Test Report - Wing Slab V2 4'8 by Wingsurfers Magazin

The following test report of the SMIK Wing Slab V2 4'8 x 24.5" was originally published in the fall 2023 edition of Wingsurfers Magazin. It has been translated from German to English.

SMIK Wing Slab V2 4'8 - The Aussie canon

Flowing lines and a pointed surfboard nose, the Australian board can't deny what is his favorite playground: the wave. But is the shape of the Wing Slab still well-rounded in all other areas?

ON LAND:

SMIK shaper Scotty McKercher prefers to make his shapes a little wider rather than a little thicker. The reason for this is to achieve the most direct foil feel possible. To ensure that you don't get stuck anywhere in tight turns in front of the wave or in manœuvres, the outline shape is slightly rounded at the tail and has two large bevels under the rails. On the bottom, the Aussie board also favors a gliding surface that is as long and straight as possible, with the thinned out, slight double concave nose going forward, starting just before the front straps.

ON THE WATER:

Sixty-three (63) litres of volume is not much for our 78 kg testers and the SMIK Wing Slab V2 is therefore a pretty small board. Nevertheless, thanks to its width, they were able to launch it from a kneeling position without any major problems, even in choppy conditions. The overall width helps just as much as the fairly wide bow and the wider tail. When standing up, you can quickly get the Wing Slab up to speed. It's very accessible: standing in the straps, you can wait for the right gust to pump up onto the foil. Once up and flying, you really have a lot of control over the foil under your feet, as you stand very comfortably on the flat and slim deck.

Although it is not the absolute premium version - there is a lighter construction with additional carbon reinforcements and a full PVC sandwich in addition to the Full Wood Glass version tested here - the board weighs in at just 5.2 kilos. This makes it feel very lively in manœuvres and when pumping, especially as the nose is kept nice and thin.

However, the pure freestylers will miss volume in the nose when landing from jumps. It doesn't pop back up as quickly as boards with more volume in the nose, but it still comes back into the air as quickly as an excited kangaroo after a touchdown while riding or in front of a wave.

FOR WHOM?

With the exception of pure freestylers, there are few riders who won't take the relatively easy-to-ride Aussie shape to their hearts, because despite its sporty, direct feel, its width makes it easy to ride and accessible to all. In total, the Wing Slab range consists of 15 sizes from 35 to 143 litres in volume so everyone should be able to find the right board for their riding ability and area of use. Only the foil track could be a centimeter or two further forward for foils such as the Armstrong MA, which need to be mounted very far forward.