North Midi Wing Foilboard | Mid-Length Design with High-Performance DNA

Tucker and Nate have been putting North's new Midi foilboard through its paces. What's it designed for, and is it good at it? Who is it for? As always, they've got an opinion, and they hope it'll help you make up your mind about whether the Midi deserves a place in your quiver.

What's In a Name?

No secrets here- the Midi is indeed a mid-length board. It's primarily for winging, but it's also fun for parawing, proning in waves, and Foil Driving, so it can definitely be your do-it-all board.

Who's It For?

It's available in a variety of sizes. The guys have been out on the 5'8" 70 liter, and that's a good size for intermediate riders looking for an all-around board or heavier riders who need a high-performance board. Nate is 165 lbs and got up in 10 knots on a 6m wing. Another day he was out in 30 knots and the Midi still handled well.

It is not, however, a beginner board. It's surfy rather than stable, so you'll want to be a confident rider who can consistently get up on foil and ride before you hop on the Midi.

How's It Ride?

The Midi walks the line between a mid-length and performance board. It is an efficient board that'll pop right up when you're ready to take off. It's fast and great in the waves. It won't easily touch down, but if you do, it'll just skip off the water and keep going. It rides like a smaller board; Nate thought the 5'8" felt closer to a 5'2". It's not super stable, and that's a good thing. You can turn and rip in the waves, and this board won't hold you back.

Features

Shape

The Midi is a little longer and narrower than you might expect. For example, the 5'8" 70L is 19.5 inches wide, and the 6'0" 82L is 20 inches wide. And a lot of the board is even narrower than that, especially when you look at the bottom where it rides on the water, which is where it really matters. This gives it a nice, surfy shape and feel.

Chines

The bottom, particularly back by the foil box, is so narrow due to the steep chines. Once you get planing, it's got a lot less drag than a board with more boxy chines. This shape also means you can really keel this board over in a hard turn and not catch the water.

Rocker

The nose is inspired by downwind boards. It's narrow and efficient with a slight hole for easy release from the water. It's clean through the chop. The rest of the bottom is pretty flat, with a little rocker out the tail. If you've got the basics down, you'll find that this is an easy board to get up and going on and that you can ride smaller foils than a less efficient board might need to pop out of the water.

Box

The foil box is the drop box style that lets you quickly mount your mast and get on the water. There is also a recessed carry handle. Although the board is narrow, it's still pretty thick, and that can be a lot for some people to reach around. It's a nice convenience to help you keep control of your board while you're carrying it down to the shoreline on a windy day.

Deck

Some mid-length boards don't have strap inserts, but the Midi does, so that's great if you like to use them. It's got the center line down the middle for both front and back straps, and the front also has angled or V-strap options.

The deck pad has levers on the sides. These are super helpful for getting a grip while you're on your knees, especially if you've got mitts on. They provide a tactile locator for your feet while you're switching and tacking. And they give you some extra leverage for turns and driving. There is a subtle arch bar in the middle that also helps to index your feet, as well as some leverage off the toe for those toeside turns. These are small things, but they're well thought-out and they really do make a big difference.

There is an auto vent plug pre-installed. This means you'll never need to mess with it or worry about remembering to vent pressure in a hot car and then close it back up before getting in the water.

Construction

While the board is perhaps a half pound heavier than average for its size, it's quite robust in terms of construction. Nate is not a gentle rider, but the shop demo still looks and rides like new. This is important in a board that you're not likely to outgrow. It will be an investment that you'll be able to hang on to for years without treating it like it's made out of eggshells.

Summary

The Midi's length gives you ease-of-use and light wind ability. Its sleek outline and deep chines add flair and a surfy performance. It's an exciting board to ride, whether you're going out on a wing, parawing, Foil Drive, or proning. There is a full range of sizes so that you can find the one that makes this your all-around board, go smaller for a killer prone board, or go larger to make those light wind days a blast.

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