Appletree Apple Skipper DW Prone

The mid-length revolution is well underway in the wingboard market and is starting to trickle over to the prone foil segment as the benefits of longer / narrower boards for all foilers across all disciplines (not just downwind SUP foilers) become ever increasingly apparent. I mean, who doesn’t want to get on foil with less effort, be it with a wing in lighter wind, prone to foil mushy waves or of course for the new Assist world.

Not one to stop with innovation, Appletree’s progressive Skipper line, targeted at riders looking to push their riding in all conditions, joins the mid-length movement with the addition of the Apple Skipper Downwind Prone. Overlapping slightly with the Skipper wing range when it comes to volume, the Skipper downwind prone is a more stretched out (longer and narrower) board that caters for riders focusing on prone paddling into waves but could easily serve as a one board quiver for winging and prone foiling. We tested the 50L board that sits in the middle of the range at 5'5 x 18.5” (rider weight 77kg) in predominantly soft mushy waves and on flatwater using a foil assist system. Not much needs to be said about the Appletree construction as we have discussed the impressive quality many times in this magazine, but safe to say the board is solid, light, comes with proprietary longer tracks and is finished off with a nice simple but effective traction pad. It’s the industry standard right now…

As expected, when paddling into waves, this board is mind blowing at how early and easily you can get up to speed. The narrow outline and added volume make paddling easier and we found ourselves getting into waves we never would have expected to be able to catch. The narrow board and the rounder displacement hull do make it a touch less stable when popping up in the roll axis, but the increased speed means that often the foil is engaged enough which aids stability and lets you pop onto foil quicker. Naturally the same goes with using foil assist systems; the increased planing area allows you to easily get up to speed and pop up onto foil without draining the battery the same way smaller prone boards do – useful for downwinding and maximizing each battery. The box placement ensures that when up on foil the board feels balanced, and despite its length, the pulled in tail and nose give plenty clearance in turns meaning the board rides smaller, almost like a ‘conventional’ prone board. The balanced feel combined with the stiff construction translates to direct and easy pumping along with effortless turning. The Skipper downwind is lovely to throw around and carve in the surf. The rounded edges don’t catch in turns and, true to its name, the board often skips back up after any touchdowns. The added length and volume also help minimize the chance of ‘bogging’ the nose on touchdowns so you’ll find yourself pushing your limits more as the board is able to recover that little bit better than a normal prone board.

Overall the Appletree Apple Skipper DW prone is such a great all round board which handles so well that your dedicated prone board may end up not getting much use. It is easy to paddle into waves early thanks to its length, but short enough to still be fun to throw around and enjoy turns. Its ability to plane fast with little resistance make it great for use with foil assist systems and as a wing board for more advanced riders looking for a one board quiver to cover prone and wing needs.