Foiling Magazine #1 by Water Born Media

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CONTENTS F

A T

ONE OF A KIND: KAI LENNY

PASSING STORMS

CROSSING OVER: CAIO IBELLI

So, when that drawing board for the magazine first went up, there was one name firmly at the top. An absolute must for the first ever Foiling Magazine, and a man who’s done more to get this sport to where it is now than anyone. The simple fact is that without Kai Lenny and his foil-riding black magic, coupled with a little social media savviness, there’s a good chance that many of us wouldn’t even know what a hydrofoil looks like.

Part of Julien Salles’ day job is testing prime kit and arranging water- based photoshoots. His base in the south and southwest of France is perfect for this, giving easy access to mild Mediterranean beaches and the tempestuous seas (and, occasionally, the shores) along the wild Atlantic coast. Brazilian foil maestro Fernando Mizo Novaes came to join him for some European swells, and Julien showed him just what this side of the world has to offer…

We’d heard tales of World Surf League pro riders turning to foiling when the waves weren’t exactly “on”, but we had no idea how many had become true converts. Now, it’s a little clearer. Seeing it as a way to increase the amount of hours spent on the water whatever the conditions, these riders – and not least Brazilian rider Caio Ibelli – have added the foil to their already substantial quivers. Caio explains why it’s the best move he’s made…

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THE ROBBY NAISH INTERVIEW

ELECTRIC DREAMS

THE PLAYERS

He started a brand that’s pretty much a household name now (especially if your household is close to the beach), and he’s been at front and center as many water sports secured their place in the world and grew under Robby’s watchful eye. Now, Naish, and the man behind the brand himself, have fully embraced foiling. Robby tells us why…

It was a path with various obstacles and unfortunate incidents that Lift Foils bossman Nick Leason had to negotiate to bring his eFoil concept to the marketplace. But now, it’s here, and it’s being ridden regularly by the likes of Laird, Kai, Damo, John John Florence and various high-profiled others. We hear from Nick on what it took to get to where he is now.

So who really are the key brands out there, building the kit, evolving the tech, and providing the opportunity for all sorts of fantastic, foil-based fun? Well, that would be this bunch… Some you’ll know well, some maybe less so, but all are now significantly invested in this exciting area of development, and we find out where they’re at, what they’re offering, and what’s coming next…

16 EXPOSURE / 42 RISING UP: THE SPENCER BROS. / 44 UPLOADED: TOWED BY AN ELECTRIC SKATEBOARD IN NEW ZEALAND… / 48 SECRET SPOT / 96 THE 101: SURF FOILING BASICS WITH SKY SOLBACH / 98 WING COMMANDER: CHARLES BERTRAND / 128 DYNAMICS: LEVITAZ 130 THE OUTER BANKS: TOM COURT ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT / 134 TESTED / 140 FORESIGHT: DAMIEN LEROY / 142 STATE OF PLAY: ANNIE REICKERT

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R I D ER : J A L O U L AN G E R EE / P HO T O G R AP H E R : S C O T T S I N T ON

Airton Cozzolino, kind of summing up everything that's good about surf foiling in one classic sundowner image. Photo Si Crowther

WELCOME TO FOILING MAGAZINE! As you gingerly open these fresh smelling pages, one at a time, let us begin by introducing you to the first ever international print magazine (and accompanying digital edition and website) devoted to all things surf, SUP, wake and eFoil. Ladies and gents, with issue #1 we are striking, as they say, while the iron is hot…

Hydrofoiling – something that not so long ago could have been passed off as a niche – is quickly (and justifiably) becoming part of mainstream surf and watersport culture. Public awareness, interest and uptake is growing exponentially, thanks in no small part to the continuing enthusiasm and mind-bending talent shown by several established big hitters in the surf and SUP scene (several of whom feature in this issue!), but also thanks to the increasing commitment and investment in this burgeoning field of watersports by the brands, many of whom you’ll also find in The Players section, further into the mag. As a tangible result of this, technical advancements and R&D is helping to make public entry into the world of foiling more and more accessible on several levels. One only has to check a few hashtags on Instagram to see that the world of foiling is blooming, and blooming fast. And so the big circle turns… and this is where we come in. For this issue, the first of its kind, we’ve gone all in and set ourselves a pretty high standard that we now plan to rigorously stick to. So, you’ll find inside these pages a range of interviews with a few names that need little introduction, such as waterman Kai Len-

ny, veteran watersport legend Robby Naish, and WSL tour rider Caio Ibelli. Also inside, there’s tech talk with some of the boffins from the backrooms (who probably get on the water more than you or I) who delve into the science behind all this foil magic. We have profiles of foil brands that have picked up the gauntlet and run with it, and we’ll also introduce you to some of the rising stars of the moment, including the Spencer brothers and Annie Reickert. On top of this, there are tests, there are tips and tricks and, we’re very proud to say, there are plenty of pages dedicated to the very best foil photography you’ll come across, anywhere… We are truly excited about the growth in the sport, the potential that lies in its future, and just the sheer fun that is to be had, and we want to showcase the essence of that right here, within the glossy pages of Foiling Magazine: somewhere you can enjoy the turning of each page at your own pace, be absorbed by glorious imagery and engaging articles, tune in to the latest nuances of the sport as it continues to morph and evolve, and be stoked, as you put down the magazine, pick up your foil, and head for the water with an impossibly big smile on your face… Enjoy the first issue. We’re stoked you’re here with us.

Cai Waggett Editor

O N T H E C OV E R Recently inducted into the Surfer’s Hall of Fame and awarded Waterman of the Year by the Surf Industry Manufacturer's Association (SIMA), as well as probably being the most prolificly photographed surf/SUP/wake and eFoiler in the world... Yeah, Kai Lenny was a pretty natural choice for our first ever cover star. Photo Marc Chambers

E D I TO R I A L 1 3

PRODUCTION TEAM Editor: Cai Waggett Editor-in-Chief: Alex Hapgood Art Director: Katharina Godbersen Technical Editor: Richard Boughton CONTRIBUTORS Bobo Gallagher, Caio Ibelli, Charles Bertrand, Charley Pert, Chuck Patterson, Cova Productions, Damien LeRoy, David Edmondson, Erik Aeder, Florian Dorn, frankiebees, Grant Scholtz, Jalou Langeree, James Jenkins, Jayde Stent, Jennifer Stenglien, Jenny Iserlohn, Jesse Richman, John Carter, Julien Fillion, Julien Salles, Kaden Sponhauer, Kai Lenny, Kian Bates, Lukas Haigermoser, Lukas Pitsch, Marc Chambers, Mario Legenstein, Martin Allen, Mathieu Fouliard, Matt Georges, Melanie Lochhead, Mike Oxley, Nick Leason, Philippe Caneri, Robby Naish, Rui Santos Jorge, Ryan Johnson, Ryan Osmond, Scott Sinton, Shannon Stent, Si Crowther, Sky Solbach, The Spencer Brothers, Tom Court, Vasco Santos, Will Crumpacker A DV E R T I S I N G All advertising enquiries can be sent to advertising@thefoilingmagazine.com SUBMISSIONS Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re always on the hunt for foil adventurers who can write and/or take a good photo. Please send your pitch or previous examples of articles/photography to hello@thefoilingmagazine.com COPYRIG HT All material in Foiling Magazine is subject to copy right. Reproduction without the express permission of the publishers will result in prosecution. PUBLISHER Foiling Magazine is published by Water Born Media Limited in Hayle, Cornwall. United Kingdom E N V I R O N M E N TA L This magazine is printed on paper sourced from responsibly managed sources using vegetable based inks. Both the paper used in the production and the manufacturing process are FCS ÂŽ certifi ed. The printers are also accredited to ISO14001, the internationally recognized environmental standard.

FIND US HERE @foilingmagazine foilingmagazine thefoilingmagazine.com

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1 8 E XP OS U R E

R I D E R Lukas Pitsch L O C AT I O N Egypt P H O T O G R A P H E R Lukas Pitsch Lukas: This day I was ready for some kite action but the wind did not pick up, so it was time to unleash my full creativity. I tried wakeboarding using my foilboard which wasn’t a big challenge, so for round two I armed myself with an action cam in one hand, which worked pretty well. After the s ession I was slightly surprised with the result when I reviewed the footage on the laptop – I can promise the water-d rop is not photoshopped at all…

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R I D E R Chuck Patterson L O C AT I O N Picnics, Maui P H O T O G R A P H E R frankiebees Chuck: There’s nothing quite like the free, flowing feeling of gliding across the water; riding the raw power and energy of a wave deep below the surface of the ocean. I love how foiling has opened our eyes to a whole new way of riding across water. The possibilities are endless…

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R I D E R Lukas Haigermoser L O C AT I O N Waldbad Anif P H O T O G R A P H E R Florian Dorn Lukas: A place like Waldbad in the city of Salzburg is usually crowded on days like these, I guess I don’t have to explain why! So entering the area an hour before sunrise with no-one there was pretty special. Photographer Flo Dorn was super excited seeing all those perfect refl ections in the crystal clear water, and set his equipment up. Most of the shoots we’ve worked on together, there were some pretty strict instructions on what needs to be done to set up a shot. The only thing he told me that day was: ‘Enjoy!’ Which I did.

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R I D E R Chris Bertish L O C AT I O N Tafelberg, South Africa P H O T O G R A P H E R Grant Scholtz Foiling Magazine: South African big wave rider Chris Bertish – also adventurer, motivational speaker, Maverick’s 2009 winner, and currently enjoying some self-imposed isolation in d eepest Mexico to write his new book – is seen here tackling a mysto outer Tafelberg monster, looking pretty much at home amongst South Africa's extremely daunting (and often sharky) big wave beasts…

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R I D E R Philippe Caneri L O C AT I O N Salon de Provence, France P H O T O G R A P H E R Cova Productions Philippe: We enjoyed a private session in an Olympic swimming pool in Salon, to produce a promotional video of our new TowMe and Moise Pro Model. A Swiss friend came over with some inflatable toys from a brand partner, so we included them in the video. In the photo, the goal was to jump over the flamingo without touching it. Unfortunately, it lost a wing during the session, but it kept its neck OK, despite our amazing foil wingspan!

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R I D E R Bobo Gallagher L O C AT I O N Guard Rails, Maui P H O T O G R A P H E R John Carter Bobo: This was for a Fanatic foil photo shoot. The waves were dropping and pretty gutless. I didn’t want to have to work extra hard to catch the waves and it was also easier to pump back out so I could try some backflips. Guard Rails is a special place, it’s one of my home breaks. The waves make it difficult to get hurt which is great when you are learning new tricks on your foil. From the water, you can see cars, trees, an occasional whale, and the West Maui mountains. I like that I get to run into other surfers I know, and I never know who will be there. It was so fun being able to surf with Airton, Patri, Arthur, Klaas, and Sky on this shoot. I rode until dark and I caught five waves in a row without stopping. That was my record up to that point. Yeah, I’m pretty much hooked on foiling.

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R I D E R James Jenkins L O C AT I O N Cape Hatteras, North Carolina P H O T O G R A P H E R Ryan Osmond James: A small, summertime swell on the Outer Banks of North Carolina is all of a sudden pumping conditions with a hydrofoil! With miles and miles of empty beach, we just drove around until we found a sandbar that looked fun. No more flat days!

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R I D E R Melanie Lochhead L O C AT I O N Sanur, Bali P H O T O G R A P H E R Charley Pert Melanie: This was a tow-in session. The weather was great and the swell was getting bigger. So much fun! Depending on the swell at Sanur, I like to try and go out 2-3 times a week. It all started when Jonni, the owner of the Rip Curl School of Surf where I work, introduced me to this new sport. I had no clue what foiling was or how it worked but Jonni approached me with a big grin on his face and this scary-looking foil board. I was a bit apprehensive at first, we took the boat out and after a lot of face plants I finally got up on the board, and since then I've just been addicted.

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R I D E R Shannon Stent L O C AT I O N Western Australia P H O T O G R A P H E R Jayde Stent Shannon: That’s actually the closest break to where I live. When the swell is decent it’s a notoriously heavy, freight training right hand barrel. But when it’s smaller it becomes a perfect foil wave, breaking out off the rocky point, then easing off into deep water inside the bay, and on most days you can ride the unbroken walls for up to 300m. In this shot I’m trying to navigate the end bowl section which isn’t always foil friendly, and from memory I think I got the bucking bull treatment.

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R I D E R S Sky Solbach and Patri McLaughlin L O C AT I O N South Shore, Maui P H O T O G R A P H E R John Carter Sky: Before foiling came along, I used to dread summers in Maui. It’s hot, the ocean on the north shore turns into a lake and aside from the odd sizable south swell, its mostly just piddly little longboard waves. Tough life, I know. Now, summer has become foil season and there’s no such thing as a bad day anymore! This is a shot of me racing Patri McLaughlin back out to the peak during a fun south shore sunset session when the Fanatic international team was in town.

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R I D E R S Will Crumpacker and Fred Hope L O C AT I O N Hood River, OR P H O T O G R A P H E R Kaden Sponhauer Will: Living in Hood River, one of the windiest places on the planet, a no-wind day can be a rare occasion. This particular day was right after weeks of wind that Fred Hope and I spent kite foiling together. Wake foiling behind the boat has always been a great way to switch it up and try every weird idea that comes to mind. This shot captures us scheming to pump over and steal another boat’s wake.

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R I D E R Vasco Santos L O C AT I O N Estoril Coast, Portugal P H O T O G R A P H E R Rui Santos Jorge Vasco: The Estoril Coast delivers some incredibly good waves. This entire area â&#x20AC;&#x201C; located 20 minutes from Lisbon - generates foil waves that are actually too good to be true literally for the whole year. I ride them almost every day before going to work.

R I D E R Nathan van Vuuren L O C AT I O N Sanur, Bali P H O T O G R A P H E R Mike Oxley Nathan: Nothing like arriving in Indo during a WSL event, surf firing, and one of the biggest foil-frothers on the tour, Caio Ibelli, waiting to go test some new SPG gear at Sanur. Jonni Deaker from Rip Curl School of Surf had his custom tow-boats all ready to go explore a new foil spot up the coast: a perfect, head high, A-frame wave that allowed for over four minute rides. Tropical warm water, with breath-taking backgrounds and a few mates foiling their brains out for hours – definitely a foil session that will never be forgotten.

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R I D E R S Simon Axman, Ely Dekarz, Jenny Iserlohn (Fliteboard Engineering Team) L O C AT I O N Belongil, Byron Bay P H O T O G R A P H E R Jennifer Stenglien Jenny: This was an early morning photoshoot, with choppy waters and small surf. It was, typically, not a very good day for doing much on the water. We had just experienced the most amazing sunrise, and we had the bay to ourselves, and you could feel the solitude of the sea. The experience of riding with friends and teammates in dramatic conditions like this is amazing. It brings us together and reminds us that from our hard work, people around the world get to have this feeling too.

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R I D E R Mathieu Fouliard L O C AT I O N Papara, Tahiti P H O T O G R A P H E R Amandina Fouliard Mathieu: Surf foiling defi nitely provides a unique and new connection to the ocean. As soon as you put your feet on the board, you feel in heaven. Foiling is fast, and any wave size will do the job. I'd never thought I’d say it, but “The smaller the better”! Thanks to this magic discipline, you can enjoy every single day in the water, and a boring spot for regular surfers becomes awesome for us. We are just at the beginning of something big, for sure.

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THE SPENCER BROS. There's a lot of names and faces that are going to become more and more familiar as all the burgeoning aspects of this sport develop into the mainstream. In this section, we celebrate those on their way up. First in line: Finn and Jeffrey Spencer... Hey guys, thanks for taking the time to catch up with us. So, how’s it looking out of the window right now? It’s another sunny and windy day on the North Shore of Maui.

not only because of the depth of his foil knowledge but his vision for the future of foiling. Because foiling is such a new sport and there is not a distinct path to follow, we are all constantly coming up with new ideas. Tony is a genius when it comes to foil design and we’re stoked to continue working with him. The world of foiling R&D is turning fast right now. What does the future look like to you both? There is still so far to go in foil design and the foils are quickly getting faster, turnier, lighter, and more efficient. So the steady progressions will continue…

Nice. So what originally turned you on to foiling? In 2016 our dad approached Alex Aguera about making SUP foils and it turned out that he had just started working on the idea with Kai Lenny. Soon after that we started working with them on the development of the foils and we haven’t looked back!

You must see a lot of surfers trying the sport for the first time – what advice do you offer for guys making the crossover? Start by keeping a lot of weight on your front foot and then slowly leaning back until you feel the lift of the wing. If you start to tip to the side, try to fall the way that you are tipping so you fall away from the foil. And obviously don’t foil near anyone else until you’ve got it dialed.

And what does an optimum foiling day look like to you both? We like to start our day with a surf foil session at Kahului Harbor and do a downwind run from Moliko in the afternoon.

So what’s the plan for the rest of your day? It is really windy right now so we’re planning on doing a downwind foil run this afternoon and then training in the gym this evening. •

Is there much competition between the two of you and does that improve your riding? There’s definitely friendly competition between the two of us but we mostly encourage each other to get better. Who would you say is your biggest influence in what you do? Our biggest influence would have to be Tony Logosz (Slingshot Co-Founder and Chief Foil Designer)

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RIGHT Brothers who foil: the Spencers in action in Maui...

TH E S PEN C ER B ROS . 45

R EC

UPLOADED A few of the Foiling Magazine team were lucky enough to head out to the North Actionsports Group meeting earlier this year. While we were there we got to see a teaser of one of their p roduct clips featuring a few well-known names doing some pretty interesting things with a foil, an insanely blue body of water, and an electric-powered skateboard. We decided to find out some more… Here’s the story behind that film from North riders Jesse Richman and Jalou Langeree…

PHOTOS SCOTT SINTON

A B OV E Fun fact: if you turn this photo of Jalou and Jesse gracefully gliding along a canal upside down, it's equally as beautiful...

U P LOA D E D 47

Firstly, where is this? It looks amazing... JL: This was for the North Kiteboarding product shoot. We went on a road trip deep through the South Island of New Zealand in the Otago high country basin, next to the Southern Alps. That's where we found this magical canal right next to the road. And how come the alien-blue water? JR: That beautiful turquoise blue is created by rock flour sediment from surrounding glaciers. How did this idea come about? JR: Nick Jacobsen, Graham Howes and I are always trying to combine as many wild elements as possible to create an unbelievably absurd moment, and this time we roped Jalou into the fun. As we were driving by this canal, we saw the potential to foil in an epic setting, on beautifully colored water, nestled in the Southern Alps. We were all chomping at the bit to give it a go. Seeing as we only had two foils in our camper, we planned on taking turns. J alou and I were lucky enough to get first try. Meanwhile, awaiting their turn, Nick and Graham were e-skating along the bank of the water, and after a few back and forths, it didn't take long for them to get the genius idea of grabbing the rope and pulling this stunt. JL: Imagine a group of five highly energized pros stuck in a car chasing wind and waves across the southern island of New Zealand. Our creativity and urge to be in the water was at the highest level. The first glimpse of the canal drove us wild, we jumped out of the car, got changed, and made the plan for foiling using cars and an electric skateboard. Easily makeable we thought… Tell us about what you're riding there... JR: Jalou and I are riding space ships aka the North Sonar 1650 Surf Foil wing on the North Sense foil board, the smoothest foil setup ever assembled, and we're getting towed by Nick and G raham who are on Inboard electric skateboards.

“We flew along the canal surrounded by beautiful mountains and turquoise waters, flying on our magic carpets, so smooth and silent. That was a true team job.”

JL: Yeah, I was using the North Sense (135cm), and 70cm mast with the Sonar 1150 wing, which has a loose and carvey feeling to it. Were you actually able to get pulled along by the power of a skateboard, or is this finely-honed camera trickery? JR: I was wary of this idea, Nick and Graham sometimes think everything will work, which is fun but can get distracting and very exhausting! Surprisingly enough, this time their concept worked perfectly, turns out the skateboards had more than enough power to send us flying, and the North foils were so efficient that they almost forgot we were there. We rode together for miles.

