Starboard Ace Foil 2024... more than just a downwind SUP foil / SUPboarder review
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- Опубликовано: 17 ноя 2023
- Read full post here : supboardermag.com/eqplus_guid...
We've had a lot of fun playing around with Starboard's newest foiling toy, the Ace Foil. It's a board that has predominately been designed for downwind foiling but it has shown itself to work very well in other foiling disciplines too. Its long, thinner outline shape means it loves getting up onto the foil early. Whether you are trying to catch a small bump, fly with your wing or paddle yourself up on flat water, the Ace foil can do it all. 
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Great review, seem to be winging mine more than my wingboard and not just in light winds, once you have owned one for a while you realise these style boards have such a variety of uses, its my swiss army knife board.
O yes
I was all set to order a Starboard Ace but then discovered that it doesn't have a vent plug. Most downwind foil boards do. I live in the mountains at high altitude and frequently drive over high mountain passes on my way to and from wingfoiling locations at or near sea level. Additionally, I sometimes fly to wingsurfing vacations via airline. Have you heard of anyone having problems with delamination on their Starboard Ace boards because of the lack of a vent plug?
great review!
Thank you! Cheers!
Still waiting on these to arrive into the US. It’s downwind season now!
Great review as always! Thank you. Very interesting subject. A question, to have an idea of stability at rest, how do you compare to a 25" wide infatable sup board? Or what you can compare to? Thank you again
Yes good question, A 25 wide iSUP is way less stable. I will probably feel more like a 28-29 iSUP but it also makes a big difference to what foil you have on it also. Thanks Reuben
Brilliant review as always. I was in the process of looking at a discounted clearance nsp 6’6 27” wing foil sup pro 112L or nsp spitfire 6’1 DW 25” 94L in Hopes of a 3 in one solution, I may have to face the music as the reality of board speed really is the length and narrow width. There is a lot of boat traffic near where I live so my interests have turned to wanting my first wingfoil set up to maybe be a flat water sup foil situation first and foremost. This video is important because I think it’s going to shift perspective for people like myself who just wanna get into the foil culture with whats more attainable for conditions readily available. Any thoughts on those nsp boards ? Cheers !
Thanks for your feedback on the video - glad you found useful. We have not seen many NSP boards here, but looking online the WING FOIL SUP PRO looks like a good wing / SUP compromise board. The bevel tail will be good for take offs on the waves when surf foiling. The forward board shape on the underneath is interesting and although might help touch downs in some ways think it could catch on touch downs as well. Really hard to comment on without trying it. The Spitfire is an interesting design, I would say this is a hybrid wing / downwind board - we talk a lot about these in the video we have released on SUPboarder PRO today. We think this style of board has lots of potential but has been generally written off in the market - however we have had good success with them on flat water paddle ups and downwinders. Ultimately for flat water paddle ups you want the longest narrowest board to get up to speed, but when in a downwind environment you want something a bit shorter and wider for stability when of the foil..... the forward bottom shape is again interesting, I think this will help give the board directional stability for paddle ups which will be very useful, but may catch on touch downs and throw the rider off. Again, hard to be sure unless its been used, but its certainly and interesting design! Cheers, Will
Great Review! I just ordered it a couple of days ago; 7'4. I am 190 pounds (86 k). Been winging a couple of years and wanted this for light wind and also to start some downwind riding. Two questions. Do you think the 120 L is good for my weight? Solid intermediate folier (wake, kite & wing).?
2nd question is more of your opinion. the Ace I am getting is considered the "Light" model. No foot strap inserts or carry handle. Didnt realize it but when i was looking at other brands quite a few do not have carry handles or inserts. Was wondering your thoughts. Thanks. Really like all the videos by the way. One of the ones you did on pumping up on to foil with the wing was the best and really help me getting goiing in the lighter wind
SS
Hey Stephens , Glad the other videos have helped.
I would say that the 7'4 would be a good size for you, so good choice there!
As the carry handle and footstraps goes.... Carry handle you don't really need it with the narrower boards. Yes sure it could be handy at times but not a bit issue not having.
