Its time for me to dump my ancient formula board (Starboard Formula X-186) and get a proper foil board. I'm using the SB Race 115+ kit and big cammed sails, so width is important. I've opened this thread because of the ridiculous price difference between 91+ and sub 91cm foil boards, it is at that magic number that the price suddenly jumps by 40%. I weigh around 100kg so if money grew on trees I would get myself a Race foil board or a Slalom foil board but that is not the case so I ask if anyone has made this kind of compromise ? What are my options ?

Look for Exocet RF 91, New under a grand, used probably less.
The new, parallel outline model is still a good deal also.

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LeeD said..
Look for Exocet RF 91, New under a grand, used probably less.
The new, parallel outline model is still a good deal also.

I've considered the older Exo RF 91. Ignoring how unsightly the board is (much like my current one) I would like a bit more volume. The AHD Thunderbolt 91 (foilandco.com/shop/planche-windsurf-ahd-thunderbolt/) would be in my upper price range but I found no reviews. The deck on the AHD not being flat makes me think I would have difficulty controlling it during those survival moments when my back foot stays inboard while going downwind.

Most course race foilboards have slightly crowned decks for ankle comfort, great for upwind, acceptable downwind out of rear straps.
But if you have exact requirements, custom does tend to cost.
My Naish Hover has a very crowned deck, but it's fine downwind turning on windswells.
It IS terrible for wing.

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Dishpet said..


I've considered the older Exo RF 91. Ignoring how unsightly the board is (much like my current one) I would like a bit more volume. The AHD Thunderbolt 91 (foilandco.com/shop/planche-windsurf-ahd-thunderbolt/) would be in my upper price range but I found no reviews. The deck on the AHD not being flat makes me think I would have difficulty controlling it during those survival moments when my back foot stays inboard while going downwind.

I had to check to see what you meant.

It looks like it's just chunky on the edges to help you get out in the straps earlier before planing. I don't think that shape will hurt, may even feel more secure in the middle? My only point of comparison is the IQFoil board, which has a lot of irregularities in the shape for various reasons. It does have padding in the middle which is looks like the ahd does not. I've definitely ridden, scared, in that back position when learning to go downwind fast. I even used those scoops in the back for lightwind pumping before, and it felt kind of weird at first but it doesn't really bother.

As long as it's not slick in that valley it should be fine? I know I've seen some foiling videos on this forum from some guy with what looks like that board. Can't remember who.

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aeroegnr said..

Dishpet said..


I've considered the older Exo RF 91. Ignoring how unsightly the board is (much like my current one) I would like a bit more volume. The AHD Thunderbolt 91 (foilandco.com/shop/planche-windsurf-ahd-thunderbolt/) would be in my upper price range but I found no reviews. The deck on the AHD not being flat makes me think I would have difficulty controlling it during those survival moments when my back foot stays inboard while going downwind.

I had to check to see what you meant.

It looks like it's just chunky on the edges to help you get out in the straps earlier before planing. I don't think that shape will hurt, may even feel more secure in the middle? My only point of comparison is the IQFoil board, which has a lot of irregularities in the shape for various reasons. It does have padding in the middle which is looks like the ahd does not. I've definitely ridden, scared, in that back position when learning to go downwind fast. I even used those scoops in the back for lightwind pumping before, and it felt kind of weird at first but it doesn't really bother.

As long as it's not slick in that valley it should be fine? I know I've seen some foiling videos on this forum from some guy with what looks like that board. Can't remember who.

Thanks for the reply, I think you're referring to the Gwen the French guy that posts videos here regularly, sadly he rides the compact version of the board (AHD Compact) and not this one (Thunderbolt). Those scoops look real funky to pump with

My old Starboard F-162 or 7 had severe dish for backfoot, but was never a problem because downwind, I was on the centered chicken strap or slightly forward strapless.

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LeeD said..
My old Starboard F-162 or 7 had severe dish for backfoot, but was never a problem because downwind, I was on the centered chicken strap or slightly forward strapless.

What's interesting to me is they put inserts and gave extra straps for the chicken straps on the IQ boards but apparently almost nobody uses them.

Just imagine when all the IQ used boards hit the market.