TOP LEFT A thousand miles from the nearest Highway

JL: While getting into the water we noticed the amount of current, which made it hard to get the boards properly under our feet. Jesse had to wait for me as I struggled getting started. The current kept sweeping the board away from under my feet and If you were holding the line closest to the canal edge, you had to be aware of the shallows… Luckily the wing provides a quick and smooth take-off and we flew along the canal surrounded by beautiful mountains and turquoise waters, flying on our magic carpets, so smooth and silent. That was a true team job. •

Patrol officer... BOT TOM LEFT A stunt involving elements of danger? Well of course Nick Jacobsen was there. A B OV E Hopefully this isn't Graham Howes rating Jesse's laid back style... we'd definitely give it more than a 4/10.

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J U L I E N

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P H O T O G R A P H E R Vincent Bergeron Waking up at 4am to get the morning light beauty always makes shots feel special, that indescribable warmth that you get. The wave in this picture is part of a series of sort of secret waves along a certain “river” in Canada, which only happen in early spring at this spot. We regularly surfed these waves for years, and right now I think we are only just scratching the surface of how good hydrofoiling can be on a river wave like this. This was actually my first session testing Ride Engine's foil. It proved to work perfectly…

Julien J U LI EN FI LLI O N 51

I N T R O D U C T O R Y S U B S C R I P T I O N

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Photo Marc Chambers

THE KAI LENNY INTERVIEW

ONE OF A KIND P H OTO S R YA N J O H N S O N , K A I WAT E R M A N M E D I A ( U N L E S S S TAT E D)

You’d be forgiven for thinking that Kai Lenny’s life is one endless cycle of water-time and big waves (with a bit of snow sprinkled in for good measure too.) You’d be forgiven, because you’re probably right… There’s no-one else who’s pushing foiling into the public pantheon with more gusto and smiles than this guy. So of course we had to get an interview with him for the first issue of Foiling Magazine…

K A I L E N N Y 5 5

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“RIGHT NOW WE’RE ONLY BEGINNING TO TAP INTO WHAT IS POSSIBLE WITH WHAT WE CAN DO IN THE SMALLEST OF WAVES.”

Hey Kai. You are a busy guy nowadays. Can you remember when foiling first began for you?

My first ever experience on a hydrofoil was back when I was nine years old, on the board my dad and uncle bought from Laird and Dave Kalama. We took out the jetski and after both of them tried it a couple times I was given a chance and instantly loved it. The snowboard boots were way too big for me, and all the way up to my knees! But I made it work and the board became mine after a while. Has the speed that foiling has developed over the last few years surprised you?

What I love most about the hydrofoil is the fact that it’s so adaptable to all these different water sports and enhances the riding experience when the conditions aren’t great for their traditional form. Foiling is so dynamic, since it transcends everything from little chops that you would ride downwind to being powered by a sail or a kite, all the way up to some of the biggest waves in the world. Have you discovered a few new spots in Maui which you wouldn’t have considered before?

When I first began to reimagine the foil as a small wave surfing device, instantly waves I had driven past for years became the perfect spots for foiling. It opened up a whole new world and now that I’m traveling around the globe it is an absolute must that I have a foil in my bag since the waves more often than not aren’t epic, and this amazing thing is keeping me on the water no matter what! Waves that weren’t on anyone’s radar are now popular spots; I love that they’ve been hidden in plain sight for so many years. How do you see foiling in the surf in terms of the style, do you think tight turns and airs are the direction it is heading in? LEFT Not the standard view of the water most of us get when out riding...

The natural progression is going to be do everything faster, higher, and louder. Right now we’re only beginning to tap into what is possible with what we can do in the smallest of waves. I imagine different vari-

ations of rotations as well as doubles being common practice on waves that don’t even break. With straps at first and then progress to doing similar maneuvers without them. As far as turns go, it’s going to be about laying it on a wing and getting the wing tip in the air and leaving a huge fan of spray! When do you ride straps at the moment?

The advantages of straps are giant for sharper turns, airs and big waves. I prefer them when I am in chest high waves or anything bigger. For the smallest waves, downwind and pumping I don’t like to use them. I love to move my feet to get better leverage on the wing or relax during a long run in swells. Using foils to ride small or poor quality surf has really given the sport impetus, but you’re still pretty focused on the bigger stuff right?

Riding big waves is without a doubt the most exhilarating and the fastest I have ever gone. All that space… it’s like dropping into a giant mountain in Alaska and just doing huge carves. I’m working on equipment now that’ll allow me to ride the waves with much more confidence and go much deeper for an even more incredible ride. There’s a huge potential advantage when everything gets dialed in, since often you’re moving faster than the wave is breaking which isn’t possible on a big wave on any other kind of board. Where do you see the competitive side of the sport heading?

On the competitive side no doubt there’s going to be competition for riding waves. I’m not sure just yet how big that will grow. It certainly has its advantages because the performance level doesn’t change depending on the wave quality, and a lot of times regular surf competitions need to wait for the swell to improve. Then I think one of the coolest aspects of this sport is the racing and going down wind, since it’s the fastest way to do it without a motor or sail. Then there is a lot of developments to be made to the equipment that’ll make it extremely exciting for the athletes and spectators. •

K A I L E N N Y 5 7

Pushing the limits in every sphere of the foiling world... Here‘s Kai strapped up and taking on a more formidable volume of water.

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Yes, we're nervous about the stick breaking too. But let's just keep in mind that this man surfs giant waves for a living...

And what can you tell us about the foils you are riding now?

I’ve had the opportunity to ride a bunch of different foils from different brands and I have to say everyone is making good foils. One of my favorites is the Hydrofoil Company-designed MFC Hydros. Overall it does everything insane from downwind, small waves, medium waves through to the larger stuff. The range is big which is nice when I am traveling and need something to do it all. Especially staying light and small so I can put in my suitcase. I’ve been riding the Slingshot foils for really big waves and they make great foils as well. The Lift eFoil also performs exceptionally as well. What’s the sketchiest situation you’ve wound up in on a hydrofoil?

Falling on my back after straightening out on a huge closeout on the outer reefs. My head found its way in between the two wings on the fuselage. The weirdest thing is that the foil didn’t hurt me whatsoever but my feet got a little tweaked from being stuck in the straps underwater. I’m lucky I’ve never had an incident where the foils actually messed me up. It has maybe given me a dead leg for a second but that’s about it. I’ve been more screwed up from my surf fins than I ever have from my foils. You’re surely one of the (if not the?!) busiest guys on the planet in terms of your commitment to waters ports. What gets you in the water for a ‘dawn ‘til dusk’ session and how many hours do you clock on the water in an ‘average’ day do you reckon?

TOP A rare sighting of Kai Lenny on dry land.

In terms of R&D the sport is evolving quickly – do you think that smaller brands have an advantage in terms of being able to bring new designs onto the market more quickly?

BOT TOM No-one on Planet Earth is as comfortable pulling complex tricks on a foil than Kai Lenny. Period.

I’m constantly thinking of how we can improve the wings, fuselages and masts that will take my performance level up another notch. Any company that can be working and testing new designs will have the advantage in the future. I believe there’s still a lot to improve on and it may be difficult for big brands following a strict production cycle whereas a smaller brand might be able to pump out more different models without those constraints. You recently spent some time on Necker Island – sounds like fun?!

Necker is a dream island for foiling! The waves around the island aren’t great for traditional surfing but with the foil it’s a skate park. Depending on the swell direction there’s at least five good waves ranging from carving to sections to boosters.

6 0 O N E O F A K I N D

I’m lucky to call this my job and to live in a place like Maui where I can get in the water and do every sport imaginable. I’m definitely busy since I spend most of my time sun-up-to-sun-down in the water. Depending on the conditions, I’ll dawn patrol to the beach first for a surf session, followed by a foil session, and then when the wind picks up it’s kiting or windsurfing mixed in with a downwinder on the foil, and if I can do one more then it’s a surf or SUP session. That’s one of those really good days! I hardly ever do anything less than an hour on the water with each sport. Then it’s a balance finding time to talk with shapers and designers about equipment improvements, so sometimes I sacrifice a morning or afternoon to get it dialed in with them. Jump forward three years – where do you think we’ll be with the sport of hydrofoiling?

Three years from now I want to look back and laugh at the ancient relics of foils we were riding. From the time I first started with the reimagined foil sport to now, things have already improved so much. Give it another three years and it’ll be insane. And as for the performance, hopefully more and more people get into the sport and continue to push it in all aspects of small waves, big waves, downwind and more. I think it’s important to remember that the best places to do it are to go where no-one else is. That was the whole point of it in the beginning, to escape the crowds with your best friends or a few fellow foilers… •

PASSING P H OTO S M AT T G E O R G E S

THE FOIL SCENE IN THE SOUTH AND WEST OF FR ANCE IS FLOURISHING . BUT, AS OFTEN HAPPENS WITH ANY NEW SPORT THAT IS INITIALLY VIEWED AS SOMEWHAT ‘BE YOND -THE-NORM ’, LOCAL POLITIC S AND UNFAMILIARIT Y HAS A TENDENCY TO GR ATE UP AGAINST THOSE WHO JUST WANT TO HAVE A GOOD TIME ON THE WATER . LUCKILY, IT HASN ’T STOPPED THE FUN (MUCH), AS JULIEN SALLES L AYS BARE…

6 2 PA S S I N G S T O R M S

STORMS

J U LI EN SA LLE S 63

Yes, we thought that was a shark in the distance too at first. It's not...

T his trip started after speaking with Fernando “Mizo” Novaes, from Brazil. We’d tried to send him gear for a while, but sending stuff to Brazil is quite difficult… I checked the forecast and I saw this swell coming (something like 2.5m at 11 seconds) that would set the foil spots on fire. So, I asked Fernando if he wanted to come to France to pick up his gear and shoot some content. He said yes and three days later he was sitting at the peak here in France. We were super lucky to find a cameraman and a photographer at the last minute… the local team helped us out a lot. When Fernando arrived, we got straight into the water in Montpellier. We rarely have waves here, so he got pretty lucky on that one. He had to get used to wearing a wetsuit, but looking at how he is riding it didn’t look like it bothered him too much… The day after that we drove to the west coast of France with Matt Georges and Dave, the photographer/ cameraman from 15 Pearl Production. Mallory joined us two days later because he was judging the freestyle kite tour in Leucate. We shot for three days, Wednesday to Friday, and Matt and Dave left on Friday evening. Then two designers from the F-ONE office joined us and we just spent the weekend riding together!. •

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This is not a mellow wave: small amount of wing, big amount of speed...

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L-R, Julien and Fernando, eyes front for the swell lines...

“ I A M T R U LY A M A Z E D B Y H O W Q U I C K LY FOILING IS GROWING . I HEAR ABOUT MORE AND MORE CORE SURFERS GETTING INTO FOILING, BECAUSE THEY CONSIDER THE FOIL J UST ANOTHE R BOARD IN THE IR Q U I V E R , N O T A S A N O T H E R S P O R T. ”

Our team there in western France is super hooked on foiling, and their local knowledge helped us a lot, showing us the right spots at the right time. It really was a last minute shoot and we were lucky that all the pieces came together. The weather forecast looked shit, with rain and strong winds predicted every day. We had one window of glassy waves and sunshine, so we just had to be ready for it. Luckily, in winter, the apartments are quite cheap to rent, so we had the perfect flat with a view right onto the spot… The wave itself has three main sections. If you could connect them all together you would probably get the longest wave of your life. It breaks all the way from the big jetty to the beach, and it is perfectly adapted to foiling because the take-off zone produces a little foam that helps push you along, then the swell doesn’t break but is still quite powerful, so you can cut carves really easily. On big days like this there can be a strong current, and if you don’t manage to take off on a wave in the five minutes after jumping in from the rocks then you end up in the channel, and paddling back to the peak is exhausting! Out in the bigger surf, we rode our F-ONE GRAVITY 1200 wing. It can handle big waves, the lift is very progressive, it goes fast and is super stable. We used it with the 75cm mast – it gives more room for error, especially as it was a bit choppy out there! So we had

no problem riding those big sets. On smaller days we switched to the 1400 or 1800 wings, depending on what we wanted to do… All the F-ONE foil products are interchangeable, so you can switch from one wing to another in just a few minutes. The most impressive wave had to be from Fernando, in Montpellier. We had a Mediterranean storm swell, which was super hard to surf because it was about 1.5m waves at 7 seconds, which was making it really difficult to be well positioned. I saw Fernando taking off on a crappy foam wave 10 meters away from the beach and then pump super far back out to sea to catch the bigger swells. He came back in riding that 500m long wave in front of all the surfers on the peak. That was impressive – especially as he just got off of the plane! I am truly amazed by how quickly foiling is growing. I hear about more and more core surfers getting into foiling, because they consider the foil just another board in their quiver, not as another sport. So you can have a gun, a longboard, a mini-mal, a performance shortboard, a fish… and now a foil. When a surfer first gets on a foil, they feel a sensation that is similar to their first ever wave, and it immediately becomes an addiction. They start hoping for the crappy onshore days, the small swells, and they spend many more days on the water. They are also super happy to be riding with less crowds, which is becoming a bigger. •

J U LI EN SA LLE S 69

and bigger problem in some places. Right now we almost exclusively see top surfers getting into foiling, but it will gradually flow through to intermediate surfers. This is when the sport is really going to take off... Out on the Mediterranean side of France, we’re already seeing a lot of foils. There’s already a big foil culture here because a lot of us kite-foil the thermal winds in the summertime, so the transition has been easy and logical as we generally have crappy waves! On the west coast they have two different times when they can foil: very big days, when you can hide in protected bays and ride the big swells, and then weak summer swells that are not really surfable. So that’s the majority of days in the year covered… Unfortunately, foiling has been banned in one of France’s premier breaks, Anglet. It’s always the same story… there’s a new sport and the authorities are not sure if it’s safe or not. They listen to advice from the wrong people and then they ban it. It happened to kiteboarding before, and now look… today there are official kiteboarding areas all along the coast in the summer! I’m not worried because foilers are mostly good, open-minded surfers, and those guys know how to avoid risks. They foil in specific spots where other surfers don’t really go, or they choose a low-quality peak just to be alone. Nature will sort this out. We all know some spots where it’s mostly SUP and longboards and I guess it will be the same for foiling in the future. We will establish ourselves in the most adaptable spots because we ride the waves that nobody else wants! •

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Atlantic storm swells mean rich hunting grounds for a professional foiler like Fernando Novaes...

“ I T ’ S A LWAY S T H E S A M E S T O R Y… THERE’S A NEW SPORT AND THE AUTHORITIES ARE NOT SURE IF I T ’ S S A F E O R N O T. T H E Y L I S T E N TO ADVICE FROM THE WRONG P E O P L E A N D T H E N T H E Y B A N I T. IT HAPPE NE D TO KITE BOARDING BEFORE , AND NOW LOOK …”

C A I O

I B E L L I

P H OTO S S I G N AT U R E F O I L S ( U N L E S S S TAT E D)

CROSSING OVER Brazilian professional surfer Caio Ibelli is one of several high-profile WSL tour athletes who are now picking up the foil and gliding into the sunset after a hard day’s competing. We caught up with Caio mid-tour, and talked to him about unforgettable foil sessions, weird bottoms, and the waterman lifestyle… 7 2 C R O S S I N G OV E R

Caio Ibelli, taking time out from the day job...

C AI O I B ELLI 73

“In my car I’ve always got two kites, two surfboards, two foil wings and my foilboard, and my golf bag. So I guess I’m always ready for whatever happens!”

Hey Caio. Firstly, in the world of surfing, you recently beat Kelly Slater and Jordy Smith in A ustralia on the WSL. How did that feel?! It felt great! That was such a good event, we got really good waves and I’m pretty stoked how everything went for me. I got many stacked heats and was able to finish third. I think the highlight for me was The Box… what a special place it is. So what does a day in the life of Caio Ibelli look like right now?

Well, when I’m home in California or Hawaii, assessing the conditions is the first thing when I wake up. In my car I’ve always got two kites, two surfboards, two foil wings and my foilboard, and my golf bag. So I guess I’m always ready for whatever happens! I love being in the ocean so I always find perfect conditions for something during the day. So how did you originally pick up foiling and where? My first time foiling was behind a boat, which almost killed me and I stopped right away. After getting injured surfing last year, I had a lot of time off, and a lot of time spent on Instagram watching my friends foiling. I was in such a bad way, I had plenty of time to visualize it and figure out how it all works. So right after then I got back in the water, the boys at Cloud 9 sent me a foil, and since then I’m so hooked. I thank them every time I speak with them for introducing me to this amazing sport. What foil and board are you using now and what have your experiences been of different wing sizes and set ups? I actually shaped my own foil board, it’s a 4’0, 18.5”x3”. I only had one small wing (Cloud 9 S24) till last month,

74 C R O S S I N G OV E R

now I’ve got the whole Signature Foils quiver. My favorite set up is the Stealth 175, and it is mind-blowing how good that goes with the 750 mast. I’m also using the Mirage 200 and Albatross 210. When I get back home from my events I will be able to try the bigger wings, but I’m pretty happy with the Stealth 175 for my day-to-day foil sessions. Have you had a chance to foil in your native Brazil? Yes, I’ve found some insane spots to foil in my hometown. We have a world class foil spot that you need a ski to get to… I haven’t been there yet but I’ve watched some crazy three minute rides happening there. Foiling in Brazil is growing, but very slowly. The import taxes are really high, so it costs a lot of money to buy a foil in Brazil. So for that reason it isn’t massive yet. We got a local guy (@kingfoil) manufacturing pretty cool foils and sponsoring kids, so we still might see the next generation of foilers out here soon. •

A B OV E Caio, in his element. TOP RIGHT Caio hard at work with the day job... Photo World Surf League BOT TOM RIGHT Signature crew... L-R: Ivan van Vuuren, Cassio Amorim, Caio Ibelli, Matt O'Rourke, Jonny Dekker, Mike Oxley, Nathan van Vuuren

C AI O I B ELLI 75

“Foiling for me is to have that “snowboarding” feeling in the water, gliding in the silence of a non-breaking wave. That’s the feeling I think a lot of foilers love so much about it.”

You’re now based in California, where the foil scene is growing exponentially. Is it a good place to be with the sport evolving so rapidly?

California is hardly ever overhead, and luckily we don’t need much swell to foil. So a foil in California definitely makes life much more enjoyable, especially when we take the ski out, then we can catch anything. It’s so much fun. We see a lot of people frothing on foiling, and it’s so great to see how much the sport is growing there. You’re one of the ‘higher profile’ foilers in the WSL (we know John John is also partial to a bit of wing action). Do you know of others who are digging it or just starting out? A lot of the boys are really good foilers. Michel Bourez, Sebastian Zietz, Zeke Lau, Seth Moniz and John John. They are all ripping on foils, and it’s sick to see how foiling is bringing surfers together. A lot of times only one of us brings a foil, and it’s so cool how everybody shares and lets everyone ride it. Which spots have you foiled at while you have been on tour?

ever seen. We foiled for four hours! I can’t wait to go back there. Talk to us about the benefits of foiling as an accompaniment to performance surfing… It’s dangerous, it’s highly addictive and almost makes you want to give up surfing! If you live in a place where the waves are fat and small, your surfing days might be over! It’s been hard for me… a lot of the time it looks so good for foiling, but I need to go training. The benefit is that you will be in the water for 10 hours a day, paddling around on a tiny board, burning calories, and smiling like never before. •

LEFT Judging by his lean, we'd gamble that Caio is going a lot faster here than it

I’ve foiled at Bells Beach, in Bali, the Gold Coast… The best place ever was Sanur in Bali. It was my first 3:40 minute ride, and it was unforgettable. Warm blue water, perfect glassy swell. The best foil conditions I’ve

might at first seem... A B OV E Caio and his fulll Signature set-up.

