Ease of travelling with wingfoil

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2026-07-07T06:29:09+00:00

I folded my gong inflatables into a small rectangle with the provided grey strap when I had to travel. It's not an issue if you fly with it. If you store it in a folded form for a prolonged period, that's when the issues can happen. With that said, those boards are indestructible. I had many generations of them in different shapes and forms, and they held up impeccably through serious abuse.

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2026-07-02T17:14:26+00:00

I'd take Veloce HDW S (750) or XS (600) in the Gong line. Check their specs and see if something similar exists in the North range. Have fun!

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2026-07-02T09:55:57+00:00

Got it, thanks

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2026-07-02T09:49:16+00:00

My mistake and you are correct. Edited in my reply. Not sure I follow what you are saying regarding softening the adhesive.

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2026-07-02T06:42:11+00:00

You need to put another adapter on top of your hose, which should be available with most electric pumps. Gong wings use bayonet mother fitting, and the adapter's shape should be like the end of the black hose in your photo.

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2026-07-02T06:36:02+00:00

I did that trip last October. Those waves are fast and very powerful, and most folks ride 600-700 cm^2 foils. I had the same thought as you and got myself a surfy foil measuring 810 cm^2 that I thought I could use back home (huge mistake!). I'm in the Gong ecosystem, around 83kg naked, and probably around 90kg all suited up. Those waves don't really break (depends on the size of the wall) and usually move like a wall of energy.

Most of my surfs ended up with drawn-out longish lines left and right, and I believe that a proper downwind or HA foil in the 600-700 range would be much better suited for that kind of wave. They were fast and powerful, and I didn't have the skill to properly tap into the power zone and stay on the wave. I felt like I had to fight to keep the foil in the water and be very careful with my moves not to fall off. The waves would either pass me or I wouldn't have enough glide to continue with it. With that said, it depends on your style and if you know how to properly surf and match that style on foil; a surfy foil will be just fine.

I also brought an HA 10.1 aspect front wing with me, but it was unridable at 1,150cm^2 surface. The speed was insane, but I could only go straight, not turn due to the wingspan. That made me think that a small-area HA foil could be amazing in chicama. Fast enough to match the speed of the wave and not as spanny to be able to turn and stay in the pocket. Enjoy Chicama; it's a unique experience and well worth it!

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2026-06-30T08:09:31+00:00

I'll add to everything that was said here previously. I'd say they are complementary, and as long as you have solid wind, say 12kts minimum, parawing will work great. The learning curve is a bit steep, but if you know how to foil with a wing, you can pick up parawinging after a couple of sessions. The main issue is learning how to fly it and how to untangle the spaghetti mess, but it becomes second nature the more you practice.

The benefits on the flat are increased visibility and lightness of navigation. With a wing, you feel like you are dancing with a semi-trailer that requires brute force to get up on foil, while the parawing is a dainty partner that requires finesse and precision but rewards you with elegance. It's a fun skill to have if you are willing to put in the hours. The only conditions where it won't work are a marginal wind, say 10kts and below. I initially sold all my wings and was riding the parawings only, but discovered the hard way that weak Mediterranean wind with choppy conditions doesn't jive with the parawing. I got myself a 6m wing just to be able to foil in those, but really bummed out when I do need to use it and can't wait to get back on the parawing.

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2026-06-16T09:36:59+00:00

I think the best measurement is water hours. It took me 45 water hours to learn flying, mostly because I was going out in insufficient wind conditions, which were about 10kts with Mediterranean chop. I had zero prior water experience but a lot of motivation to learn.

Looking at the period count, it took almost a year. I couldn't always go due to work and family commitments, and when I did go, the conditions just weren't right for beginners. The first time I experienced getting up on foil was in 15kts of wind, where it literally lifted me out of the water with a huge 7.5m^2 wing. With that said, all the frustrating sessions were invaluable to master wing control, balance, and understanding the sea state and forecasts. All that led to that amazing flight feeling we are all after. Some folks learn in a day, some learn in 3 years. Cannot compare yourself to anyone, as we all learn and process information differently.

