At 65kgs, I've been enjoying the 1st gen 85L 6'3" Armstrong DW board, which is my go to for light wind or long distance winging (or a good challenge SUPing). I just sold my 1st gen 60L FG board and I'm replacing with the 5'5" 55L Mid Length for my daily driver and racing. My 40L 2nd gen FG is for sending it.

One thing that is constant across all of the new style boards is a narrow waist. When I had my fairwell session on the old 60L, I couldn't get over how wide it felt, totally foreign after having neglected it for months. I really enjoy the latitude the narrow waist give me when carving hard. Much easier to keep the foil in the water and not bog a rail. Also, the narrow waist feels more natural when sitting on the board waiting on a gust, much more 'surfboard width' and easier on the adductors.

If I was to go for a single board quiver, it would probably be the 55L, but that is just speculation. I'll report back once I get mine in hopefully a few weeks. I'm somewhat concerned about starting/taxing stability in lighter conditions. I'm also hoping dropping 5L from my 60L will help get the board under some of the chop when starting in backwash zones (60L was a handful at times).

One thing I did notice was how narrow the ML boards are. The Portal Designs 'Enigma' is a full 20" wide compared to 18" wide on the Armie ML.

The 65L looks like the sweet spot to me at 90kg. I'll occasionally push my KT Dragonfly 7.7 into the upper 20s (knots) winging because it's width allows such nice, hard turning and the length smoothes out the pitchiness. Certainly it's not as radical for turning compared to a small board but you can still snap it around using a little more yaw. Gliding onto foil is immediate and I size down a wing size/foil size to gain even more surfiness. The mid length boards aren't for everyone but the Omen versions I've ridden are fantastic and these Armstrong MLs look pretty great. Another plus as a tall rider (6'5") is that stink bug starts are easier with the ML; I have to scrunch my self into a ball to start my 4'10" Ginxu.

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Windoc said..
The 65L looks like the sweet spot to me at 90kg. I'll occasionally push my KT Dragonfly 7.7 into the upper 20s (knots) winging because it's width allows such nice, hard turning and the length smoothes out the pitchiness. Certainly it's not as radical for turning compared to a small board but you can still snap it around using a little more yaw. Gliding onto foil is immediate and I size down a wing size/foil size to gain even more surfiness. The mid length boards aren't for everyone but the Omen versions I've ridden are fantastic and these Armstrong MLs look pretty great. Another plus as a tall rider (6'5") is that stink bug starts are easier with the ML; I have to scrunch my self into a ball to start my 4'10" Ginxu.

same weight pretty much and I was considering the 85L...given the fact that it will b e used also on sub 10kt, the 65 would be a real sinker for you..you planing to use in moderate to strong wind only?

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Foxi said..

DWF said..

SlowlyButSurely said..
I struggle to understand who are this boards for..
85kg here, thinking of lifting a 85L but the question I have is what do I gain/lose compared to the KT Dragonfly 7'4 105L I have?
For me early lift in sub 10kt is the #1 requirement and it is not clear whether these midlegth such as this one, the Sunova Carver and the new KT midlegth will be as efficient as longer DW boards.
If people who tried them bot can chip in, I'd be v grateful

For me, 7'6 wasn't sporty enough winging.

6'8 felt very sporty.

6'2 felt even more sporty, but lost some momentum, smooth flow rail to rail and pump.

So I settled with 6'8.

Meanwhile my tiny wife, found 6'2 to be her magic size. The 6'8 was too sluggish, even though she does admit the 6'8 has more momentum and pump.

5'5 was a hard no for both of us.

Find your sweet spot.

Hello Dwight,

I wonder if you'd rate the Sabfoil Torpedos at 6.3/19.9/100l and 6.4/110l already midlength compared to purebreed DW boards ?!

thx, J?rgen

I'd rate them mid lengths. To me DW means over 7 ft. I think a good range of mid length is 5'8-6'8

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SlowlyButSurely said..

same weight pretty much and I was considering the 85L...given the fact that it will b e used also on sub 10kt, the 65 would be a real sinker for you..you planing to use in moderate to strong wind only?

Yes, that would be the idea with one of these ML boards at 65L for me. I'd use a DW board in light air.

Got to fondle these yesterday...pretty compelling boards. Will have to wait to demo for at least another month or so. It's pretty interesting to see both folks on this forum and the board makers, think through all the tradeoffs in design and see what they choose to put together.