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It’s a question we ask a lot, but with the speed of development, it’s hard not to think about the future. Where do you see foiling headed over the next five years? It’s so hard to try to imagine foiling getting better than it already is. I think the wings are going to get smaller but work in all conditions, like a bigger wing. And the boards are going to get smaller and smaller with less drag and weird bottoms… With some of the development occurring in foiling ‘maneuvers’, do you foresee a competitive scene for foiling beyond racing? I see foiling as part of a “waterman” lifestyle, I’m not too sure about the competition side. I love watching foilers glide and having a cruisy approach, rather than watching them attack the lip or pull airs. I see how hard and challenging that is, but that’s the type of things we do on a surfboard. Foiling for me is to have that “snowboarding” feeling in the water, gliding in the silence of a non-breaking wave. That’s the feeling I think a lot of foilers love so much about it. After a hard day shooting barrels how does it feel to pick up the foil and just cruise? Can we ask for more than getting barreled and going foiling in the same day?! I think I’m only going to do that for the rest of my life… •

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“I see foiling as part of a “waterman” lifestyle, I’m not too sure about the competition side. I love watching foilers glide and having a cruisy approach, rather than watching them attack the lip or pull airs.”

A B OV E Small board. Big smiles.

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THE ROBBY NAISH INTERVIEW THERE ARE FEW HUMAN BEINGS ON THIS PLANET WHO’VE HAD SUCH A ROUNDED, ROOT-AND-BRANCH INVOLVEMENT IN AS MANY WATERSPORTS AS ROBBY NAISH HAS. SO IF THERE IS SOMEONE YOU CAN TRUST TO TAKE A COMPANY TO THE TECHNOLOGICAL FOREFRONT OF THE FOILING GAME, THEN THE CONSUMMATE WATERSPORT LEGEND IS ONE OF THEM. EVEN A BROKEN PELVIS AND A BROKEN FOOT DIDN’T DETER HIM FROM EMBRACING THIS BRAVE NEW WORLD…

T H E I N T E R V I E W 8 1

HI ROBBY. Let’s start at the beginning – what are your first recollections and experiences of foiling craft?

The first time I ever tried a hydrofoil was in about 1977 in Kailua. A friend of mine named John Speer made a really cool wooden hydrofoil with four big wings for a windsurfer. It worked reasonably well but was no faster than a normal board at the time. More recently was about 20 years ago when we all started playing with Airchair foils both for tow-in surfing and windsurfing. Rush Randle was killing it on his windsurfer foil back then… But it never really caught on. I converted a wave board and used an Airchair foil... tried it a couple of times and lost interest. Same goes for tow-in surfing… The idea of surfing with snowboard boots and a jetski just did not do it for me.

LEFT Synonymous with having fun on the water, the Naish brand is reflective of the man who started it all...

The foil range is pretty much completely new. Can you talk us through the options for surf and SUP foiling?

What do you think are the main drivers behind the current explosion in the popularity of foiling in its various formats?

Our 2019 Thrust is a great line, but for 2020 pretty much everything is new. Our modular system continues so that one can interchange wings and masts and fuselages between sports and between years, so nothing is outdated. But the changes and evolution for this year are substantial. We have all-new wings as well as a new fuselage, new back wing connection, new rear stabilizers, new mast lengths and a new Abracadabra with a tool-less option. The changes go so far as wing covers coming standard, new hardware and tool, and a killer new padded quiver bag that comes with each complete Jetfoil setup. And in terms of the surf and SUP board line-up, you have some different shapes and some different constructions on offer as well…

As is often the case, everything has its time. And I guess the time for foiling just came to be. The technology has been around in very much the same format for decades. But with stand up paddling and kitesurfing for example, I think people are more open minded than they used to be. Social media and the internet also contribute. In the days when you needed to see something in a magazine or in person, and eventually maybe in a video somewhere, things took a lot longer to understand and catch on. The internet makes it instantaneous. You can really see the potential of something pretty quickly. And trends seem to come and go much more quickly now than in the past… Again, as a result of social media.

As new as the sport is, there is already a lot of specialization going on, especially if you take into consideration kitesurfing, windsurfing, wing foiling, surf foiling, and SUP foiling… And all of the different variations of riding within those sports. That being the case, and even though we do not participate in all aspects of foiling, we have a very large offering of boards. We are not involved with racing at this stage in any type of foiling, but are focused on recreational, all-round, and of course wave riding. In this realm there are a lot of styles and ability levels that need to be covered, and thus equates to our fairly broad range of boards on offer, whether they are crossover or dedicated purely to foiling within the sports. •

T H E I N T E R V I E W 8 3

“MY ACCELERATION TO A TOP LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE TOOK LONGER THAN IT NORMALLY WOULD HAVE. BUT THAT CHALLENGE WAS PROBABLY HEALTHY FOR ME AND NOW I AM RIGHT WHERE I WANT TO BE, AND RIDING AT A LEVEL THAT I AM QUITE HAPPY WITH AND HAVING A SHIT LOAD OF FUN.”

What are your options for foiling close to home on Maui?

There are several reasonable spots on Maui, but we do find ourselves driving and venturing out into places that we wouldn’t have previously. The southside has several spots in the summertime, though none of them are anything close to world class for foiling, all being fairly short rides compared to other spots in the world. The north shore has a few spots as well that offer decent north and east swell options, though wind is often a factor since this is Maui. But onshore wind is not a problem when foiling. Overall it is not a foiling paradise, but we make it work pretty well. On the downwind side though, Maui is as good as it gets. Do you see ‘downwinder’ foiling becoming popular? What are the prime conditions and equipment for this?

Yes, for sure. Most of the top guys here that would have historically been doing downwinders on 14 foot and unlimited stand up paddleboards are now foiling on most of their downwind runs. Anywhere with a decent wind and a long enough draw to create some good wind swell or even big chop will work for downwinders, especially now with the larger wings that are available. Of course, the more wind, the better the run. But the really good guys like Bernd Rodiger can stay on a glide the entire length of Maui’s north shore, even in pretty moderate conditions.

think it is super dorky to drive around with your foil sticking up in the air, so this was a priority early on for us. The engineering was not as simple as one might think. It took quite some work to get it right, but the system is awesome in its final form. We did not patent it, as similar technologies have been used in other applications and the way patents now work, if something is not really new and novel, it is not defendable. You cannot just take technology from one industry or product and use it in another for the first time and claim that it is a new invention. So we left this open and I am sure that others will find similar solutions. But they will discover that it is not as simple as it seems! What do you think about eFoils? Have you tried one and what do you see the main market being for these? I guess there is a customer for everything. But I am not interested in them. My good friend Don Montague has been working on one for several years now and is finally nearing production. It is a rich guy toy for sure, which is OK, but not my area of expertise. There are too many little things that can go wrong for me to get into that, as the guys that are currently selling any eFoils are finding out. A two dollar part can create a warranty nightmare on a $6000 product. Ouch. No thank you. I also like the fact that we are a company powered by wind and waves. No batteries required and no gas needed. But like I said, there is a customer for everything, and I am sure that they are a lot of fun when they are working properly.

The Abracadabra system you have in your 2019 line-up makes life a whole lot easier. Why had no one else thought of this and do you have any kind of a patent on it?!

How do you see foiling in the surf in terms of the style, do you think tight turns and airs are the direction it is heading in?

Yes, the Abracadabra certainly makes getting your foil on and off your board a lot quicker and easier. I

As with everything, there are different styles. I am certainly not into the “performance” side of foiling, •

RIGHT

8 4 R O B B Y N A I S H

Robby, stepping out of the office for a bit...

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with airs etc, but then again I’m 56! There are a couple of guys that are pretty impressive, but the vast majority are not. Taking advantage of small waves and rolling swell with laid out carving turns is more where I think foils are really at home. In order to ride at a performance level, one must ride a bit more performance-oriented wave… And that becomes problematic when foil boarders and surfers begin to share common territory. Even a very good foil surfer will make mistakes and it is a bummer when those mistakes can bring others into real danger. What about riding big waves? Do you see this as an expanding area of development? Absolutely. Big waves, small waves, long waves, boat waves, wind waves. Especially big waves that don’t really break. Or getting out on the shoulder and riding the big open faces suits a foil board quite well. But in the world of Instagram, you will soon see guys trying to foil at Teahupoo, Nazaré and the right at Jaws because it will create exposure, and likes, and views. It’s all good. Social media aside, pushing the limits is fun! Where do you see the competitive side of the sport heading?

Hopefully nowhere for a while. There is certainly no hurry, beyond racing of course. But I am sure there will be pumping sprint races along with the downwind races and likely some foil surfing wave events on the near horizon.

You’ve probably clocked more water hours than a nyone else on the planet – has it been strange having a ‘new’ sport come into your life?

Not really – I have been fortunate to have several new sports come into my life over the last several decades. From surfing and sailing to windsurfing and everything that that sport became, which is really like several different sports. And then of course kitesurfing, which I was part of from the very beginning. And then stand up paddling brought a whole new world of excitement and exercise and opportunity. Now it is foiling and everything that it brings to all of these sports that I already love. So it has been fun. So were you on board as soon as foiling began building momentum?

The very beginning was a little bit tough for me because I broke my pelvis right when the foiling experimentation began, so I missed the first half year or so of being out there, followed by many more months after that with a broken foot. My acceleration to a top level of performance took longer than it normally would have. But that challenge was probably healthy for me and now I am right where I want to be, and riding at a level that I am quite happy with and having a shit load of fun. At 56 years old I am very lucky to have been able to experience a life of sport the way that I have. Being able to be part of the growth of several different sports in terms of both the riding and the development of the equipment has been amazing. Lucky I am, and thankful. But hopefully not finished either. •

A B OV E Always moving forward... Robby Naish at 56. LEFT Mastering yet another watersport, despite injuries.

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ELECTRIC DREAMS N I C K

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L E A S O N

When trailblazers like Laird and Kai are o penly e xpounding the clear ‘water-time’ benefits of r iding e Foils, you know it’s something that the rest of the foiling world (and the world in g eneral) is going to stand up and take note of. Puerto Rico-based Lift Foils have been at the f orefront of electric foiling from day one, with their fair share of slam-dunks and stumbles along the way. Founder / CEO Nick Leason filled us in…

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Hey Nick. Thanks for taking the time to catch up with us. Can you tell us a little about the history of Lift Foils?

Lift started in 2010. I was fresh out of University with an engineering degree and my father and I started a surf factory in Puerto Rico. I had gone to school with a passion for learning about aerodynamics and when I first saw someone using a foil for kitesurfing, I fell in love. There was not a lot on the market at the time and nothing to really reference in terms of design and construction so it was a slow start being solo and starting from scratch. 2013 was the first year that we started selling foils to the public and it was a total hand-building process to put them together in the shop. 2015 was a solid year for us as the kite market was starting to catch onto the fun and we were building Slingshot’s first foil for them. It was also the year that I started working on the electric foil. We started to grow a lot faster at that stage as we fine-tuned our knowledge for foil construction and had a better idea for design. When did the eFoil first become a reality as a consumer p roduction option? In 2016, we were fully committed to getting the eFoil to market and increasing foil production, when an electrical fire burned our factory to the ground back in Puerto Rico. It was a complete loss for Lift and our custom board factory MHL at the time, but as I look back, it was a blessing in disguise. The custom SUPs and surfboards were beautiful, but not really making money for the business and they consumed a lot of time. I took a deep breath and didn’t hesitate for a minute on the choice to move forward. It opened an opportunity to quiet everything down, design the eFoil and restructure the business for a new launch. My father and business partner backed me up with a whole new facility and the support we needed to launch again. Then in 2017, still pushing hard to get the new projects out, category 5 Hurricane Maria hits Puerto Rico and shuts down the island for months. I had a waterfall of mud pouring off the cliff behind the shop into our back door. It was a mess. I had to escape to the US to keep things rolling and my crew back home were amazing and kept things going. 2018 was a big year for us. After years of developing the eFoil and setting up teams around the world focused on building the components needed, we started delivering with great success. Not only that, but Kai Lenny had introduced foil surfing with a whole new twist and it opened our eyes to new passions on the water. So here we are today – after a decade of work and investment – and things are finally starting to take off… literally. Who else is in the Lift team and what type of person does it take to bring this type of technology into the market?

In Puerto Rico, I have a full force of employees that have been hand-building foils and boards with me for almost a decade. My guys are unbelievable carpenters, electricians, craftsmen, board builders… you name it. They come from a world where if you want it, you have to build it. All of my office staff have at some point or another operated the CNC machines or played up carbon fiber into the molds. In California, I have my propulsion systems team of engineers. We have ex-Tesla guys with a dedicated factory in San Francisco building our battery packs. We also have a group of engineers designing our software and electrical systems. Combined, they have skills that are far beyond my understanding and they work very futuristic projects – flying electric surfboards being one of them! Then in China we have an amazing team of composite suppliers. China gets a bad rap for so many reasons, but the truth is there are people in that country who work hard and take pride in what they do. My team in China have become good friends and

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have blown me away with their craftsmanship when it comes to building boards and hydrofoils. I’m proud to say that we have the best suppliers in the world for the crafts that we all love to ride. I pay a premium, but my suppliers take great care of me and, more importantly, they take care of their employees. Then there’s me and my family. I drive the teams and trim the sails; my family is my pillar of strength that guides my moves and protects me from myself. I get the foils built and if my father is happy and he just can’t seem to find a way to break them, I know we have something good. How much of the R&D process is on the computer and how much is on the water?

What can I say… my computer is attached to me except when I am surfing, so it’s kind of an even balance. The truth is when it comes to hydrofoils, you need CAD expertise and full digital support to know where to start. •

A B OV E The life-cycle of a foil: from laptop to the final polish... TOP RIGHT Is it more satisfying paddling out on something you have created youself? Nick‘s face would suggest it is. BOT TOM RIGHT Never too late to turn and go...

LI F T FO I L S 91

With eFoil power engaged – looks fun...

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With wave energy engaged – also looks fun...

LI F T FO I L S 93

LEFT Chances are, you won't find many Lift Foils lying around on the beach. But this is how it would look if you did. BOT TOM Laird Hamilton has been one of electric foiling's (and foiling in general’s) biggest proponents.

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I have spent years drawing my own designs on CAD and running our own CNC machines to build tools. Nine years with no free weekends to be exact. If I had to rely on someone else to draw for me, it would be too challenging. It’s been a closed loop of evaluating, drawing, building and testing. I spend hours staring at a computer screen and days out on the water. When it comes to dialing in a wing design for instance, I would say it’s 20% numbers and 80% getting out on the water. I use programs to select my foil sections and compare important values to my past collections. But most importantly, I get on the water and ride to find the magic balance. Over the last 9+ years, I have made many, many wings to test the feeling behind certain parameters. For example, what is the effect of a high aspect wing vs a low aspect wing of the same surface area? Sure, my computer will tell me that I might have a 25% increase in a lift/drag ration with the high aspect, but what does it feel like in the water? So I would build them both and try it. Then I would dial it in based on what I feel. That’s just one example of many and the interesting thing that I noticed is that as I improve as a foiler, I see that my designs improve too… What were the main challenges when you began developing eFoils?

Pretty much not knowing anything about anything and having almost nothing to reference! Let’s face it, wing designs can be intimidating and composite molding is straight-up difficult. When I witnessed the Carafino for the first time (the first composite kite foil which was a total dog, but it worked), I gave myself a task: I need to build a hydrofoil that works. In order to do that, I had to learn more about aerodynamics, CAD drawing, CNC machining and composite layups. That’s a lot to take on. I was 24 years old at the time and had just completed a university engineering project where we built a unique radio-controlled airplane. With that project, I had an idea of what I was getting into. With desire and drive, you can do pretty much anything. I like the saying that it takes 10,000 hours to be good at something. That sounds about right. Time and picking yourself up from failure. I can assure you that my first foil was a total disaster, but ironically, I could probably make it work today. It is clearly a technical and complicated piece of kit – was it (and is it!) difficult to be completely confident in the functionality before you began selling them commercially?

We talked about the years needed to build a hydrofoil… Electric propulsion was like starting all over again. You look at the hobby world and think, “well this shouldn't be too hard.” Think again. This is not the hobby world. This is full on electric propulsion for a human watercraft and take note of the world’s humans and water. Challenging combination. Here is the basic breakdown of an eFoil and what makes it challenging: 1) The board and hydrofoil. It’s not a surfboard anymore, it’s a watercraft. This craft needs to be strong but light, stable but small in size, rigid but thin, fully sealed but accessible. These parameters completely contradict themselves and it took all of our experience and more to put it together. 2) The battery. 17 miles of power for flying packed into a tight little black box. Little does the user know that there are thousands of pieces connected together in order to function. Fully water submersible (lithium does not like water). Integrated circuitry and software for automatic regulation and safety. The battery is a living thing that protects itself from the user. We are basically taking a very technical item and simplifying it into a power pack that is capable of pulling not one but two people through the water. Battery packs are not created equal and ours is top of the food chain.

3) A brushless motor. Let’s just say that we very efficiently convert a great amount of electrical power into mechanical power within a small space and with very few moving parts. How did we do it? I contracted the best motor engineer in the US and sold him on the dream of flying over water. That was not easy. I’m still impressed on what our motor can do and how well it’s holding up to the elements. 4) A wireless hand controller and computer that regulates all communication. There are a whole bunch of wireless hand controllers in the world that we can take out into the water, right? Nope… There was not a single one in the world… None. We invented it and it was a beast of a project. And by the way, radio waves do not travel through salt water and carbon fiber, but take our controller out in the nastiest of surf and you can bet your life that it’s going to connect and get you out of there. Our controller kicks ass. 5) Software. We have five computers in the eFoil with individual software and they all communicate and interact. Then we have multiple engineers that have a hard time communicating and have never surfed a day in their life, until now. The greatest challenge is always people, but I have a lot of passion about what we do and I know how to spread it. My guys are great. •

A B OV E Nick wasn't shy in picking some pretty epic testing grounds when developing the foils...

LI F T FO I L S 95

It has been a LOT of work and once again, we were leading the pack with no reference. When we first launched our videos, we were way too early and it went mega viral with over 100 million views. Oops. When we delivered product, it was quite the gamble because you don’t know what you don’t know, but you have to start somewhere. We had millions invested, years of hard work and relationships at stake under the amount of stress to get things going. We got a little lucky in all honesty, and the mindset was simple: solve problems and take care of all our customers so that they have a positive experience. I am happy to say that we are on stable ground now and I am pleasantly surprised to see how things are holding up. I mean… people ride the hell out of these boards! It’s great. You have now sold a lot of units, how are your warranties and have you tweaked the design or technology at all based on the end user’s experience?

We are rapidly approaching 1000 units and expect great things for the remainder of 2019. Have we had warranties? Absolutely. It was expected, but it’s not our first product and I knew that we had to make things modular so we could turn big problems into small problems. The issues have been minor, but one small problem means: ‘my board stopped working.’ The foundation of the design is good and we have been improving each component a piece at a time so that everyone can update their board with smaller investments. For example… you bought a board last summer for 12 grand, but this summer with $100, you can upgrade the shroud and gain 30% efficiency. Pretty cool.

“Our goal is to get everyone foiling in some way or another and we are working hard to achieve it.”

tion. Sure… 12K is a lot of money, but this summer you will see lots of affiliates pop up where you can go take a lesson and test one. What type of maintenance is required on the eFoil?

It’s a pretty simple plug and play. A fresh water rinse goes a long way with the addition of a little love for your electrical contacts. It’s like an electric skateboard that you need to rinse and let dry.

How efficient in terms of battery power is a hydrofoil compared to a non-foiling craft?

Looking more generally at the foil market – where do you see the main growth areas being?

