Preview here:

www.instagram.com/reel/Cnp7Y8rpqBO/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Any early review?

Dont know but that insta link review was just fn weird.

I met a guy here on Maui who was riding a prototype of this board. It really caught my eye. Armstrong boards look amazing but the sticker shock is a no go for me.

Ordered a Sunova Aviator DW a few months back, as was taking awhile for Armstrong to release their stuff. Couldn't be happier

Just get a Kalama.. problem solved. Well order one atleast !

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pohaku said..
Just get a Kalama.. problem solved. Well order one atleast !

Is a Kalama board a lot cheaper than an Armstrong board?

Bigger question is will Kalama boards accommodate Armstrong foils? I have a friend who is replacing the tracks in a brand new Barracuda and he rides Axis and Takuma. Can't put the mast far enough forward. No doubt the Armie boards will be optimized for their foils.

I have one on pre-preorder. Supposedly shipping from factory via freight, so should take a while. The Instagram review above probably had theirs air freighted. I think it was a premature post and they took it down.
Price is high but not too much more than competition, but it includes a bag, which is crucial imho.
I'll be dipping my toes into DW runs and flat water starts, plus it will double duty as a killer light wind wing board
if anyone wants details on the dims or whatever, dm me.

I have one on pre-preorder. Supposedly shipping from factory via freight, so should take a while. The Instagram review above probably had theirs air freighted. I think it was a premature post and they took it down.
Price is high but not too much more than competition, but it includes a bag, which is crucial imho.
I'll be dipping my toes into DW runs and flat water starts, plus it will double duty as a killer light wind wing board
if anyone wants details on the dims or whatever, dm me.

Any pictures of this board for us non professionals yet?

I don't have any photos that I have the privilege to share unfortunately. I wish I were a pro!
dm me on Instagram and I'll see if I can share any more details you are looking for. @foilgraham

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radair said..
Bigger question is will Kalama boards accommodate Armstrong foils? I have a friend who is replacing the tracks in a brand new Barracuda and he rides Axis and Takuma. Can't put the mast far enough forward. No doubt the Armie boards will be optimized for their foils.

They can be used with all foils. In Maui there's a lady named Cathie who rides Armstrong she's a gun downwinder in her 60s!

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Fishdude said..
Any pictures of this board for us non professionals yet?

6'8" x 19.5" x 5 5/8"


That tail is just asking for a ding

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Fishdude said..
Any pictures of this board for us non professionals yet?

6'8" x 19.5" x 5 5/8"


That tail is just asking for a ding

New Armie Boards look great. The whole track placement issue on production boards is only really solved with longer tracks ie 14 or 16 inch. It adds weight but saves the pain of risking a board and foil combo not working. When switching between winging and paddling using one board its
great having room to move in the track.

Are these army DW boards aimed for entry level paddlers? The small sizes look pretty extreme for most average punters getting into the sport. Maybe the 7 footers are more generously sized. I will await more info and Keen to know board weights.

These boards seem to be pretty narrow. Any foot-strap options?

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baldy123 said..
Are these army DW boards aimed for entry level paddlers? The small sizes look pretty extreme for most average punters getting into the sport.

Could be that Army considers performance not worth compromising for ease of use when it comes to DW. Designed for those already doing it or skilled enough to quickly get into it. This could be like the HA foils. Not intended for everyone, but those that can use it will be raving about it.

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baldy123 said..
New Armie Boards look great. The whole track placement issue on production boards is only really solved with longer tracks ie 14 or 16 inch. It adds weight but saves the pain of risking a board and foil combo not working. When switching between winging and paddling using one board its
great having room to move in the track.

Are these army DW boards aimed for entry level paddlers? The small sizes look pretty extreme for most average punters getting into the sport. Maybe the 7 footers are more generously sized. I will await more info and Keen to know board weights.

The positioning of the boxes is a subject worthy of a whole seperate thread. I am very intrigued at the positioning of the downwinders back foot. In watching one of James Casey's latest videos there are riders on new uni, axis, lift and new gofoil mast yet all the riders had their back foot on the mast with very little variation between the group. Maybe 40 mm variation at most. The boards due to their foam distribution only have one ideal place to balance over so why the demand for such long boxes. You can look also at Oskar's video of their latest big downwinder and again all standing with their back foot on the mast.
In prone you can move the mast forward to optimise pump as long you are good enough to slide and launch forward on the jump up. But still the best guys have their foot on the mast when on the optimum foils for the waves. With so little variation in back foot riding position it's hard to understand the big box requirement. I certainly don't want the weight penalty.

