I tested the 100 ltr Dragonfly in all kinds of conditions and setups over 3 weeks. I am 78 Kilos. I got this board for the wave spot that is closest to my house in St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands. There are almost always waves but the wind will be on it most days between 10 and 14 mph. The gusts only last a couple of seconds so if you wanna ride a small foil you need to already be standing. I normally ride a 54 ltr board at the other spots around the St. Thomas. I wanted to be able to ride a small foil. Enter the Downwind boards.
Because the mast track is so much longer and if you put the foil all the way forward a 7ft board becomes a 5ft board. The swing weight is reduced. Another benefit of the DW boards is the speed you get from the waterline of the board.
The First Setup
1050 SK8
6.5 Flux
wind speed 12mph
This was a great setup to start with. Got up on foil very very quickly and was perfect for the wind conditions. Because of how quickly I got up I started to think that maybe I could even go with a smaller wing.
The Second Setup
850 SK8
5.0 Dlab Unit
wind speed 20mph
This was super challenging because of the swell that was kicked up from the wind. I really had to point the board downwind for longer to get a good stable platform. You also need to be very aware of the submarining this board does if the nose gets too far under water.
The Third Setup
1400 Seven Seas with a 160 back wind (for better carving and speed)
5.7 Ozone Flux
wind speed 10mph
This is the light wind killer! I was able to hold the sail in one spot and jump up and down to get the board to release and once it did, I just took off. Highly recommend this set up for light wind sailing in general. It still has really good speed and very good turning!
Final Impressions:
I would Higly recommend getting a DW board. I think any board brand will work. The Dragonfly is an advanced board as far as DW boards go but not so advanced that it would be out of the realm of use for an intermediate rider. I would recommend getting a board with a blunt nose so that it will not submarine. KT is coming out with two new versions to add to the Dragonfly with improvements to keep the board from nose diving. Get The Foil Out!!!!