Downwind Boards

A Downwind Foil Board is an extremely elongated and narrow-shaped foil board that was specially developed to take off on the open sea solely through the energy of wind waves ("swell") and fly long distances. The main goal of this design is to generate the necessary lift for the hydrofoil through maximum paddling speed in shallow water or on the high seas.

Key features and design

• Extremely long and narrow outline: Downwind boards are unusually long (often between 7'0 and 8'6 feet) and extremely narrow (often only 18 to 22 inches wide). This needle-like shape maximizes the waterline, minimizes water resistance, and enables extremely high hull speed when paddling or pumping.
• Tapered pin tail and highly beveled edges (chines): The tail tapers extremely narrow, and the underwater hull features pronounced beveling. This prevents the board from suctioning when accelerating and ensures an immediate, clean release from the water.
• Large volume despite narrowness: To enable paddling while standing, the boards often have a volume of 90 to 140 liters despite their narrow width. This is achieved through a considerable board thickness and a boxy volume distribution over the entire length.
• Offset foil position: The US box mounts are often placed further forward relative to the board length. This places the foil's pivot point directly under the rider's standing area, enabling agile flight despite the board's length.

Intended use and function

• Classic downwind SUP foiling: Paddling on the open sea with the wind at your back. The rider paddles standing up into an oncoming wind wave, takes off, and then uses only the energy of the swell to jump from wave to wave for miles ("connecting").
• Parawinging: Downwind boards are the absolute preferred choice for parawinging (foiling with a small, free-flying parasail/kite held by lines). Since you need a huge amount of passive forward momentum and high hull speed to get into flight when starting from your knees or standing, the hydrodynamic shape of these boards is almost indispensable for this sport.
• Light-wind weapon for wing foiling: Due to their enormous glide efficiency, these boards can be used phenomenally well as wing boards in absolute minimum wind (under 8 knots). They need hardly any wing pressure to get into glide and thus onto the foil.
• Flatwater paddle-ups: Experienced foilers use downwind boards to take off completely without wave or wind support in mirror-smooth flat water solely through muscle power, hard paddling, and rhythmic rocking ("pumping").