A tricky task, especially as a beginner wing foiler is choosing the right board.
Unfortunately, you'll likely end up going through multiple boards on your foiling journey, but hey, that can be a lot of fun. Gradual progression allows you to step down in board size until your skill level is at a point you feel comfortable and at one with your board.
As you may already know, beginner wing foilers should choose floaty and stable boards - you want to be able to stand comfortably on the board while you're just floating there.
A good rule for a beginner is to add 30-40 liters of volume to your body weight. For example, someone weighing 75kg would go for a 105L - 115 litre board as they start out.
A bigger board will allow you to comfortable sit, kneel and stand on the board as you familiarize yourself with the wing and foil.
A recommendation of ours would be the 2022 NORTH SEEK FOIL BOARD. The 2022 Seek is balanced for a cleaner release, a more comfortable stance and comes in a range of great sizes for beginners to advanced riders.
From this point, there are a fair few hours spent getting your head around everything. However, once you progress you'll be able to jump down about 10-20 litres and use a smaller and more manoeuvrable board.
The step down may take some time to get used too, but it allows you to progress far more from this point. For this intermediate stage, riders will usually use a board that is around or just above their bodyweight. For example someone who is 80kg would feel quite comfortable on an 80L board.
The more advanced you get, the smaller board you'll want to ride. Many high-level riders are using surf foil boards with less than 50L of volume. Litreage just becomes a matter of personal preference as you become an advanced rider.
Some high-level riders still prefer a slightly more voluminous board.
Either way, have fun exploring a range of different boards! Give us a call at the shop if you'd like to demo a wing SUP board in a range of different options.
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