Armstrong Midlength

Downwinding’s undeniable influence on board design is well and truly upon us, and the new Midlength from Armstrong is a prime example. As skill levels increase and wingers in particular require less surface stability, the benefits of a narrow, fast-planing board are absolutely undeniable. Five sizes are available in 45 through to 85l.

The build from Armstrong (as ever) is light, robust and detailed. A luxurious thin and grippy deckpad hides a ridged feature over the foilbox to help locate your rear foot, which is important when you have a board with so much real estate length wise. The extra-long forged carbon foilbox position is also clearly demarked by two blue lines in the deckpad so easy to reference with a quick glance down. The front of the deck has a gentle concave, which surrounds the front strap inserts that are set in a Y configuration with three options fore and aft.

The shape is intricate – the front of the board is relatively smooth with no harsh angles, good for penetrating through chop, whereas at the rear some more defined rail shape takes hold to sharpen up release. Just like a mini downwind board, the Midlength develops stability in its length rather than width. As soon as it has a little forward speed, which is very fast to generate, it stabilizes, so someone in the early stages of wingfoil with some talent can definitely use it in the higher volumes, but you need to be mindful to get some forward momentum before standing. Its tracking ability is obviously excellent due to its length. The rocker line is quite even and progressive from the nose through to the foil box and then flattens out for a moment before sweeping up into the tail. The tail in particular feels extremely easy to release as the pointed outline at this point means there’s little need to hammer on your back foot pumping to aid release. It slithers out of the water in a sneaky fashion.

The main takeaway from the Midlength is just how versatile it is cross discipline. Where it edges into prone use is where the magic lay for me as someone for whom it isn’t their primary discipline. The ease of paddling speed through the water makes it very easy to catch smaller waves you would have previously been left flailing behind. For someone ‘prone curious’ like me this allowed me a level of accessibility I’d not previously experienced. The other obvious crossover with these boards is for use with a propulsion system like Foildrive. Take a look at the Foildrive-specific boards available and their narrowness and volume distribution bear a striking resemblance to the Midlength, and with their new antenna accessory any issues with the carbon track and signal strength are issues of the past.

Winging the Midlength is an enlightening experience. 65l for me is 25kg under bodyweight, so a committed sinker. With this board shape I found myself taking it when I’d have normally crept up to my 80l for more inconsistent conditions. In super dense chop it was perhaps a little more challenging, but still easily knee start able. If you’re used to adopting a wider offset stance, you may need to adapt your riding style a little, the narrowness of the board means it seems to ride more comfortably closer to the stringer.

Regardless of the discipline, the low weight and narrowness of the board gives you the illusion you’re riding something much smaller than you actually are, and it’s an easy board to throw around, rarely catching the water through a harsh roll input. The forged carbon track is incredibly tough and translates the feeling of the foil through the deck with perfect feedback. This only adds to the sprightly foil feedback and compact impression.

Probably amongst the most playful feeling and versatile boards in its volume we’ve tested, the Midlength bridges the gap between a wing and prone board as successfully as it’s possible. A session saver, a cunning distribution of volume, and perhaps as a one-board travel companion, it’s as versatile as it gets.