SLINGSHOT Hoverglide NF2 with H4 wing
Sizes Available: Mast height: 35.5″ (90cm) Wing: H2, H4, H5
Sizes Tested: Mast height: 35.5″ (90cm) with H4 wing
Slingshot Says:
The Hover Glide is an all-around freeride foil with a versatile performance profile and aluminum and composite construction, making this the most well-rounded and robust foil on the market. The Hover Glide is also the exclusive foil for Slingshots progressive multi-mast Foiling Flight School program. Masts of varying lengths can be purchased individually or as a package and paired with the Hover Glide for user-friendly foil progression. With the Hover Glide, you gain access to the highly-effective Foiling Flight School program.
One look at the H4 wing and it’s easy to tell where it excels. With a low-aspect, high-surface area shape, it’s like a magic carpet that lets you glide across waves and swell you would have never thought possible until now. Slow and early takeoff with lots of lift. Surf like feeling flowing from side to side.
For more info visit: www.slingshotsports.com/2019-Hover-Glide-FKite-Foil
Tkb Says:
This is the first time we’ve gotten our hands on the Slingshot Hover Glide platform with the new H4 Front Wing (actually that is not entirely true, one of our interns rigged their personal H4N setup with the tail wing upside down to the effect that even an all-star like Fred Hope couldn’t keep the misconfigured equipment under control.) This time we assembled the demo equipment according to the instructions (we recommend reading instructions, even for setups as simple and straightforward as the Hover Glide). The construction on these foils is bomber with aluminum everything, although you do need two different sizes of allen wrenches to get the foil water ready. One of the most noticeable aspects of the Hover Glide right of the bat is its greater weight due to its higher build strength. We’ve always pointed out that this weight is really only relevant on land and not in the water. Interestingly enough, many brands have followed with similar constructions that land in the same weight range.
Compared to the original Hover Glide wing, the H4N is a low aspect triangular shape with small winglets on the tips, which are a bit less aggressive than the other foils from Slingshot. When it comes to overall performance of the foil, we’d have to say this setup is probably one of the slowest to foil up of the user-friendly freeriding foils that we’ve ridden in a while (Editor’s Note – a year ago if you said a foil was ‘slow’ that was a negative among many industry people, yet today the brands are accepting that slow foils are ideal for learning, carving and surfing). The H4N can basically go at a very slow pace which helps you master the basics of foiling without going too fast and suffering violent wipeouts. When it comes to carving or freeride you can slow down and stay on foil at such a low speed that it gives you a tremendous sense of control and makes carving through wind swell really super fun. In terms of input and control, all of the axes are fairly balanced although we did notice that the yaw axis seemed a little bit more active than some of the other wings — our uneducated guess is that might just be due to the fuselage being shorter. A more reactive yaw makes it playful and fun, particularly when it comes to carving chop with nice tight little carves that help generate good drive. In terms of pitch, both up and down, and roll from side to side, it takes a little more input which gives the wing a good stable feeling and will help those newer to the art of foiling, but by no means limits the amount of fun a skilled foilsurfer can have on this wing. Buyer beware, the high-end on the wing isn’t super fast by any means, but that’s not the point of this design.
We’ve always been a huge fan of the 4’6″ Dwarfcraft board, which features a track system for dialing in the perfect mast location/balance on the board. The inserts in the board allow for strap positions both for duct foot stance or center down the middle footstraps, which work for those coming from the race background or those coming from carving/surf. The board features tight chimed rails that help the rider survive the occasional accidental touchdowns and we love the nice subtle concave deck which is extremely comfortable and helpful when controlling the wing underneath.
When it comes to the Hover Glide with the H4N, it’s an excellent choice for beginners because of its low speed and smooth roll/pitch reactivity, yet its yaw is active enough to make this an incredibly fun option for those who have discovered the world of slow carving, pumping, and building drive through the energy in even the smallest of swell.
