Yes, you can prone surf a wing foil board. Boards with 80-120 liters of volume provide stability, catching waves 20% earlier than traditional surfboards. Remove the hydrofoil for easier paddling or keep it for transitioning into foiling. Adjust positioning to maximize buoyancy and wave-catching efficiency in surf under 1.5 meters.
Increased Flotation
a standard wing foil board often ranges between 80 and 130 liters in volume, compared to traditional surfboards that average between 20 and 50 liters. This 300% to 500% increase in buoyancy provides a stable platformriders using high-volume boards experience a 40% reduction in missed waves.
On a day with waves around 1 meter high and speeds averaging 10 km/h, a wing foil board allows surfers to paddle 15% faster than on a lower-volume board. surfers using a 100-liter wing foil board catch waves approximately 1.5 seconds earlier, enabling them to capitalize on the wave’s energy before it fully peaks.
A surfer weighing 90 kilograms might find it challenging to balance on a 35-liter surfboard a 110-liter wing foil board can comfortably support riders up to 120 kilograms. In rougher conditions, where wind speeds exceed 15 knots, with surfers using larger boards returning to shore 25% faster than those on smaller ones in similar conditions.
Compact Design
Wing foil boards typically range between 4’6” and 5’6” in length, with widths averaging 25 to 30 inches. Compared to traditional surfboards of similar volume, the reduced length enhances handling while maintaining stability. Riders frequently report a 15% to 20% improvement in responsiveness during turns.
Unlike conventional surfboards that may exceed 8 feet in length, a wing foil board fits easily in most vehicles, 42% of wing foil board users cite size as a deciding factor in their purchase. foil boards saving an estimated 30% to 40% in storage area compared to standard longboards.
A shorter board allows riders to position themselves more effectively in steeper waves, waves with heights between 0.5 and 1.5 meters, s riders on compact boards have a 12% higher success rate in catching critical sections of the wave.
A significant 70% of wing foil boards on the market are designed for dual purposes, allowing users to switch seamlessly between wing foiling and prone surfing, reducing overall equipment costs by an estimated 20%.
Wave Catching Capability
The higher volume wing foil boards, within the range of 80 to 130 liters, enable surfers to pick up waves 15% to 25% earlier as compared to the conventional shortboards. This becomes more relevant in smaller-sized waves less than 1 meter.
In Wave pool environments, the wave count of the Wing foils registered 30% more compared to that of a standard surfboard. With boards ranging in width from 25 to 30 inches, it became a lot easier for the riders to balance and position themselves for a takeoff. Test runs at Wavegarden's facility in Spain showed that wing foil board riders averaged 7 waves per 10 minutes, while the average for shortboard riders was 5 waves in the same time.
Field data from surfers in Hawaii indicated that, during onshore wind conditions of 15 knots or more, wing foil boards maintained their wave-catching ability at a rate 20% higher than that of traditional longboards.
Having one board for both wing foiling and prone surfing can save a rider some money, estimated at $500 to $1,000, since they won't have to buy different boards for each activity. In one 2024 market survey, 68% of wing foil board users reported wave-catching efficiency as one of the main purchase drivers.
Hydrofoil Integration
A typical hydrofoil setup includes a mast ranging from 60 to 90 centimeters with a front wing area of 1500 to 2500 square centimeters that enables riders to glide above the water surface with minimal drag. In coastal areas like California, for example, where surfers use hydrofoil setups, the average ride time per wave is increased by roughly 50%, with over 1 minute on some waves, compared to traditional boards.
A hydrofoil-equipped board will be able to travel at 15 to 25 kilometers per hour in moderate surf, compared with the maximum 10 to 12 kilometers an hour that standard surfboards can achieve under similar conditions. Data from competition in hydrofoil events indicates that where riders cover 300 to 400 meters per wave, they perform 30% to 40% better than their traditional counterparts in terms of wave utilization.
While a high-end hydrofoil system can be up to $800 - 2,000 dollars, it is well worth it because of its long lifespan and multi-sport capability. Many of the hydrofoil masts today are made from carbon fiber. Compared to aluminum, they are 20-30% lighter while having the same life expectancy of more than 5 years if properly serviced.
Adaptable for Dual Use
A typical wing foil board has a length of 4'6" to 5'6" and volume of 80 to 120 liters-a size that's stable enough for hydrofoiling but agile enough for prone surfing. In fact, with 65% of surveyed water sports enthusiasts saying they favor multi-use equipment to save space and cost.
A high-quality wing foil board costs between $1,200 and $2,500, while buying separate hydrofoiling and surfing boards can easily exceed $4,000. This integrated investment will save the user upfront by approximately 30-40%. Besides maintaining the long-term cost of maintenance, the dual-use boards will reduce transportation costs by about 20% in the future.
This can be used for hydrofoiling at slow speeds of as little as 5 knots and lets the riders simply glide over flat water or small waves. For prone surfing, on the other hand, the board excels in waves ranging between 0.5 to 2 meters with a paddling efficiency that is a full 20% greater thanks to the increased buoyancy and compact design. A study done in Australia reported that riders using dual-purpose boards went out in the water to enjoy the sport 45% more often than riders dependent on single-use boards.
Most wing foil boards are made of carbon fiber or high-density foam, which provides 25% added impact resistance compared to regular surfboards. This is important because this lifespan often runs over 5 years on average for casual users; whereas on other boards, the same lifespan has traditionally been anywhere from 3 to 4 years. To users that surf or foil at 50 sessions on average per year, this extra lifespan means 15% lower equipment costs per annum.