Footstraps again not really a big issue unless you need to use footstraps on your current wing board. You aren't going to be jumping this board really and they will help a bit in light wind winging. But you wont be pumping this board like when using other shorter based boards I feel. Any help, make sense ? Thanks Reuben
Hi i have that board in 7,4 and waiting for the new size 8,2x18. im 70kg and i like to do upwind with wing and deflate for a dw in supfoil, the board give me all the stability that i need with that extra weight in my back. Only in my opinion has to much rocker, nice on wave, nice to dont deep the nose but slowly when i practice in flat water comparing other with more flat bottom. Really nice video
I’m surprised given your 70kg weight that a 120L DW board would not be sufficient. Also, the largest SB AceFoil that I see on their site is a 7’10” 23” 140L. Is this 8’2” x 18 the same board?
Maybe I explained it wrong, the 7.4 is perfect but slow when you need all the help of the board, for example in flat water training. While I use large glider 1700 or 1400 type wings it is not a problem, but I would like to use smaller wings like the new glider pro, so if I go down to 18 width and lengthen the board, I will gain more speed to take off those wings. I haven't seen the new 8.2x18 board yet, I hope the rocker is smaller.@@Finn-yg6zx
Great review as usual! I am curious about a comparison with the AK Nomad.
Yes, we would love to get hold of them also.
Hi. What about stability to get up of this DW boards in choppy conditions for winging and supping? If you use them in light wind winging, is it possible to shlog back stand up with 2-3 knots? Both questions in comparison to wider and shorter ones of the same volume? Thanks.
I think we are at a point and the market is too... When we are trying to understand what width is optimum. Have you checked out these other video too. ruclips.net/video/oqbljfQkyRY/видео.html ruclips.net/video/SI6LxyswW14/видео.html we speak alot about this here.
But in light winds there are the way to go. and the longer rail length makes them idea for getting back up wind. Thanks Reuben
Interesting, I have the 7’4 x 21 1/2” 120L version and find it really quite tippy in the surf with an 82cm mast and Axis 840 Spitfire. I’m 65kg so maybe it’s actually too corky for me. I’d say it’s definitely tippier than my old Starboard 7’7 x 27 Wave Pro Sup board.
Hi Jonathan, thats interesting and yes the higher volume board at your weight may be corky and making it harder to balance on. Stability has so many factors of influence and how the rails interact with the water is one of those - we have done some videos on this subject in the past. A few things to consider.... we had been using this board with Starboard Glider 1700 and 1100 - both very wide wings which will contribute to the stability as well. Your Spitfire is not so wide. I also think that its normal that these boards will feel a little narrower than what you are used to on your surf SUP, they are just not as unstable as you would expect due to the foil and mast under the water really helping stability. Will - SUPboarder
Hi Reuben, would be nice to see this board compared to Indiana Downwind since they are quite different for the same kind of board😉
Yes, this is a board we saw and thought looked different & interesting too. Will see what we can do to get hold of one... but if we manage to do a head to head test on SUPboarder PRO, the Indiana is certainly one we would want to include.
@@SUPboardermag I just went on the Indiana web site to have a look. They don't have any dealers in USA. How can I find a dealer in USA to buy a SUP foil board that are not "Sold Out" ? Like a directory of all the brands in the continental USA?
How would you compare this board to the armstrong dw board in terms of stability, speed generation and turnability once on foil.
This is a very good question. I will say the The Armstrong board felt like it was easier to pump up using more of the pump with your legs to get it off the water. But the Starboard had better glide speed to get up. As for in the Air and foiling, we will need to use the Armstrong again really.
Because at the moment I would say that I couldn't really feel the difference in the air.
We are going to do more testing of foil boards later in year to get better data to help foilers out there understand whats best. The Price of the Starboard is very impressive tho.
Sorry i could help more now, thanks Reuben
Would like a review on AK Nomad , and AK Tracer vs Plasma, as now AK is making larger Tracers and smaller Plasmas which is good for this board style.
Yes we will be trying to get hold of some AK stuff. It would be good to give it a go. Thanks for the request.
