The parawing has a massive amount of buzz right now. Brands are rushing to design wings, boards, and foils to match the new style of riding. While we don’t have immediate plans to release a parawing ourselves, we’re deep in development on boards and foils built to meet the unique demands of parawinging.
So is it just hype? Definitely not here in Hood River. For us, the parawing has cut down shuttle runs, made downwinding more accessible, and, maybe best of all, given us a free “chairlift” ride back upwind. It’s even reconnected us with our sailing roots. Truthfully, we enjoy the ride upwind almost as much as the glide down.
The Right Gear for Parawinging
We’re often asked what setup works best. The honest answer: it depends on your goals. If you’re using a parawing as a paddle substitute, just to help you get up on foil at the start of a run, you can pair a small 30–50L board with a larger wing.
But at Hydrocraft, what excites us most is the upwind potential. We use the parawing as a tool to boost up to the top of a run, stash it, and then enjoy a clean downwind all the way back to the parking lot. The reality, at least for now, is that parawings don’t pack much grunt to get you flying, and they overpower quickly.
Our Solution
The answer lies in larger, more efficient boards. Drawing on our experience designing downwind SUPs, we’ve built a line of mid-lengths that run slightly longer than most of what’s on the market. Our sweet spot so far? Boards in the 5’10”–6’6” range, with volumes between 65–80L.
These boards lift off easily with smaller wings that stay controllable upwind, while remaining nimble and playful on the downwind. We’ve been laser-focused on two design priorities: releasing cleanly off the water, and cutting efficiently across the wind. Sean has cooked up something special here, and these will be the first Hydrocraft boards we release. They’re only a couple of months away from being in your hands.
HotWire’d: Raw Sessions, No Filter
While we’ve been prototyping, we’ve also been wiring up our crew with mics. Today we launched the first episode of our new video series: HotWire’d. The goal is simple: raw, unfiltered sessions straight from the water.
In Episode One, Sam Shannon takes the parawing out at the Hatch in Hood River, breaking down his go-to tricks for tacking, switching feet, and stashing on the fly. Check out the video below, and let us know what you’d like to see next.
Cheers,
Matt