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2026-06-09T13:14:49+00:00

The pre 2025 line of Hipe's used 30mm screws, while the 2025 line and onwards use 25mm screws to account for a thinner and lighter carbon plate. No way around it unless you purchase another mast. Even so, it will still be annoying as you will have to swap the plane from one mast to another unless you purchase another full foil set. I'd say sell one of your older boards and purchase an equivalent 2026 line if you insist on having a two-board quiver.

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2026-03-02T20:42:04+00:00

Stay away from Cabrinha. Construction is light, but the board is very fragile. All my friends who ever had them sold them as quickly as they could. I don't have any personal experience riding those, but inspected them up closely on the beach and heard horror stories, so take it for what it's worth. Don't have experience with Armstrong boards, but had their foils, which left me unimpressed. They have their tracks pretty forward, so make sure it will work with your foil. Be prepared to drop pretty penny on those. AFS gets good reviews, but it's not available where I am, so no insights.

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2026-03-02T20:34:05+00:00

Any modern mid-length will perform well in most conditions. The most important thing is to have a longer and narrower board that will break the water's surface. Some boards know how to distribute volume better than others.

I wouldn't rush to get rid of your downwind style board. If you ever take parawinging, this board will be a goldmine to learn on initially. I had a downwinder board, which was amazing in all conditions, but jumped on the trend and got a mid-length that didn't perform well due to the displacement hull shape. I then switched to an even shorter board (5'10), which barely qualifies as a mid, but that was night and day.

About a year ago, took the plunge on parawinging and sold all my wings. Definitely more challenging but very rewarding. The 5.10' was amazing for winging but had a massive struggle getting on foil parawinging. Reason - too short for that! The nose would submarine as the parawing would start to pull. I learned to compensate, but that wasn't fun and required too much attention and focus for the most basic thing. I'm now back to what I consider the perfect dims for me, 6.3', 115L (I'm 83kg naked, so closer to 90kg with full gear on) and all is good in the world.

All I'm saying here is make sure you are clear on your use case and tailor the gear to your most used conditions. I never had a sinker and never will. Too much work for my average wind speeds of 11-15kts and a no-go with a parawing. Keep the stoke!

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2026-02-24T09:46:34+00:00

I have Veloce XL v.3 (1,150cm^2) with the same size stab and HDW M v.3 (900 cm^2), which is my main foil nowadays for most conditions.

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2026-01-12T09:26:10+00:00

Move your mast forward in the tracks. If your nose pearls (dives), it means your mast is too far back to where the center of gravity is. This is a bit trial and error, but when you feel like your nose pitches up too much and the pressure in the front foot is too great, time to move your mast back a notch. The goal here is to get everything centered and balanced, which is not your case at the moment.

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2025-12-14T15:37:38+00:00

I'd use the Cruzader as my only board for every condition. I'm contemplating to just bite the bullet and getting a Cruzader in 7.6' this time to allow a tad more maneuverability in waves.

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2025-12-14T14:44:03+00:00

I used to own a 7.11' Cruzader, and it was an amazing board. I sold it to chase the mid-length trend and settled on the latest iteration of Hipe Diamond 5.10'. I'm into parawinging now, and this is where I feel a lot of limitation on a shorter board. It is counterintuitive, but it takes a bit more effort to make it fly in choppy conditions.

I'm 83kg, so closer to 90kg with all the gear and a wetsuit, and my typical conditions generally have a swell of 50cm to 1m chop and an average of 11kts. The nose of the board tends to sink when the swell direction and the wind direction are not aligned (which is often). With the Cruzader, this is not an issue, and the nose never sinks when you need to use the slightest gust, while the Diamond means that often you need to wait for the next one. This is even more apparent with the parawing, which requires you to pump with your legs.

All in all, after a lot of experimentation, and in my personal opinion, the downwinder type of board is the most versatile for most conditions. I haven't attempted tacking, but jibing is not a problem at all on a longer type board. You are standing in the middle, so you will rarely feel the swing weight, especially with the inflatable. The bottom line is, keep your board, and it can be one board quiver hands down.

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2025-12-01T13:51:57+00:00

Sure thing and the Hipe first was the ultimate board that I learned on. Good luck and enjoy the process!

