FreeWave Foilboard and Foils : Review of the Indiana Paddle & Surf Co. New 2025 Gear with Valentin Hiermeier

Indiana Paddle Surf Co., the most Swiss of watersports brands, recently unveiled its 2025 Lookbook, which we presented in detail a few weeks ago. But after the theory, it’s time to put it into practice! Today, Valentin Hiermeier reviews the FreeWave board, as well as the new Marlin foils with their monobloc construction, and the new Drive and Lightning carbon masts. Valentin is a rider who has had a meteoric progression in the world of wingfoil, transitioning from windsurfing to embracing the thrill of winging only last summer. Living near Bavarian’s lakes, he quickly caught the eye of Indiana Paddle & Surf Co., and he’s now sharing his expertise as a brand ambassador. For TotalWing, he shares his opinion on the gear as well as a look into his unique approach to the sport, captured through the lens of his and his wife’s sports photography passion.

Hi Valentin! We wanted to talk to you in particular about the Indiana FreeWave board. But first, tell us about your watersport rider history, your spots and your connection with the Swiss brand?

About 5-6 years ago, I started windsurfing through my father-in-law. When wing foiling emerged, I often heard that it was only suitable for light winds and that I should stick to windsurfing. Last summer, I decided to give it a try in Denmark and was thrilled by the immense fun it offers. From that moment on, I gradually left windsurfing behind and focused more on wing foiling. Several times a week, I was out on my homespots Rottachsee, Weissensee, and Mandichosee (Bavarian lakes) and I noticed after just a few months that I was already riding better than I had after several years of windsurfing. I documented these improvements from the start with high-quality pictures and reels on our Instagram account (@snap.hier). This caught the attention of Indiana Paddle & Surf (I should mention that my wife and I have been pursuing sports photography as a hobby for some time). I’m glad to be an ambassador for Indiana; the team is truly amazing, and the recent tests of the boards and foils speak for themselves.

Speaking of the FreeWave, how do you feel about it in general? How do you like it ?

I personally weigh about 63 kg and ride a 50L Freewave board, which I am very satisfied with. It starts really well and feels almost weightless while jumping. Weighing around 4.7 kg, it meets the current standard for 50L boards. What I particularly like is that there’s plenty of volume in the nose. This allows for quick recovery during touchdowns, which is fantastic for jumps or maneuvers that you haven’t mastered yet. In displacement mode, it also helps that the volume center is positioned further towards the front of the board. The nose always stays on the water’s surface, keeping the board stable and controllable, even in choppier conditions. Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that there are markings for the mast position at the bottom of the board. This makes it easy to remember the position or adjust it by shifting.

My only suggestion for improvement is that the foot straps could be adjustable and a bit softer. However, I’ve heard that Indiana is already working on this.

It’s a board with a very typical shape, with big bevels on the tail, a pronounced rocker… can you tell us about it?

I appreciate the narrow tail of the board, as it helps with gliding. The board easily lifts off the water’s surface with active pumping while gliding smoothly— a characteristic that Indiana particularly emphasizes with the increased tail rocker. Additionally, the big bevels allow for tighter turns without skimming the water’s surface. However, they can create a slightly wobbly feeling when getting up. Fortunately, getting up has never been a problem for me, although it can be a bit challenging in high waves. You get used to it and learn over time how to load the board correctly to avoid falling off immediately. Since most of the volume is positioned in the front area of the board, the rocker allows for quick recovery during touchdowns after maneuvers or jumps. I’ve noticed that many high jumps on my old boards led to damage. So far, I haven’t experienced any issues with my Indiana board. It seems very robust, even during intense jumps.

The funny thing is that, despite its FreeWave name, this is a board that, if I’m not mistaken, you mainly use on your local lakes. So it’s a really versatile board, isn’t it? What kind of program do you use it for ?

Yes, that’s true. I mostly ride on the local lakes and only go to the sea during vacations. I think that the board is so versatile that it performs excellently in both: flat water and waves. Personally, I prefer a slightly narrower board because it is more maneuverable. I mainly use it for freestyle and freeride, while I ride in the waves during my vacations.

For what type of riders and sizes/level would you recommend it?

This always depends on the skill level. As a beginner, you need a larger board, but personally, I wouldn’t buy a board that’s too big. My wife started with a 110L board at 50 kg, and that was definitely too large. I recommend around 25-30L above body weight for someone with prior experience (like windsurfing or kitesurfing). However, for those who have never done any water sports, it’s best to first practice handling the wing on a SUP or a large windsurf board before transitioning to a foil board.

For those who are progressing and can fly confidently and manage the tack, usually, 10L above body weight is sufficient. At this point, you can gauge pretty well how small of a board you can handle, and you typically know enough people at your home spot to test out a smaller board. I personally ride 15L below my body weight. While this makes the board a bit more unstable, you hardly feel it under your feet.

You’re also very well equipped with Indiana’s new range of foils. What do you think of the new monobloc construction?

With the new monobloc construction, Indiana is now competing at the top level with their foils. The current video from gleiten.tv about the Marlin S speaks volumes. The connection between the front wing, fuselage, and mast is absolutely rigid and fits together perfectly. The practical aspect is that the front wing and tail are secured with a small M6 screw, so you only need to loosen two M8 screws to detach everything from the mast. The XXS/XS and S/M tails each have three holes, allowing for the use of two different fuselage lengths.

In the Marlin frontwings series, you use the XS, S and M. Can you give us an overview of this range and tell us in what conditions or wind range you use each of these frontwings?

For light winds, I ride the Marlin M with 990 cm². This allows me to start flying on our lake at around 8-10 knots. For wing foilers weighing around 75/80 kg, I would recommend the Marlin L (1140 cm²) or Marlin XL (1390 cm²). You wouldn’t believe how quickly you can get going with the Marlin front wings. In stronger winds, I use the Marlin S (840 cm²) at the lake, which is a bit faster than the Marlin M and handles all maneuvers effortlessly. The pop is also fantastic. The Marlin XS with 690 cm² does require a bit more skill, but it offers incredible fun in the waves, whether you want to go fast or jump really high. Regardless of which Marlin front wing you choose, they all feature early lifting and glide extremely smoothly through maneuvers.

You’ve also had the opportunity to use the new Drive and Lightning carbon masts. Can you give us a little comparison between the two?

What really excites me is that the total weight of my foil with the Lightning mast is only about 2.5 kg. This allows me to get onto the foil even faster than with the Drive mast, and I’m often the first one who take off at the lake—even without a downwind board. Thanks to the slim profile of 14 mm, I also ride noticeably faster, and there are no turbulence issues at the mast, even when small chop waves break against it from the side. The mast is extremely responsive and rigid—pure riding pleasure, and you won’t want to ride any other mast! 😊 As with all high-end masts, the question arises whether the price of €1699 is worth it, or if you should consider the almost similarly high-quality carbon mast (Drive HM 85) that retails for €849.

I’ll leave you with the last word? I hear you’ve come out with a great wingfoil-themed 2025 calendar?

Yes, exactly, we’ve created a wingfoil calendar for 2025. The idea emerged from the fact that it would be a shame to let all the amazing photos we’ve taken throughout the year go unused on the server. Additionally, there isn’t a comparable calendar available yet. In our calendar, we showcase friends and acquaintances with whom we regularly hit the water. Our goal was not only to capture the most challenging tricks but also to provide diverse perspectives, locations, and colors. The calendar is now available in DIN A3 format on the following website: https://snaphier.com/produkt/wing-kalender-2025/

Thanks a lot Valentin for your answers !

Follow Valentin and Angelina :
Website / Instagram

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