Ride Engine Dad Board 5’2” 2020
Reviews / Wing Foil
13,092
At A Glance
The first thing you notice when you see this board is how awesome it looks; it is truly a stunning piece of craftsmanship. Before I go into my experiences on the water, however here is what Ride Engine have to say about the Dad Board:
“Don’t let the name fool you. This friendly, early planning, the rock-solid stable shape is not just for your Pops. Highlighted with a more traditional outline, full volume and softer bottom contour, the Dad Board feels comfortably familiar as you transition from your regular surfboard. A perfect grab-and-go board for all level of riders who want to add hydrofoil surfing or wing surfing to their on-water pursuits.”
What we love about this board is it allows you to ‘hit two birds with one stone’. This can be your low volume wing machine as well as your go-to surf foil board. Both of these can be expensive sports to pursue, so this is a real bonus.
On The Water
This was my first low volume wing board, so I learnt to water start on it. I’m 70kg which meant the board ‘floated’ about a foot under the water with my weight on it. My first attempt was on a super windy day at around 40knots; it wasn’t too difficult to get up and riding as long as you have spent a decent amount of time on the wing already. I later rode it in about 25 knots which were slightly more difficult but still worked. Initially, I was going to write here that you’d struggle to get going in the lower wind than this. However, the more practice I got at deepwater starts, the easier it was. I believe with the right wing & foil you could get going in pretty light winds on this board.
Once up and riding though it was an absolute pleasure to ride, especially when comparing to the bigger 90-litre board I’d been using before, a smaller size and with straps meant winging with the Dad Board was super playful. The ‘carve’ gybes felt awesome, and within no time, I was trying my first jumps.
Something to note on this board is the foot strap placement is designed for ‘one-way’ riding. So in the same way you see in most of Kai Lenny & Jeffrey Spencer’s videos, you’ll be riding heel side on one tack and toeside on the other. This may not be preferable for everyone, but it keeps your gybes & tacks super simple and is the perfect setup for chasing swell on downwinders where swapping your feet isn’t necessary.
For
Looks awesome, lightweight design, a short & playful shape for a volume of 45L.
Against
Foot strap placement allows only ‘one-way’ riding, great if you don’t want to change your feet, but it can be a little limiting.
Overall
You know you’re in good hands at Ride Engine with Santa Cruz waterman Coleman Buckley at the helm. They have put together a seriously cool board here. One for the more experienced wingsurfers but it really will take your riding to the next level! We’ve had tons of fun on this board & know you will too.
Videos
This review was in Issue 6 of Tonic Mag.
For more information visit Ride EngineRelated
By Jack Galloway