It’s quite the difference. For starters you reduce a lot of drag from the surface of the board not touching the water so you greatly reduce power needed for velocity. Also, our propulsion is lower in the water so it is running in much smoother water vs the surface. This increases efficiency a lot and allows for smoother control on the throttle. I don’t have an exact number, but when I add it all up, it’s at least twice as efficient and four times more fun.

We are heavily invested in the electric side of things because I see a large market demographic to sell to with lots of water access. I think the eFoil will see large growth across the world and prices will come down with time. We are also heavily invested into surfing our traditional foils and I think the whole world of surfing will soon have a Lift in their quiver. Let’s face it, even in the best surfing areas of the world, most of the days are mediocre as you wait for the good stuff. Foiling makes those waves some of the best rides you have ever had and it’s crazy addictive. I just saw John John Florence and team heading out to Australia for a large surfing event and what is at the top of their quiver? A Lift! It’s not going away, it’s just going to grow substantially and we hope to lead the movement in foil design.

What are the limits in terms of speed and performance of eFoils?

I’m not sure what the limits will be as we get started. I can currently hit 30mph on the eFoil and that is quite fast when you are flying over the water. I would say that I have a personal goal of closing the gap between our surf foils and our electric. We have some pretty cool toys that are working really well in that respect such as our folding prop and 4’4” eFoil board, but I can see us developing some cool systems that enable the rider to get out and surf pure swells with a loose and seamless integration between power and glider. In your experience so far, who is buying eFoils and where are they using them?

This is the beauty of the sport that we have just created… we are opening the sensation of foiling to a wide demographic of people in all bodies of water. This is no longer a sport of surfers and what’s even better is that with the eFoil, riders are directly jumping surfing to becoming surf foilers. Imagine that you have never surfed before and you live on a lake… Then you purchase an eFoil and next thing you know, you are carving perfect buttery turns up over the water… You would be pretty stoked wouldn’t you? Our demographic ranges from the world champion of surfing to the guy that never even dreamt about it. There is something majestic about flying over the water that grabs a lot of atten-

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So what are you most excited about for the future?

Everything. We are expanding our lineup of product on both the electric and traditional foils. Our goal is to get everyone foiling in some way or another and we are working hard to achieve it. You will see how we develop a complete line of wings to suit everyone everywhere. Beyond that, we now know a thing or two about electric propulsion and watercraft and I have some wild ideas to work on that will take years, but we will do it… •

RIGHT When product testing doesn't really feel like work at all...

HE 101

P T I

T R

SURF FOILING BASICS Surf foiling is an incredible new way to ride waves, offering a unique feeling of freedom and the ability to tackle waves and lumps of moving water you never thought possible. Whether you’re completely new to surfing or a WCT veteran, there are a few tips that can save you a lot of time on your way to becoming a foil wizard. WORDS SKY SOLBACH

SELECTING A SPOT The most important thing to know when looking for a good wave to learn to foil is that you don’t actually need a “good” wave to get up on the foil. This is great because it means you won’t have to share the line up with other surfers and risk being a hazard to them. The best waves for foiling are waves that just barely break and feather but are not very steep. Mushy, fat waves are absolutely perfect for foiling! You only need a wave that just breaks enough to allow you to paddle in and get up on the foil. Once you’re up, you can easily ride the non-breaking lump. SAFETY POINTERS • You definitely want to wear a leash. A foil board can travel a long distance when pushed by a wave and become a serious hazard to other water users, so be smart and wear that leash. • Be aware of shallow water, coral heads, and other submerged objects. The typical length of the foil mast is around 75cm, so you’ll need at least this much water when paddling out. You can always flip your board upside down when leaving the beach and paddle or swim it out until you reach deep enough water • Wear some protection at least until you know what you’re doing. A helmet and impact vest can save you from injury and it’s better to look like a bit of a kook until you figure things out. The helmet will also let others know to steer clear… GEAR It will be easiest to start with a board with a bit more length and volume. The added length and volume will give more paddle power and allow you to catch waves earlier than you would with a smaller board. This means your take offs will happen in the less critical part of the wave and your success rate will be higher. Once you figure it out, you can step down your board length and volume. Also, get a foil that is recommended for your weight and wave size. A foil that is too big will be tough to control and a foil that is too small will be difficult to maintain flight. Another general rule is that a longer fuselage is more pitch stable, and makes learning much more forgiving.

POSITIONING TO CATCH YOUR FIRST WAVE Just like in surfing, positioning yourself to catch the wave is critical. The difference with foiling is that you don’t need or want to sit in the same spot to take off as you would when surfing, at least in the learning stages. If you have a big board with plenty of volume, you’ll want to sit a little farther outside in order to catch the wave before it starts breaking. If you have a small board with little volume you can even sit inside and catch the white water reform. In either case, you will be taking off in an area of the wave that has just enough power to give you the push needed to get you up to your feet. One of the great things about foiling is that you don’t need to take off “in the pocket” to keep up with the wave, because once you are up on the foil you will have all the freedom you need to go anywhere you want on the wave – even way out on the shoulder or even pumping out to catch the next wave. STANDING UP ON YOUR FIRST WAVE When standing up on your first waves, you’ll want to stay low and forward as much as possible. Keeping your center of gravity low gives you balance and staying forward will prevent the foil from rising too quickly. Gradually shifting your weight back will cause the foil to rise and you will quickly figure out where the sweet spot (or not so sweet spot) is! It’s also very important to stand on the center line of the board. Getting your feet too far off to one side will result in the foil simply rolling you off the side. Once you have mastered your first take offs you will be ready to start doing carves and pumping back out to catch multiple waves in a row. But we’ll leave that part ‘til next time… •

TOP LEFT Sky proving that mushy waves really are perfect for foiling... Photo John Carter BOT TOM LEFT Keeping that center of gravity low... Photo Si Crowther

S U R F FO I LI N G BA S I C S 9 9

F - O N E

W I N G C O M M A N D E R

CHARLES BERTRAND

As established kite brands began to dip their toes into increasingly foil-friendly waters a few years back, there were a handful of brands who decided to go ‘all in’ and fully embraced this world nice and e arly. Amongst them was F-ONE. Their range is now as well tailored to the requirements of surf and SUP foilers as it has been for kiters for the last few years. There is one guy who can take much of the c redit for overseeing this evolution: F-ONE’s chief R&D Engineer and hydrodynamics wizard, Charles Bertrand.

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Charles Bertrand's hydrofoil wizardry in action with the boss providing the feedback.

Hey Charles. So, how did you end up in the world of foil design? I believe it was my background in naval architecture and my interest in all kinds of watercraft that helped me get hired by Raphaël (Salles – the F-ONE chief) six years ago. I spent about a year dialing into F-ONE’s approach to R&D before I took over board design. Designing the foils was the next natural step for me. When did you design your first foil? I actually started designing foils in 2014, and then started kite foiling myself in spring 2015. I design based on feedback from the testers and following either Raphaël's or my own intuition. This works really well as long as my own experience of the sport is enough for me to understand how things work. How did that first foil design pan out? Well we started the development in 2014 with some prototypes that were fully CNC’d from solid aluminum blocks. The weight and the trailing edge of these things were scary! After a few iterations, we found a versatile design that was liked by all our early foiling testers and we started producing it for release in 2015. The foiling scene in France was made up of people used to performance foils, so we had to come in with a product that would be relatively accessible and yet fast enough to be considered serious by the existing crowd. The first F-ONE foil was 100% carbon and featured the patented FCD system. At the time, you could find all sorts of hand-built foils that were all trimmed differently, and we really wanted to make sure that our foils would always remain in trim.

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That was the main reason behind that FCD system which was also super easy and fast to assemble with one single fastening rod. Producing these foils was a steep learning curve, and I had to inspect 95% of that first year production myself! F-ONE were one of the first brands to go ‘all in’ with foiling. How was it designing the first foil range with them, and how confident were you that you had the right kind of line up? For the first design, I started from the basic principles and hydrodynamic theory, backed up by some things I had seen on the foiling moths of the time. From then, we relied a lot on testing as we usually do at F-ONE, with help from riders who were already keen foilers, and with Raphaël indicating in which direction he wanted to head for the final product. As for the line-up, this was built progressively as foiling established itself as a new discipline, able to bridge different sports. It was clear from the beginning that F-ONE wanted to offer a full range for riders of all styles and levels, so we tried to fulfil that objective the best we could, as we gathered experience and knowledge on what works, what doesn’t, and where foiling is heading. The kite foil market has already seen a lot of changes since then – how does the current F-ONE foil line-up differ from that first one? Well, we started with one set (wing/mast/fuselage) and we now have masts of all sizes, several fuselage lengths, 10 wings and more to come! Compared with the early foil development, which was led by racing designs, the range has expanded mainly towards •

“IT WAS CLEAR FROM THE BEGINNING THAT F-ONE WANTED TO OFFER A FULL RANGE FOR RIDERS OF ALL STYLES AND LEVELS, SO WE TRIED TO FULFIL THAT OBJECTIVE THE BEST WE COULD, AS WE GATHERED EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE ON WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOESN’T, AND WHERE FOILING IS HEADING.”

LEFT Raphaël Salles putting full faith in Charles' work. RIGHT Charles cut his teeth in the world of board design before applying his expertise to the world of foils: he‘s the kind of guy who likes to tinker in the world of 0.01mm variables...

C H A R LE S B ERTR A N D 1 03

GRAVITY 1800

GRAVITY 1400

GRAVITY 1200

AND MAST

larger wings which aren’t as fast but are more forgiving and user-friendly. The way the foils are trimmed and tuned has changed a lot and the evolution of wing size has forced us to review our initial thinking on construction and assembly. For 2018, we have focused on the development of a very sleek and reliable ‘chassis’, including the fuselage, mast and all connection parts, built in aluminum to offer a true modularity between various parts and standards, together with a reasonable price tag. We wanted that modularity from the beginning, but we also had to react to unplanned developments in this very rapidly changing sector. It’s a bit easier now to have longer vision, and we have really achieved that modularity with the latest V2 range. Then this has transitioned into the world of surf and SUP – can you take us through that, and how has your experience in the kite market helped in terms of developing this? Absolutely, we currently have three wing sizes for surf and SUP foiling: The Gravity 1200, 1400 and 1800 wings. We then have a new Gravity 2200 arriving later this summer… The 1800 and 2200 also come with a longer fuselage tail that helps you to reach a better glide when pumping, then these wings are quite unique as we have removed the connection between the front wing and the fuselage, which is one of most highly stressed areas of the foil. These wings are molded together with the fuselage, which has a split tail where the loads are smaller. This results in what is probably the best weight to stiffness ratio you can achieve. The 1800 also comes with a longer fuselage tail that helps you to reach a better glide when pumping, and you can also combine that with the smaller wings. Our kite experience was very useful, but we have also used some new profiles that are better suited to the high thickness and lower operating speed of the surf and SUP foils. The balance of the foil is also a bit different, for surfi ng you want more maneuverability

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and less tracking than when kiting at higher speeds. We’re busy on many fronts, especially with the arrival of the Swing ‘wing’ which is triggering some new foil developments which you’ll see coming soon enough. Then some wings are carbon, but your masts are all aluminum, why have you decided not to go down the carbon mast route? We have decided to focus on the aluminum ‘chassis’ because it meant we could achieve better control over the production and keep the costs reasonable. Using extrusion and CNC to process the aluminum means we can produce the required quantities with very high accuracy, and having all the parts fitting perfectly with each other and achieving a very solid assembly is paramount to the flight experience. We have also learnt how to make foils that are fast despite having aluminum mast sections. Overall, this meant we could establish a solid base for our foil range and spend some time creating and launching new wing designs, which requires quite a bit of time itself. However, we have a carbon mast project under way, but we will only release it when we are confi dent that we have a great product. You have surf, kite, SUP and windsurf foils. Are the foils essentially interchangeable between the different disciplines or are there certain things you consider in some that you don’t in others? We’ve always wanted to achieve the largest modularity between the various parts of our range. Ideally, an educated rider should be able to pick and mix the components of his foils within our range with as few restrictions as possible. However, there are practical limitations to this. One being that wings that can double in area or span do not apply the same loads but, more pragmatically, the various disciplines require different foil balance, and this means different front wing location and a different mast length. So inevitably we are going to end up with setups that need more variations than just changing the front wing.

“THE GRAVITY 1200, 1400 AND 1800 WINGS. THESE WINGS ARE UNIQUE IN THE WAY WE REMOVE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE FRONT WING AND THE FUSELAGE, WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST HIGHLY STRESSED AREAS OF THE FOIL.” What do you think about the recent trend in ‘inverted gullwing’ designs? Do you feel it has merits for some disciplines? Having some arch in the wing is interesting for various reasons and there are several ways to design this arch. If we talk about the front wing, if you bring down the tips compared to the base close to the fuselage, this should increase control, the foil is more stable, and you have a better feel for where it is and where it’s going. Having the arch down this way provides more power to the wing because it keeps the water flow entrapped beneath the wing. If you bring the tip down, it also helps keep them away from the free surface when cranked upwind. Now there are several ways to design this arch. You can start horizontally and progressively curve the tips down; you can start straight and make a sharp turn towards the tips; or, alternatively, you can curve down from the root and the wing and finish off flat. The latter design will reduce the ventilation if the tip does pierce the free surface and the rounded arch in the center provides some degree of roll ability, where a flat section with a sharp turn will be a bit more locked in. We tend to adapt depending on the aspect ratio of the wings. Lower aspect ratio wings are naturally more maneuverable due to their compact outline, where larger AR wings are harder to roll and turn. And what can we expect next from F-ONE Foil?! We are working on new wings to keep up with the latest surf and SUP developments in very large wings, with an eye on downwinding. We are also working on the consolidation of the existing kite range, we have a carbon mast project in process, and we are looking at how we can make our products more efficient. We’re busy on many fronts, but there are also quite a few things that I won’t disclose just yet… •

The new set up... Tuned to perfection and ready for wherever you’re riding.

C H A R LE S B ERTR A N D 1 05

NICHE NO LONGER… FOILING IS NOW BIG BUSINESS, AND WITH THE UPTAKE GROWING DAILY, BOTH BACK YARD TINKERERS AND BIG BRANDS ALIKE HAVE RECOGNIZED THAT THERE IS A THRIVING MARKET FOR THESE WONDERFUL TOYS.

CONSEQUENTLY, OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, THE NUMBER OF SOPHISTICATED FOIL PROD UCERS HAS PROLIFERATED, AND WATERSPORT STORE SHELVES NOW PLAY HOST TO A RANGE OF SHAPES, ST YLES AND VARIATIONS FOR A MULTITUDE OF FOIL DISCIPLINES.

OVER THE NEXT FEW PAGES, WE PROFILE THE BRANDS WHO ARE NOT ONLY CREATING AND SELLING THIS INCREASINGLY WIDE VARIET Y OF FOILS AND BOARDS, BUT ARE ALSO THE DRIVING FORCES OF INVESTMENT AND TECHNOL OGY IN THE SPORT.

THEY ARE…

1 0 6 T H E P L AY E R S

THE PLAY ERS T H E P L AY E R S 1 0 7

The Players

BRAND Armstrong Foils

THE TEAM Robert Whittall, Andrew McGregor, Bryce Rhodes, Armie Armstrong

WHERE’S YOUR HQ? Raglan, New Zealand. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE FOIL SCENE? After a lifetime of sailing the globe, Armie Started developing foilboards and foils in 2014 – then teamed up with Rob Whittall (legendary sport wing designer) to design our fi rst production foils and boards which we started selling in early 2017. Armie was the fi rst person globally to compete in a downwind SUP race on a prototype Armstrong board and foil at the Gorge Paddle Champs in 2016. BREAK DOWN YOUR CURRENT RANGE FOR US… At the heart of our system is the high-tech Carbon Fuselage with solid Titanium Core for a future proof modular design delivering access to all foil sports. The easiest foil to learn on and progress to pro level, as new parts will all fit the system. We have multiple mast lengths (up to 110cm) and four front wings currently on the market (we were the fi rst to name wings by size in cm 2!). Our main foil kits are: Our Carving Freeride CF800 Foil Kit delivers the perfect combination of performance, stability and rail to rail carve-ability to take your foiling to the next level. Ideal for kite freeride and medium to large wave riding and intermediate level and above surf/tow foiling. CF1200 Foil Kit is the do-it-all combination for all round foil riding, amazing range in the surf and awesome to carve turns. Super easy with a kite, SUP and windsurf foil (with TCW80 fuse). Then our CF1600 Foil Kit is perfect for wing foiling, SUP or small wave surf and wake plus high wind downwind foiling. Primarily for smaller waves or SUP, this setup delivers confi dence inspiring stability and carving performance across a huge range of conditions. Finally our CF2400 Foil Kit is a great choice for riders starting out in wake foiling or catching micro surf and cruising.

Its large size makes learning very easy due to the slow speeds at which the wing will fly and the wing shape creates unparalleled stability. For boards, our new SUPs and surf/kite/tow boards feature a new triple concave bottom for early takeoff, then have a slight deck recess, ultra-stiff Dual Carbon Stringer system and reduced swing weight to take your foiling to the next level.

WHAT’S THE ONE PRODUCT EVERY SELF-RESPECTING FOILER SHOULD HAVE IN THEIR ARSENAL? Our high-grade titanium T-nut and mast top washer system is next level light and strong – goes with any of our setups…

WHAT DRIVES ARMSTRONG FOILS FORWARD EVERY DAY? Foiling is such a sublime feeling and we want to share this sensation. When we started foiling we broke everything we rode and became frustrated with inferior materials and design being used in foil construction. We set out to design a strong, reliable reliable, non-corroding modular foil system that will last several generations of wings, so riders can progress with the sport and get the most out of their gear, season after season. WHO’S ON THE TEAM? Reo Stevens, Chris Bertis, Myles Padaca, Billy Kemper, Sylvio Mancusi, Bevan Gooche, Daniel Kereopa, Hayato Maki. WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO TEST OUT NEW KIT AND WHY? Raglan and Pauanui in NZ and anywhere in Hawaii – there’s almost always something to ride on the foil for surf, kite and tow. WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? We have taken a no compromise design approach to the materials we use in our foils. ALL components like our titanium Tail Trim Fairings and T-nuts are custom produced high grade titanium. All threaded screw holes are tapped into large diameter titanium. Our proprietary strengthened 316L screws lock perfectly into these titanium threads, for a zero corrosion solid connection that will last. Also, our striking original graphics reduce heating of carbon when in the sun and is a proven predator deterrent. ANY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HORIZON? We are always looking to make it easier for beginners to get in on the foil buzz. New big wings combined with our high-tech mast/fuselage system are so stable anyone can foil. We also have a new HS (High Speed) Wing series in the late development stage that will keep chargers like Chris Bertish, Myles Padaca and Sylvio Mancusi pushing the envelope.

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The Players

BRAND F-ONE

THE BOSS Julien Salles

signed for early take-offs, comfort, and maneuverability during flight. All the foil parts are interchangeable, and we offer two sizes of fuselage.

WHAT’S THE ONE PRODUCT EVERY SELF-RESPECTING FOILER SHOULD HAVE IN THEIR ARSENAL? I would say the Rocket 4’2 and Gravity 1400 wing, as it is a set-up you can use in any conditions, from bigger waves to small foamers, from wake-foiling to a bit of downwind.

WHAT DRIVES F-ONE FORWARD EVERY DAY? We are passionate watermen and women, and we want to make the most of our time in the water. The foil brought us a unique connection to the ocean, and we are working to improve this connection. WHO’S ON THE TEAM? Alright, so we got: Big wave legend Grant Twiggy Baker. Brazil-based ripper Rémi Quique. Matt Maxwell from South Africa – the kid is ripping on any foil and any board. Patrice Chanzy, a well-respected waterman from Tahiti. Young and very promising grom Ulisses Vinicius and the downwind master Titouan Galea… Give him 12 knots and he can downwind for miles. WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO TEST OUT NEW KIT AND WHY? So here’s our process: fi rstly, we test our samples ourselves in France. We have some crappy wind swells in the Mediterranean that are perfect for foiling, and we’re just a few hours away from the best spots in the Atlantic. Once we know we got something interesting, we send the gear to a few riders to test and give feedback, including guys like Patrice, Titouan, Rémi and Twiggy… WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? The Gravity range, as it is the fruit of six years of foil expertise. We fi ne-tuned it to the max, we only work with the best partners out there for materials and manufacturing, and our riders love the feeling of it. WHERE’S YOUR HQ? France. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE FOIL SCENE?

