Is it possible to built a Inflatable Downwind SUP / Wing board with a recent modern hull shape?
Or does the drop stitch technology not allow such a V contour on the bottom?
Having to store and transport a second hard wing board complementing my 5'1 board is holding me back trying one, but an inflatable would be a nice option.

As an inflatable wing board rider I totally want an inflatable downwind SUP so bad!!! I was thinking of asking this same thing on the Gong forum to put it on Patrice's radar, given that they have such a huge inflatable SUP offering already and make good looking downwind hard boards. I'd love an inflatable version of the Gong Cruzader. Yeah I know the rocker would be pretty much non-existent and it wouldn't have the special sauce in the tail shape, but my goal wouldn't be to flatwater pump, it would be to lightwind wingfoil it and maybe try paddling in on some swells on big days. If they wanted to get fancy they could attach a cone to the tail to give it that stepped v-shape to help it get flying. I'm thinking something like a 7'x 21"x 6" might do the trick? Worst case I'd have a tippy wingfoil board that flies early on lightwind days. All the big inflatable wingfoil boards out there are so damn fat right now, I want to get one for light wind days, but they seem like they'd just be glued to the surface rather than cutting through it.

I have flagged this to Reptile Sports and they'll look into it but had some doubts regarding the stability of such a narrow inflatable board. Hopefully a brand will launch one soon

Update: Reptile wants to start the R&D of these inflatable boards based on their sup race line and their i-ufo pro wing line.

they have asked me which sizes I recommend them to start with. What do you think/ what would you like?
i have no experience with these shapes but would think a bit of extra volume would be desirable given how tippy they seem to be (like 95l for my 85kg)

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NicoDC said..
Update: Reptile wants to start the R&D of these inflatable boards based on their sup race line and their i-ufo pro wing line.

they have asked me which sizes I recommend them to start with. What do you think/ what would you like?
i have no experience with these shapes but would think a bit of extra volume would be desirable given how tippy they seem to be (like 95l for my 85kg)

I would say bigger.
Look at the Armstrong DW sizes for reference:

+10-15L over body weight seems about right.
Getting the tail correct will be the big challenge I think. Definitely need some sort of hard rail like certain inflatables have.
Can drop-stitch even make the sort of bottom shape needed?

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Grantmac said..
+10-15L over body weight seems about right.
Getting the tail correct will be the big challenge I think. Definitely need some sort of hard rail like certain inflatables have.
Can drop-stitch even make the sort of bottom shape needed?

Indeed, hard rails are a must but I'm not sure the beveled pintail is. My guess would be that such a tail is a good compromise between stability and efficiency. There are other DW boards that features more boxy rails and/or slender squash tails. A pintail with straight rails could work too. Maybe inflatable DW boards aren't efficient at all. Maybe the exact tail shape is only a rather minor factor. It' all new so worth the experiment

Worth compromising a bit on "packed size" if you do this to ensure the deck area is solid?

I imagine a board with a recessed deck area that is an entirely rigid platform 3' x 19" and ideally only 2-3" thick, and then a nose and tail that is thicker to cover the required volume, buoyancy, stability. Drainage like a surfski if you end up with rails/gunnels for rigidity.

6" boards don't feel great, and 6"+ of inflatable and I think you will havea vague feeling.

I think a 7'2 - 7'4 with about 110 - 120 litres would be a good size to start with.
The bigger the boards the more packing advantage an iDowner has.

Regarding sharp rail edges and baseplate it would be smart to combine these two elements. Since the DW boards are quite narrow, the baseplate could reach from rail to rail and even to the end of the flat bottom section.
If it's possible to connect plate and skin of the board leaving a (relatively) sharp edge at the rail this problem is solved.

The V-contour could maybe be realized by a double chamber construction.

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AlexF said..
I think a 7'2 - 7'4 with about 110 - 120 litres would be a good size to start with.
The bigger the boards the more packing advantage an iDowner has.

Regarding sharp rail edges and baseplate it would be smart to combine these two elements. Since the DW boards are quite narrow, the baseplate could reach from rail to rail and even to the end of the flat bottom section.
If it's possible to connect plate and skin of the board leaving a (relatively) sharp edge at the rail this problem is solved.

The V-contour could maybe be realized by a double chamber construction.

I think these are good ideas. I see what Starboard has done with their All Star Airline SUP and I figure a scaled down version with a foil mount (not Starboard's ridiculous overly-complicated patented thru-board inflatable foil mount) would be perfect.

Thanks all. My recommendation was to start with a 6 foot 9 x 20 inch 100/105 liter board and additionally a 6 foot 3 x 20 inch 90 liter board and/or 7 foot 6, 22 inch 120l board. Let's see what the R&D team does with that info.

Food for thought regarding construction

but does that type of sup glide and keep momentum? I do own a hard and a soft sup, it cannot compete even if they do have about the same dimensions, but maybe some "air race sup" has different texture? It would be nice to have a inflatable DW that really work, a lot less space to store for sure!!

I guess an inflatable could not reach the performance of a hard board. But maybe up to 90%.But I'd accept that for the benefit of storing.

The Mistral board just shows that als more complicated shapes are possible with more efforts regarding construction e.g. 4 air chambers.

Wow I would be all over something like that Mistral board in ~6'7" size for downwind foiling!

Daymn interesting construction! I passed it on.

This looks interesting too in terms of more useful shapes for inflatables. www.enserinkdesign.com/project/shapewave-true-3d-shape-inflatables

Looks like your wish is granted. The inflatable version of the Gong Cruzader appeared on Insta today.
I just ordered the 7'6"xl hard board and am not sure I will be able to paddle it! The board in the video looks about as wide as Malo's feet!