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ZeroVix said..
Just imagine when all the IQ used boards hit the market.

Seeing how expensive they are, I don't see it happening anytime soon.

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Dishpet said..
Its time for me to dump my ancient formula board (Starboard Formula X-186) and get a proper foil board.

Just curious - why?

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boardsurfr said..

Dishpet said..
Its time for me to dump my ancient formula board (Starboard Formula X-186) and get a proper foil board.

Just curious - why?

The thing weighs 16 kilos (without the foil!), it's 72cm wide at the back. Borrowed my mates RRD H-fire 91 Pro once - it felt like a nimble magic carpet that lets you load the race foil vs a steam locomotive. However I still consider my formula to be a better beginner board as it somehow gets going sooner. I intend to keep it for my mates that want to give foiling a shot.

Between my gear at home and in Florida, I have two formula boards (100.5 cm wide) and two foil boards at 85 and 86 cm wide (132 and 140 liter volume).

At 95 kg, I REALLY like the ~85cm width of the foil boards. Volume, of course, but the width really matters.

Cost. Yes as soon as the word "racing" enters the picture, the costs goes up a lot. 91 cm width is the magic threshold for racing.

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segler said..
Between my gear at home and in Florida, I have two formula boards (100.5 cm wide) and two foil boards at 85 and 86 cm wide (132 and 140 liter volume).

At 95 kg, I REALLY like the ~85cm width of the foil boards. Volume, of course, but the width really matters.

Cost. Yes as soon as the word "racing" enters the picture, the costs goes up a lot. 91 cm width is the magic threshold for racing.

Glad to hear there's an alternative. What are the mentioned 85/132 86/140 boards and what foil do you pair them with ?

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Dishpet said..

segler said..
Between my gear at home and in Florida, I have two formula boards (100.5 cm wide) and two foil boards at 85 and 86 cm wide (132 and 140 liter volume).

At 95 kg, I REALLY like the ~85cm width of the foil boards. Volume, of course, but the width really matters.

Cost. Yes as soon as the word "racing" enters the picture, the costs goes up a lot. 91 cm width is the magic threshold for racing.

Glad to hear there's an alternative. What are the mentioned 85/132 86/140 boards and what foil do you pair them with ?

Those boards are for free riding. You have a race foil and sails. Cheapest way is to get a better formula board with reinforced box. Everything else in 85+ size for performance new will cost USD 2K +. With 100 kg I would want a 91cm board for your needs. If you change the style to free riding, the Fanatic Stingray is a good value (that is selgers 86/140.... other one he mentioned is North Pacific (I think). What type of foiling do you want?

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ZeroVix said..

Dishpet said..

segler said..
Between my gear at home and in Florida, I have two formula boards (100.5 cm wide) and two foil boards at 85 and 86 cm wide (132 and 140 liter volume).

At 95 kg, I REALLY like the ~85cm width of the foil boards. Volume, of course, but the width really matters.

Cost. Yes as soon as the word "racing" enters the picture, the costs goes up a lot. 91 cm width is the magic threshold for racing.

Glad to hear there's an alternative. What are the mentioned 85/132 86/140 boards and what foil do you pair them with ?

Those boards are for free riding. You have a race foil and sails. Cheapest way is to get a better formula board with reinforced box. Everything else in 85+ size for performance new will cost USD 2K +. With 100 kg I would want a 91cm board for your needs. If you change the style to free riding, the Fanatic Stingray is a good value (that is selgers 86/140.... other one he mentioned is North Pacific (I think). What type of foiling do you want?

I want to pair it with the SB Race 115+, maybe a GTR+ for higher winds. It seems the AHD Thunderbolt 91 is my only low budget option but I'd like some feedback on the damned thing. Time to browse the frenchie forums with the help of good ole' google translate.

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Dishpet said..

ZeroVix said..

Dishpet said..

segler said..
Between my gear at home and in Florida, I have two formula boards (100.5 cm wide) and two foil boards at 85 and 86 cm wide (132 and 140 liter volume).

At 95 kg, I REALLY like the ~85cm width of the foil boards. Volume, of course, but the width really matters.