I don't know what I"m talking about, but I think I like the idea of a (more) consistent width throughout model sizes, like the new F-one DW boards, and the Sunovas. If I wanted a 2 board quiver in the Armie ML boards, I'd have a 20.75" and an 18", and after being on a 19.5" this season, that 18" seems less inviting...

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SpokeyDoke said..
Got to fondle these yesterday...pretty compelling boards. Will have to wait to demo for at least another month or so. It's pretty interesting to see both folks on this forum and the board makers, think through all the tradeoffs in design and see what they choose to put together.

I don't know what I"m talking about, but I think I like the idea of a (more) consistent width throughout model sizes, like the new F-one DW boards, and the Sunovas. If I wanted a 2 board quiver in the Armie ML boards, I'd have a 20.75" and an 18", and after being on a 19.5" this season, that 18" seems less inviting...

Yeh we said that a year ago when the boards went down to 22-23 inch. I've been prone foiking and sink starting Stink bud style the 40L afG wing board. Doesn't take long to adapt.

For mid-length 20" seems good. Narrower than that, bigger riders or ones who prefer wider stance will need to adapt.

2024 Armstrong Mid-length 85 In Action (youtube.com)

Anyone try these with Gofoil?

Here they are

www.armstrongfoils.com/midlength-board/

I preordered the 45 L to replace my 39L prone board. It should paddle into waves significantly easier. I think it will be awesome for winging in solid wind too. Only 17" wide, that will take some getting used to.

I still struggle to see where this mid length board fits in...
for my 87kg figure, I thought the perfect quiver was a Wing FG 80L for medium to high wind and a 7'5 106L Downwind board for the light days....

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SlowlyButSurely said..
I still struggle to see where this mid length board fits in...
for my 87kg figure, I thought the perfect quiver was a Wing FG 80L for medium to high wind and a 7'5 106L Downwind board for the light days....

How I understand it, mid length boards would more or less cover everything as a one board quiver. When nuking a sinker for freestyle will be better, when piss wind a dedicated DW board will be better. So if you have both types of boards already, and don't want to drop down to a one board quiver, there is no need to buy a mid length I think.

Board shapes look great. Raised Deck Wedges and Arch Bars are no good if you're wearing booties. Makes your foot go numb after awhile. Do they not do testing with cold water bootie wearers !?!

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strekke said..

SlowlyButSurely said..
I still struggle to see where this mid length board fits in...
for my 87kg figure, I thought the perfect quiver was a Wing FG 80L for medium to high wind and a 7'5 106L Downwind board for the light days....

How I understand it, mid length boards would more or less cover everything as a one board quiver. When nuking a sinker for freestyle will be better, when piss wind a dedicated DW board will be better. So if you have both types of boards already, and don't want to drop down to a one board quiver, there is no need to buy a mid length I think.

yeah that was my reading too. thanks a lot for your feedback

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SlowlyButSurely said..

strekke said..

SlowlyButSurely said..
I still struggle to see where this mid length board fits in...
for my 87kg figure, I thought the perfect quiver was a Wing FG 80L for medium to high wind and a 7'5 106L Downwind board for the light days....

How I understand it, mid length boards would more or less cover everything as a one board quiver. When nuking a sinker for freestyle will be better, when piss wind a dedicated DW board will be better. So if you have both types of boards already, and don't want to drop down to a one board quiver, there is no need to buy a mid length I think.

yeah that was my reading too. thanks a lot for your feedback

I have the new FG and a tip of the hat to the traction pad. Finally I can skin it and not get torn up. Nice and cushy as well.

So I just had a session on the 55 L ML as a replacement for my V1 60 L FG. The wind was solid 20 mph and I ran a 3.5 m with a HA 580 and 205 tail blue shim.
Looking at the volume divided by weight ratio the 55 L put me at .85 versus .92 with the old 60L. I went straight to the stink bug start, and that was easy, especially given the narrow width. It was easy to transition from laying down to sitting / knees and vice versa.
As expected, it got on Foil really easy even on my toe side start. At first, I did notice the tail tapping some of the swell so I made a choice to ride a bit and that took care of that issue.
The conditions were outgoing tide against wind and knee to waist plus swells. I think with this combo I was able to crank my tightest turns on swells to date. The narrow width on the board Gave me the confidence to dive into gybes and cut backs full bore. I skipped off my heel edge a couple times and it barely even registered.

