SHQ Team Reviews - Wing Foiling

This page gives an insight into what gear the SHQ team like to ride on a daily basis. They were asked to write short reviews on their favourite pieces of gear - equipment that they couldn't live without.

If you want more information on any of the gear give SHQ a ring on 03 9598 2867, but prepare for a long conversation, they love talking about gear they are passionate for!

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Name:  Nick P

Weight:  93kg

Riding Style: Wave

Riding Level: Advanced

Foil:  Cabrinha H-1000 carbon foil

I was impressed straight away with the performance of the H-series gear. Moving onto the 1000 from a 1550 foil, I expected to suffer in lighter conditions, but the Cabrinha still gets up and onto foil easily even in <15kts. Where the foil blew me away was in the incredible glide, at times it feels like you have a motor under there! This foil allows me to link bay swell better than ever before while still giving an amazing carvey performance when on the wave! Next step is the H-800!

Hand wing: Cabrinha Mantis V2

The Mantis V2 is a simple, light wing. No frills or unnecessary features. It get on foil easy and handles incredibly well when on a wave. This makes it perfect for my style of riding

Board:  JP X-Winger 5'0" 95l

The X-Winger apealed to me as it packs so much volume into such a small outline. As I am 93kg the 95l board gives me enough positive bouyancy to waterstart even in light winds, while the length (5'0") makes this board super agile for turning and its an amazing pumping machine when on the foil due to the minimal swing weight. The foot strap positions work for my style of riding and im very happy with the long foil track giving a whole load of positioning options.

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Name:  Tom Saunders

Weight: 88kg

Riding Style:  Surf/wave

Riding Level: Advanced

Foil: Armstrong 1850HS and 1250 HS 85cm mast Axis ART 899, black advance fuse Ultra Short, 350 tail prone, 300 tail winging

Hand Wings: Mantis V3 3/4/5m and waiting for the new Cabrinha Apex to be made.

Board:  Cabrinha Code V2 4'10" x 23" x 75 

Light wind: Sunova Down wind Protoype Aviator 6'6" x 19" x 82 liters

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Name:  Tim Clark

Weight: 75Kg

Riding Style: Freeride/Surf/Freestyle

Riding Level: Advanced

Wing: 4.5m / 3.0m Cabrinha Mantis 2023

Board: Cabrinha Macro 5'0"

Foil: Cabrinha H800 Carbon 80cm Mast

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Name:  Chris S

Weight: 85Kg

Riding Style: Freeride

Riding Level: Intermediate

Wing: 2022 Duotone Unit D/Lab 5.5m , 2022 Duotone Slick 4.0m

Board: JP FreeFoil LXT 105 & 2022 North Seek 5'7" 78L

The JP Australia Freefoil 105 works well for both Windsurf and Light Wind Winging. The North seek is my higher wind board which I'm still adapting too but it's combination of moderate length with forward mounted track makes it feel like a shorted board. 

Foil: Axis foil setup - Front Wings - BSC970 & ART899, 72cm Mast, Short Fuse

I chose Axis for my foil quiver is because of it's versatility and range of choise as we as having the option for Windsurf or WingFoil depending on the Fuselage and baseplate or tuttle board adapter. 

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Name: Alan 

Weight: 75KG

Riding Style: Free Ride / Wave / Chasing Bumps

Riding Level: Intermediate

Foil:  Cabrinha H-800/1200 carbon foil 

Peak performance & high-quality materials used throughout. The equipment ships with excellent Wing & Mast covers. The foils themselves are beautifully designed by one of the worlds best riders & have attracted many riders across from other brands. I use the H-800 for high wind Wing-Foiling & Prone Surf-Foiling then switch to the H-1200 for lighter wind Winging.

Hand wing: Cabrinha Mantis V2 

I enjoy the solid feel & power delivery of the Cabrinha V2 Mantis. The Wing flags out when riding swell & has plenty of power Cabrinha has excellent quality control & a fantastic build & "feel".  

Board:  Cabrinha CODE 5'2 88L

The Cabrinha CODE 5'8 Wingfoil board has plenty of volume to enable me to ride without constantly falling in when the chop gets a little rough. It is also enough volume to float me if the wind drops out (avoid that long paddle in). The square nose & slight "Bow" style finish on the underside helps with stability & tracking in a straight line. This board gets onto foil much faster than my previous board.

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Name:  Nick Thorne

Weight: 80Kg

Riding Style: Freeride/Surf/Freestyle

Foil: Armstrong Foil

Surf setup: HS1250, 212 chopped rear wing, TC60 Fuselage, 85cm Mast

Freeride setup: HS1550, 232 rear wing, TC60 Fuselage, 85cm Mast

Freestyle/Speed setup: HA1125, V200 rear wing, TC60 Fuselage, 85cm Mast

I love Wing Foiling and I'll be doing it for a long time so I want to have the highest quality foil. For this reason I chose Armstrong because of the construction method & materials, and the brand's 'zero corrosion philosophy'. I enjoy not having to dismantle the foil after use as it can't corrode. The foils themselves are well designed and ride really well. The HS foils are great for smooth turns and carving up the surf. The new HA range is awesome in the flat water and downwind sessions. Armstrong has shown that they will to continue to produce high quality foils that are all compatible, and super fun to ride. 

Hand wing: 6m Duotone Slick & 4m Duotone uni

The new Slick is easy and fun to use. It's great for transitions and tricks. Duotone have done a great job of using a simple design to implement a boom into an inflatable wing. The Slick is really helping me to develop my technical winging skills. I mainly use the Duotone Unit for Wing Foiling into the surf. It's super light and I can hold it easily when surfing away on foil. 

Board:  Fanatic Sky Wing 5'0" 75L & 5'4" 95L

I ride the Fanatic boards because I like the shape and volume of the board. I enjoy a larger volume board when the water is choppy or large waves as it's much easier to get on foil and I don't notice the extra volume too much once I'm up on foil. The boards are evolving to have good foot strap and foil positions so I can ride for a long time. 

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