We started to develop foils for kites in 2013, and we got into surf foiling in 2017.

BREAK DOWN YOUR CURRENT RANGE FOR US… We offer our Gravity front wings in three sizes. 1200 is a surfi ng/carving machine that goes fast and holds bigger waves, the 1400 is the all-round model, it surfs and pumps very well to connect multiple waves, and the 1800 performs in downwind and pumping. It can surf and turns very well for a wing of that size. Then we offer a foil surfi ng-specifi c board called the Rocket that comes in four sizes, from 4’2 to 6’4. The shape has been de-

ANY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HORIZON? We just released our wing: the “Swing”. We have been developing kites for more than 20 years and we used the same R&D process to design this wing. It is light, durable, and performs. We’re only just starting to understand what is possible with a wing and a foil, and I’m sure we will see a lot of these in the future…

A B OV E The F-ONE GRAVITY wing and Rocket board in action...

F - O N E T H E P L AY E R S 1 0 9

The Players

BRAND Delta Hydrofoil

THE BOSS George Hradil

WHERE’S YOUR HQ? Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE FOIL SCENE? I started on foils around a dozen years ago. I had one of the fi rst Carafi no kite foils. After learning to ride that, which took some time, I decided to design and manufacture foils here in the US. That was about six years ago. Initially, I focused on kite race foils. For the past two years, I’ve been working on large wings, primarily for surf or free ride kiting. BREAK DOWN YOUR CURRENT RANGE FOR US… We offer an all-carbon tuttle mount foil with a 24” strut, as well as a lightweight, carbon/aluminum hybrid foil with an aluminum strut in 24” and 28” lengths. The hybrid features a plate mount. For wings, we have the L and XL sizes at 1260 sq cm and 1660 sq cm. We also have the Mono wing at 1500 sq cm, which you can ride with or without a stabilizer. All wings are interchangeable for both foils. WHAT’S THE ONE PRODUCT EVERY SELF-RESPECTING FOILER SHOULD HAVE IN THEIR ARSENAL? A foil that allows you to ride as often as possible at your local spot. The magic of foiling is how it lets you enjoy conditions that would otherwise be unrideable or just not fun. In our line, for most people, that would be the Mono, the L, or the XL, depending on the rider’s weight.

WHAT DRIVES THE DELTA BRAND FORWARD EVERY DAY? Delta is performance driven. We design our foils to be extremely effi cient and for low

drag. Low drag is what makes a foil pump and glide well, and allows higher speeds. The trick is to make sure the foil is also easy to ride. Since I’m formally trained as an engineer, I have a good knowledge of hydrodynamic theory, useful for working on drag reduction. For ease of ride and control, you need to test. We build and test many prototypes to fi nd that sweet spot that makes performance fun. Often we go from design concept to testable prototype in less than a week. Fortunately, our design shop is 300 meters from the beach!

WHO’S ON THE TEAM? Delta is a small company and a lot of people have helped us along the way. I do the designing and prototype development. On the testing side, the crew from Jupiter FL, including Jon Modica, have helped and supported us. We also have a large family of local customers and riders who provide testing and suggestions, though sometimes it’s hard to get them off the prototypes. WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO TEST OUT NEW KIT AND WHY? Ha! I recognize a trick question when I see it – no way am I sharing my favorite spot. Seriously though, we do a lot of the initial tests wake-riding behind a boat. This is a consistent way of judging the performance of the foil, particularly its pumping ability. Then we move the testing to actual waves wherever we happen to be with the riders at that time. The two conditions are very different. You can’t judge foil performance using only one method. I also test with a kite, which allows me to push the speed higher than I might otherwise be able to. WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? I think we really set the trend for low drag foils with thinner wings, which has improved performance greatly over the early thick wing foils. This gives a foil a much wider speed range. You can also pump indefi nitely, or at least until you run out of oxygen. Additionally, we have a couple of unique design features that improve stability while maintaining responsiveness. ANY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HORIZON? Long, narrow, high aspect ratio wings are interesting and defi nitely offer an effi ciency advantage. I think this is the direction to go for downwind racing foils or to ride wind swell. Also, there’s the Mono wing. Riding without a stabilizer has an entirely different feel and I think this is much more like riding a traditional short surfboard. Carving around on a Mono wing is defi nitely more challenging, but it feels amazing.

1 1 0 T H E P L AY E R S D E LTA H Y D R O F O I L

The Players

BRAND Ride Engine

THE TEAM Gary Siskar, Coleman Buckley, Julien Fillion, Tony Logosz

WHERE’S YOUR HQ? Santa Cruz, CA and Hood River, OR. Having these two locations for Ride Engine, we are able to design, proto and test product extremely fast in various conditions.

WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO TEST OUT NEW KIT AND WHY? This is what is great about having Ride Engine rooted in Santa Cruz, CA and in Hood River, OR. We don’t really have a single favorite spot, we have multiple spots with different types of surf and conditions.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE FOIL SCENE? Collectively we have over 20 years of experience with hydrofoils. Personally, I (Gary) have been riding foils with a kite since 2013 and started to work with Julien Fillion on designs pretty much right at that time. Tony has been cooking up foil designs for about the same time, and I am pretty sure he had ideas way before…

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? Of course we have a great relationship in the partnership with Tony Logosz. This has been so special to date, allowing Ride Engine to share his shapes and innovations.

BREAK DOWN YOUR CURRENT RANGE FOR US… Currently the Ride Engine range is focused on hydrofoil surfi ng and SUP surfi ng. The Manta wing in the 76 and 84 are amazing for both surfi ng and SUP in all types of waves. They offer smooth controllable lift and stability. The Batwing provides an entirely different experience, where it has a more V shape that gives a tighter turning radius. The Arc and the Colugo are great for faster wave energy or if you are whipping into surf. We offer an alloy mast and fuse that has three options for mast orientation on the fuse in addition to cross compatibility with all the wings. WHAT’S THE ONE PRODUCT EVERY SELF-RESPECTING FOILER SHOULD HAVE IN THEIR ARSENAL? Not really a product, but besides being self-respecting, a respectful attitude to others. Know that when you are starting your hydrofoiling passion you can be a hazard. And once you are accomplished you can start grabbing multiple waves of a set. So don’t be a wave hog!

WHAT DRIVES RIDE ENGINE FORWARD EVERY DAY? We are not making products just to make products. We are making products to enhance an experience, solve a problem, all the while being conscious of our natural environment that provides the conditions for us to have fun. WHO’S ON THE TEAM? Coleman Buckley: Coleman is simply amazing. Designer, tinkerer, board shaper, engineer, plant whisperer, respectful, humble and rips! Julien Fillion: Put a foil on it and he will ride it. It does not matter if the wave is a crumbly, junky, lackluster beach break or a solid standing river wave, he is on it. Jesse Faen: Jesse is one of those guys that is a natural at everything. Australian ripper that was on the tour for a bit, but now resides in CA. He picked up a hydrofoil and was immediately connecting waves and riding what was always thought to be impossible.

R I D E E N G I N E T H E P L AY E R S 1 1 1

The Players

BRAND AXIS Foils

THE BOSS(ES) Adrian Roper and Evan Mavridoglou

AXIS offers over 1000 combinations of interchangeable components; the most extensive foiling collection to date, including… Front Wings: Nine carbon front wings (wingspan sizes: 545mm, 600mm, 680mm, 750mm, 820mm, 900mm, 920mm, 1000mm, 1020mm). Rear Wings: Six carbon rear wings (wingspan sizes: 320mm, 340mm, 370mm, 400mm, 440mm, 500mm). Fuselages: Five different fuselage lengths for all foiling disciplines. Masts: Six different mast sizes for all disciplines (45cm, 60cm, 68cm, 75cm, 90cm, 105cm).

Board connectors available are the 90mm plate or tuttle.

WHERE’S YOUR HQ?

San Francisco, California / Christchurch, New

Zealand.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE FOIL SCENE? We released our first foil products in 2014 and we haven’t stopped thinking, designing, testing, producing and flying since. BREAK DOWN YOUR CURRENT RANGE FOR US… AXIS has the most extensive and modular foiling offering on the market today. We have two foil families, the AXIS S-Series and the AXIS K-Series, that cover all disciplines of foiling, including SUP, surf, pump, downwind, wake, wind and kite. We put in a tremendous amount of effort to make modular foiling systems where all the components are interchangeable. This way, foilers can start on a specifi c setup that fits their level and discipline, and keep on expanding, without having to purchase completely new foils. The main difference between the two foils is their fuselage. The S-Series uses a 3D CNC cut anodized aluminum fuselage, with a 62mm hammerhead front wing connection and a 60mm spigot that connects into the mast. 4 x M8 stainless steel torx screws connect the carbon front wings to the fuselage, creating the strongest fuselage connection to large size wings. The K-Series uses a 3D CNC cut anodized aluminum fuselage, with three inline M6 stainless steel torx screws on the front wings and a 60mm spigot that connects into the mast.

1 1 2 T H E P L AY E R S A X I S F O I L S

In addition to the S-Series and the K-Series foils, AXIS offers a complete collection of foil boards: SUP Carbon boards: 7’6” x 28.5”, 130 liters Carbon 6’8” x 28”, 120 liters Carbon 6’4” x 27.5”, 115 liters Carbon 6’0” x 27”, 110 liters Carbon Surf Carbon boards: 5'6" x 20.5" x 3" 47 liters Carbon 5'0" x 20" x 2.9" 41 liters Carbon 4'6" x 19.5" x 2.9" 36 liters Carbon 4'0" x 19" x 2.9" 31 liters Carbon Pump / Wake / Kite Carbon boards: Ride 140 x 48cm, 30 liters Carbon Free 125 x 46.5cm, 25 liters Carbon Kink 105 x 45cm, 20 liters Carbon Pump / Wake / Kite Minimal Volume boards: Ride 140 x 48cm, Minimal Volume Free 125 x 46.5cm, Minimal Volume Kink 105 x 45cm, Minimal Volume

The Players

While many companies are following production years, we feel that foiling is evolving at such a fast rate that we cannot wait for yearly releases. We develop and test new ideas daily, and when we are happy with the results, we will release those new products to the market. This way, you will always have the latest AXIS options available, and ones that fit your foiling needs.

WHAT’S THE ONE PRODUCT EVERY SELF-RESPECTING FOILER SHOULD HAVE IN THEIR ARSENAL? Since our foils are modular, all you need is a base model that fits your current needs, style, skill level and conditions. We find that packaging the AXIS S-Series 1020 or 920 with the 440 rear wing and short fuselage is a great start for SUP, surf, pump, wake, and downwind. Then you can add a 680 or a 750 front wing and you have a complete setup for every foiling discipline. If you are more experienced, then the one wing you will need to have in your arsenal is the 900. Fast, turny, and incredibly stable, the 900 has only one speed – TURBO! The 900 is the wing that’s included with the AXIS Wind foil and is an option for all the S-Series foils. Best combined with the short and ultra-short fuselages, as well as the 440, 400, and 370 rear wings.

WHAT DRIVES THE AXIS BRAND FORWARD EVERY DAY? AXIS Foils strives to be the absolute best foiling brand in the world. We focus on all foiling disciplines and offer the most technically advanced products designed for every type of rider. From beginners to podium winners alike. WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO TEST OUT NEW KIT AND WHY? We test across multiple parts of the world, as we focus on all disciplines of foiling. In addition to Australia, one of our favorite surf foil test spots is Indonesia, due to its variety and consistency of waves and the amazing foiling team we have around Bali. Downwind foiling is

tested extensively in Australia and in Maui. For SUP foiling, Australia, Maui, New Zealand and California are our hotspots. Pump foiling is getting tested all over the world, but mostly in Tahiti and Australia. Wind foiling in New Zealand and Europe. Wake foiling in California and Europe.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? AXIS has designed the highest number of quality foiling components in a modular system that can create over 1000 foil configurations. Our foils are an engineering masterpiece. Our range constitutes a tremendous attention to detail and performance for all levels and foiling disciplines… and we are only just getting warmed up. ANY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HORIZON? AXIS Foils’ universal modularity concept continues with more front and rear wings, more fuselage options, and more mast options, with different constructions and profiles, adding specialized components that will excel in certain disciplines and offer incredible levels of performance when used during competitive environments. There are also more options coming, for all foiling disciplines. If you haven’t gotten on the AXIS program as of yet, now is absolutely the right time.

A B OV E Over 1000 foil configurations makes the AXIS range one of the most versatile out there.

A X I S F O I L S T H E P L AY E R S 1 1 3

The Players

BRAND AK Durable Supply Co

THE BOSS Clinton Filen

WHERE’S YOUR HQ? Cape Town, South Africa. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE FOIL SCENE? We have spent around two years with AK surf foils, but we have been designing and prototyping kite foils for around five years with its sister brand, Airush. BREAK DOWN YOUR CURRENT RANGE FOR US… Within the surf space, we have the AK Surf Foil, which is our surf-specifi c foil for smaller waves. You may have seen some images of the AK wings on Airush kitesurfi ng masts… we have designed the range to be a fully modular foil platform, meaning you can change up each part as you wish. Obviously we offer the best set up as a stock item, but we’ve got additional mast lengths which allow you to adapt your foil to your level of riding. WHAT’S THE ONE PRODUCT EVERY SELF-RESPECTING FOILER SHOULD HAVE IN THEIR ARSENAL? Hmm, definitely the Airush Mini Monster Convert with an AK Surf Foil. This is a winning combination, the MMC is an incredibly versatile board, great for surf foiling and for strapless kiting.

WHAT DRIVES AK DURABLE SUPPLY CO (AND AIRUSH) FORWARD EVERY DAY? Our primary mantra has always been one of innovation; within every category we work relentlessly to bring something new to the market that solves a problem or creates a new opportunity. For us, innovation is not only about engineering. It’s also about riding and imagining how people might want to ride in the future. It’s about creating art and product design that is as beautiful as it is functional. It’s about always delivering you a bit more than you expected (as we take pleasure in the details). It’s about making things more functional and more durable wherever we can and about fi nding new ways to share our love of the sport, creating stoke and having as much fun as possible whilst working to build the most innovative brand on the planet. Another key focus for us is durability, and chasing this comes from a few places. Primarily we want to build premium products to give you the best riding experience, and we understand that when you invest in something good, you want it to last. Secondly, we believe the path to reducing our environmental impact is making everything last twice as long. Thirdly we make sure to chase sustainability. As a group of avid wind, wave and outdoor enthusiasts, it is obvious that we cannot take so much pleasure from nature without contributing towards its survival. We set out to continually reduce the harm we do as a company, to share what we have learnt, and to inspire others within our industry to do the same. We also view sustainability in the broader term of business as we want to develop a

1 1 4 T H E P L AY E R S A K D U R A B L E S U P P LY C O

company that will be around in the long term, so we can keep doing what we love.

WHO’S ON THE SURF FOIL TEAM? Zane Schweitzer, Jacques Theron, James Taylor, Alvaro Onieva, and Dale Staples. WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO TEST OUT NEW KIT AND WHY? For surf, Muizenberg, as it is arguably the best longboard and foil wave in Cape Town and is located directly outside our workshop. Or, in Bali – Sanur. We work with the Rip Curl School of Surf, and they offer the best setup we have found around the world.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? I am really a fan of crossover products and seeing how we can reduce the amount of gear that we need and have more fun in different conditions. Within foiling I would say our AK Surf Foil is the best example of a product that has broad use and is super versatile. I travel with this foil and surf and kite it in many conditions. As a pure surf foil it is easy enough to learn on but still performance enough for advanced riding. ANY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HORIZON? We will drop our new 2020 foil range in the market towards the last quarter of the year. Lots of exciting stuff there, should be ready for the next issue!

The Players

BRAND Fanatic

THE BRAND MANAGER Craig Gertenbach

and this challenge is a key driver for everyone involved, chasing that perfection…

WHO’S ON THE TEAM? In SUP we have a broad variety of foilers, such as 2018 SUP Race world champion Arthur Arutkin, multiple kite world champion Airton Cozzolino, young up and coming riders like Tom Auber, Christian Anderson, Bobo Gallagher on Maui, big wave charger Kyron Rathbone and many more. WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO TEST OUT NEW KIT AND WHY? Almost all our R&D has taken place on Maui until now, as our team of Sky Solbach (board shaper and foil tester) and Ken Winner (foil designer and board testing) are based there and it’s just perfect for a variety of conditions, from fl at water, small or big waves, windy or glassy, and for pretty much all year round. Plus plenty of visiting athletes and team members can be included in the testing. Logistically, it’s also easy to build boards and foils. WHERE’S YOUR HQ? Munich. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE FOIL SCENE? In research and design, a few years now. On the market, the last three seasons! BREAK DOWN YOUR CURRENT RANGE FOR US… We have SUP and Prone surfi ng foilboards (the Sky SUP and the Sky Surf, named after our shaper, Sky Solbach), as well as a range of SUP/surf foils, called Aero Foils in four different models, ranging from smaller, surf-oriented foils, to bigger foils for SUP, downwinding or wingfoiling. Basically a very compact, clear and concise range, to make it easy for the dealers and customers to choose from. The three SUP foilboards and three surf foilboards cover everything from absolute beginner to pro level foiling.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? There are many highlights in the foiling aspect in general over the years. Currently it’s the new Sky Surf and SUP range, as well as the Aero Foil range, which is a culmination of many, many hours of R&D and product management to get the 100% fi nished product to market. ANY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HORIZON? We are well into the 2021 development on boards and foils, could be some exciting stuff coming up in the wingfoil segment, but we can´t say more than that!

WHAT’S THE ONE PRODUCT EVERY SELF-RESPECTING FOILER SHOULD HAVE IN THEIR ARSENAL? Our most popular foil right now is our Aero 2000, with the longer fuselage, which works very well for SUP foiling, wingfoiling and is also a good entry level foil. The smaller Sky SUP 6’3 and 6’7 are our go-to SUP foilboards, whilst the Sky Surf foilboard, in the 5’11 size, is a great option for fi rst time prone foilers, wingfoilers or advanced SUP foilers.

WHAT DRIVES FANATIC FORWARD EVERY DAY? Our slogan is ‘Addicted to Ride’ and this passion for outstanding products is something that each member of the team shares, regardless of the department. The search for new and improved products each year never ends

FA N AT I C T H E P L AY E R S 1 1 5

The Players

BRAND Levitaz Hydrofoils

THE BOSS Michael Ochs

WHERE’S YOUR HQ? We are based in Salzburg, Austria, surrounded by beautiful lakes and rivers which offer amazing opportunities for foiling. Our production facility for carbon fi ber composite products is located in Bad St.Leonhard, Austria. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE FOIL SCENE? The Levitaz founders have been in the foiling scene since 2009, and were developing behind closed doors for the early period. The brand Levitaz was founded and offi cially launched in 2013. In the beginning, we focused our development on the kitefoil racing scene, but in time we expanded our portfolio and are now an established hydrofoil brand offering gear for various foiling disciplines such as SUP, surf, kite, wake and pump. BREAK DOWN YOUR CURRENT RANGE FOR US… The innovative Levitaz design enables a combination of various types of front and rear wings, as well as different fuselages and masts. Therefore, our hydrofoils can be adapted to every condition, rider level or location. We offer riders various pre-confi gured hydrofoil setups, which are perfectly matched to the requirements of the application and user. Our SHAKA hydrofoils – SHAKA M and SHAKA L – were developed with an interdisciplinary approach, with the goal of designing hydrofoils which can be used in nearly any water-based board sports such as SUP, surf, kite, wake and pump. Our range is supplemented with hydrofoils for every kitefoiling discipline – freeride, freerace and course racing for the world series. The CRUIZER and the ELEMENT are classic freeride foils,

followed by the ASPECT as our freeracer in the portfolio, and the Levitaz BIONIC as our ultimate racing machine. Our board range comprises three pure kitefoil boards, the MATCH, the EXO and the RAZE. Then the TRANSFORMER is our convertible, a 5’3’’ kite wave board with the option of mounting your hydrofoil.