The set up, cranked up wind, perpendicular to the swell really easily despite the 795 mast, I didn't have to worry about altitude adjustment as much to keep the rail out of the swell peaks.
overall, it's exactly what I wanted as a replacement for my 60 L. If I go on a surf trip, it will fit right in my Surf bag and will double duty as Wing and prone.

sorry for the poor grammar most of this was voice to text

So I just had a session on the 55 L ML as a replacement for my V1 60 L FG. The wind was solid 20 mph and I ran a 3.5 m with a HA 580 and 205 tail blue shim.
Looking at the volume divided by weight ratio the 55 L put me at .85 versus .92 with the old 60L. I went straight to the stink bug start, and that was easy, especially given the narrow width. It was easy to transition from laying down to sitting / knees and vice versa.
As expected, it got on Foil really easy even on my toe side start. At first, I did notice the tail tapping some of the swell so I made a choice to ride a bit and that took care of that issue.
The conditions were outgoing tide against wind and knee to waist plus swells. I think with this combo I was able to crank my tightest turns on swells to date. The narrow width on the board Gave me the confidence to dive into gybes and cut backs full bore. I skipped off my heel edge a couple times and it barely even registered.

The set up, cranked up wind, perpendicular to the swell really easily despite the 795 mast, I didn't have to worry about altitude adjustment as much to keep the rail out of the swell peaks.
overall, it's exactly what I wanted as a replacement for my 60 L. If I go on a surf trip, it will fit right in my Surf bag and will double duty as Wing and prone.

sorry for the poor grammar most of this was voice to text

?si=sUAEyeUL9bv08cY1

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SlowlyButSurely said..
I still struggle to see where this mid length board fits in...
for my 87kg figure, I thought the perfect quiver was a Wing FG 80L for medium to high wind and a 7'5 106L Downwind board for the light days....

Should have made a 95
im 87kg and use a longboard 87ltr winging
can not stand on it in flat waters zero wind
but can wing it at 6k with some effort
id have bought immediately a 95 Armstrong and try it paddleups
oh well

I'm 75kg, and I'm very hesitant between the 75 and the 85l in addition to my 40l, for use 10-15 knots with 5.5m... Any opinions?

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Zwind said..
I'm 75kg, and I'm very hesitant between the 75 and the 85l in addition to my 40l, for use 10-15 knots with 5.5m... Any opinions?

Depends totally on your ability, skill, experience, and fitness.

He must have all of those if he's riding a 40l too.

I jump and land without losing speed, jibe at 95%, tack at 50/60%. In terms of size I would prefer the 75l, but if the wind drops to 5-7 knots, will it be stable enough to return upright? This is my dilemma.sorry for my english

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Zwind said..
I jump and land without losing speed, jibe at 95%, tack at 50/60%. In terms of size I would prefer the 75l, but if the wind drops to 5-7 knots, will it be stable enough to return upright? This is my dilemma.sorry for my english

75l then. I am 100kg and find my 6 4 x 20 x 95l board gets going very easily in light wind. I can float in on next to no wind.

Ok, thank you for your advice ??

if you on the fence as to whether to get one or not..dont hesitate.
the board is a joy to ride. Made me a much better rider. Closing tacks on waves, pumping on wave, race jibes., 360s..
Honestly I cannot find a single thing I dont like.
In terms of sizing, I'd suggest -10 from your weight in kg, if you ride in powered conditions and volume =weight in kg if you plan to use it also in lightweight setting. Sloshing on the ML is not easy if wing is not supported so volume = weight does help.
MAst placement is anywhere between +1 and +2 compared to wing FG.

Looking at this board for my progression in winging. Intermediate winger in the gorge - 100% on jibes, much less on tacks. 75kg and currently use a 95L Kalama 'prone dw' board. I was thinking to get a 75L ML and at some point in the future add a 55L for a two board quiver. Does that make sense or should I just go to 65L and 'try' to make it work on powered and light wind days? I'll get getting rid of the Kalama.

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mwills said..
Looking at this board for my progression in winging. Intermediate winger in the gorge - 100% on jibes, much less on tacks. 75kg and currently use a 95L Kalama 'prone dw' board. I was thinking to get a 75L ML and at some point in the future add a 55L for a two board quiver. Does that make sense or should I just go to 65L and 'try' to make it work on powered and light wind days? I'll get getting rid of the Kalama.

Just get a 65L and only one board. I'm 84kg give or take and I picked up at 65L recently... and honestly it's now also my lightwind board. And when I say light wind, I'm MEAN light wind... as in San Diego weak-a 10-15 knots and I ride this just fine. It's a great board for sure.