Pump foil board comparison - Sizes, weights and differences

0:00 Intro
0:20 Gong Kiwii 3'1"
1:28 Gong Kluber 95 v1
2:29 Gong Kluber 80 2025
4:50 Ensis hip hop pro 98
5:00 AFS dock start
5:15 Takoon pro 80


Today I'm going to compare the pumpfoil boards I've used. Mainly the Gong Kiwii 3.1, Kluber 95 version 1, and Kluber 80 version 2025, but I'll also mention a few others I've tried at the end.

The Gong Kiwii 3'1" is a kitefoil board, but its dimensions are practically the same as the Kluber 95. So, after starting with a wooden board and then a small surf foil, switching to it was a huge leap forward. I learned everything very well with it: dock start, dead start, drop start, beach start, wakethieving. It has all the necessary characteristics for a beginner and intermediate pumpfoiler. Plus, the extra couple of liters are appreciated when you have to swim back, which happens a lot at the beginning.

After almost a year with it, I got a Gong Kluber 95. I wasn't expecting much of a change, but I was immediately surprised by how much lighter it was. So I went to the scales and saw that the Gong Kiwii weighs 2 kg and the Gong Kluber 95 1.5 kg.

I also noticed that the Kluber 95 was a bit thinner and had less rocker. When I went to try it out, at first I It felt strange, but after 10 minutes I got used to it, and I'm not sure why (the lighter weight, the rocker, or the thinner shape), but I felt my pumping was a bit more efficient and comfortable. The difference isn't huge, nothing a beginner would notice, but it's there. Swimming on it, the fact that it has a couple of liters less doesn't seem to make much of a difference, although it will.

The only thing that got worse when I switched from the Kiwi to the Kluber was my freestyle tricks. For some reason, I stopped being able to do them, but with some practice, I got the hang of it again. I suppose it was because of the difference in rocker.

Soon after, I got a 2025 Gong Kluber 80. I was eager to see if such a short board was enough. When I weighed it, I saw that in this case, it weighed a bit less than the 95, coming in at 1.25 kg. At first, it felt very strange; I had to change my habits for dock start, dead start, and drop start to adjust to the reference point. Where the front foot goes, since the front foot is practically in the front corner.

That's why I don't see it as the best option for a complete beginner. In the dock start, there's practically no room to place your hand and front foot at the same time, so you have to do it very quickly. And in the drop start, you have to put your foot so far in the front corner that it's a bit scary to step outside the board, so I don't think this will help much when you're learning the drop start.

Otherwise, I felt very comfortable pumping, and at 1.78 meters tall, I don't need a longer board. It might be slightly more efficient than the 95; it could be a coincidence, but the day I first used it, I improved my pumping record from 6 to 10 minutes.

I've heard some comments that it's too short for surfing, but I haven't had any problems with it, neither catching waves from boats nor in ocean waves. Where I do see the 80cm boards as being worse is paddling on them in choppy water with waves, but on flat water The difference isn't very noticeable, but in choppy water, you can feel those few liters less pushing you upwards.

The biggest change I saw in the Kluber 80 wasn't the size, but the grip. The 2025 Kluber changed the surface, and now you can pump barefoot without losing any grip. With the Kluber v1, you can pump barefoot, but you don't feel the same 100% grip as with the 2025 version.

As for other specialized pumping boards I've tried:
The Ensis Hip Hop Pro. It works, but it's more expensive than the Kluber, and I find it less efficient. It's very thick and has a lot of rocker.

The AFS Dock Start. Very thin and flat, but it's considerably more expensive than a Gong Kluber, and I don't see any apparent advantage to it.

The Takoon Pro 80. I only used it once, but the feel was very similar to the 2025 Gong Kluber 80, but at a similar price. Similar. It also has very good grip barefoot.