some light on DW board thickness? Boards going from 5" to over 7" thick. How does that impact the riding sensation? Also wind catching? Etc etc

I found that going to an 8'2" x 6 3/4" dw board took a bit of adjustment. I think the main thing is that the perception of height is just different vs a thinner/shorter board. Not sure if it's the change in pitch stability, the thickness or the long nose changing the view of the water? in any case my first few sessions I had more breaches and touchdowns than usual. After an adjustment period it feels normal.

I'm on the 7.7' KT Dragonfly and have been riding it for SUP and wing in very light to high wind (30+ knots). I have a 72L KT Ginxu that has been left more often in the van lately even when it's windy as I'm having too much fun to come in and swap. I'm absolutely loving the carving sensation and pitch stability of the DW board. Previously I'd be nursing turns a little more if I was on my shorter and wider SUP in waves to avoid catching the rail. On the DW board I can turn much harder without catching a rail and can ride a shorter mast while winging without worrying about breaching as often in turns. Added benefit is that the shorter mast is a little snappier in getting onto foil and turning. A smaller foil and/or hand wing can be used in the same conditions you'd ride a regular shape. Though there's a fair amount of thickness, the foil feedback is still excellent. I haven't experienced much if any downside if the wind gets strong as the shape cuts through wind and water effortlessly, like a missile. It's been a revelation riding the DW board. I ride my 72L if I want to jump or switch up the riding sensations. The DW board feels so much like snowboard carves in soft, groomed powder.

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freesailor said..
Hi frothers can you shed some light on DW board thickness? Boards going from 5" to over 7" thick. How does that impact the riding sensation? Also wind catching? Etc etc

I'm just getting my feet wet on a new downwind shape and regarding the increased thickness, just as when I went to a narrower and thicker sub 5' prone shape, there is adjustment. I feel less connected and find I'm leaning and falling off to heel side on pop up while angling the board to the wave; as it is more difficult to stagger feet across the center line and stabilize the board. Kind of like going from a 75 cm mast to an 85. A bit wonky, but you get used to it. Not so much an issue for winging or sup as you have something to hang onto for counter balance and are pretty well set as you drop into the wave. If you ride like Chipri, might be a bit awkward!

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Windoc said..
I'm on the 7.7' KT Dragonfly and have been riding it for SUP and wing in very light to high wind (30+ knots). I have a 72L KT Ginxu that has been left more often in the van lately even when it's windy as I'm having too much fun to come in and swap. I'm absolutely loving the carving sensation and pitch stability of the DW board. Previously I'd be nursing turns a little more if I was on my shorter and wider SUP in waves to avoid catching the rail. On the DW board I can turn much harder without catching a rail and can ride a shorter mast while winging without worrying about breaching as often in turns. Added benefit is that the shorter mast is a little snappier in getting onto foil and turning. A smaller foil and/or hand wing can be used in the same conditions you'd ride a regular shape. Though there's a fair amount of thickness, the foil feedback is still excellent. I haven't experienced much if any downside if the wind gets strong as the shape cuts through wind and water effortlessly, like a missile. It's been a revelation riding the DW board. I ride my 72L if I want to jump or switch up the riding sensations. The DW board feels so much like snowboard carves in soft, groomed powder.

What's your weight if I may ask? And what foils are you using mast and front wings?

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Hwy1North said..

freesailor said..
Hi frothers can you shed some light on DW board thickness? Boards going from 5" to over 7" thick. How does that impact the riding sensation? Also wind catching? Etc etc

I'm just getting my feet wet on a new downwind shape and regarding the increased thickness, just as when I went to a narrower and thicker sub 5' prone shape, there is adjustment. I feel less connected and find I'm leaning and falling off to heel side on pop up while angling the board to the wave; as it is more difficult to stagger feet across the center line and stabilize the board. Kind of like going from a 75 cm mast to an 85. A bit wonky, but you get used to it. Not so much an issue for winging or sup as you have something to hang onto for counter balance and are pretty well set as you drop into the wave. If you ride like Chipri, might be a bit awkward!

