A French boardsports company has developed a stand-up paddle (SUP) foil board. And it works.
AHD has been building a reputation in the windsurfing industry for quite a while. The brand started shaping windsurf boards in the 1980s. However, in the last decade, marketeer Bruno Andre and shaper Pascal Gerber decided to try something entirely new.
They wanted to produce and sell innovative and disruptive products, and they ended up designing and testing the Sealion Wings, a board that combines the features of a windSUP, a stand-up paddleboard and windsurf foil board.
The result is eye-catching and makes us want to ride it. The Sealion Wings is a 7'6'', 109-liter board that weighs 8.50 kilograms (18.7 pounds). It glides smoothly on mushy wave conditions.
"Rails have been sharpened, thickness reduced and a large concave added between the twin fins. This is a more reactive board that surfs really close to the wave trough. We also increased the nose scoop to make it a more tolerant board when surfing in the wave trough," AHD explains.
The new stand-up paddle foil board offers high maneuverability in full carbon construction. Despite its relatively steep learning curve, the Sealion Wings will surf what other SUP boards won't.