WHAT’S THE ONE PRODUCT EVERY SELF-RESPECTING FOILER SHOULD HAVE IN THEIR ARSENAL? The SHAKA M 70! No matter if you are looking to do any of the disciplines mentioned above, this hydrofoil is THE choice for any occasion.

WHAT DRIVES LEVITAZ FORWARD EVERY DAY? The shape of the hydrofoil is the heart and soul of the riding experience. Even the smallest variations in wing design and size, profile sections, laminate construction or surface fi nish can have the most dramatic effect on its performance. At Levitaz, we believe that the secret to creating the best hydrofoils is to precisely design and craft these key elements. WHO’S ON THE TEAM? To name but a few: Florian Gruber is among the world’s top racers and part of the R&D team. Steven Akkersdijk is pushing the limits in freeride kitefoiling… you feel like he is overriding the rules of physics! Adrian Geislinger, founder of Levitaz, is at home in all foiling disciplines. Currently into surf foiling, it is always a joy to watch him flying over the water. We have many more amazing riders in the team... but there is not enough room to cover them all. WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO TEST OUT NEW KIT AND WHY? The lakes around Salzburg in the Salzkammergut. The Alps offer amazing conditions for our tests. Crystal clear water and perfect laboratory conditions. We don’t even need the sea – our alpine rivers create stunning waves! WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? We are most proud that Levitaz hydrofoils are 100% produced at our own production site in Austria. We are seeking to set a new benchmark in the water sports industry for high-quality products. ANY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HORIZON? For us the decision of the IOC to implement kitefoil racing as the 10th sailing discipline for the Summer Olympics is an amazing opportunity for the kite hydrofoiling scene. Levitaz, with its racing DNA, is putting its full effort into the development of the next-level racing foil. The fi rst Olympic gold medal should be won on a Levitaz foil and everything we learn feeds into our entire ‘non kite’ foil range, so it is a ‘win win’!

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The Players

BRAND Lift Foils

THE BOSS Nick Leason

WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO TEST OUT NEW KIT AND WHY? I have developed and tested all the equipment at my home break, which is Shacks Beach, Puerto Rico. This is an advanced surfi ng break with tricky conditions, and if the gear works at Shacks, it’s going to be good everywhere. It’s good to test in challenging conditions. WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? I’m proud that hydrofoiling is on its way to becoming a mainstream sport. There were years at trade shows where the surfi ng industry had a negative attitude about the potential of foiling. I love to see it fi nally taking off. ANY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HORIZON? Picture this... there are endless waves in the open ocean that run as far as you can ride them, and we are working very hard on the way that surfers can access that energy. In three to five years from now, it is going to get very futuristic with the craft that get you there. We are already doing it with our current gear, but it’s only going to get better… WHERE’S YOUR HQ? Puerto Rico. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE FOIL SCENE? 10 years of designing and building foils.

BREAK DOWN YOUR CURRENT RANGE FOR US… We specialize in surf, kite, and electric foils. We have a complete range of foils for every size of person, every skill range and every discipline. WHAT’S THE ONE PRODUCT EVERY SELF-RESPECTING FOILER SHOULD HAVE IN THEIR ARSENAL? For their surf setup they should have a 4’6” board, 28” mast and a 200 Surf Wing. In addition, a 5’0 eFoil Sport setup with an extra battery, a tow rope, and a buddy to help catch endless waves.

WHAT DRIVES LIFT FORWARD EVERY DAY? We focus on building the future of foiling. On the electric side, we are working hard on propulsion and bridging the gap between surfi ng and powered water craft. On the surf side, we are focused on advancing the sport and giving riders the ability to progress into performance surfi ng on a foil. WHO’S ON THE TEAM? We don’t actually hire any team riders; notable athletes come to us for equipment and we exchange product for constructive feedback. It helps refi ne design. A few people that generously contribute to the growth are Benny Ferris, Laird Hamilton, Damien Leroy, Kai Lenny, Travis Rice, Paige Alms, Sean Ordoñez, Brian Grubb, Brian Toth... and there are many more.

TOP LEFT Nick Leason, enjoying the fruits of a decade of labor. A B OV E Cruising, somewhere clearly warm...

L I F T F O I L S T H E P L AY E R S 1 1 7

The Players

BRAND RRD

THE BOSS Roberto Ricci

WHERE’S YOUR HQ? Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE FOIL SCENE? We started with kitefoiling in 2012.

BREAK DOWN YOUR CURRENT RANGE FOR US… We are launching the new Year 25 foil range with a complete range of kite and windsurf foils which meet the needs of all foilers, from beginner through to competition level. Then with our surf and SUP foils we have the UNIVERSAL KSH ALU Y25, which allows an easy approach to lower speed foiling with a very progressive front wing profile that also gives full control at higher speeds, so any rider can get to the next level in speed foiling. A must for a true waterman quiver. Each mast on any Y25 foil has the same fuselage attachment, and every fuselage can be used on any mast of the three different foil programs, surf/SUP, wind and kite foiling. This is the full 360° waterman approach to our foil program. WHAT’S THE ONE PRODUCT EVERY SELF-RESPECTING FOILER SHOULD HAVE IN THEIR ARSENAL? The UNIVERSAL KSH SET. You can use it for any watersports, it’s a truly universal foil.

WHAT DRIVES THE RRD BRAND FORWARD EVERY DAY? We love making our products equally as much as riding them.

WHO’S ON THE TEAM? The whole surf, SUP, windsurfing and kite team is fully into foiling! However the man with the most focus and experience on foils in the RRD international team and R&D testing team is Mathieu Fouliard, from Tahiti. WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO TEST OUT NEW KIT AND WHY? Castiglione della Pescaia in Italy, for “real world” conditions, and then Tahiti for world class conditions. WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? Being able to personally test new equipment any day of the year and participate in the approval of the fi nal prototype that goes into production. ANY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HORIZON? Yes. Faster, easier, more stable wings and foil components to take this new discipline to a whole new level. It’s MEGA exciting!

A B OV E T O P The RRD setup in action. A B OV E B O T T O M Mathieu Fouliard in the kind of Tahitian nirvana where we would all like to be...

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The Players

BRAND Slingshot

THE BOSS Jeff Logosz

WHERE’S YOUR HQ? Hood River. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE FOIL SCENE? Our first offering was in 2014, so going on six years in terms of what we’ve had on the market. Prior to that, we spent several years in the R&D space, learning, designing, testing, fi ne-tuning and strategizing to ensure our product and approach were up to par with the ambitions we had for the future of foiling. BREAK DOWN YOUR CURRENT RANGE FOR US… We offer two platforms – the Hover Glide and the Ghost Whisper. Both systems are modular, meaning you can purchase a package and/or individual wings, parts and pieces to customize, modify and enhance your setup based on your evolving needs and demands as a foiler. Each platform has a robust and growing selection of components that will continue to evolve and will remain compatible over time. WHAT’S THE ONE PRODUCT EVERY SELF-RESPECTING FOILER SHOULD HAVE IN THEIR ARSENAL? A decent cooler, because there’s nothing quite like a cold beverage after an awesome session.

traces back to a major investment we made in our team recently. Most strong companies in the industry have a solid R&D team. Historically we have as well, and we decided to double down on that about 18 months ago. We essentially expanded our R&D program into two symbiotic departments - Research and Innovation (R&I) and Innovation and Supply (I&S). R&I is led by our chief designer, Tony Logosz. He has a dedicated team of engineers, project managers, and testers. They have a secret lab with computer cutters, routers, molding presses, pretty much everything. They research new materials and design ideas that can lead to new product innovations. They also work on inventing products that have never been seen before. Meanwhile, Innovation and Supply is focused on strategy and execution, on making sure we’re pursuing the right products at the right times and on maintaining and improving the fit, fi nish and performance of the products within our existing line. This team includes product developers, graphic designers, industrial designers and, of course, more testers. We have the largest foil line in the world so, no details, but you can be sure we have a solid pipeline of new products coming up soon!

WHAT DRIVES SLINGSHOT FORWARD EVERY DAY? We are explorers. Adventures. Tinkerers. Inventors. Free Spirits. We weave the art of power into wind, water and waves as a way of life. It is in our blood. We value quality and innovation, and after a hard day's work, we enjoy riding the products we make. For us, ultimate satisfaction comes when people use our products as a source for not only fun, but for genuine health and happiness. As pioneers, we thrive on creating products that empower people to push boundaries, reinvent and create exciting change and evolution in the sports we shape our lives around. That is super cool. WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? I’m most proud of the innovations and inventions we have contributed as leaders of our industry. We have a library of all these cool ideas that went into products that help take our sports to new levels. Our intellectual property is scattered all around our offi ce, like a museum! If I had to choose one specifi c thing, I would say it’s the material and application science we brought to the way modern kites are constructed. Slingshot has made huge contributions to the betterment of kiteboarding for all users, across all brands which I am extremely proud of. We have made similar strides and look forward to continuing to have a similar impact in the world of foiling! A B OV E

ANY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HORIZON? We have a lot of exciting

Slingshot invest a lot into their R&D

developments on the horizon, and our approach moving forward

and aesthetic, and it shows.

S L I N G S H OT T H E P L AY E R S 1 1 9

The Players

BRAND SROKA

THE BOSS Bruno Sroka

WHERE’S YOUR HQ? Brittany, France. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE FOIL SCENE? In 2003 I was one of the first Frenchies to have a hydrofoil in France, and I immediately saw the potential of this new activity, but I was too focused on the Kitesurf World Cup. After I ended my professional kitesurfing career, I created my own brand in 2013, and for five years we produced kite foils. Then two years ago we also started producing surf foils and SUP foils. BREAK DOWN YOUR CURRENT RANGE FOR US… We have one specific foil for wind foiling, surf foiling and kite foiling. This year we created the new S-Foil Aluminium, that is built for everything, but with surf foiling as the main target. With the small wing (1250cm) we can surf and kite, with the middle wing we can SUP foil, surf foil and wind foil (1500cm), and with the two big ones (1750 and 2000cm) we are more dedicated to downwind foiling and wing foiling. WHAT’S THE ONE PRODUCT EVERY SELF-RESPECTING FOILER SHOULD HAVE IN THEIR ARSENAL? From my point of view, the 1500cm is the wing that everyone needs to have in his or her quiver. You can do almost everything you like with this one.

WHAT DRIVES SROKA FORWARD EVERY DAY? Live your passion, and work hard to make the best product with the best price. WHO’S ON THE TEAM? Martin Letourneur, Martin Vitry, Paul Conrad Delanaere, Gabriel Bachelet and we just welcomed in Lea Brassy from Polynesia and Wesley Brito from Cape Verde. We are currently on the hunt for more riders based outside of France. WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO TEST OUT NEW KIT AND WHY? We test all products in Brittany. Brittany is the westernmost point of France, and we have more than 2700km of coastline, with all the wave and size orientations you need. So it is very easy to find a good spot with not a lot of people in water, close to where we’re based. WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? We are proud of the incredible quality of our product, and it’s the reason I put my name on every product that we develop, test and create. A B OV E The Sroka testing grounds in Brittany get all the conditions required to put gear properly through its paces.

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ANY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HORIZON? We are developing a new range of boards for foiling, and this will be ready for the next season...

The Players

BRAND North Kiteboarding

THE BRAND DIRECTOR Mike Raper

WHERE’S YOUR HQ? Kumeu, Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE FOIL SCENE? We started in 2002, 17 years ago with a Rush Randle foil with Clicker snowboard boots, it was heavy and hard to use. Foiling has come so far since then! BREAK DOWN YOUR CURRENT RANGE FOR US… Our SONAR Modular Foil Technology represents North's design vision at its most pure: stripped right back to only what is necessary. Each individual component has been precisely engineered for uncompromised performance and arranged with structural integrity to allow clean hydrodynamic fl ow and easy breach recovery. We’ve developed our unique ‘GeoLock’ load-bearing system to provide optimal connection and strength with less fl ex and a more direct feeling. You can cross disciplines with ease, whether you are wake foiling, foil surfi ng, SUP foiling or kite foiling. The SONAR range is truly modular, with one stabilizer and fuselage, and with an interchangeable carbon front wing in three high performance sizes (850/1150/1650) it covers a range of conditions in one simple to use system that will not break the bank. WHAT’S THE ONE PRODUCT EVERY SELF-RESPECTING FOILER SHOULD HAVE IN THEIR ARSENAL? If I was stuck on a deserted South Pacific island,

from his engineering expertise and years of experience in yacht and foil design. As an experienced foiler, Uli respects the intelligence of nature but is inspired to take evolution one step further through the application of technology. GeoLock is his massive contribution to our performance gains.

WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO TEST OUT NEW KIT AND WHY? Muriwai, our local beach. It has a range of conditions all year round. A mere 10-minute drive from the offi ce means it’s ideal to hit a session when it’s on. WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? Our team and their incredible accomplishments. The GeoLock system has an amazing impact on our performance, the wings are effortless and the glide and effi ciency when pumping is second to none. ANY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HORIZON? Hell yes, so many, but we can't let you in on that! Our parent company is North Technology Group, they own North Sails, Southern Spars and we’ve been allowed access to the multitude of amazing people and technologies within the organization. To say we are excited about the opportunities is an understatement…

I would take the front wing, between 1150 and 1650, so you can cover almost all foiling disciplines.

WHAT DRIVES NORTH FORWARD EVERY DAY? We’re inspired by nature and by the engineering precision of technology. We’re always looking for more, designing for the feeling so that the ride feels second nature, so you can be in tune with yourself and at one with the water and the wind. Every North product has been crafted to be: Engineered. Refi ned. Intuitive. WHO’S ON THE TEAM? All our team enjoy all foiling disciplines but excel in kiting. So we have 2017 King of the Air winner Nick Jacobsen; Jack of all trades, Jesse Richman – the fi rst kiter to get barrelled at Jaws; Triple World Champions Bruna Kajiya and Jalou Langeree, as well as Annabel Van Westerop, Graham Howes and Marc Jacobs. Our design team is stacked as well… We have had partnerships with George Hradil from Delta and Uli Sommerlatt is our Product Manager and resident naval architect, an engineer with more than 20 years of experience in cutting-edge design and innovation, most recently as on-site build support engineer for Oracle Racing in the 35th America’s Cup campaign. Uli brings an analytic and scientifi c approach to product design, drawn

A B OV E Annabel van Westerop testing out the new North SONAR and probably having quite a bit of fun in the process...

N O R T H T H E P L AY E R S 1 2 1

The Players

BRAND The Hydrofoil Company

THE BOSS(ES) Carlos Merino and Ridge Lenny

WHERE’S YOUR HQ? Haiku, Hawaii. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE FOIL SCENE? Four

WHAT’S THE ONE PRODUCT EVERY SELF-RESPECTING FOILER SHOULD HAVE IN THEIR ARSENAL? The Hydros FW1250 has become the go-to, do-ityears of non-stop

research and development.

BREAK DOWN YOUR CURRENT RANGE FOR US… Innovated and tested by The Hydrofoil Company and built by leading water sports manufacturer, the Maui Fin Company, the Hydros line offers some of the most effi cient surf, kite, and downwind foils on the market today. Consisting of the FW1000 kite wing, FW1075 and FW1250 wave wings, and the FW1400 and FW1600 downwind wings, this collection covers the spectrum of peak performance foiling in nearly every condition while still offering a user-friendly experience. From fun sized mush to overhead screamers, to record-breaking downwind racing, the Hydros can do it all.

all wing for many foilers, including the Hydrofoil Company team. With the speed and maneuverability of a peak performance wave wing combined with a stable lift and surf-like feeling underfoot, this wing will keep you stoked in nearly every condition imaginable.

WHAT DRIVES THE HYDROFOIL COMPANY FORWARD EVERY DAY? Driven by the power of uncompromising innovation and a passion for ocean sports, our goal is to develop groundbreaking technology to design hydrofoils which are not only easy to use, but also deliver the highest performance to our riders. WHO’S ON THE TEAM? A fundamental aspect of our research and development, The Hydrofoil Company team, an elite group of the world’s best ocean athletes, works closely with us to facilitate continued cutting-edge innovation. Kai Lenny has played a critical role in this development, testing and providing feedback on every prototype we have created, leading to fi nal products that perform at the highest level possible. Our team also consists of Kody Kerbox and Annie Reickert, top level surfers and downwind racers, as well as leading freestyle kite foilers Kainani and Scott Drexler. WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO TEST OUT NEW KIT AND WHY? The north shore of Maui has become the ultimate testing ground for all of our new prototypes. From the high-performance wave riding epicenter of Ho’okipa, to the world-famous Maliko downwind run, to the non-stop wind at kite beach, and the towering peaks at Jaws, these arenas have allowed us to develop a wide range of foils that cater to nearly every condition imaginable. WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? A central goal of our innovation, creating the fastest and most effi cient open-ocean foil in the world, was realized with Kai Lenny’s historic 2018 Molokai to Oahu crossing where with a time of 2:52:48 set a world record of the fastest man powered craft to have ever crossed the channel, shattering the previous record by more than an hour.

A B OV E Kai Lenny, brother to Ridge and basically impervious to gravity.

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ANY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HORIZON? We are continuing to develop designs alongside our athletes that continue to push the envelope of what we thought was possible on a foil. From faster channel crossings, bigger waves at Jaws, and groundbreaking tricks in the waves, we are excited to see what the future holds!

The Players

BRAND Go Foil

THE BOSS(ES) Alex Aguera, Mike Giblin

WHERE’S YOUR HQ? Haiku, Maui HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE FOIL SCENE? Seven to eight years of kitefoils, then we believe we started the surf foil revolution in March 2016. BREAK DOWN YOUR CURRENT RANGE FOR US… So we offer the following in our range: 24.5, 28.5, and a 29.5” (which is stiffer and thicker) tuttle masts, a 28.5" plate mast, and the Nalu, Kai, Iwa, Maliko 200, and Maliko 280, GL180, GL210, GL240 wings. The tail wings we sell are the Kai tail (16"), the Maliko tail (22"), two flat tails called the 18" N (narrow) and W (wide) which need the Pedastal (sold separately). The Pedastal can be adjusted for pitch angle with two mounting screws, and the Go Foil Carbon Plate adapter. WHAT’S THE ONE PRODUCT EVERY SELF-RESPECTING FOILER SHOULD HAVE IN THEIR ARSENAL? They should definitely have the Iwa 1.5, superlight and polished version!

WHAT DRIVES GO FOIL FORWARD EVERY DAY? To have the best and most durable foils available anywhere, period. WHO’S ON THE TEAM? It’s a big team! Austin Kalama, Dave Kalama, Derek Hamasaki, James Casey, Aaron Eveland (probably the best prone foiler in the world), Joel Parkinson, Ulu Boi Napeahi, Matt Wilkinson, Shane Beschen, Jason Hall, Chris Pagdilao, Moana Jones, Matahi Drollet, Tomo Murabayashi, Peter King, Leleo Kinimaka, Laitham Kellum, John Akerman, Jason D'Agostino, Bryan Suratt, Mala'e McElheny, Kalani Vierra, Kelson Lau, Sky and Brett Lickle, Archie Kalepa, Kawika Carvalho, Christian Bradley, Byron Sewell, Todd Bradley, Eric Sterman, Jake Pasion, Kaleo Lopez, Clinton Yap, Chris Anderson, TJ Guilizia, Rob Gittoes, Julian Le Vexier, Jeremy Stephenson, and the list goes on, and I am sure we’re going to piss someone off because we did not add them in! WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO TEST OUT NEW KIT AND WHY? Downwind foils on the Maliko run, and wave foils over at Ka'a point. WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? We started (or at least reinvented) the foil revolution as we know it today! ANY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HORIZON? There is always new stuff in the works here at Go Foil, as we make sure we stay ahead of the rest of the foiling world.

