An inflatable board with a fixed plate on the deck - with this concept, Starboard aims to combine the advantages of fixed and inflatable boards. The Air Foil Inflatable is available in sizes 122/146 and 169 litres. We have extensively tested the 122 litre Air Foil.
On land:
With a length of 5'8'' (172.7 cm), the board is quite elongated. The Starboard Air Foil Inflatable comes with a pump, foot straps, leash and a bag with wheels. At approx. 105x75x22 centimetres, the pack size is not particularly small by inflatable standards, but the spacious bag also offers enough space for the wing, foil and accessories and has practical wheels.
The board itself is manufactured in a woven dropstitch construction and makes a high-quality impression. We measured the board at 8.65 kilos, which is definitely in the right range. The centrepiece of the Air Foil Inflatable is clearly the brand-internalTop Plate Technology concept with a fixed panel in the deck area. However, this slab only extends over the standing area. This means that you stand on a solid surface with all the advantages: No trace of a wobbly feeling, the loops sit in fully-fledged inserts and the foil can also be screwed to the hard plate. Despite this, the pack size remains on a par with other inflatables.
The foil is mounted as follows:
- Roll out the board
- Insert the supplied screws (screw heads at the top of the deck, track nuts at the bottom) and insert the foil mast
- Screw down the foil mast
- Insert the foam cover into the recess
- Inflate the board
With this board concept, the mast continues through the stern to the fixed deck plate. This means that you lose around 12 centimetres of mast length. The adjustment range for the foil is significantly shorter than usual. However, by changing the loop position, you can find a suitable setup from foil to stand position for most foils. The carrying handle has a comfortable and very soft design so that it does not cause any resistance in the water when starting off. A firm rubber edge has been glued to the tail to ensure that the round edges of the board, which are inherent to its design, do not get stuck and that a clean water release can take place during the planing phase.
Here's a video of the board's features:
On the water:
Like any inflatable wingboard, the Starboard Air Foil Inflatable feels a little more tippy compared to hardboards with the same volume. Once you stand up, you feel like you're on a solid board - the top plate is rigid, but the inflatable base is also stiffer than average. To be honest, we were sceptical about the large cut-out in the tail area and whether the board would still be able to get up to speed quickly - we would have expected the braking effect to be noticeable. Fortunately, the board still manages to reach the required take-off speed surprisingly well - the flat bottom curve and the rubber edge in the tail obviously reduce the riding resistance successfully.
The behaviour in the event of unintentional touchdowns is passable, but of course not on a par with hardboards - a fact that applies to almost all inflatables, as the rounded edges produce a little more resistance if you hit a chop. Apart from that, the performance of the Air Foil Inflatable is surprisingly close to that of hardboards: in manoeuvres, you can easily change over on the firm and grippy deck and the power transmission is also very direct when pumping up. The strap spacing is quite wide and is more suitable for wide feet. However, if you have small kicks, you can adjust the width of the straps by using holes that don't belong together.
Starboard Air Foil Inflatable - the conclusion:
The Starboard Air Foil Inflatable does indeed combine many of the advantages of inflatable and rigid boards. The pack size is ok and you only notice that you are standing on an inflatable board in a few situations. This makes the board suitable for everything from the first take-off to smaller jumps. In addition, the equipment with leash, bag, pump and straps is absolutely convincing. The only downside of the concept is that you lose some mast length and therefore ground clearance.
Equipment; ride comfort; standing on solid deck
Small adjustment range of the box
Mast length reduced by approx. 12 cm
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