Looks like a ripper, combo of Armstrong and KT influence at work here

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Windoc said..
I'm on the 7.7' KT Dragonfly and have been riding it for SUP and wing in very light to high wind (30+ knots). I have a 72L KT Ginxu that has been left more often in the van lately even when it's windy as I'm having too much fun to come in and swap. I'm absolutely loving the carving sensation and pitch stability of the DW board. Previously I'd be nursing turns a little more if I was on my shorter and wider SUP in waves to avoid catching the rail. On the DW board I can turn much harder without catching a rail and can ride a shorter mast while winging without worrying about breaching as often in turns. Added benefit is that the shorter mast is a little snappier in getting onto foil and turning. A smaller foil and/or hand wing can be used in the same conditions you'd ride a regular shape. Though there's a fair amount of thickness, the foil feedback is still excellent. I haven't experienced much if any downside if the wind gets strong as the shape cuts through wind and water effortlessly, like a missile. It's been a revelation riding the DW board. I ride my 72L if I want to jump or switch up the riding sensations. The DW board feels so much like snowboard carves in soft, groomed powder.

I feel the same way as you about my Kalama proto 8'4"x18"x6". It draws lines closer to surfing than "normal" wingboards. Mine weighs 9.5lbs. The touchdowns are welcome, fun really. I ride it in all conditions. This board is soooo much more versatile than my 5.0. It can flat water paddle up, sup surf, prone surf, DW, wing. I feel the same as you that it slices through wind a lot better than the other board. I predicted a year ago that this is where boards are going and that barn door wingboards are going to be looked back at as a great mistake that caused much pain and sticking and lead us to having huge hand wings and huge foils. When people ask me what foil to get, I tell them to start with what board you are riding because that can force them into certain limitations and power requirements. I can ride any size foil I want in any little breath of wind with the smallest handwing on my 8'4". And the crazy thing is it doesn't feel like I am riding a huge board. There is still about the same length of board in front of me but the swing weight is almost nothing because most of the volume is between my feet.

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freesailor said..

What's your weight if I may ask? And what foils are you using mast and front wings?

Hi Freesailor,

I'm over 200 pounds (90+kg) + heavy 5mm suit in winter here on the west coast of Canada. Riding Armstrong HA, MA, and pump foils mostly on the 795 mast. Also loving the Omen Operator 850 rig (87cm mast), which was working beautifully with the DW board and 4m in 13-25knots in overhead wind swell recently. The board accelerates instantly and a smaller, efficient foil like the 850 gets up and flying easily. The ability to ride a responsive foil in lighter winds without stressing about flying again is so rewarding, and then once up on a fast moving bump, you can stay with it and get some great turns rather than needing to peel off to bleed speed on a bigger, stiffer foil optimized for smaller bumps and/or lighter air. The smaller wing in your hands is also much easier to get out of the way while riding. I'm really enjoying this approach!

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I feel the same way as you about my Kalama proto 8'4"x18"x6". It draws lines closer to surfing than "normal" wingboards. Mine weighs 9.5lbs. The touchdowns are welcome, fun really. I ride it in all conditions. This board is soooo much more versatile than my 5.0. It can flat water paddle up, sup surf, prone surf, DW, wing. I feel the same as you that it slices through wind a lot better than the other board. I predicted a year ago that this is where boards are going and that barn door wingboards are going to be looked back at as a great mistake that caused much pain and sticking and lead us to having huge hand wings and huge foils. When people ask me what foil to get, I tell them to start with what board you are riding because that can force them into certain limitations and power requirements. I can ride any size foil I want in any little breath of wind with the smallest handwing on my 8'4". And the crazy thing is it doesn't feel like I am riding a huge board. There is still about the same length of board in front of me but the swing weight is almost nothing because most of the volume is between my feet.

I'm on a much smaller Kalama 5'9" @ 95litres and whilst it's not as fast through the water I'm good to get up in 6knots, but I need big wing and foil to do that with my current skillet. (8M Strike and GoFoil P1125 122cm wide with HA 13.2)

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broVan said..

Windoc said..
I'm on the 7.7' KT Dragonfly and have been riding it for SUP and wing in very light to high wind (30+ knots). I have a 72L KT Ginxu that has been left more often in the van lately even when it's windy as I'm having too much fun to come in and swap. I'm absolutely loving the carving sensation and pitch stability of the DW board. Previously I'd be nursing turns a little more if I was on my shorter and wider SUP in waves to avoid catching the rail. On the DW board I can turn much harder without catching a rail and can ride a shorter mast while winging without worrying about breaching as often in turns. Added benefit is that the shorter mast is a little snappier in getting onto foil and turning. A smaller foil and/or hand wing can be used in the same conditions you'd ride a regular shape. Though there's a fair amount of thickness, the foil feedback is still excellent. I haven't experienced much if any downside if the wind gets strong as the shape cuts through wind and water effortlessly, like a missile. It's been a revelation riding the DW board. I ride my 72L if I want to jump or switch up the riding sensations. The DW board feels so much like snowboard carves in soft, groomed powder.

