SABFoil Veloce 90L 2024
Reviews / All Round Surf
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At A Glance
The Sabfoil Veloce 90L Freeride Pro is a standout option for wing foilers looking for a fast board with an easy take-off. Designed with high performance in mind, this board boasts a narrow shape with a more surf-style planform compared to the more traditional square wing foil shape. Sabfoil has put a lot into the design of this board, taking DNA from the modern downwind shapes. You can see the sleek waterline shape and the highly bevelled rails and tail when you look underneath. This not only enhances carving angles but also offers improved manoeuvrability and control. It is also designed and tailored to increase take-off speed and offer stability and balance when in flight, allowing riders to experience a confident and controlled ride.
Built with a full carbon construction, the Veloce is available in three sizes: a 70l, 80l, and this 90l board. Your weight and how and where you ride will dictate which one you choose. As a guide, I usually ride a 70l board, so it was interesting to jump on this, which at 90l is about 5l more than my weight of 85kg.
The finish on the Sabfoil Veloce is stunning, the black carbon weave is visible, and the lines are smooth and beautifully engineered. It’s undoubtedly a work of art in shape and construction. Completing the package, the Sabfoil Veloce 90L comes with essential components, including footstraps, track nuts and bolts, and an Allen key, ensuring you have everything you need to get wet in the box.
On The Water
The Veloce is a very easy board to ride. Its modern shape, with a tucked nose and bevelled pointed tail at the back, is surprisingly stable. Surf-style boards are often a little trickier to ride than square boards, but I didn’t find this on the Veloce. The extra litres compared to my standard setup undoubtedly helped, too.
With the tight pintail rear end and flat bottom, it is easy to get the Veloce up to speed, and takeoffs are really easy. Touchdowns are smooth as the harsh bevel softens towards the nose of the board, and there is plenty of volume and rocker up the front to prevent the nose from burying.
Carving is a dream. From the top, the board looks quite square, but those aggressive bevels, especially in the tail, really help you get cranking and not catch an edge. I rode the board with both straps and unstrapped, and it worked well. The deck pad offers enough grip to give you control when riding unstrapped.
I wondered if the 90l might feel a little big for me, but I enjoyed the extra volume, which made things easier. The low weight from the carbon construction meant it didn’t feel unwieldy when carving on the waves. It is more suited to the larger rider or someone looking for a good lightwind board with excellent stability.
A note on that: there is a big trend towards super narrow midlengths in wing foiling at the moment, and they are great, but they are quite tricky to ride, especially in chop. That’s not the case with the Veloce. It’s super stable and gets going really quickly. What it might lack in downright performance compared to the Torpedo, for instance, it makes up for in stability. If you ride in chop a lot, this will be a huge benefit.
Overall
Available in multiple sizes, the Sabfoil Veloce series caters to a wide range of rider weights, skill levels, and preferences. This particular 90L model is ideal for those seeking a high-performance option for wing foiling, especially in lighter winds where you want easy take-off and stability. The board's versatility makes it a valuable addition to any rider’s arsenal. Its combination of stability, speed, and control makes it a premier option for intermediate and experienced riders.
This review was in Issue 21 of Tonic Mag.
For more information visit SABFoilRelated
By Rou Chater
Rou Chater has been kitesurfing for over twenty years, paddleboarding for the last six years, and was there testing the first wingsurfer from Naish in Tarifa when it arrived on the continent. He is passionate about riding waves and exploring new places. As the publishing editor, he oversees everything at Tonic but also our sister magazines IKSURFMAG and IMB. He's been on the water since he was born and has never looked back, in the winter you'll find him chasing swells in the Caribbean and during the summer he can be found all over Europe at various SUP, Kitesurf and Mountain Bike events getting features for the magazines.
