Feather 2026

We ride a lot with many different levels of riders and very different conditions, from sub-10 knots in Southern California to cranking winds on Maui and everything in between. One thing that seems very clear is that we all want a board that will take off the earliest and the easiest. Depending on your level, it will be for different reasons. The good riders want to use the smallest board, so it’s very light and manoeuvrable once they’re up. The beginners simply want to get up on foil. So we all agree we need to get on foil as soon as possible once we hit the water. The second thing we also all agree on is that once we’re up on foil, we want a board that feels as small as possible. More precisely, that will have the least amount of swing weight, so you can easily turn the board when you want to start a jibe or a tack, or ride a wave.

How did you translate these two goals into the shapes of 2026 FEATHER boards?

To take off as early as possible, you need to look at the dynamics of what happens once you step on the board and try to take off. You are stepping on a non-planing hull, which means that you want to have a board that can accelerate in the water using a minimal amount of energy. The more water you move, the more energy it costs you. To reach this, we made the board longer and narrower with pretty parallel rails. We also have a bow stem in the nose that opens the water instead of pushing it forward. Pushing water to the side consumes less energy than “sending it” in front of you. In the tail, we have a tail that allows for the water line to come back together and “close” nicely, similar to what you see on a kayak. Then, when it comes to a minimal amount of swing weight when riding, we designed the board so that you are standing very center on the board. This translates into the amount of board in front of you being similar to the one behind you. So you have a very minimal amount of swing weight because the leverage created by the board’s tip becomes very negligible. And the other advantage to being centered on the board is that your standing position at no speed when floating on the board is the same as when riding on foil, so you don’t need to move your feet once foiling; you set your position.

How is the board built, and what’s up with the new pad?

Our construction is the result of 3 years of close collaboration with our factory; the boards are EPS core with PVC sandwich top and bottom wrapped in full carbon laminate, and the key is our foil hub, which is the highly reinforced zone around the foil boxes. The result is a solid yet very light board that you can trust session after session.

This year, we also have a new corduroy pad that is very grippy yet extremely comfortable, which is non-negotiable for the few moments when you’re on your knees on the board. We also have a kick tail on the pad designed so you can feel where you stand when on your knees. The last feature we have on our pad is the red indicator strip in the middle, which is located at your mid stance, so you know where to position your feet.

“I’m afraid that the board is too narrow for me.”

Don’t be afraid of the width, you’ll find out quickly that the extra length actually gives you a lot of pitch stability, and the instant acceleration gives the board extra floatation and stability as soon as you accelerate it forward, and finally, remember that you have a foil underwater that gives you a lot of roll stability.

How do I pick the right size for me?

A good rule for average riders is to go with about 5 to 15 more liters in volume than their weight in kilograms. More advanced riders can use a smaller board. However with these shapes, you’ll realize that once you’re up on foil, the board feels smaller than what you would expect, so you don’t really need to go too small. So although the length allows you to go smaller, you don’t really have to, because they are so well balanced and make you forget about their volume once up and riding on foil.