Maybe lift and Armstrong require the balance well back of the actual riding position when trying to get them to lift on the paddle up but once flying the balance moves forward?

maybe because the sport is so young board manufactures put the boxes in the wrong spot?

maybe us learners have no clue where the foil should go and are relying on the prone experience and getting it wrong?

I haven't seen any with foot strap inserts yet.

Deets: www.realwatersports.com/collections/foiling/products/armstrong-dw-wing-sup-foilboard

85L on preorder. Gift cards from Xmas put to good work! Made the bite a little less painful.
Hand paddles also inbound from hand paddle co. (Etsy).

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Camarillo said..

pohaku said..
Just get a Kalama.. problem solved. Well order one atleast !

Is a Kalama board a lot cheaper than an Armstrong board?

How much is Armstrong? Kalama is $3300

The US sites list the 7'7" Armie at $2349USD so converted that's around $3380AUD.Armstrong are shipping with a custom fit board bag for that price, which is a nice touch. But who has actually seen or ridden a prototype Armstrong 7'7" or 8'3"? If a board costs that much it better be light and strong. I'm keen to see what appletree come up with for downwind using their closed cell foam board tech, but I think they'll need a few seasons to get a shape right. Should be good for the Euro market.

holy **** $3300 plus for a foil board!!! I charge roughly $2000 for a DW Egg which is full PVC full Carbon sandwich so very light and very strong. Been working on a longer length Egg range for a long time with so many protos but at those prices **** I should just mold something and cash in!!
Are people paying this?

The first 10 pre-ordered longer EGG's gets a deal was $3300 but pre-order $2300 hit me up!!

I would only consider an Armstrong or a Kalama downwind board if they would be lighter or have a much better shape than cheaper alternatives like Sunova, Axis or Egg...

We have to start weighing our boards and post their weight here , some brands give weights but they need to be checked!

I am considering a Sunova but I first want to know how much it weighs...

6'6" Sunova Elite is 6.2kg.

I think ONE are making some of the lightest production boards on the market right now. I would like to see a longer and skinnier ONE. No weight info on Armie DW or the Barracudas. handles are really not required once you go super skinny. I don't think I'd want any board over 6.5kg.

It will be interesting to see how all this plays out. People pay 3000 for starboard carbon surf SUP. That does my head in but maybe starboard have built some brand trust and its customers experience high performance and good durability and feel that is good value compared to the risk of shopping around and ending up with the inconvenience of something that underperforms.

Do I think any DW board is worth over 3000, no, but maybe some will be happy to pay the money if we can trust the product will be the best at this point in time providing higher performance with good durability. As you don't really get to try these boards then trust in the brand and their development process is key for me. Plenty of the big brands have already rushed foils, wings and boards to market that were never acceptable in quality or performance for the time.

The small DW market is currently so hungry for product that can make the journey easier. Some were dismissive of DK's direction with the barracuda while possibly some of these other companies, with no history in DW, just trusted DK's direction and started ramping up longer skinnier to get to market quickly. Only time will tell the real value of the offerings but I am sure some DW boards will be relatively cheap on the second hand market by next summer. It will be nice for the consumer.

The barracudas will likely be 6kg or under. The custom ones certainly are under 6kg.
A smaller prototype Armstrong I felt up was also very light.

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baldy123 said..
6'6" Sunova Elite is 6.2kg.

I think ONE are making some of the lightest production boards on the market right now. I would like to see a longer and skinnier ONE. No weight info on Armie DW or the Barracudas. handles are really not required once you go super skinny. I don't think I'd want any board over 6.5kg.

Cuda 7'-7" X 17.5" 90L 3.49KG

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Doomsy said..
Cuda 7'-7" X 17.5" 90L 3.49KG

That is a production Barracuda or a custom one-hit wonder?

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baldy123 said..
6'6" Sunova Elite is 6.2kg.

Did you weigh it yourself or did you get it from the website?

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Camarillo said..

baldy123 said..
6'6" Sunova Elite is 6.2kg.

Did you weigh it yourself or did you get it from the website?

6.22kg is the stated weight on the website for the 6'6. These are usually pretty accurate but not updated all the time. There are variations, but we try to be as close as possible.

We weigh every board throughout the production and record the finished weight including pads.

The average is collected for each layup type, whilst the default is mentioned on the webpage.
The default layup for these boards is "team".
At this time, the current standard weight for team layup is 6.06kg, whilst the standard weight for vapour light layup is 5.69kg.