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Swiss brand Indiana have been involved in foiling from fairly early on having had a long history in the paddle world. Despite being landlocked, Switzerland has a solid foil culture with some breathtaking spots and some crazy winds, as can be seen on Balz Muller's Instagram.
The downside of mountains can be their gusty winds and fast changing forecasts. The emergence of hybrid style wing boards inspired by downwind boards, or even the use of downwind boards for winging has allowed foilers to have confidence in their ability to get going in light winds or in the event of a lull in the wind. Indiana’s Downwind SUP foil range aims to cover all bases, from light wind winging, to downwind SUP foiling and even flatwater paddle ups for the flat windless days. Available in 6’2 to 8’8 lengths there are options to choose from depending on your primary use case. We tested the 6’2 predominantly winging in light gusty winds (rider weight 75kg) but also flatwater paddling, SUP foiling and downwinding.
Drawing inspiration from Indiana’s SUP expertise, the nose has a relatively flat rocker to allow for easy acceleration and parallel outline pulled into a pin tail for minimal drag and easy release from the water. The 6’2 is 19” wide and 98l, making it a nice allround board for those up to 80kg (test rider 78kg), though it would be more than fine as a lightwind wing board for heavier riders. As well as being attractively priced, the board also comes with a quality padded board bag that keeps it protected in travel with an extended zip which means you can leave the mast on your board between sessions. Despite having inserts for those that want to wing strapped (straps are also included with the board), the board comes in at a reasonable weight at just under 6kg.
Winging this board in light wind is a real treat. The flat rocker and planing bottom shape really lets the board get up to speed quickly and it releases from the water very easily when pumping up on foil thanks to the hard rails and pulled in tail. Thanks to the shorter length, it is really easy to pump aggressively to get up on foil and we found ourselves on smaller foils and smaller wings (1-2m2 smaller) than other riders on ‘conventional’ boards and similarly sized foils without the need to pump like a maniac to get going. The smaller foils allow you to have a more playful session, especially when in the waves or bumps and the shorter board also complements this as it is nice and responsive.
In terms of SUP foiling, the board has a pretty evenly distributed volume. This means you don’t have to stand particularly far forwards or backwards to paddle it comfortably. For foiling in waves this board is super fun to throw around thanks to its compact size and is great for catching multiple waves as it feels almost like a mid-length prone board underfoot. Even for flatwater paddle pump sessions this board is pretty fun when combined with a larger foil, its stiffness translates to a direct feel and makes it nice to pump around. For downwinding, this board paddles up great in shorter steeper bumps where the shorter length versus the requirement to paddle up to speed is a bit less critical. So this makes it ideal for lake downwind runs and bay runs with bigger foils or also a great board for lighter riders.
Indiana’s downwind SUP foil board range truly caters for all possible use cases for the SUP foiling with the range of lengths on offer. This 6’2 hits the nail on the head as an allrounder for the lighter rider and excels in the new lightwind / hybrid wing board class for riders of all weights.
