Foilboarding: Small boards Vs Large Boards

We’ve been riding a bunch of different styles behind the boat, so we’re going to get a bit boat-focused on this episode of Foil Fridays because we’ve been getting a lot of questions like, “what board is right for me?”/ “which size is right for me?” and we’re going to help you break down the two distinct categories.

It’s easiest to separate them into a “big board” vs. a “small board” and what that means for you and your riding experience behind the boat, so stay tuned and we’ll get you dialed in.

What to start with

Behind the boat, a lot of us tend to start out on a larger board. For instance, one of my favorites to put beginners on is the Slingshot Simulator. It’s huge, it has a little bit of padding to it, it’s a really easy board to get up on even if you didn’t have a foil there, and that’s the key- getting up on the board first and then letting the second part of your experience behind the boat be actually riding a foil. For a lot of people that are kind of comfortable with wakesurfing or wakeboarding behind the boat, those bigger boards are really going to be helpful to start out foiling, even as large as the Simulator.

Now all that said, you don't have to start on a board as large as the Simulator. Many opt for something in middle of the road. Something like the Alien Air or the Wakefoiler or something that’s in the 4’8” – 4’10” range with a little bit of volume and width. Those are going to be helpful because, ultimately, what you’re going to want to do is to come up on that board first and then learn how to come up on foil.

Advanced Riders 

The smaller boards make it difficult to get up on the board. For instance, with the Dwarf Craft 3’6” that we’ve been riding a lot lately, or that style of a board, you hardly have any board to get up on so you’re pretty much immediately up on the wing. From a beginner’s standpoint, those smaller boards are not going to be the best option for you. They’re going to hold you back at the beginning, even if you’re an expert at pretty much everything else behind the boat. Those boards just make it really difficult. We’ve had some guys who are talented with other sports behind the boat really struggle with the short boards and found that if we’ve got a couple guys in the boat that are going to try foiling for the first time or two, or even after their first few times, if they’re not really getting it then we’re going to need to put a different board on the boat for them besides the board that we’ve been enjoying.

Speaking of that style of a board, the Dwarf Craft 3’6”, or something similar to that, is really the best option for riding behind the boat for someone that’s an intermediate to an advanced rider, especially an advanced rider. We like that board for two reasons: number one, it gives you a really odd sensation when your feet are so close to the nose of the board that you’re hovering over the top of the wave, plus it lets you have a little bit better view of that riding surface in front of you. Secondly, and more importantly, the shorter the board is, the easier it is to pump. What we mean by that is, as the nose of the board comes down, with a longer board you’re going to have a shorter period of time before the nose hits the water, vs. with a shorter board it takes a little bit longer for that nose to come down and hit the water, so you can actually get larger pump strokes with a shorter board than you can with a longer board. That’s why you’ll see a lot of people, even in the surf, riding excessively short boards.

A lot of people that are dialing in riding behind the boat are riding some pretty short options.

Benefits to short boards 

Some other benefits to that board: it’s nice on a boat, no matter how big it is, to have a smaller setup. The foil is cumbersome by itself, so it’s nice to have something that’s a little bit shorter, a little bit easier to store- the 3’6” Dwarf Craft fits in most racks. For 2019 they’ve got a Micro that will definitely fit in any of the racks that you’ve got, if you’re looking to get that board out of the way. We’ve really been liking those shorter options for pumping, for cruising around; it makes for such a different experience riding behind the boat.

Yes, you can Foil Surf with the Slingshot Alien Air.

Now if you’re looking at getting into foiling like we mentioned before, that Wakefoiler or Alien Air or something along those lines- a Liquid Force Galaxy- there are a bunch of different options you might like in the upper 4-foot range that are going to be helpful for you and are not going to hold you back until you get to a certain point. We’ve got a few customers that are doing some pretty incredible stuff behind the boat while riding some of those “entry level” style boards, even the Simulator. 

Another bonus of those boards, for you guys that are in some wave-type areas for paddle-surfing in: a lot of those options you can actually surf too. The Simulator, the Alien Air… there are guys paddling into waves on those boards, so if you’re looking for a do-it-all, all-purpose sort of board, those could be a very good option.

Nathan Patterson

Nate has been with us since 2011. If you have any questions about kiteboarding, snowboarding, skiing, electric bikes, or foilboards, chances are, Nate knows the answer. You can catch him on the phones most days of the week or on our showroom floor. He practices a number of sports and is a avid mountain biker.

With Foil boarding taking off in recent years, Nathan has really gravitated towards wakefoiling and has been helping build out immense foilboarding knowledge center.