Sunova Foil Drive Trench Board Review
Ryan and Hunter chat about the all-new Sunova Foil Drive Trench board, designed specifically to integrate with Foil Drive systems, offering a dedicated space for the motor unit and battery.
Three Different Sizes
The board comes in three sizes to accommodate different rider weights and skill levels:
- 4'10" at 40 liters
- 5'2" at 45 liters
- 5'6" at 50 liters
The width on the 4'10" model is 19", and the width increases by a quarter inch on each of the larger two sizes.
Board Features
The Sunova Trench board includes several thoughtful design elements:
- Vent Plug: A removable vent plug with a spot for an Allen key. Since most foilers carry Torx or Allen keys, it's easy to remove and tighten as needed.
- Deck Pad: The board has a very large deck pad that extends close to the edges, and it stays grippy even when wearing booties. The white pad lacks center-line markings or visual references for foot placement, but its color makes it easy to add your own with a marker.
- Aesthetics: The top sheet features a wood grain finish that gives the board a clean, aesthetic look.
The Trench
The trench is a standard size and provides a very tight fit for the Foil Drive unit. Because of that tight fit, you can't pop the clips out while the unit is inside the trench — you have to remove the unit first. The trench is plenty long to accommodate the new Foil Drive Fusion, and when the unit is installed, it sits flush with the bottom of the board.
Hull Design and Rails
The front of the board features a displacement hull, which performs well during touchdowns, especially in choppy water: it helps the board bounce off the water without losing too much speed. The rails have chines that aren't too aggressive, letting the board carry a lot of volume out toward the sides. Those chines are very helpful during touchdowns when carving hard, since they let the water bounce off the edge of the board rather than grabbing it.
On-Water Performance
The Sunova Trench board offers a great blend of performance, balance, stability, and efficiency. It pumps well and gets up on foil easily without requiring an excessive amount of extra skill or finesse. It pairs well with the Foil Drive Max and lets you ride smaller foils effectively.
One specific benefit of the deck width is the leverage it provides. When riding high-aspect foils in small, mushy waves, the extra width makes it easy to move your feet out wider for more leverage without hanging your toes over the edge of the board.
Who Is It For?
This is a mid-length trench board. If you're looking to size down into the mid-length range, or if you're already riding mid-lengths and want to try something new, this is a great option.
Because it's a little wider than some other mid-length boards, it offers an extra bit of stability when taking off and gets on plane a bit easier. That added stability is a major plus for anyone stepping down in board size, especially when moving into the sub-five-foot range with the 4'10" model.
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