"I Went In Skeptical… And Now I'm a Massive Fan"
Feb 26, 2026
— Hydro Gav's Independent WAKA Review.
When one of YouTube's most respected independent foil reviewers admits he was "borderline dismissive" of a product — and then completely changes his mind on the water — that's the kind of endorsement you can't buy.
Gav from Hydro Gav put the WAKA Glide 88L through real-world testing on Sydney's Northern Beaches, including parawing sessions and a full offshore downwind run. His verdict? In his own words: "I'm a massive fan of this thing."
From Skeptic to Believer
Gav didn't hold back about his initial expectations. He'd mentally filed the WAKA in the "convenient for travel but not really designed for performance" category — the same box most riders put inflatable boards in. He even said he'd normally "rather take the hit with excess baggage and the hassle to have a proper performance board at my destination."
That mindset lasted right up until he unfolded it.
"If you told me that you could create a board that folds in half and still performs like a top-end weapon, I would have laughed you out of the room. But somehow, someway, that's exactly what they've managed to do."
Build Quality That Stops You in Your Tracks
Gav's first impression out of the box set the tone for the entire review. He described the build as "genuinely high quality" and noted how quickly the board dispels any notion of it being a travel toy.
"It becomes very apparent very quickly that this is not some budget beginner travel toy. This thing looks like it belongs in the premium performance lineup."
"The carbon layup, the finish, the lines — it's one of the best looking boards around. You just want to touch it, pick it up, turn it over. The quality is exceptional."
He was also impressed by the thoughtfulness of the design details — from the deliberately minimal deck grip ("serious thought behind every square inch of this board") to the rear-mounted leash plug that keeps the leash well clear of your feet during parawing sessions.
On-Water Performance: "Kind of Mind-Blowing"
This is where the review really turned heads. Gav confirmed what we've always aimed for: the WAKA Glide doesn't just fold — it performs at the level of dedicated one-piece boards.
"The 88L WAKA gets on foil seriously well. It's quick through the water. It releases cleanly and skips off the surface beautifully."
"The energy transfer is direct and predictable… once you're flying, it feels like a proper performance board — which is kind of mind-blowing when you remember that this board folds."
He made a point of classifying the WAKA firmly in the "intermediate to advanced performance category" — noting that the team deliberately chose not to dumb the design down for beginners. That's exactly the philosophy behind the Glide: performance-first engineering that happens to fold.
Structural Confidence — Even Offshore
One of the biggest questions riders have about a folding board is whether three bolts can really hold up under real conditions. Gav tackled this head-on after taking the WAKA on a legitimate offshore downwind run:
"In real use, there are no creaks, no movement, no weird noises. At no point did I feel any lack of structural confidence… It just rides like a normal high-end board."
"Huge credit to the engineering team for that."
The Uber Downwind: A New Way to Ride
Perhaps the most exciting moment in the review was Gav's discovery of what we've been calling the "Uber downwind" — and his reaction was priceless.
"Board folded in the back of a normal Uber car. $12 Uber up the coast. Pull up, bolt it together, hit the water… and you're off riding the bumps back home again. I was giggling like a school kid."
"I didn't even know I needed this, but now I've done it, there's absolutely no going back."
This is the lifestyle shift that the WAKA Glide enables. No roof racks, no trailer, no mates with trucks. Just fold, ride, and explore.
Real Talk: Gav's Honest Feedback (And Our Response)
One of the things we respect most about Hydro Gav is his commitment to honest, independent reviews. He raised two areas for improvement, and we think his feedback is spot-on.
The Assembly Tool
Gav noted that while the bolt-together assembly process itself is beautifully engineered, the supplied tool lets the experience down slightly. He's right — and we know it. After investing years perfecting the folding mechanism, the hinge engineering, and the titanium hardware, the assembly tool didn't receive the same level of attention it deserved. This is already being addressed and will be corrected in upcoming production. When everything else on the board is this refined, the tool needs to match.
Weight
At 7kg for the 88L, Gav acknowledged there's a weight penalty compared to ultralight one-piece boards — an inevitable trade-off when you introduce a folding mechanism and internal bulkheads. He also noted that on the water, he "barely noticed" the difference and called it a "fair trade-off" given what the board enables.
We agree it's a fair trade-off today — but we're not content to leave it there. Our engineering team has achieved another breakthrough that we think will surprise people. The next iteration is on track to shave 1–2kg off each board. More details coming soon.
The Verdict
Gav summed it up perfectly:
"The big story here is simple. This thing performs like a proper high-end board, and the fact that it folds in half whilst doing that — well, it still blows my mind."
Coming from a reviewer who walked in skeptical and left giggling in the back of an Uber, we'll take that.
Gav will be taking the WAKA Glide to Lake Garda, Italy later this year for a full travel test — subscribe to Hydro Gav to follow along.
Watch the Full Review
Watch Hydro Gav's full independent review on YouTube
Ready to Experience It Yourself?
The WAKA Glide is shipping now to North America and Australasia.
