Inflatable Wing Boards

Anyone seen or tested any of the latest inflatable wings boards in Aus . I'm delivering a couple of boats up North from the Gold Coast starting next month an inflatable would come in real handy pretty tight on space. Something 5-8 ish would be nice. Needs to be Aus supply no time to get one from OS.

This Fanatic looks pretty good , anyone seen or used it . Found 7 brands post anymore I missed. Can't find anything from Starboard ?....

My 2021 5-7 inflatable Naish was actually pretty cool once I modified the Axis mast base to move it an inch further back, in 15-20 knots, anyway. I live in Wellington where it seems to be 25-35 knots all the time, except over winter, and I didn't realise how much windage that 135 litres generated. Riding the 90 litre Wing Drifter was like removing an air brake! Those big rails in big chop were also pretty draggy.

I'm only a beginner intermediate but in terms of stiffness it seemed fine. I rode an older F-one Rocket Air which was flexy as hell and the Naish was nothing like that. It took about 4 minutes to get up to pressure with their pump and packed down pretty small. I think it's a great travel board as long as you check foil compatibility first.

I own two rocket air from last year, a 6'6 and a 5'4. I still prefer my hardboard, but for a quick trip, compact limited space, the 5'4 (90L) weight only 4.5kg..in light wind it's quite amazing and no swing weight!! It does have a bit of a lag..so more advanced rider will notice that lag..might be annoying the first few transitions...but I'm confident it helps newbies in transition because the lag is more forgiving when doing errors.I compared a Gong and I'm not convinced the plate is better or worst. It gives a tad more rigidity, but it's still has the same inflatable feeling, still got lag(less) and much heavier. The good news is the plate is not that long, so the heavy part is near the mast and that limiting the swing weight du to the extra weight, but the f-one got less swing weight if it's important for you. The gong also felt it a bit stickier, don't know the reason. Two different technologies and they both got their purposes. I'm not convince straps/jumps is a good combo in inflatables, long runs will tell us. ;-)
It's way better than an inflatable sup!!! I really beleive everyone should have an inflatable!!!

Also realise that inflatables have a limited life span. It's the glue that gives up and the actual time period can be 4-6 years depending on how the board is stored. Once the seams start letting go it's like playing wakamole as they all eventually go.

Inflatables are great for travel or where storage is an issue, just don't pay too much for one

Hi, first to be clear, welded woven drop stitches are not a Gong exclusive, you can find them in most reputable brands.
(As I am a Gong ambassador - but not an employee -, I must be cautious, some people here are quick to over-interpret what I say)
And brands can have both glued boards (typically the cheapest, entry-level ones: for Gong, the "Chip"), and welded ones.
Plus things change constantly.

This is to say that questionable quality for model X of brand Y in year Z do not apply automatically to another model or the same model of another year in a brand.

Generally, on welded inflatable boards (at least for Gong), the pieces making the body of the board are welded together (deck, hull, rails). But all the addons (handles, plugs, inserts, boxes, the Hipe carbon plate...) are still glued.I only have an old Gong inflatable, before the advent of the welding tech, so I cannot help you with pics. You may want to ask your questions directly to Gong or on their forum or Facebook group.Note that for best durability, inflatables should be stored long-term slightly inflated out of the sun and heat. Storing them folded tight is not ideal as it will stress the rail seams on the long term.

Note that rentals and schools typically leave their boards fully inflated and in the sun for the whole season.
If you take care of your board, it can last MUCH longer than the ones in a school.

PS: buying used inflatable school boards at the end of the season is quite risky...

PS#2: although structural seams like the rails getting unglued is a bad omen, pad, handles and boxes getting unglued are easily repaired.

One of my mates has the 5'-10" Fanatic and while I have not used it, I have towed him behind my boat a few times. I am very impressed with it and if I was starting over I would consider one for traveling.

I'm interested in the new Slingshot inflatable lineup for this year. I currently have the OG Shred Sled for wingfoiling and windfoiling (although I have only used it for that twice, with poor success). I'm looking for something around 105-110L to pair with the Shred Sled for stronger wind. I am doing more wingfoiling than windfoiling now, and totally love the simplicity of the gear as well as the "compactness". That's why I am interested in the SS inflatables.

Whatever board you get make sure it has a bottom handle and a sharp rear rail. The Gong Hipe had neither and was not a good choice.