I feel the same way as you about my Kalama proto 8'4"x18"x6". It draws lines closer to surfing than "normal" wingboards. Mine weighs 9.5lbs. The touchdowns are welcome, fun really. I ride it in all conditions. This board is soooo much more versatile than my 5.0. It can flat water paddle up, sup surf, prone surf, DW, wing. I feel the same as you that it slices through wind a lot better than the other board. I predicted a year ago that this is where boards are going and that barn door wingboards are going to be looked back at as a great mistake that caused much pain and sticking and lead us to having huge hand wings and huge foils. When people ask me what foil to get, I tell them to start with what board you are riding because that can force them into certain limitations and power requirements. I can ride any size foil I want in any little breath of wind with the smallest handwing on my 8'4". And the crazy thing is it doesn't feel like I am riding a huge board. There is still about the same length of board in front of me but the swing weight is almost nothing because most of the volume is between my feet.

I have a barracuda and would much rather ride my 4'10" wing board in anything from 10 knots and up. No i don't need a bigger wing and foil to do this. I think boards will get a little longer and a little narrow like maybe 5'5" x 19 but riding around on a 7'8" board is just a novelty in my opinion and not much fun after that. I do it to get familiar with the board for down wind sup but i much rather be on my smaller wing board.

Its an over blown fad

It's not a FAD for me at 77 yo and 73kg with weak knees slow learner but love foiling about 5 days a week atm.
I need all the help I can get for standing up from kneeling and getting up on the foil. My 90% set up is the DW Naish 105l, Axis 951 Axis ART pro with 360 stab and various size dlabs.

When you are older you may understand

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warwickl said..
It's not a FAD for me at 77 yo and 73kg with weak knees slow learner but love foiling about 5 days a week atm.
I need all the help I can get for standing up from kneeling and getting up on the foil. My 90% set up is the DW Naish 105l, Axis 951 Axis ART pro with 360 stab and various size dlabs.

When you are older you may understand

I am 57 so I genuinely hope that I can still wing foil when I am your age with whatever equipment makes it possible. You're an inspiration so well done to you and your ambition to learn.

You are also the exception. I made my comments because I would hate to think that people would spend 3000 plus on an dw board and be very disappointed in all but the lightest conditions.

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AnyBoard said..

broVan said..

Windoc said..
I'm on the 7.7' KT Dragonfly and have been riding it for SUP and wing in very light to high wind (30+ knots). I have a 72L KT Ginxu that has been left more often in the van lately even when it's windy as I'm having too much fun to come in and swap. I'm absolutely loving the carving sensation and pitch stability of the DW board. Previously I'd be nursing turns a little more if I was on my shorter and wider SUP in waves to avoid catching the rail. On the DW board I can turn much harder without catching a rail and can ride a shorter mast while winging without worrying about breaching as often in turns. Added benefit is that the shorter mast is a little snappier in getting onto foil and turning. A smaller foil and/or hand wing can be used in the same conditions you'd ride a regular shape. Though there's a fair amount of thickness, the foil feedback is still excellent. I haven't experienced much if any downside if the wind gets strong as the shape cuts through wind and water effortlessly, like a missile. It's been a revelation riding the DW board. I ride my 72L if I want to jump or switch up the riding sensations. The DW board feels so much like snowboard carves in soft, groomed powder.

I feel the same way as you about my Kalama proto 8'4"x18"x6". It draws lines closer to surfing than "normal" wingboards. Mine weighs 9.5lbs. The touchdowns are welcome, fun really. I ride it in all conditions. This board is soooo much more versatile than my 5.0. It can flat water paddle up, sup surf, prone surf, DW, wing. I feel the same as you that it slices through wind a lot better than the other board. I predicted a year ago that this is where boards are going and that barn door wingboards are going to be looked back at as a great mistake that caused much pain and sticking and lead us to having huge hand wings and huge foils. When people ask me what foil to get, I tell them to start with what board you are riding because that can force them into certain limitations and power requirements. I can ride any size foil I want in any little breath of wind with the smallest handwing on my 8'4". And the crazy thing is it doesn't feel like I am riding a huge board. There is still about the same length of board in front of me but the swing weight is almost nothing because most of the volume is between my feet.