I've been riding the new AK Tracers and Plasma's extensively. The Plasma's have amazing glide, pumpability and low-end for their sizes. I use them for flatwater paddle-ups, downwinding with or without wing, flatwater winging and sup-surfing. The smaller sizes Plasma 1350 and down, turn decently for their sizes but if you want more surfy feel and more aggressive turning then the Tracer is the one - at the expense of a little glide. I have downwinded the 1300 Tracer and it works great as well, and is fun if you enjoy jamming turns on a dwd - just doesn't have as much glide as the Plasmas. The 2050 Plasma is probably one of the easiest foils on the marker to flatwater start and it also pumps well so will appeal to beginner dock-starters as well. With the new HM mast the new range is super rigid and efficient.
Great, thanks for your feedback Peter - Will
Hola,me voy a iniciar en foil, tengo algo de experiencia en Sup surf. Peso 87 kg y mi idea es comprar la tabla de 120 litros y un foil s type 1500 . Lo que más me gustaría hacer es Sup foil olas pero soy consciente que debo empezar por el Wuing para poder lograr estabilizar tabla en el aire. Te pregunto: 1) Es la tabla correcta? 2) Es el foil adecuado para promediar entre Sup foil olas y wingfoil. Muchísimas gracias desde Uruguay!!!!
Sí, la 120 será una buena elección de tabla. Más volumen te dará más estabilidad y más éxito. El foil también será bueno para ti y similar a lo que aprendimos a hacer SUP con foil y Wingfoil. Saludos, Will - SUPboarder
I would like to see the review of Ginxu Dragonfly Surf VS Starboard Ace Foil. I am 10 years experience SUP surfer and considering to step up to SUP foiling and Wing foiling in Japan. Thank you😊
Both good boards for different reasons. The Ginxu releases very easily due to its outline shape and bottom shape and low weight, but the Starboard is a lot more stable in the same volume due to its outline and bottom shape. I feel that drag and stability are two features that have to be balanced in DW board design and these boards are at different ends of that compromise. I hope that helps a little ? The DW journey is fun and challenging, thats why I love it. Regards, Will - SUPboarder
@@SUPboardermag Thank you Will, I have ordered Dragonfly Surf. Can’t wait!😆
Seems like all the inserts would add weight. Wonder what the weight of the board is.
6.7 kg for the model in the review
Yes, the inserts are an option as well on the board, so you can get a lighter model than this,.
Would you say that flatwater paddleups get easier the longer the version of the Ace? I am refering to you guys who managed getting up on the tested model. Would be interesting to know if if a longer version of the Ace while maintaining your foil-setup, rider weight akd paddling skill level brings any DISADVANTAGE for flatwater paddleups? 🙋🏻♂️
We didnt try any different versions of the Ace, but I have recently paddled various versions of the new KT Foiling range including 7'4 and 8'4 boards on 19.5 wide - my feedback is that the boards do not flat water paddle up much earlier really, they just reach a faster displacement paddle speed easier and paddle straighter. The additional length requires a slightly different technique for getting on foil as well as you cant rock teh board as easily. I think the benefit of these longer boards is really in true downwinding conditions not in wind chop conditions and with smaller foils as the boards will paddle faster to get up to foiling speed. I hope that helps, Will - SUPboarder
@@SUPboardermag Very interesting abd complex! That's why so many people are getting or NOT getting hyped on all that 😅😂
I would like to see the test video, thank you
Great! Thanks for the feedback.
I understand why foiling is great when using a wing. But when surfing with a foil it just doesn't look as fun plus puts the surfers at great risk using it around them. We even had a e-foil in our surf last weekend whi kept falling off around us surfers....
When learning to SUP foil in the surf, it's recommended to do this away from surfers as it adds a very dangerous element as you mention. It's not enjoyable for the foiler or surfers. Thanks for the comment. Thanks, Beau
Definitely recommend looking at more videos. It’s all fun and we are blessed to have access to new ways of exploring water. I myself carry thanks for the Hawaiian’s surf ancestral roots and as well as the innovation tech around the world making things posible that never were before. You are going to have kooks no matter where you are this on planet. Human experience. Teach educate share.
Fins aren't sharp at all