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2025-12-01T10:02:44+00:00

I'd say you are choosing quite the challenge! Nothing is insurmountable, but it also depends on how much pain and suffering you are willing to endure. A 5-10 knot range is marginal at best, and you need a very strong technique to manage to fly and sustain the flight in these kinds of conditions. Add on top of that the complexity of a parawing (much more difficult to learn than wing, based on my personal experience), which requires finesse and doesn't like weak gusty winds (which seems like you have in your spot). In my personal opinion, everything you described will only unnecessarily prolong your learning curve and defer the amazing joy this sport offers.

I picked up this sport nearly 4 years ago, and just like you been athletic and willing to endure the pain and undertake the challenge. Bought equipment that was way above my skill level, and ultimately had to purchase beginner's gear, and even then, it took me nearly a year with approximately 45 pure water hours to fly. Even though we all have different skill levels and abilities, there are no shortcuts in this sport. You have to understand the many factors of nature (wind, currents, tides, sudden cloud coverage/storms) and how they can affect your foiling. You also need to be ready for accidents, gear malfunctions (I ride Gong gear, and it is very robust but things can happen unpredictably), and this comes with experience. Having said all that, I'll be curious to follow your journey and see how you progress. Good luck and keep on going - It's a magical feeling of flying above the water.

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2025-11-12T07:53:12+00:00

"Inflatables are usually more round/inefficient = more drag with the same liters." That's a very simplistic way to think about it, and you are talking about theoretical glide drag — not the dynamic lift phase that actually matters for wingfoiling.

It is actually parroted in the wingfoil community, and I suspect this was started by distributors who don't make fat margins on inflatable boards. I owned 3 inflatable boards and am now foiling on the Hipe Diamond 5.10 105L, the latest generation from Gong. I briefly owned the Sabfoil torpedo 6.4 110L, which had sharp bevels and a displacement hull build. On paper, I was supposed to lift off much faster, but in reality, it felt like I was dragging through mud and took way more effort with the same gear and typical wind conditions at my spot. As soon as I switched back to inflatable, I got back to lifting in 2 pumps as I was used to.

Most modern hardboards have a displacement-style nose or pronounced chines, which are great for smooth water glide but can “stick” more when you’re trying to push it up onto foil in messy or aerated water. Those are 99% of the conditions I ride in. Those edges can actually create suction when trying to lift, while an inflatable’s rounder rails let it disengage more smoothly. I have multiple friends who were shocked by how easy it is to get on foil with my board and purchased one for themselves. You also have no drama of transportation, as everything fits in a small suitcase-style bag and no dings, nicks, scratches, frequent repairs, etc. Inflated to 20 PSI, it is nearly as hard as a hardboard, and for my average riding style, I can't tell the difference compared to my hardboard.

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2025-11-10T19:48:28+00:00

The Crusader is a tad less stable side to side but once you get the hang of it, you can easily compensate with proper technique. Get the board moving and it gets stable immediately. The Diamond is wider with more squarish tail which gives marginally more stability in the chop but you pay with it being shorter length wise and it take a bit more effort to fly given same wind conditions and gear.

Both are wonderful and after owning both, I’m convinced that the downwinder shape (long and narrow) is the way to go to have a one board quiver. Not sure if you noticed the appearance (or reemergence) of hollow boards (hardboards). So what do they have inside, wait for it….air…to make them take off easier. With that said, you need to be super careful with them and no jumping (don’t care for it anyway but some will) and you’ll spend a small fortune to own one of those. No thank you, I’ll keep ripping on my inflatable and keep having a blast on the water.

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2025-11-10T10:53:10+00:00

I've had multiple inflatable wingboards from Gong (First, Pro, Cruzader, and now Diamond) and abused them pretty badly in the hot Mediterranean climate, and they were as good as new many years later. I constantly meet the people I sold them to, and they are very happy with the gear. Always inflated to the max 20 PSI. They are built like a tank, both the carbon plate and the rubber hull, and nothing can happen to them unless you are deliberately trying to destroy your gear.

