Pump Foil Board Buying Recommendation

What to look for when buying a pump foil board.
One of the most important features of a good pump foil board is a pronounced scoop rocker line. This means that the board is curved upward at the front. 
Why is that? With a pump foil, you keep coming back up to the surface, and with a bent board, you get pushed back and can continue pumping. However, if the board is flat, you get stuck in the water and have to swim back.
In terms of dimensions, I believe that a board should definitely not be shorter than 80 cm, but also not longer than 1 m. The width should be between approx. 35 cm and 43 cm, with anything in between being possible.
With the deck, it's more a matter of preference, so it doesn't really matter whether you have a pad or grip. The pad is certainly more comfortable, but also more indirect. The board with grip is more direct and offers better performance.
A board with long mast tracks is definitely better than boards with very short mast tracks. With long mast tracks, you can adjust the foil to suit you, rather than having to adapt to the foil.
A good pump foil board is also completely rigid and therefore has no flex. The problem with this is that you can't tell by looking at a board whether it is very rigid or not. You can only find out by testing it.
I am often asked whether you need foot straps for pump foiling. Personally, I enjoy pumping with foot straps. This is because foot straps give you even more control over the board and are particularly fun with small pump foil wings. However, it's more a question of what kind of dock start you do than whether you need foot straps. Because if you jump behind the board, it's very difficult to hit the foot straps, and if you also adjust the foot straps so tightly that you still have an advantage, it's almost impossible to get into the foot straps. However, if you have a similar start to mine, i.e., more of a step onto the board rather than a jump, starting with foot straps is just a matter of practice and, at least for me, a lot of fun.