I have a barracuda and would much rather ride my 4'10" wing board in anything from 10 knots and up. No i don't need a bigger wing and foil to do this. I think boards will get a little longer and a little narrow like maybe 5'5" x 19 but riding around on a 7'8" board is just a novelty in my opinion and not much fun after that. I do it to get familiar with the board for down wind sup but i much rather be on my smaller wing board.

Its an over blown fad

Select to expand quote

AnyBoard said..

broVan said..

Windoc said..
I'm on the 7.7' KT Dragonfly and have been riding it for SUP and wing in very light to high wind (30+ knots). I have a 72L KT Ginxu that has been left more often in the van lately even when it's windy as I'm having too much fun to come in and swap. I'm absolutely loving the carving sensation and pitch stability of the DW board. Previously I'd be nursing turns a little more if I was on my shorter and wider SUP in waves to avoid catching the rail. On the DW board I can turn much harder without catching a rail and can ride a shorter mast while winging without worrying about breaching as often in turns. Added benefit is that the shorter mast is a little snappier in getting onto foil and turning. A smaller foil and/or hand wing can be used in the same conditions you'd ride a regular shape. Though there's a fair amount of thickness, the foil feedback is still excellent. I haven't experienced much if any downside if the wind gets strong as the shape cuts through wind and water effortlessly, like a missile. It's been a revelation riding the DW board. I ride my 72L if I want to jump or switch up the riding sensations. The DW board feels so much like snowboard carves in soft, groomed powder.

I feel the same way as you about my Kalama proto 8'4"x18"x6". It draws lines closer to surfing than "normal" wingboards. Mine weighs 9.5lbs. The touchdowns are welcome, fun really. I ride it in all conditions. This board is soooo much more versatile than my 5.0. It can flat water paddle up, sup surf, prone surf, DW, wing. I feel the same as you that it slices through wind a lot better than the other board. I predicted a year ago that this is where boards are going and that barn door wingboards are going to be looked back at as a great mistake that caused much pain and sticking and lead us to having huge hand wings and huge foils. When people ask me what foil to get, I tell them to start with what board you are riding because that can force them into certain limitations and power requirements. I can ride any size foil I want in any little breath of wind with the smallest handwing on my 8'4". And the crazy thing is it doesn't feel like I am riding a huge board. There is still about the same length of board in front of me but the swing weight is almost nothing because most of the volume is between my feet.

I have a barracuda and would much rather ride my 4'10" wing board in anything from 10 knots and up. No i don't need a bigger wing and foil to do this. I think boards will get a little longer and a little narrow like maybe 5'5" x 19 but riding around on a 7'8" board is just a novelty in my opinion and not much fun after that. I do it to get familiar with the board for down wind sup but i much rather be on my smaller wing board.

Its an over blown fad

I agree, that has been my experience as well. I do not like a long skinny board for winging. I sold mine and kept a 60l 4?11 x 22 and have a Sup foil, 6?6 x 26 that I mainly use for sup foiling in the surf. The skinny one was hard work in the surf.

No doubt the DW board is hard work in the surf but it's worth it. Early entry into the wave relative to a "standard" shape is incredible and the turns are great too. @Anyboard: "overblown fad"? Maybe so, but I'm having too much fun to notice and very few local sailors are riding them yet. I didn't say the DW board replaces the high performance of a smaller board; it's just a different approach that works super well for some, and not just in light wind. Being able to DW, SUP surf, and wing in most conditions on a single board is pretty appealing. I'm targeting hard turning and banking in wind swell and surf and the DW shapes are super efficient in variable conditions. I could see really liking a narrow, mini Dragonfly in 5'7" x 19" x 70L or so for winging and even jumping but I've yet to try one. Not everyone wants to ride a long, skinny shape for winging and there are tons of options out there to suit. Ride what you like!

That's the beauty of the breeze, we get to ride what we want but first we come here to look for honest reviews of approaches and solutions to our foiling needs, in an effort mitigate the risk of an incorrect expensive purchasing decision and avoid the wrath of the finance minister.

I wouldn't even use a DW board for DW if i could paddle up a prone board. Even for DW circumstance the DW board is not the best solution once up and foiling and i think that tells the story right there. In all foil sports the board is just a compromise and it comes down to how much you need to compromise for your ability and local conditions whether foiling prone in the surf, sup DW or winging. Bigger boards provide easier takeoff but not without a performance penalty in all the disciplines in my opinion.

Imho, Foil Drive trumps everything. I've had it 18 months and loved every minute. Alot of people say it's expensive but it's actually helped me reduce kit.

