Slingshot Dart 4.0 2021
Reviews / Wings
4,437
At A Glance
Well, I have no doubt that the readers of Tonic Mag will have already heard a lot about the Slingshot Dart. It’s the wing that Jeffrey Spencer famously landed the world first wingfoil backflip last year. At that point, there was next to no information out about this secretive wing but any wingsurf obsessive could tell that it had a drastically different design to anything else on the market.
Fast forward to the start of 2021 and the Slingshot Dart is finally available to buy. But what is it all about? To quote Slingshot it’s a ‘hard-charging speed machine capable of rocket airs and unlimited hang time’.
Getting it out of the bag and pumping it up you can immediately see the changes from the Slingwing and many other brands wings. The Dart has a super fat leading edge & the wings are raked right back. The shape very much reminds me of a fighter jet, aggressive & powerful.
On The Water
It should be noted straight away that this wing is not designed for learning on, cruising or if you want an easy session. It’s designed for riders that know what they’re doing and for pushing limits. This was clear as soon as I hit the water, you can really feel the raw energy of this wing.
Now, without doubt, I boosted higher than I ever had before with the Dart and what a feeling! Popping your foil off the water, sheeting in & getting lifted into the air is such an addictive feeling. It prompted me to try new moves & really get to grips with the freestyle side of wing foiling.
Due to the ‘fighter jet’ wing shape when you free fly this wing to cruise on waves it doesn’t behave as you would want it to. It is much less stable than other wings & has a tendency to flip over but let's face it, it’s not designed for that. As I mentioned to create this aggressive shape the designers made the leading edge much fatter, this has clearly been successful in boosting performance. However, the counter to this is that upwind performance is definitely reduced and I was quite aware of this when riding the Dart.
Handle placement is great giving you lots of options to hold the wing with. This includes the V shape straps between the leading edge and strut that you see the Spencer boys use so often in their manoeuvres. Inflation & deflation is efficient and easy to use as well.
Overall
The Dart is unique and there is no doubt that it’s going to divide opinions, some will love it and some will hate it. One thing is for sure, it’s a boosting weapon and in our opinion, it’s here to stay. If you want to head down the freestyle route of the sport, this is the tool to do it with.
This review was in Issue 7 of Tonic Mag.
For more information visit SlingshotRelated
By Jack Galloway
