At The Foil Board Shop we are proud to bring you boards from the world’s best foil board shapers. We only sell boards that are the most progressive shapes and made out of carbon fibre. We believe that buying a high-quality foil board is very important. Similar to surfing, finding the right foil board will help you to progress, reaching your goals faster, not to mention it will be tremendous fun along the way. We have put together a few points to consider when buying a carbon foil board.

What is a foil board?

A foil board is a specialised surfboard that has many design features to maximise its performance when used in conjunction with a hydrofoil. Like surfboards, foil boards come in a variety of dimensions, shapes, volumes and constructions. Unlike surfboards, foil boards need to be extremely stiff. A foil board has to withstand large forces concentrated where the mast attaches to the board’s boxes. A foil board also needs to efficiently transfer the force and input the rider puts into the deck. It needs to do this efficiently with no loss of input down into the foil wing. Different brands use different constructions which will determine the weight and durability of each foil board.

Why do we sell foil boards made out of carbon?

The quality of a foil board will be defined by its construction. The life of the board will also depend on the construction.

With a foil board, we are looking for the strongest and lightest construction. The foil board’s ability to resist any flex is key. The foil board needs to be as light as possible as any additional weight will affect its feel and balance when in flight.

Foil boards made without carbon fibre are more likely to show delamination. Also without design reinforcements to the foil box system, it can suffer irreparable damage. To repair a damaged foil board can be very costly not to mention that each and every repair will add additional weight to the foil board.

In our experience carbon fibre has the best strength-to-weight ratio. You are probably familiar with carbon fibre from racing cars. Carbon fibre is extremely stiff and light but it is also more expensive compared to standard fibreglass.

Why should you spend all that money on an expensive carbon foil board?

Pros

A carbon foil board is very light and very stiff. Light means, less added weight when foiling, making the board more responsive and giving you more freedom. A light board is also easier and more convenient to travel around with. A carbon board is also stronger, making it last longer compared to a non-carbon board.

Carbon fibre also makes a foil board stiffer. Stiffness will directly influence how the board perform during flight. Stiffer boards are also better to learn to pump on, this is because they are more efficient in carrying speed and forward momentum. Carbon boards don’t flex and therefore they have a much more direct feel during flight. This becomes crucial when you start pumping, added flex will work against you because any board with flex will absorb some of the energy that you pump into the foil making you work twice as hard. Some companies use high density foam that is 100% waterproof. This means that you will never have to worry about damaging your board again – even with a crack on the rail, a board with a 100% waterproof core will not soak up any water so you will never have to deal with water damage ever again. 

High-density foam is also indestructible, allowing you to ride your foil and wing board as hard as you can – throwing carves and jumps as wild as you like. Not to mention protecting against those terrible airline carriers notorious for damaging boards. A foil board with high density inner core and carbon construction will not snap or break in half giving you peace during travelling. 

The life span of a carbon foil and wing board is several years if not forever. But you can be sure that these boards won’t end up landfill easily. Making the right choice can contribute to a greener future by protecting the environment and our world’s oceans.

Cons

A carbon foil board is more expensive compared to a standard mass-produced foil board. It is worth mentioning that the carbon boards we sell are made by hand, making each and every board unique. It really is a good investment as a carbon fibre board will last longer and serve you better throughout the whole
process.

How to choose your foil board?

It is true that getting into foil surfing ‘prone foiling’ it is best to start with a bigger board. More volume will allow you to catch waves easier and a bigger board will feel more stable beneath your feet. However, progression with foil surfing is quicker compared to standard surfing and therefore you are more than likely will need to downsize your foil board pretty quickly. This is only the case if you already know how to surf. We think that knowing how to surf before learning to foil surf is quite important. If you can’t surf no worries, you can learn foiling with a wind wing, using the wing to harness the power of wind similar to windsurfing.

If you are a competent surfer and a good paddler, we recommend you go for a smaller foil board. For example, some of us started foiling with 4’4- 4’6, 36- 38l foil boards. Whereas other may wish to start on a little bit bigger boards 5’2-5’6, 44-46l boards.

But be prepared that within a few weeks/months, everyone will want to be on a board that is no bigger than 4’6 – 4’8 especially if you are serious about your carving and pumping. The smaller boards will allow you to pump better – go further as well as improve your carves. Big foil boards tend to be too thick/wide and if you are staying on a big board for too long this will slow down your progression.

However, if you are living in an area where the waves are super weak and small, we agree that you might need a little bit bigger board but we still do not recommend to foil on a board bigger than 4’10 – 40l.

The team at The Foil Board Shop and some of our customers are riding boards 4’2 – 4’5 with volumes ranging from 26 – 33l. The smaller the board you can paddle the more you can concentrate on your favourite hydrofoil. The smaller the board you ride will further help you to ride smaller-sized foil wings – this is because they will give a more responsive feel which will give you better control over the foil.

At The Foil Board Shop we are foil experts and confident we can help you choose the best foil or wing board for you. We have sold many boards to surfers around different parts of the UK and we know how much the conditions vary. If you are unsure and/or just want to chat foil, feel free and get in touch at info@foilboardshop.co.uk.

We are always happy to help!