I would have in addition to my current wing board 60L, prone/downwind board 35L, 4m, 5m hand wing and 2 front foils wings (I use the same for prone and wing).

I would have DW board/light wind wing board
DW carbon Paddle
2 x front foil wings (bigger)
1 x 6m hand wing
Longer mid volume prone board

All of this would cost as much as a foil drive and I wouldn't catch half as many waves. I don't bother with light wind winging as I use foil drive into waves upto 12 Knots.

Just happened across the Foil Project podcast with Andrew Readhead and James Casey. They get into an interesting discussion of lengths and feels that are being chased. One of the things that James Casey mentioned, which is what I'm just now discovering with the DW board, is that once up and riding a swell, the total percentage performance difference lost by riding a longer board is in reality quite small overall, but the ease of getting up to foil is so much better than on a shorter, wider board. This is a hugely important point and is particularly the case if the board is very light so that swing weight becomes less of an issue. Ultimately though, it's what you are comfortable giving up to optimize for other desired riding feels/preferences. I'm sure the longer, narrower DW shape will continue to evolve, but currently it works amazingly for the application.

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IanInca said..
Imho, Foil Drive trumps everything. I've had it 18 months and loved every minute. Alot of people say it's expensive but it's actually helped me reduce kit.

I would have in addition to my current wing board 60L, prone/downwind board 35L, 4m, 5m hand wing and 2 front foils wings (I use the same for prone and wing).

I would have DW board/light wind wing board
DW carbon Paddle
2 x front foil wings (bigger)
1 x 6m hand wing
Longer mid volume prone board

All of this would cost as much as a foil drive and I wouldn't catch half as many waves. I don't bother with light wind winging as I use foil drive into waves upto 12 Knots.

I don't believe you're right especially if you're > 95kg, FD gen 1 aren't good for heavy guys, and gen 2 might just be ok, but the battery tech is way behind and overpriced compared to the scooter market (e.g wolf king gt), maybe if yamaha made a FD equivalent, then I'd be interested.

I think it's mainly old men using FD in retirement, perhaps they get a mobility discount with pensioners card :)

DW boards are priced at USD equivalent in Australia, except we don't earn USD, way overpriced that's why only shop owners, or sponsored riders are using them, same a FD gen 2 tbh

And with FD you need two masts as assembly is a PITA and very time consuming so best to leave a setup dedicated to FD and tapped

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noepoxy said..

IanInca said..
Imho, Foil Drive trumps everything. I've had it 18 months and loved every minute. Alot of people say it's expensive but it's actually helped me reduce kit.

I would have in addition to my current wing board 60L, prone/downwind board 35L, 4m, 5m hand wing and 2 front foils wings (I use the same for prone and wing).

I would have DW board/light wind wing board
DW carbon Paddle
2 x front foil wings (bigger)
1 x 6m hand wing
Longer mid volume prone board

All of this would cost as much as a foil drive and I wouldn't catch half as many waves. I don't bother with light wind winging as I use foil drive into waves upto 12 Knots.

I don't believe you're right especially if you're > 95kg, FD gen 1 aren't good for heavy guys, and gen 2 might just be ok, but the battery tech is way behind and overpriced compared to the scooter market (e.g wolf king gt), maybe if yamaha made a FD equivalent, then I'd be interested.

I think it's mainly old men using FD in retirement, perhaps they get a mobility discount with pensioners card :)

DW boards are priced at USD equivalent in Australia, except we don't earn USD, way overpriced that's why only shop owners, or sponsored riders are using them, same a FD gen 2 tbh

And with FD you need two masts as assembly is a PITA and very time consuming so best to leave a setup dedicated to FD and tapped

Ha! Everyone has their own preference of setups. I was just making the point at around 80Kg the gen 1 Foil drive has saved me money and vastly reduced the kit I need to own. On top of that when I'm surfing I'll catch 8 x as many waves as I could with a paddle and DW I feel it really speeds up the learning.

*I use aluminium masts which cost peanuts
**Although I'm not a complete old fart remember noepoxy believe it or not you will get old one day and you may still want to chase the Stoke!!

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IanInca said..

noepoxy said..

IanInca said..
Imho, Foil Drive trumps everything. I've had it 18 months and loved every minute. Alot of people say it's expensive but it's actually helped me reduce kit.

I would have in addition to my current wing board 60L, prone/downwind board 35L, 4m, 5m hand wing and 2 front foils wings (I use the same for prone and wing).

