The Slingshot Wing Craft on land:
The Wing Craft model, in contrast to its brother model "Shred Sled", is designed purely as a wingsurf board and is available in four sizes with 60/75/90 and 120 litres. The 90-litre size we tested weighs 7.45 kilos, a rather average weight, which is achieved with a sandwich construction including wooden reinforcements in the deck. The scope of delivery includes comfortable straps which, thanks to multiple plug positions, can be mounted in several setups - either with a diagonal strap at the front or in a three-loop setup. The designers have designed the deck to be comparatively flat and wide, while the underwater hull of the wingboard is significantly narrower due to the strongly bevelled edges ("bevels") - this is intended to reduce the wetted surface during the start-up phase and prevent the board from sticking too much. Behind the double rail, the tail is bevelled - as is the case with many other wingboards - to make it easier to pump over the foil. The designers have designed the underwater hull to be quite flat, with hard edges at the tail and rails to ensure a clean water release. At 1239 euros (90/120 l) and 1199 euros for the smaller sizes with 60 and 75 litres, the Slingshot Wing Craft is in an attractive price segment.
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On the water:
The concept with a wide deck and narrower underwater hull is a complete success at the first start - the Wing Craft lies in the water like a wedge and provides a high degree of tipping stability. The large deck pad is comfortable and non-slip, and the wing board gets up to speed well when starting off. If you only stand passively on deck, you quickly reach a speed range that is sufficient for a leisurely take-off, with the wide bow entering the water surprisingly little and "hovering" pleasantly over the chops.
If you can actively pump with commitment and technique, you will get up to speed with the boards at a record-breaking speed - fortunately, a sticky feeling or resistance from the shape is not an issue and the tail construction allows you to actively pump the foil at any time. In choppy conditions, the nose and edge shape ensure that the wingboard offers hardly any resistance when launching and lifts off again gently and without much braking - this is a compelling argument, especially for beginners. With so much "easy going", the question inevitably arises: So is the Wing Craft more of a cosy board for beginners? Also - but by no means only! Because even if the shape is not one of the lightest, it is still easy to get into the air and is extremely compact during rotations and freestyle tricks.
Conclusion:
The Slingshot Wing Craft turns out to be the perfect all-rounder: stable when launching, strong when planing, comfortable to control and with enough potential for jumps and tricks. Thanks to its great stability, you can even ride this board one size smaller than other concepts if in doubt.
Tipping stability, comfort, planing, range of use
Appears slightly larger