Cost. Yes as soon as the word "racing" enters the picture, the costs goes up a lot. 91 cm width is the magic threshold for racing.

Glad to hear there's an alternative. What are the mentioned 85/132 86/140 boards and what foil do you pair them with ?

Those boards are for free riding. You have a race foil and sails. Cheapest way is to get a better formula board with reinforced box. Everything else in 85+ size for performance new will cost USD 2K +. With 100 kg I would want a 91cm board for your needs. If you change the style to free riding, the Fanatic Stingray is a good value (that is selgers 86/140.... other one he mentioned is North Pacific (I think). What type of foiling do you want?

I want to pair it with the SB Race 115+, maybe a GTR+ for higher winds. It seems the AHD Thunderbolt 91 is my only low budget option but I'd like some feedback on the damned thing. Time to browse the frenchie forums with the help of good ole' google translate.

Dishpet, sorry if I missed it but where are you located?

On the Med, mostly riding 8-20kn thermals.

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Dishpet said..
On the Med, mostly riding 8-20kn thermals.

You live on a house boat; Mediterranean Sea is big.

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ZeroVix said..

Dishpet said..
On the Med, mostly riding 8-20kn thermals.

You live on a house boat; Mediterranean Sea is big.

The Adriatic to be exact

Repurpose another light, more modern formula board, or get a bank loan. Not too many options available and that is likely not going to change soon.

As soon as you get to the 91cm wide boards nearly all brands view them as race boards so they only offer their full carbon construction. I have had the JP foil slalom and now have the patrik foil comp 91 V2.

I have had the AHD thunderbolts, you soon get used to the deck shape. they are full carbon sandwich but they are a bit heavier than the more expensive boards.

The JP hydrofoil 150 is a cheaper option for a 91cm wide board but I don't think it has the full width and slab rails as the full on boards so will feel a bit smaller.

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Dishpet said..
On the Med, mostly riding 8-20kn thermals.

Well, that's a bit far to ship the board I was going to suggest since it's from a small builder in the US but you are close to a number of good custom builders in Europe. If you can't find a recent board that you can convert to foiling, you may want to look at someone like Flikka or maybe the good folks at Seatex might recommend someone.

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Paducah said..

Dishpet said..
On the Med, mostly riding 8-20kn thermals.

Well, that's a bit far to ship the board I was going to suggest since it's from a small builder in the US but you are close to a number of good custom builders in Europe. If you can't find a recent board that you can convert to foiling, you may want to look at someone like Flikka or maybe the good folks at Seatex might recommend someone.

I don't think he is in the market for a custom board (2.5k USD and up). He complained about boards being too expensive going up in size. I have to agree with him.

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ZeroVix said..

Paducah said..

Dishpet said..
On the Med, mostly riding 8-20kn thermals.

Well, that's a bit far to ship the board I was going to suggest since it's from a small builder in the US but you are close to a number of good custom builders in Europe. If you can't find a recent board that you can convert to foiling, you may want to look at someone like Flikka or maybe the good folks at Seatex might recommend someone.

I don't think he is in the market for a custom board (2.5k USD and up). He complained about boards being too expensive going up in size. I have to agree with him.

Rereading his original and follow up posts, he doesn't want to pay the $ for a board that doesn't suit his size, sailing style or needs. He wants a big board but doesn't want the premium that goes with most big boards because they are racing oriented and command a premium. An IQFoil is $3.2k US. A Flikka in full carbon is around $2.5k according to their website, even cheaper in bash-resistant S-glass). I've had custom boards made for less than that in carbon/S-glass. It's a more viable option than many people realize. The biggest issue for most people is the lead time rather than the price.

I'm not knocking the IQFoil but if you aren't hardcore racing but want/need a big board, there are other options. The problem with grabbing a old Formula board is that in many places there are fewer and fewer available and then you have to worry about the fin box, especially OP at 100kg. Done properly, that'll be a $400-500 job if he lacks the skills or desire to do it himself.

He asked for options with no strict budget - going custom is an option if you are looking at new boards which he apparently has.

btw, I'm not endorsing Flikka - I'm just not aware of all the boardmakers close to him and I know they've been doing foilboards for a while.