I would have DW board/light wind wing board
DW carbon Paddle
2 x front foil wings (bigger)
1 x 6m hand wing
Longer mid volume prone board

All of this would cost as much as a foil drive and I wouldn't catch half as many waves. I don't bother with light wind winging as I use foil drive into waves upto 12 Knots.

I don't believe you're right especially if you're > 95kg, FD gen 1 aren't good for heavy guys, and gen 2 might just be ok, but the battery tech is way behind and overpriced compared to the scooter market (e.g wolf king gt), maybe if yamaha made a FD equivalent, then I'd be interested.

I think it's mainly old men using FD in retirement, perhaps they get a mobility discount with pensioners card :)

DW boards are priced at USD equivalent in Australia, except we don't earn USD, way overpriced that's why only shop owners, or sponsored riders are using them, same a FD gen 2 tbh

And with FD you need two masts as assembly is a PITA and very time consuming so best to leave a setup dedicated to FD and tapped

Ha! Everyone has their own preference of setups. I was just making the point at around 80Kg the gen 1 Foil drive has saved me money and vastly reduced the kit I need to own. On top of that when I'm surfing I'll catch 8 x as many waves as I could with a paddle and DW I feel it really speeds up the learning.

*I use aluminium masts which cost peanuts
**Although I'm not a complete old fart remember noepoxy believe it or not you will get old one day and you may still want to chase the Stoke!!

At 55 and a lifelong surfer, I'm still digging foiling prone as much as possible as I never really got along with the sup paddle. Not used in a downwind scenario, the DW shape is a shoulder saver for sure and has further opened up waves far away from crowds. But up on foil is slow and cumbersome like a wide mid 5' sup foil board. That said, it's a lot better than a wide mid 6' sup board! No question that the foil drive would be amazing for me. But as I haven't tried one yet and they're sold out till our wind season, I'll just accept that I get a lot less waves on my small prone board. But the ones I do are just as rewarding as surfing an empty perfect point break (and sadly these days, that's about as likely as I am to get a 3 in one!)

Select to expand quote

AnyBoard said..

broVan said..

Windoc said..
I'm on the 7.7' KT Dragonfly and have been riding it for SUP and wing in very light to high wind (30+ knots). I have a 72L KT Ginxu that has been left more often in the van lately even when it's windy as I'm having too much fun to come in and swap. I'm absolutely loving the carving sensation and pitch stability of the DW board. Previously I'd be nursing turns a little more if I was on my shorter and wider SUP in waves to avoid catching the rail. On the DW board I can turn much harder without catching a rail and can ride a shorter mast while winging without worrying about breaching as often in turns. Added benefit is that the shorter mast is a little snappier in getting onto foil and turning. A smaller foil and/or hand wing can be used in the same conditions you'd ride a regular shape. Though there's a fair amount of thickness, the foil feedback is still excellent. I haven't experienced much if any downside if the wind gets strong as the shape cuts through wind and water effortlessly, like a missile. It's been a revelation riding the DW board. I ride my 72L if I want to jump or switch up the riding sensations. The DW board feels so much like snowboard carves in soft, groomed powder.

I feel the same way as you about my Kalama proto 8'4"x18"x6". It draws lines closer to surfing than "normal" wingboards. Mine weighs 9.5lbs. The touchdowns are welcome, fun really. I ride it in all conditions. This board is soooo much more versatile than my 5.0. It can flat water paddle up, sup surf, prone surf, DW, wing. I feel the same as you that it slices through wind a lot better than the other board. I predicted a year ago that this is where boards are going and that barn door wingboards are going to be looked back at as a great mistake that caused much pain and sticking and lead us to having huge hand wings and huge foils. When people ask me what foil to get, I tell them to start with what board you are riding because that can force them into certain limitations and power requirements. I can ride any size foil I want in any little breath of wind with the smallest handwing on my 8'4". And the crazy thing is it doesn't feel like I am riding a huge board. There is still about the same length of board in front of me but the swing weight is almost nothing because most of the volume is between my feet.

I have a barracuda and would much rather ride my 4'10" wing board in anything from 10 knots and up. No i don't need a bigger wing and foil to do this. I think boards will get a little longer and a little narrow like maybe 5'5" x 19 but riding around on a 7'8" board is just a novelty in my opinion and not much fun after that. I do it to get familiar with the board for down wind sup but i much rather be on my smaller wing board.

Its an over blown fad

hear thar windoc, buddy says your wrong about your experience with your gear!