Want More Challenge on an eFoil? Don't Rush to a Smaller Board
- Howard Xing
- 4 hours ago
- 7 min read
When eFoil riders become more confident, I often hear the same thing:
“I want more challenge. I think I need a smaller board.”
I understand why.
A smaller board looks sportier. It seems more advanced. And after learning on a large, stable board, moving to something smaller feels like the obvious next step.
But my suggestion is usually:
Before changing the board, change the wing.
If you're riding a large, stable cruising wing, put a sportier wing underneath the board you already know and give it a try.
You might be surprised.
The difference can feel like night and day.
Myth #1: More Advanced Means a Smaller Board
Board size absolutely matters.
But I think many riders misunderstand where it matters most.
For me, board size is strongly connected to your starting platform, stability and takeoff.
A larger board generally gives you more flotation and stability. Kneeling, standing and accelerating are easier and more forgiving.
Move to a smaller board and that platform becomes more demanding.
Your starting position matters more. Your balance needs to become more precise. Depending on rider weight, board volume and foil setup, you may also need better technique and sufficient speed to transition cleanly onto foil.
So yes, going smaller can create another challenge.
But here's the important part:
Once you're already on foil, board size is no longer the whole story.
That's when the wing really starts talking.
Want a Sportier Ride? Look Under the Board
If a rider tells me:
“I want my eFoil to feel more exciting.”
My first question isn't necessarily:
“How small a board do you want?”
It's:
“What wing are you riding?”
Going from a large cruising wing to a sportier wing can completely change the personality of the same eFoil.
A larger cruiser wing can give you beautiful low-speed lift, stability and forgiveness.
That's exactly what I want for beginners, relaxed exploration and riders developing confidence.
A sportier wing is a different conversation.
The foil can respond more directly to your body.
Turns become more dynamic.
Carving becomes more interesting.
Small changes in pressure through your feet can produce much more noticeable responses underneath you.
You may still be standing on exactly the same board.
But it doesn't feel like the same ride anymore.
That's why, before telling an improving rider to immediately buy a smaller board, I like the idea of keeping one familiar variable—the board—and changing what is happening underneath it.
Learn what the wing is telling your feet.
Then decide what you actually want to change next.
Board = Platform. Wing = Personality.
This is the simplest way I explain the difference:
BOARD = PLATFORM
The board strongly influences flotation, starting position, stability, takeoff and how forgiving the eFoil feels before you're established on foil.
WING = PERSONALITY
The wing strongly influences lift characteristics, speed range, responsiveness and how the foil feels when you start turning and carving.
But once riders discover carving, another piece of equipment suddenly becomes much more important.
The mast.
And mast length is much more than a number on a specification sheet.
Myth #2: Mast Length Is Just About How High You Can Foil
I don't think about mast length simply as:
“How high can I get the board above the water?”
I think about it as:
How much vertical working room do I have?
And the answer depends heavily on where you're riding and how you're riding.
A mast that makes perfect sense on a shallow North Carolina lake may not be the mast I want underneath me in ocean waves.
Why I Like a 60–65 cm Mast on Shallow Lakes
For relaxed lake riding, a shorter mast has some very practical advantages.
Some lake areas can become surprisingly shallow. You may have mud, sand or an uneven bottom underneath you.
A 60–65 cm mast gives the equipment more bottom clearance than a longer mast.
That matters.
When I'm cruising around relatively shallow water, I don't necessarily want maximum height.
I want to relax.
I want enough room to foil comfortably without constantly thinking:
“How deep is it here?”
or:
“Am I about to put the wing or propulsion system into the bottom?”
For that type of riding, a short mast can be a great choice.
But there is a tradeoff.
The Short-Mast Problem Appears When You Start Carving Harder
Imagine the board flying level.
The mast is underneath you.
The wing is below that.
Everything is nicely separated.
Now start carving.
As you lean the eFoil into the turn, the whole system changes angle.
The harder you lean, the less vertical clearance you have between the board and the water on the inside of that turn.
With a shorter mast, you simply have less room to work with.
Push the carve too far and the board may contact the water earlier than you expect.
Your beautiful carve can quickly become:
Carve → board contact → instability → wipeout.
Move toward a 75 or 80 cm mast and you gain more vertical working room.
That doesn't automatically make you a better rider.
It simply gives you more room to use your technique.
But carving is only half of the mast story.
Because once you take the eFoil into the ocean, the problem changes.
In the Ocean, I Want More Mast
On a calm lake, the surface underneath you may remain relatively consistent.
The ocean doesn't cooperate like that.
