Starboard Acefoil Lightning - Ben’s Thoughts

Here at SUP North Devon we first took delivery of the Acefoil Lightning in November 2024 and, after 4 months of use, here are some thoughts on it from Team Rider, Ben!

Hey everyone, Ben here just to give you a quick review on the Acefoil Lightning. I have been lucky enough to use the previous year of Acefoil quite a lot before the Lightning came out and it was great for me, it worked really well SUP Foiling and Lightwind Winging, having tried almost all the sizes with the 7’0 being my favourite. So getting on the Lightning wasn’t too difficult for me, I am used to paddling narrow boards from previous SUP racing experience and it is a very easy board to get on with. My plan for the Lightning was for it to be my ticket to really nail SUP Downwind foiling and it has done just that for me.

I went for the 8’4x19 which at 122L most people would be thinking that would be too big for my weight at 70kg, and yes I could definitely ride the 8’2 at 101L, but I knew I would be using it for downwinding which I know is always paddling in choppy, bumpy conditions so I wanted to completely remove the struggle of stability and falling off from the equation and it has definitely made it easier. The Lightning is so light and fast to paddle you really don’t feel like you are on a 122L board.

The lightning has been a massively changed shape from the Acefoil, this is by no means a replacement of the original Acefoil but it is an addition to the range. The Acefoil is still an amazing board and a great design, the lightning is just that next level up of performance. I love the Acefoil for light wind winging and SUP foiling in waves.

The Lightning is longer narrower and lighter compared to the Acefoil. It doesn’t have a handle to allow for reduced weight, the nose and tail are far narrower and the bottom shape has been designed to assist in a super early lift onto foil.

Here at SUP North Devon we don’t just sell this equipment, we use it ourselves because we truly believe it is the best. Check it out here: https://www.supnorthdevon.co.uk/product-page/starboard-ace-foil-lightning