A B OV E Dave Kalama (top photo) is just one of the many surf legends who are part of the Go Foil pro team.

G O F O I L T H E P L AY E R S 1 2 3

The Players

BRAND Naish International

THE BOSS Robby Naish

WHAT DRIVES NAISH FORWARD EVERY DAY? Our belief has always been that any day on the water is a good day, and we want to make it even better. Foiling has really opened the door of opportunity for us, especially on Maui where conditions may not be ideal for surfi ng due to wind.

WHERE’S YOUR HQ? Maui, Hawaii. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE FOIL SCENE? Our first foil products we brought to the market were in 2016 for kiting, however many of our team riders and designers have been riding them since the Air Chair days. BREAK DOWN YOUR CURRENT RANGE FOR US Our 2020 line has massively expanded! Starting with the Jet Foil range. We have five front wings and two stabilizer sizes in this range, with the Jet 1050, 1250, 1650, 2000 and 2450 front wings and Stabilizer 320 and 450. The Jet 1050, 1250 and 1650 would be comparable to the Medium, Large and XL wings of the past, but have been redesigned for better overall performance and are in a lighter construction this year. The 2000 is a higher aspect wing and great for downwinders or surfing for bigger guys. The 2450 is brand new and will get even the biggest guys up in small waves and is awesome for flatwater pumping. The Jet 1050 and 1250 both come complete with the Abracadabra plate, 65cm mast and Stabilizer 320. The Jet 1650 has the Abracadabra plate and 65cm mast but with the Stabilizer 450, so it’s a bit more geared toward bigger guys in smaller surf. The Jet 2000 and 2450 come with a longer, 75cm mast and the Stabilizer 450. We are also offering a new foil called the Freemove Jet 1050 which is a complete foil with the Jet 1050 wing with a 75cm mast. WHAT’S THE ONE PRODUCT EVERY SELF-RESPECTING FOILER SHOULD HAVE IN THEIR ARSENAL? At least one setup that allows them to get out in most conditions – your daily flyer if you will. The beauty of the Naish foiling range is that it’s totally modular, so one product can give you the platform to accessorize and switch parts for any sport. The Freemove Jet 1050 is a great foundation for nearly any discipline.

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WHO’S ON THE TEAM? We have a broad range of team riders and ambassadors worldwide. Chuck Patterson has played a big role for our foiling. He’s a very talented athlete and a big guy which is really helpful when designing some of our bigger wings. Bernd Roediger is another guy who can rip on nearly anything that’s under his feet and he makes it all look effortless. Casper Steinfath is leading the charge in Denmark and put in 100km of downwinders in one day this summer! Then there are a bunch of other guys like Julien and Camille Bouyer in France, Josh Stretton in Australia and a handful of professional surfers that we work with. WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO TEST OUT NEW KIT AND WHY? The one thing with foil surfing is it’s opened the door to new places and is best done in uncrowded, ideally empty lineups. It’s not a sport for crowded spots. For testing our surf wings during the winter, it’s Ka’a Point. It’s a great place because you can catch extremely long rides with some tricky sections to connect bumps so your wing setup has to be on point, but it is possible to get three minute rides there. During the summer we spend a lot of time chasing south swells at various peaks along Maui’s south facing shorelines. For our bigger downwind and high-aspect wings, Maliko Gulch is literally five minutes out of our office door so we do a lot of downwind testing as well. WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? It seems like every year we make huge steps forward and we’d like to think the best is yet to come, however the new 2020 line is pretty damn awesome. Two things that stick out as our biggest point of pride is the Abracadabra Plate and the modularity of our foils across the years. The Abracadabra Plate is far and beyond the fastest and easiest mounting system out there, in that it takes less than 10 seconds to connect or disconnect your foil. The modular platform makes it possible for people to upgrade on what they want instead of needing to order a completely new foil. ANY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HORIZON? We just launched our 2020 line that had a ton of new developments. As far as what’s coming up in the future, we are always testing new wing designs and have been trying a lot of high aspect designs as well as new materials and the beauty of Maui is we are testing year round in every condition imaginable.

The Players

BRAND Signature Performance Gear

THE BOSS Ivan van Vuuren

WHERE’S YOUR HQ? Our headquarters are in Hawaii, and we do our R&D in South Africa.

so it allows more realistic and diverse feedback, which is better for riders who will be using the gear in different countries.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE FOIL SCENE? We first started out in the foil scene 15 years ago on Maui; kiteboarding, tow-in surfing, then we inserted a foil on a windsurfer, all the while filming it and documenting those early pioneering days with the local crew. Fast forward to 2016, and Kai Lenny enters the scene, re-sparking the flight dream and providing inspiration to create new high-performance foil gear…

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? Probably what excites us the most is getting weekly messages from stoked riders around the world, from all walks of life and all levels of riding, raving about how their foiling has improved since using the SPG gear. Nothing excites our team more than hearing these amped stories.

BREAK DOWN YOUR CURRENT RANGE FOR US… The SPG Range is quite diverse, specializing in performance gear, including boards, foils and wings. For boards, we have a mix of surf, SUP and wingsurfing options ranging from 2’8 Ultra~X machines to 8ft Pegasus downwind boards for riders just starting out. Amongst our foils selection, the ALBATROSS range is the most popular and the fastest downwind model, then the STEALTH range is for high performance wave riding, and the MIRAGE range is for riders wanting an all-round easy yet high performing foil.

ANY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HORIZON? SPG has become known for pushing the envelope, creating, innovating and thinking outside of the box. So, yes, lots of wild new products on the horizon! From easier learning wings to super advanced AIR wing technology... It’s going to be a crazy few months ahead as we start unleashing some of the new creations which could literally change the sport of foiling as we know it! We realize this is only just the beginning, so hold on tight, it’s gonna be a wild and fun ride…

WHAT’S THE ONE PRODUCT EVERY SELF-RESPECTING FOILER SHOULD HAVE IN THEIR ARSENAL? I reckon the ALBATROSS 250 is one of the foils you’d want for super fun, all-round riding whether on small days, behind a boat, or on an AIR wing. Insane glide and fun.

WHAT DRIVES SPG FORWARD EVERY DAY? We have two slogans we live by – “By Rider4Riders” and “Enjoy the Flight”. Signature consists of passionate watermen and designers who are dedicated to creating performance foil gear for others to enjoy the experience, no matter if they are just starting out or the best riders in the world. Seeing others stoked and enjoying the flight is what really motivates us. WHO’S ON THE TEAM? We kind of moved away from the word team and shifted towards “Fambassadors”- ambassadors that are part of the SPG family. These range from everyday stoked riders to top WSL surfers such as Caio Ibelli, top watermen such as Kane De Wilde, Nathan van Vuuren, Ryan Funk, Brian Finch, Tom King, Wes Bartho, James Taylor, Mike Oxley, Tammy Foster, Malte and Justin Simmer, plus a whole ripping crew on Maui, Oahu, Tahiti and others around the world, representing. WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO TEST OUT NEW KIT AND WHY? We obviously really enjoy testing on Maui, but most of the initial R&D testing is done in Cape Town – the reason being that the conditions are so diverse in South Africa: currents, wild oceans, beach breaks, reefs…

A B OV E Teamrider Nathan van Vuuren, popping and dropping into the next Maui roller…

S I G N AT U R E P E R F O R M A N C E G E A R T H E P L AY E R S 1 2 5

The Players

BRAND Fliteboard

THE BOSS David Trewern

WHAT’S THE ONE PRODUCT EVERY SELF-RESPECTING FOILER SHOULD HAVE IN THEIR ARSENAL? A Fliteboard Pro with a Flyer Wing in sport mode (without the prop guard). It’s just awesome to ride and really takes the eFoil concept to the next level. Having our motor inside the fuselage creates amazing balance and efficiency. The Flyer Wing is super responsive. Riding waves or swells is endless fun as is simply blasting at 45kph on flat water.

WHAT DRIVES THE FLITEBOARD BRAND FORWARD EVERY DAY? We are 100% focused on creating the world’s best eFoil experience with no compromises. We have designed every component from the ground up and re-designed (many times over) our wings, battery, seals, hand controller, electronics, software etc. I’m a complete perfectionist and our passion to create the perfect product drives our business plan, and not the other way around. WHO’S ON THE TEAM? Keahi de Aboitiz and Moona Whyte are two of the most amazing water people on the planet, and just fantastic people to work and ride with.

WHERE’S YOUR HQ? Byron Bay, Australia, and we also have offices in Northern Italy and New York. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE FOIL SCENE? I’ve been surfing and windsurfing since I was 10, and kitesurfing for over 20 years. 15 years ago I broke the GPS Kitesurfing speed record with a 500m average of 44.9 knots (the world record was 42 knots). I got into kiteboard course racing and then kitefoil racing in 2013. At a race event in early 2016 with no wind, I had the idea to fit a motor to my foil. I could see the product we now have very clearly in my mind, and was absolutely frothing over its potential. It wasn’t so easy to create and there were so many engineering challenges to solve. Six months later I saw Don Montague’s first Jetfoiler prototype and then became 100% focused on taking the eFoil concept to the next level. BREAK DOWN YOUR CURRENT RANGE FOR US… All of our R&D for board and wing design is focused on creating the perfect eFoil. We have no other distractions. Our range starts with our 175L inflatable Fliteboard Air, then we have our 99L 5’8 Fliteboard, and our 67L 4’9 Fliteboard Pro. We have four eFoil power unit options, three wing set-ups, two batteries. Our boards come in a range of high-end carbon finishes. Everything is modular, so there are over 200 combinations available.

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WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO TEST OUT NEW KIT AND WHY? In front of my house at Belongil in Byron Bay. We are spoilt to live in an amazing climate, a super relaxed and creative place, and with a perfect foil wave right in front of our lawn. WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? I’m proud of creating a product that has brought so many new people to the amazing experience of foiling. I’ve personally taught over 300 people, from 10-year-old kids to 70-year-olds. Seeing people fly for the first time never gets old and always gives me a huge smile. I’m also proud of our recent Good Design Gold Award for outstanding product design. Having some of the world’s best industrial designers praise our design and engineering makes all the blood, sweat and tears worthwhile. ANY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HORIZON? Every day is exciting at Fliteboard. Everyone in our team rides our boards and we are always pushing the limits. This is just the very beginning. You will need to stay tuned!

A B OV E L E F T Moona Whyte, pulling the trigger on a Fliteboard somewhere fi ttingly exotic...

The Players

BRAND MFC Hawaii

THE BOSS Pio Marasco

WHERE’S YOUR HQ? Maui, Hawaii. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE FOIL SCENE?

We started to work with

World Record, 1X M2M Hydrofoil World Record 2018, our technology and development methods, our team that gives us precious feedback, and obviously a love for the ocean.

Hydrofoils in 2016.

BREAK DOWN YOUR CURRENT RANGE FOR US… We developed the HYDROS together with The Hydrofoil Company for the following range: Hydros Large with Front Wing 1250 Hydros Medium with Front Wing 1075 Hydros FW1400 Hydros FW1600 Hydros FW 1600 XXL with Front Wing 1600 + Mast 82

ANY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HORIZON? To keep working with The Hydrofoil Company in building the best wings and foil set-ups in the world. This is what drives MFC forward, never stop the R&D. We are currently testing and developing different constructions and materials to keep making the Hydros the lightest hydrofoils on the market. And we’re working with a few board brands, such as KT Surfing and JS Industries, to improve the board designs. Design and technology go hand in hand!

Hydros Large – XL with Front Wing 1250 + Mast 82 Available November 2019 Hydros Medium – XL with Front Wing 1075 + Mast 82 Available November 2019 Hydros Kite 1000 – suitable for kiting and big waves

WHAT’S THE ONE PRODUCT EVERY SELF-RESPECTING FOILER SHOULD HAVE IN THEIR ARSENAL? The HYDROS 1250 – it seems this is the most versatile day-to-day set-up. We also suggest the 1400 Front Wing for the smaller waves and for downwind runs.

WHAT DRIVES MFC HAWAII FORWARD EVERY DAY? MFC Hawaii has been making surfing, windsurfing, SUP fins and accessories since 1986, and personally I have been driving the company since 1990. We strive to make the best and most cutting edge products on the market. We have a long history of developing products with the best athletes in the world. WHO’S ON THE TEAM? Kody Kerbox, Keith Teboul (KT Surfing), Annie Reickert, Adam Bennetts, Chris Bennetts and the East Coast Foil Club in Australia (JS Industries), Scott and Kainani Drexler, Alex Bicrel, Ludo Dulou, Federico Nesti and more. WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO TEST OUT NEW KIT AND WHY? Most of the testing happens on the North Shore of Maui, but our team is constantly flying around the world. We believe the hydrofoils must work in any type of conditions, the same as our fins.

A B OV E The oldest of the brothers Kerbox and another rising star in the waterman world, Kody Kerbox

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?

34X windsurfing world titles, 8X SUP world titles, 3X XXL WSL Big Wave Awards, 3X M2O Hydrofoil

puts his HYDROS to work... Photo @fishbowldiaries

M F C H AWA I I T H E P L AY E R S 1 2 7

The Players

BRAND NSP – ‘New Surf Project’

THE BOSS Trent Pedersen

WHERE’S YOUR HQ? Thailand. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE FOIL SCENE? That’s a loaded question. My background since ‘89 is sailmaking and sail design which is all based on foils and aero/hydrodynamics. I was involved in the early days at Airush when Rush Randell was converting our kiteboards into foil boards with snowboard boots and bindings. Foiling was really for the core guys in Maui, the equipment was clunky, foils were heavy and in no way effi cient nor as stable or user-friendly as they are today. More recently, I’ve been involved with sailing and testing a few of the current foiling boats that are on the market. At NSP we started seriously looking at foiling commercially in 2018 when we began developing our current range of boards and foils. In fact, we launched our fi rst boards in 2018 before bringing the foil range to market in 2019. BREAK DOWN YOUR CURRENT RANGE FOR US… We have a full range of both prone surf and SUP foil boards to accommodate all riders. Our Hybrid Foil is a traditional looking surfboard produced with our Ecoboard Gold Standard Cocofl ax Technology. It’s a convertible board between traditional surf and foil, making it a great one-board travel option. The DC Foil X SUP is another convertible option. The board is equipped with FCSII fi n boxes for regular SUP along with tut-

1 2 8 T H E P L AY E R S N S P

tle and foil tracks to suit any of the current foils available on the market. Then we roll into our dedicated specialist line ups. We partnered with Australian Shaper Dale Chapman, who has years of foiling experience and who designs our Surf/SUP range. Our dedicated prone Surf Foil boards are available in three sizes: 4’6, 5’2 and 5’6. The range covers beginners all the way through to seasoned surf foilers and, more recently, our team has been frothing over just how great the Surf Foil boards are for freeride kiting. Our dedicated SUP Foil range is built purely for SUP and kitewing foiling. Sizes run 6’1, 6’6 and 6’10, providing an option for everyone.The Airwave foil range is a pretty slick package and totally modular. We spent a great deal of time researching the market to fi nd our target audience and to fi nd the perfect balance between performance and price. The package mixes high-performance pre-preg carbon wings with precision milled anodized T6 aluminum. The wings, mast and fuselage designs have evolved over several iterations, combining stability, durability and, most importantly, tune-ability. The backbone of the setup is our CNC-milled fuselage and our 13.5 span anodized mast. Our masts are wider than a lot of others on the market, offering greater strength and stiffness, but more importantly greater directional stability. Our base foils are

our 1325 sq cm front wing and 330 sq cm rear wing. The rear wing is quite flat offering great speed and plenty of positive feedback making pumping a breeze. Our kit comes standard with three shims (1, 2, and 3-degrees) allowing you to change the angle of attack on the rear wing. The beauty of this is beginners or larger riders can opt for the 3-degree shim that induces more lift, allowing you to stay with a smaller front wing that is faster than larger options. The accessories are where you get to tune the package to suit whatever your foiling throws at you. We have masts in 10cm increments from 60-100cm, suiting beginners through to downwind SUPers to kiters. The 1700 sq cm front wing is powerful, with a super comfortable ride or, as team rider Ty Judson says, “NSP has created the Ferrari of foils”. For the surfers and SUPers who demand more carving turns, we have the rear M-wing. The M-wing provides more stability while turning compared to the flatter wing but compromises slightly on speed, offering a great step up for waves and big carving turns.

WHAT’S THE ONE PRODUCT EVERY SELF-RESPECTING FOILER SHOULD HAVE IN THEIR ARSENAL? The NSP Airwave package and a great coil leash. WHAT DRIVES THE NSP BRAND FORWARD EVERY DAY? NSP makes boards and equipment for anyone who loves being on the water. From the very beginning, NSP has always been about building boards that paddle faster, catch more waves, surf better, foil further and last longer. So when we are testing or developing our next range, the goal is always to create performance products that are fun to use. As we like to say around the office - #Justaddwater.

WHO’S ON THE TEAM? Ty Judson, Alex Bicrel, Annie Reickert, Beau O’Brian, Bruno Pitanga, Shaan Miller, Jorge Venancio, Dale Chapman, Jeramie Vaine, Titouan Puyo, Travis Grant. WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO TEST OUT NEW KIT AND WHY? For testing foils, Thailand is the ultimate. It’s warm, we test all year round, and we have great local beaches where we get everything from wind, chop and surf. We also have access to test everything on a 2.0 cable at one of our local wake parks. It allows us to test everything with fixed parameters. We can dial in the speed, change one small detail and instantly feel the result. Our boards, we test those in Currumbin Alley in Queensland, Australia, where Dale Chapman, our board shaper, lives and foils most days. WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? I’m really proud of my team behind NSP who help bring kick-ass products to the market every time. I’m personally fond of the Airwave foil with the 1700 sqm wing and the 5’2 Surf Foil board. This combo is just so easy and puts a smile on my face every time I use it. ANY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HORIZON? If you look at our SUP racing range and the accomplishments of our team, it would be fair to say, we want to do the same with foil racing.

A B OV E Annie Reickert enjoying just one of her many water-based hobbies... Photo Erik Aeder

N S P T H E P L AY E R S 1 2 9

OL O HN

G Y

M I N O

DYNAMICS To seasoned foil veterans, this could be bread and butter stuff. But as we all know, there are plenty of people c urrently joining the ranks of the converted, and some have done more homework than others! So in this section, we invite those in the know to transfer some of their expert knowledge to the wider foiling world. First up, Levitaz foil designer Mario Legenstein, and Andreas Brandstätter, the head of Levitaz foil R&D.

PITCH, ROLL, YAW As shown on the picture, ‘pitch’ describes the movement around the transverse axis, ‘roll’ the movement around the longitudinal axis, and ‘yaw’ the movement around the vertical axis. These terms are very fundamental to describing the behavior of a foil and how it reacts. They are often used during a design or development period. The use is quite similar to aeronautics and – in a simplified approach – a foil is like an airplane. STABILITY VS. AGILITY The term ‘stability’ describes how tolerant the foil acts to the moves around the rider´s center of gravity and, vice versa, ‘agility’ stands for how sensitive the foil reacts to the rider´s force inputs. A big amount of stability is important for going faster for a less experienced rider who cannot react as fast as a pro. Agility is needed for tight turns and reactive steering. ANGLE OF INCIDENCE (AOI) The AOI describes the difference of the front wing’s angle in comparison to the rear wing’s angle. This has a major influence on the characteristics of the foil. At Levitaz we offer special shims to adapt the foil to your riding style or different riding conditions. With more AOI, the foil gets more stability, not only around the pitch axis but also on the yaw axis, because the center of lift moves more forward relative to the center of the lateral area. With less AOI the foils get more agile around these axes.