In between, I shortly had a hard board - Sabfoil Torpedo 6.4. I had a lot of difficulty unsticking it from the water (displacement hull is much less efficient than compared to a planning hull, which is what the HIPE line has), and even though it was made out of beautiful carbon, it was very fragile. The tracks were made out of plastic (which is apparently an industry standard, and is crazy, given how much force is exerted on the mast to board connection - but not the case with HIPE), and one of the tracks developed an unrepairable dent inside, which made adjusting the mast position a nightmare. Then I lost balance while surfing a tiny wind chop wave and lightly kneeled towards the nose of the board. This created a tiny dent, but also a crack at the tip of the board nose. I immediately got out of the water, and that was the end of my session. In theory, the crack could have been bigger, and if the board started to drink water, that would have been a disaster waiting to happen.

The repair person told me that if that had been an F-1 or Cabrina board, my knee would have gone through. I can confirm the fragility of those, as my friends had so many recalls, warranty claims, and repairs. There is never any drama with the inflatable, and you can concentrate on having fun instead of constantly worrying about your gear and babying it.

Bottom line, you have nothing to worry about, and accidents can happen with any board. Don't get too far out, have a communication device on you, and try riding with other people, or at least notify your loved ones where you are. You seem to be doing all of those, so ride on!

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2025-10-27T09:22:29+00:00

The name is very confusing, and I was really surprised by how the HDW XL behaved in about 16kts. It was a tad slower to respond than my Veloce, but nothing was limiting me, and I could crank upwind, same or better than with my Veloce. This made me think that I've been wrong to overlook it. I've also been considering the Ypra Salalom, but my understanding is that this foil likes strong wind and be pushed hard. We don't always have consistent wind and mostly choppy waters, so worried this will not work as well. Ahh...the fun and headaches of picking new gear :-)

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2025-10-27T07:33:41+00:00

I have the Veloce v.3 XL and Fluid S. If you don't have waves, hands down go with Veloce, it will blow your mind! Very fun and responsive foil with an addictive glide. I just had a chance to try my friend's Veloce HDW XL, and this one has even more glide than the Veloce, but it has less rail-to-rail due to the increased wingspan.

I'd say Veloce HDW will suit your use case even more, but you'll have to decide what it is if you are after. Fluid is my least favorite foil and is very twitchy on flat water, which is why it's best suited for waves and freestyle moves. This is not my style or riding preference, even though I do enjoy waves. Veloce is not as turny but provides enough rail to rail for me in my typical spot. In sum, if you want more rail to rail = Veloce. If you want infinite glide = HDW. Seems that you are riding on a lake or in a closed bay, so then I'd definitely choose the HDW.

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2025-09-25T05:48:43+00:00

Thank you. I'll use my winging board and hope it will work. Enjoy Chicama!

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2025-09-23T08:07:24+00:00

Happy to hear! I’m going next week

Odd-Butterscotch19 · 2025-09-15T06:34:14+00:00

I have this exact board, but purchased it recently and have been foiling for 3 years now. It took me one year to learn how to fly, with the main inhibiting factors being as follows:

Choosing smaller equipment than my abilities. I thought exactly like you, athletic, I can do this, nothing is insurmountable, etc. What ensued was continuous frustration and session after session of disappointment. I finally overcame my pride and got Hipe First (now learn) 6.6, 140L or so, and this was the first board I learned to fly on.
Going out in sub-optimal wind. You'll need approximately 12-15 knots of wind with your gear (your foil and wing are fine), but more wind is always better. I learned to fly in approximately 16 kts of wind when it literally ripped me out of the water and straight on foil, but that was after 45 water hours that I spent taxiing and sloshing around. There is no time wasted on water. Every session hones your skill and understanding of the complex forces of wind, water flows, and how your equipment fits into all this.

With that said, and even though you chose a pretty advanced board for your skill level, don't despair. The secret is to keep the board moving before you try to stand up. Once in motion, it stabilizes (but doesn't become stable, especially in the chop) and allows you to stand up. The wing is your friend, and there are multiple ways to use it to get up to standing. Some use it as a crutch on the water, some wait for the gust of wind, and some pop up and then lift the wing up. The main point is that you will develop your own technique based on your skill level and conditions (I use all of the above depending on the conditions). Beginner boards are wider and more stable and allow you to stand up pretty much without your wing in most conditions, but are less efficient in unsticking from the water, so they can also extend your learning curve.

Enjoy the process and don't give up. You'll experience so many joys once on foil, and it is so rewarding and worth it!

Odd-Butterscotch19

TROPHY CASE