Appletree Apple Skipper DW V2

As downwinding proliferates and cements itself as a discipline, equipment is rapidly refining itself and this completely revised board from Appletree is a prime example. The original Skipper DW took a lot of cues from kayak and race SUP design; it was long, narrow, pointy and purposeful with a rounded hull. Now that downwinding celebrates yet another birthday and the genesis of parawing is upon us, requirements are different for this style of board.

There’s a decent range of sizes available with four stock sizes ranging from 94l at 7ft through to 118l at 8ft. Being a custom manufacturer, you can tailor your width for no extra charge from 17.5” for the more dedicated downwinder, through to 20” for someone seeing stability and perhaps more of a crossover into traditional SUP foil. Volumes in this case top out at 121l.

Appletree vacuum-infused construction got a little weighty on their higher volume models so some changes have been made in the laminate to strike the correct balance between mass and durability. This meant our Skipper DW V2 felt considerably lighter than the previous model in a similar volume, but perhaps give it a little more respect when throwing it in the back of your van.

Version 2 sees a massive departure in terms of hull shape. It’s narrower and more pointed at both the tail and nose. Straight away you’ll notice the hull shape is far more boxy, giving the board substantially improved stability in its roll axis and more purposeful tracking when paddling forward. The squarer hull also seems to release more cleanly. This is coupled with a far more pronounced two stage rocker in both the nose and the tail which means the standing area is deeper in the water. Again, this removes the corky feeling of standing and means when you’re static everything is planted and stable. This rocker also means you’ve got far more control when pumping the board onto plane and you can get more pumping angle and effort into the foil in that all-important takeoff phase. The more pronounced rocker in the tail also means it’s less likely to catch on the wave or bump. The sharp rails run all the way into the nose area which has a speedboat-like V where the board penetrates and parts the water ahead, channeling to the underside to create more lift. When you compare it side to side with the Mid Length from Appletree, some design influence has definitely been shared between the two boards.

In a sport where translating every joule of energy through to the foil is extremely important, the deck area is a massive consideration and there’s plenty of subtle features hidden here. There’s a light concave in the standing area and at the rear of the pad there’s a little kick and some channels for the water to drain out. Some extra hex glass is hidden in the laminate under here making it exceptionally stiff. The deckpad is a little smoother than the standard Appletree diamond pattern, which is a little more forgiving if you’re potentially kneeling a lot. The majority of the volume is distributed under the standing area, which also makes a lot of sense.

The crossover into parawing and K-wing is perhaps an inevitable job for the Skipper DW, and its increased stability will massively help those formative sessions, or more challenging sea states before you want to step down to a mid-length.

The Skipper DW has had a massive overhaul, all of which in our opinion has been positive. The board is lighter, more stable and takes off more quickly and feels more comfortable under aggressive carving. Its directness underfoot and translation of the foil feel is best in class, and we think a lot of that magic comes from the deck construction.