I've been on the waiting list for a while for a Groove Skate. I still want one but tired of being told 25 days. Somewhere in the Groove Skate thread someone mentioned Kanaha Shapes and I went to the site. https://www.kanahashapes.com/shop I ordered the 42" (106 cm). I had some back and forth with Horacio, who was awesome, and received the board in short order. It's beautiful, crazy light and has what I would call tons of rocker. Put it this way, absolutely no issue with touch downs whatsoever. I installed inserts for a front hook although it's so light (paired with a Lift Foil) it just sits there for a while making strapless pretty easy. I can't tell you how much I love the board. I don't understand how something so small is actually easier to ride for a beginner/intermediate than a larger board; this is his largest board, btw. There is no yaw or movement - It's just locked and stable. I've used it in winds down to 12mph with a 10m BRM and had no issues water starting. Well, I guess my first 2 or 3 took some adjustment but it's so easy now. I'm actually frequently starting immediately on foil without trying and I can only assume it's the rocker or lightness. Don't care, just really cool.
Other musings from a beginner/intermediate:
I found my development much quicker with a shorter mast, first 60cm then 76cm. This helped because I would walk out and start. Playing around where I could stand made it infinitely more easy to learn, especially because we frequently have winds directly onshore and huge tides. I used it exclusively for over a year and never thought about it. I've read about how others say a longer mast is easier. I finally forced myself to use my 91cm mast. They are right. It's so much easier to cruise along and not think about ventilating/breaching. It was an incredible experience and well worth the additional effort to reach deeper water for the initial start. God, I'm having so much fun with the small board and long mast. Cheers.
Board bags for hydrofoil. I can't find anything that isn't 160cm. I store the board with mast attached in the back of my pickup. I'm not gentle on gear and don't want to worry about it. I had an idea this morning that I love. I have an ION Neoprene Jacket that's a medium. I tried it on the board and it works awesome, at least for me. Hope someone finds some of this helpful. Cheers. BS.
Poor man's board bag
Board tip
Underneath, the hood is over the tail