Armstrong Downwind Wing SUP Foilboard

For the first time in my winging journey, I had a genuinely awesome time (the whole time) in some lighter conditions, and it was a blast to be out in 12kts on the DW 107 for me at 180lbs.. Usually, it's a questionable decision to head out when it's on the cusp like that, but the DW line effectively takes the struggle out of the light wind wing experience.
I paired it with an Armstrong 6.1 XPS Wing and an MA 1475 on a 70 fuse, an HA 232 tail, and an 85 mast. The setup is a rocket through the water and it felt like the efficient shape of the DW 107 allowed me to maximize my energy from the forward drive of the wing. Accelerating along the surface to lift to foil with a subtle flick of the feet and a couple light flutters of the wing, I was flying with ease.
Once on foil, the maneuverability is impressive. A narrower shape allowed me to roll over deeply with confidence into the turns without letting the rail tag the surface of the water. I honestly anticipated that kneeling and taxiing would be tougher because of the skinny shape, but I was pleasantly surprised by the lateral stability of the board and I found it really easy to get into the right position to stabilize the wing then transition to standing and then foiling. I'd love to take it into the ocean next. These boards seem to be pushing the boundaries of the sport for foiling everywhere, on a personal level and with the sport as a whole. It's exciting to see, and Armstrong is ahead of their time as usual.

Wow - Still wet and salty from my first light wind wing session on an Armstrong DW board and my mind is blown.

I rode the 107L with an 85cm mast, 70cm fuse, HA232 tail, MA1475 front wing and a 6.1 XPS wing. I'm 160lbs and an experienced wing foiler. I was in the sound, behind REAL with average winds at 11mph. I would NEVER have attempted a wing foil session in these conditions. I had success and was able to get rides!

The DW board is stable and I was quickly able to get to my knees, then to my feet. As soon as the wing had any power, I was able to pump up on to foil, engage the wing and go!

Once up on foil, the board didn't feel huge - I expected it to feel like a canoe.
After a few sessions, I'll downsize to the 96L and hopefully find that to be the ideal size for me.

Now I get the hype and can't wait to try it in the ocean in light winds. These boards open up a whole other level of sessional stoke. What were once down days are now going to be full on wing foil ocean days.

Stoked.

I was unsure about what size and if this board would work as I’m an entry level winger. Can stay upwind and make a few turns but that is about it. My lake has light wind and I have been struggling getting going even with an 8m wing.

I decided to give the downwind board and I love it. It is smooth through the water, easy take off and turns much better due to the narrower design. I can’t believe I can easily ride in 10-13 mph. This board is a game changer for light winding and I think I will ride it in powered conditions too. It is so easy to get up on foil that the take off is addicting. Just overall easier.

Down winding (Part 3)

I also used this board down winding in medium winds with a 1525 HA wing. The 6'8 certainly wasn't the most stable board to balance on in choppy conditions and it took me some falling to figure out how to balance on it. My lack of extensive SUP background was certainly part of the challenge. The more experience the user has with a SUP should be the critical component when deciding on board size (don't decide board size based solely of your prone foil skills)

On my second session I was stoked to be able to get on foil and ride some wind chop/pump downwind for a couple minutes at a time. The hardest part of managing the foil with a DW board is the roll axis is quite sensitive and it took time to master (even for an experienced foiler). Like everyone says, down winding is extremely challenging but once you get some speed the board glides like nothing else. The opportunity of traveling miles down the coast with just a paddle certainly makes the sweat worth it, and this feels like one of the most well designed boards for this discipline out there.

Frothing for more sessions to dial in this speed machine.

Prone (Part 2)

I also had a good session prone paddling the board into small waves . I was blown away by how easily I was able to catch waves and it paired great with the 1225 for wave riding. The extra paddle power was so clutch and I easily caught three times as many waves as I would have with my traditional prone board.

The combination of the DW board and a large MA wing led to a surprising amount of acceleration (given the energy of the small waves) and made what would have been a lackluster session, a ton of fun. By the end of my session I was even able to do turns and connect multiple waves.

I'm sure with hand paddles it would be possible to catch non breaking waves. It is quite challenging to pump this board into the wind. Overall, it is a great option for the super small days in the surf.