I think he will jump in an disclose his budget. My understanding was his frustration that a free ride board (sub 85 cm) can be purchased at a comfortable price, then jumps up a lot for anything above 85 cm. Most free ride foil boards are around 1.5-2.0k USD and boards above 85cm (not including Slingshot) are 2.5-3.5k USD. Is that justified? In the USA there are few options above 85cm for race foil and larger sails (what he wants). The Exocet RF 91 Carbon is 2,399 USD, Fanatic Falcon Foil 2,569 USD, Starboard IQ Foil 95 2,759 USD and then most jump above 2.9k USD. North Pacific and Roberts make free ride board for 2.5/2.6k USD, but a true wide board will run you more by both companies. I don't know too many custom shops in the USA that are making those type of boards. Roberts is in Vancouver, Canada - North Pacific in the Hood River and maybe Tilo in Miami might make some custom boards. Not many around. Also, if you are planning to sell a custom board in the future, the resale value isn't good. Just something to think about.

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ZeroVix said..
I think he will jump in an disclose his budget. My understanding was his frustration that a free ride board (sub 85 cm) can be purchased at a comfortable price, then jumps up a lot for anything above 85 cm. Most free ride foil boards are around 1.5-2.0k USD and boards above 85cm (not including Slingshot) are 2.5-3.5k USD. Is that justified? In the USA there are few options above 85cm for race foil and larger sails (what he wants). The Exocet RF 91 Carbon is 2,399 USD, Fanatic Falcon Foil 2,569 USD, Starboard IQ Foil 95 2,759 USD and then most jump above 2.9k USD. North Pacific and Roberts make free ride board for 2.5/2.6k USD, but a true wide board will run you more by both companies. I don't know too many custom shops in the USA that are making those type of boards. Roberts is in Vancouver, Canada - North Pacific in the Hood River and maybe Tilo in Miami might make some custom boards. Not many around. Also, if you are planning to sell a custom board in the future, the resale value isn't good. Just something to think about.

There may be different manufacturing equipment or something else difficult to procure or ship above a certain width. It would be interesting to know what is driving this.

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aeroegnr said..

ZeroVix said..
I think he will jump in an disclose his budget. My understanding was his frustration that a free ride board (sub 85 cm) can be purchased at a comfortable price, then jumps up a lot for anything above 85 cm. Most free ride foil boards are around 1.5-2.0k USD and boards above 85cm (not including Slingshot) are 2.5-3.5k USD. Is that justified? In the USA there are few options above 85cm for race foil and larger sails (what he wants). The Exocet RF 91 Carbon is 2,399 USD, Fanatic Falcon Foil 2,569 USD, Starboard IQ Foil 95 2,759 USD and then most jump above 2.9k USD. North Pacific and Roberts make free ride board for 2.5/2.6k USD, but a true wide board will run you more by both companies. I don't know too many custom shops in the USA that are making those type of boards. Roberts is in Vancouver, Canada - North Pacific in the Hood River and maybe Tilo in Miami might make some custom boards. Not many around. Also, if you are planning to sell a custom board in the future, the resale value isn't good. Just something to think about.

There may be different manufacturing equipment or something else difficult to procure or ship above a certain width. It would be interesting to know what is driving this.

The fact that the budget friendly version of the IQ foil was withdrawn (windfoilen.nl/en/iqfoil-91-starlite-tested/) leads me to think it was not efficient in $trong wind$ and thus had to be discontinued

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Dishpet said..




The fact that the budget friendly version of the IQ foil was withdrawn (windfoilen.nl/en/iqfoil-91-starlite-tested/) leads me to think it was not efficient in $trong wind$ and thus had to be discontinued

I wonder if the weight of the starlite plus bag & boom was over the typical baggage limit.

The Starlite version probably lasts more than 2 years too, unlike the IQ boards I've heard about.

If I was the OP I'd look at the newer RF91 in AST.

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Grantmac said..
The Starlite version probably lasts more than 2 years too, unlike the IQ boards I've heard about.

If I was the OP I'd look at the newer RF91 in AST.

Wouldn't be surprised. My IQ already has had to have several repairs on the bottom. Very thin and easy to scrape/punch through