You're traveling over wave faces, crests and troughs while the water level underneath the board is constantly changing.
For my own ocean riding, 75 cm is about the shortest mast I would choose.
Why?
Because now I'm not only thinking about keeping the board above the water.
I'm thinking about keeping the propulsion system in the water.
Whether the eFoil uses a conventional propeller or a jet/ducted propulsion unit, the propulsion system needs to remain sufficiently submerged to deliver consistent thrust.
With a very short mast, your vertical operating window becomes smaller.
As you travel across waves and the surface falls away underneath the board, the propulsion unit can get too close to the surface.
If a propeller ventilates or the propulsion system otherwise loses effective water engagement, thrust can suddenly decrease.
And that's when things get interesting very quickly.
Power Lost Can Become Lift Lost
Think about the sequence:
Propulsion approaches/breaks the surface
↓
Thrust drops
↓
Speed drops
↓
Foil lift decreases
↓
The board starts coming down
↓
The rider has to recover
At that moment, experience matters.
But even an experienced rider would rather avoid creating the problem in the first place.
That's why a longer mast in ocean conditions isn't simply about:
“I want to fly higher.”
It's about having a larger operating window between two things you don't want to touch:
the board and the water above,
and
the propulsion/foil system losing the water underneath.
The Funny Paradox of eFoiling
And this brings us to something I find funny about learning to eFoil.
As beginners, we spend almost all our energy trying to accomplish one thing:
Get the board OUT of the water.
More speed.
More lift.
Get the nose up.
Get the board flying.
That first moment when the board leaves the surface feels like success.
You finally did it.
Then you become a stronger rider.
You take the eFoil into the ocean.
And suddenly your thinking almost reverses.
Now you're trying to make sure something else stays:
IN the water.
The propulsion system.
An experienced ocean rider isn't simply asking:
“How high can I foil?”
The better question becomes:
“How can I keep the board high enough to handle the changing water while keeping the propulsion system sufficiently submerged for continuous power?”
That's a completely different relationship with height.
Beginner:
Get the board OUT of the water.
Experienced Ocean Rider:
Keep the propulsion system IN the water.
And between those two objectives is your mast.
That's why mast length matters so much more than many riders initially realize.
Same eFoil. Opposite Problems.
Think about what happens in two different environments.
On a shallow lake, you're looking down:
“Do I have enough clearance from the bottom?”
A shorter mast may make your life easier.
In the ocean, you're paying attention to the constantly moving surface:
“Do I have enough vertical margin to keep my propulsion system properly submerged?”
A longer mast becomes much more useful.
The lake rider may be protecting the foil from the bottom.
The ocean rider may be protecting the propulsion system from the surface.
Same eFoil.
Opposite problem.
And that is why I don't believe there is one mast length that is automatically “better.”
The right mast depends on your water, your riding style and what you're trying to accomplish.
Don't Change Everything at Once
There's another reason I like telling improving riders to try a wing before immediately jumping to a much smaller board.
Learning becomes easier when you can actually understand what changed.
Change the board, wing and mast at the same time and suddenly everything feels different.
But what taught you something?
Was it the board?
The wing?
The mast?
Your technique?
You may not know.
Instead, keep the board you already understand.
Try the sportier wing.
Feel the difference.
Turn.
Carve.
Learn how your body communicates with that foil.
Then start thinking about whether your mast gives you enough working room for the riding you're developing.
And when you finally move to a smaller board, you'll understand why you're doing it—not simply because smaller looks more advanced.
Three Parts. Three Different Jobs.
This is how I think about the setup:
BOARD = PLATFORM
Starting, flotation, stability and takeoff.
WING = PERSONALITY
Lift, responsiveness, speed character and carving feel.
MAST = WORKING ROOM
Bottom clearance, board-to-water clearance, carving margin and vertical operating room for changing water conditions.
None of these works independently.
They are a system.
And progressing in eFoiling isn't simply about making everything smaller, faster or more difficult.
It's about understanding what each component is telling you.
The board helps you get onto the foil.
The wing changes what the foil wants to do.
The mast gives you the room to do it.
And maybe that's one of the funniest lessons in eFoiling:
At first, you spend all your effort learning how to get out of the water.
Later, you learn what must stay in it.
Feel the Difference on the Water
Board, wing and mast specifications make more sense once you can actually feel the difference under your feet.
If you're new to eFoiling, start by building the fundamentals. If you're already riding and wondering whether a different wing, mast or board should be your next step, come ride with us and experiment before assuming smaller is always better.
Ready to take the next step?
Connect. Ride. Unwind.
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