1 3 0 DY N A M I C S

VENTILATION VS. CAVITATION These two terms often get mixed up. Ventilation typically occurs on the mast or the wingtip when the foil is ridden fast and gets heeled hard. Especially in choppy conditions and cold water, it can happen when the waterflow tears off and air gets sucked down along the mast or wing, which causes loss of lift and therefore a roll movement to the upwind side. Ventilation tendency can be minimized by a proper profile section design and a perfect surface finish. Cavitation is caused by vaporization of the water caused by very low pressure. But correct design is everything, and Foiling America’s Cup boats can go up to 50 knots without major cavitation issues. TAKE OFF SPEED The take-off speed marks the minimum speed which is needed to lift the rider’s weight. Our SHAKA foils for example need just a little more than five knots of speed to make an 80kg rider fly. •

TOP RIGHT Alex Schwab demonstrating the power of pumping. Photo Benjamin Geislinger BOT TOM RIGHT The angle of incidence, and the pitch, roll and yaw aspects of a foil.

L E V I TA Z F O I L 1 3 1

STORI

SHO R

OF H I G H

A DV E N T U R E

THE OUTER BANKS WORDS TOM COURT PHOTOS MARTIN ALLEN

132 TH E O UTE R BAN KS

This whole foiling malarky has opened up an exciting new world of previously unregarded or downright ignored almost-breaking-but-not-quite point breaks, sandbanks and reefs... some easily accessed, some a lot less so. So here's a section to celebrate the adventure of finding those distant or hard-to-get-to sweet spots, kicking off with Tom Court, out on the Isle of Wight...

I S L E O F W I G H T 1 3 3

ver the past few months, a small group of us on the Isle of Wight (@TheActiveIsland) in the UK have been hit by the foiling bug. As I am sure you know, it is an incredibly addictive feeling and we have been exploring different ways to get out on the foil, different wings for certain purposes and dialing in the best way to explore our coastline with this new toy. Some of us from a kitesurfing background, others surfing, and some sailing… yet a foil board has brought us all together to find the perfect spots. The photos from this session are from a surf break that we have known about for years, however it has never been that good for traditional surfing. With a constantly shifting peak, often mellow faces and unbreaking all the way through high tide. Not to mention that it is in the middle of nowhere and hard to get to. It has been hard to get a good session there, until now. The major turning point was the introduction of a Zapcat, yet another foiling investment for the group. This is the perfect vehicle for carrying foils and tow-ins, which has really got us to some new breaks down the coast and made it possible to get as much time riding as possible and explore the peaks that now occupy our minds, day and night. This wave is a few miles down the south west coast of the Isle of Wight, hidden from those who don't know where it is, a perfect A-frame of deep reef that ramps the swells up perfectly into long humps of water that can deliver rides way over a minute long if you get on the right one. We have spent the colder months rubbering up and braving the cold to feed the foil addiction as we explored all the peaks we could, staying out the way of the normal surf breaks. Foil surfing really does open up the unknown and unlock new spots that you would never have even thought of riding… •

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“We have spent the colder months rubbering up and braving the cold to feed the foil addiction as we explored all the peaks we could, staying out the way of the normal surf breaks.”

A B OV E Sunny? Yes. Cold? Clearly... TOP RIGHT Tom on the final approach... BOT TOM RIGHT By land or sea, the Isle of Wight isn't an ugly place...

I S LE O F WI G HT 135

TESTED

T E S T E D

LEVITAZ SHAKA L SURF FOIL Levitaz have been at the forefront of the kite hydrofoil market for some time now, producing some super high end modular systems and a comprehensive range of wings, from full pre-preg carbon race setups to more standard and friendly freeride gear. We were intrigued to see how they would enter the surf foil market with the Shaka, which is currently available in medium and large sizes, with the large sitting at 2000cm2 and an aspect ratio of 4.5. The brand’s parent company, Geislinger, produces industrial couplings such as clutches for ships and trains so you can rest assured they know their engineering and are meticulous when it comes to production. The front wing of the Shaka is relatively mid aspect, with a span of 95cm and a central plate section swinging its way back neatly to meet the cylindrical stainless fuselage. There are barely any points of drag on the connections, it’s a smooth elegant shape which looks effi cient visually and has a defi nite hint of stingray about it. We tested the Shaka large size with a 75cm mast in knee to head high waves over the course of a month and it handled more or less everything we threw at it with some serious poise. We shimmed it about a degree positive, to account for the tail rocker on our 120L test board. Compared to other surf foils in this size range, it’s a playful experience, and has a noticeably early lift at around five knots for an average sized rider, which can be a little surprising at fi rst. It’s sensitive and very reactive to ride, but once you dial in you can make smaller radius carves than you expect with such a large front wing, and this allows you to get to the point of the wave you want to be with very little hassle. It’s an easy foil to control your pace with, and seems to sit easily in the wave face, particularly once you’re minimizing drag by sitting high on the mast. Once you fi nd its comfortable height you glide really well, and in complete silence. The Shaka matches the pace of the wave well, particularly when it’s small, and its

1 3 6 T E S T E D

pumping ability is also pretty simple to initiate. Where these larger early lift foils can get a bit interesting (particularly when paired with an anhedral stabilizer) is in their top speed range, which can force the rider to become very front foot heavy. With the Shaka this really wasn’t the case. In sensible sized waves, we genuinely struggled to top it out, and in the end we resorted to burning some fossil fuels to fi nd its limit. Behind a boat, it didn’t seem to top out until we hit around 15 knots, more than enough for SUP and the majority of surf foiling. The build and fi nish on the Shaka is amongst the most refi ned on the market, it’s a meticulously well manufactured product which oozes quality. The component parts fit together with extreme precision and no expense has been spared on the fixings. For a full carbon foil mast it’s relatively stiff in the yaw axis and what’s more it’s very competitively priced. If you own something this beautiful, you want to protect it in transit and the cover set for the wings and mast is well tailored and minimal. It’s a great piece of equipment and, as a fi rst entry to the surf, SUP and pump market from Levitaz, the Shaka foil is up there with the best.

9 TAKEOFF

8 ROLL STABILITY

9 TOUCH DOWN

6 FOILING STABILITY

8 PUMPING

8 PADDLING STABILITY

7 SURFACE TRACKING

5 DECK COMFORT

T E S T E D

AXIS FOILS S-SERIES SURF/SUP FOIL The AXIS surf/SUP foil system has become a respected benchmark in the sector over the last 18 months. The brand originate from New Zealand and are well established in the kiteboard sector. In the realm of foils, AXIS have produced a clever modular and easily customizable system with an extensive range of interchangeable front wings, fuselages, stabilizers and masts, with some wind sports crossover potential in the smaller sizes. Considering it’s a mixed material setup, comprising carbon wings and CNC produced aluminum parts, weight is kept to a minimum, with the full setup we had on test (with a 102 span wing) weighing in at 3.5kgs, which is in the same ballpark as some of its full carbon counterparts. The fuselage is also one of the slimmest and most effi cient we’ve seen. One of the most tangible highlights of the system is the overall stiffness, which at the moment is top of the fi eld for a mass produced foil system. There is no detectable movement between the board and the foil even with the longer masts installed, and every weight input you make is translated down to the foil with no lag or loss of subtlety, which gives a reassuring feel to the riding experience. The connection between the front wing and the fuselage is also unique, with an extra wide square section which slots in cleanly, meaning no loss of effi ciency and minimizing the roll, wobble and fl ex which is sometimes noticeable on other systems. From a practicality perspective, the top plate has open fixing points which allow you to loosen the track nut bolts to slide the top plate out rather than completely remove them, this makes removing the foil leg for easy transport easy, and there’s less chance of the foil fixings gremlin stealing your nuts in transit, which can be a common occurrence for the novice… The full package comes with a neat travel case for your mast fuselage and fixings, Tefl on gel, and a stainless tool set so everything you need to build and dismantle and avoid crusting up your fixing. The wing system comes in a plethora of various sizes designated by their span. They currently range from a smaller, faster 68cm up to a massive 102cm designed for pumping, downwinding and small surf. Mast sizes run in five increments from 45 to 90cm. If you’re starting out and aiming for small weak waves, we found a 50cm mast and 92 front wing (or 102 wing for the heavier rider) provides confi dence-inspiring stability and ease of use. If you want to take it out in slightly larger swell, and give yourself a bit more time for pitch correction, particularly when you make

1 3 8 T E S T E D

the drop, a 70cm mast is essential. A smaller rear stabilizer is also available which loosens up the turns dramatically and allows for tighter carves and is worth experimenting with for more profi cient riders. Worth noting is the AXIS system runs fairly pitch neutral, and – as with most surf foil set ups – requires a little trimming with shims or spacers to get it right for different boards and body weights. Particularly with boards with a little rocker in the tail, we found it required approximately 10mm of shim to get it to lift correctly and run fl at once flying. One of the nicer riding characteristics of the AXIS system was not having to put a huge amount of front foot pressure on, which reduces fatigue in your legs and means you don’t have to adopt any bizarre body positions to keep the wing down and prevent it from breaching, thus freeing you up for smooth carving turns. You can tell how well a foil is designed by how well it handles the extremities of its speed range, and the AXIS wings excel at this with even the larger wings able to handle a fairly rapid and punchy take off without too much fuss, which is testament to their good design. The overall build is intelligently designed and robust, particularly the attention to detail applied to the fixings and stiffness is excellent, and it is easy to interchange individual parts rather than the whole foil if you do somehow manage to bend something. After testing across a range of conditions, the S-Series is a contender as one of the top systems available on the market currently. It’s a solid platform to kick off your foiling career with, and has enough range and customization available for you to handle most conditions, making it a system you are unlikely to outgrow quickly.

8 GLIDE

8 STALL DROP

9 SPEED RANGE

7 TRACKING

9 PITCH STABILITY

8 CARVING STABILITY

7 YAW STABILITY

5 TURN RADIUS

F LOAT F LOW F LY The Sky Foil range is inspired by a true waterman, Sky Solbach. From riding rolling ocean swells to surfing long breaking waves, the Sky Surf and Sky SUP models transform poor conditions into awesome days.

A D D I CT E D TO R I D E – B OA R D R I D I N G SI N CE 81 F O L LOW U S W W W. F A N A T I C . C O M / S U P P H OTO

S I

C ROW T H E R

R I D E R

A I RTO N

COZ ZO L I N O

A E R O S U R F F O I L 1 5 0 0 / 2 0 0 0 / 2 5 0 0

S K Y S U R F 4’8” / 5’2” / 5’11”

S K Y S U P LT D 6’3” / 6’7” / 6’11” / 6’11” WS

The perfect match for these boards – the new Aero Foils – will blow your mind!

8 TAKEOFF

7 ROLL STABILITY

7 TOUCH DOWN

9 FOILING STABILITY

6 PUMPING

8 PADDLING STABILITY

7 SURFACE TRACKING

9 DECK COMFORT

Blue Carbon

T E S T E D

STARBOARD HYPER FOIL 7’2 BLUE CARBON Starboard have a well-established windsurf and SUP lineage, so it’s no surprise they’ve been early to add production SUP foil boards to their line-up. The Hyper Foil has had shaping input from four members of their design team and has four increments in its size range, from 6’4 (92L) through to a 7’7 (137L). As anyone that’s used a Starboard Hyper Nut or other squared slate style SUP boards will know already, these wide and square nose shapes offer four points of stability in the water, and concentrate volume in a short package allowing you to downsize. This design platform transfers over well for specific foil board design. There are two construction variants available, the standard Starlite and the more luxurious and lighter Blue Carbon version (the 7’7 being 900 grams lighter for example). Both are well built, with the Starlite having a particularly impressive looking carbon Innegra rail, which proved itself to be very ‘paddle chip’ proof. The board runs both a deep tuttle and standard US box 90mm track mount connection system, so all bases are covered here. The board also includes double leash points, so is unlikely to escape at any point. From a surf shape perspective it’s purposefully square and boxy. There are two long smoothed out channels running through the tail, thick, chamfered rails at the front and a pronounced kick in the tail which all ensure a clean release and early flying. Volume is generous, and fairly uniform throughout the board. The chunky rear section and square tail helps quick planing on the surface, and gives you a helpful shove onto the wave which increases your initial speed for a well-timed take-off. The board has a generous nose rocker, with the rear section remaining flat before that all important final kick to allow for more acute take-off angles. A feature really worth noting is the recessed deck. The EVA pad frames the recess and includes a ridged section along the centerline to help with foot placement. Then, to help get your back foot in the correct position over the foil, they have colored a section in red on the kick pad. A nice touch. The Hyper Foil makes for a very highly stable and practical platform for simply getting around on. If there is wind chop then the square outline works its magic from a stability perspective

140 TE STE D

Starlite Technology

and, coupled with the foil acting as a keel, it really is rock solid. Primarily it’s a very friendly, simple board to use. The larger sizes lend themselves particularly well to smaller waves and learner foilers, with high stability, very easy paddling in and super easy release, meaning you’re not having to pump hard to get flying and you do not have problems throwing your weight off balance once you lift up, even on a sub 1ft face or crumbly white water. Once flying, the ridged EVA pad and recessed deck make for a reassuring and connected experience, and makes your bodyweight feel like it is part of the board, rather than standing on it. If you need to shift your feet around, you can do it without looking down by feeling out where the ridge is, to get that all important ‘inch-perfect’ foot placement required for comfortable foiling. It’s amazing how quickly you get used to these two features, and you don’t realize how much you are relying on them until you get back on a board without them. The Hyper Foil is a well-conceived, generously featured board, and has combined many practical elements present on their own in other custom boards into one product, making for a comfortable and practical board to use. Overall this is one of the most refined production boards we’ve seen from a major manufacturer and it is clear that a lot of thought and testing has gone into it. As a first foil-specific board, it will make your initial flights as stress free as possible.

S TAT S Length

7'2"

Width

27.5"

Thickness

4.4"

Tail Width

23.6"

Weight Volume Recommended rider weight

8.3 kg 125 l 60-105 kg

8 GLIDE

6 STALL DROP

7 SPEED RANGE

7 TRACKING

7 PITCH STABILITY

7 CARVING STABILITY

8 YAW STABILITY

8 TURN RADIUS

T E S T E D

AK DURABLE SUPPLY CO. SURF FOIL The Surf Foil from the AK Durable Supply Co. was developed with prone surf foiling in mind. With a decent take off, it lifted early for its relatively modest size at 1325cm2. Construction is a mixture of carbon composite for the wings and aluminum for the mast, top plate (a 60cm was provided), and fuselage. The foil sits smack in the middle of its competition at mid weight for its size alongside comparable brands. It's a slickly presented package with a decent padded travel bag and a quality hex tool set provided. The fixings are also particularly chunky M8 affairs which go together reassuringly well. The front wing is a stable delta shape which lifts fairly smoothly and progressively. Its swept elliptical wings are not too sharp and will provide a safe experience for beginners as well as decent directional stability. It defi nitely feels like it tracks very well for a relatively short fuselage. In its intended speed range, the foil sits very reliably and comfortably with few surprises, and, with the short mast included, would make an excellent platform to learn to surf foil with when used at a gentle pace and a more gentile wave size. If you really push the top end speed wise, things can get a bit draggy and unstable, but the early lift and exceptionally gentle stall characteristics make up for this. For directional changes and general carving, it's surprising just how slow you can go and not stall out, you can really get away with being almost stationary. The Surf Foil's party trick is in its rear stabilizer design, enabling it to provide true multi-sport crossover potential. The X Wing system allows you to switch between a dihedral and anhedral stabilizer by simply flipping it upside down. There's also some trimability built in to adjust the pitch by a few degrees to help suit different boards and rider weights. So if you're surfing and need more lift, point it down, and if you're surfi ng small waves and need as much help as you can get, point it upwards for better speed handling and less front foot pressure. We tested this extensively and it really makes a notable difference to the way the foil rides, extending its multi-sport use. The foil is also compatible with the Airush kite wings and longer mast systems, there's also a tuttle box connector to enable further board compatibility. A larger size for slightly heavier riders would be a great

shout and may well be in the pipeline. The Surf Foil is a genuinely friendly introduction to surf foiling, equally happy with almost any method of propulsion, be it a wave, boat or a kite.

A B OV E Alvaro Onieva, heading the wrong way for sunset beers...

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142 FO R E S I G HT

FUTU

N F O I L I

FORESIGHT DAMIEN LEROY

With cumulative R&D budgets now going through the roof, there’s no doubt that the fast-evolving timeline of the hydrofoil is not going to slow down anytime soon. So, it leads us to the question: What is next? Where is it heading? Is there yet even more fun to be had?! For this section, we ask those who would know best to grab a coffee, kick it on our sofa, and ruminate upon the future of foiling. Damien LeRoy – foilboarder, kiteboarder, general athlete and public speaker – is first up…

+ Whether it is dock starting with a foil and pumping around flat water, or riding behind a kite in less than 7mph, foiling is giving you more time on the water doing the things you love. I think we have not even seen the beginning of this foil movement, as electric foils are hitting the market with Lift Foils and the potential for travel and transportation is made easier via foiling boats. I see the future becoming easier and safer for the beginner… New technology systems integrated into foiling like a segway. A gyro so you will not have to balance, you stand and fly! I see endless rides on waves that don't even break. I see potential in flat water or wave marathons and competitions, pumping foils for distances, or competing on how many waves can be caught. I see travel distance races on waves. The list goes on and on...

+ There is endless potential that only the future knows really. The biggest improvements will be with the ease of use. I think it is already proven in Hawaii, over 50% of the people are on foils at the surf spots. The best part about foiling is you can catch the wave so early that you are not necessarily in the same line-up or take off spot as a normal surfer. It is opening up more places to surf. It is giving you the opportunity to foil in conditions that you would never surf in. Super windy, choppy, lots of currents... these locations are now becoming fun to ride with a foil.

+ There is no question there will be new superstars in foiling in my eyes, other than names like Kai Lenny, Laird Hamilton, and Austin Kalama. There are a few hidden rock stars out there right now you should keep your eyes on, athletes like Nick Leason, Benny Ferris, Nico Parlier, Evan Netsch, Fred Hope, Brian Grubb, and Austin Keen are just a few.

+ There is no question foiling is here to stay and it is changing the future of watersports as we see it. It is opening up more conditions with less wind or even no-wind places. It is making bad surf days incredible foiling days. It is opening up spots where waves don't break, and making it possible on a foil by riding on just the swell, capturing some of the longest rides of your life. It gives you the chance to foil surf river swells or do downwinders in the ocean. Not to mention that it is fast morphing into every watersport we have right now, and the list just keeps growing. And what have I not seen yet that I think we will see in the future? I would have to say very soon we will see people doing double backflips and getting barreled on a foil. But only time will tell! •

TOP LEFT Damien LeRoy's morning commute is more fun than yours. And ours. And everyones. TOP RIGHT Will we one day be taking off and flying with a foil too? Here's Damo checking out how that might feel... BOT TOM The future looks pretty fun from Damien's perspective...

TH E FU T U R E O F FO I LI N G 143

ST A

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A N N I E

R E I C K E R T

THE WATERWOMAN

FA R L E F T On it. In it. Above it. Below it. Maybe she even drinks it? Either way, one thing's for sure: Annie Reickert loves seawater. Photo Erik Aeder TOP LEFT Just like her friend Kai, Annie Reickert is part of the young vanguard that are breaking foiling into the mainstream. Photo frankiebees BOT TOM LEFT From big faces to big downwind foil runs, Annie is an inspiration to all of us – not just female riders. Photo Erik Aeder

“I am so fortunate to be surrounded by amazing water athletes – both male and female – who have pavedthe way and allowed me to see what’s possible.”

am so fortunate to live on Maui. Maui is pretty much the epicenter for all things ocean sports related. It is the ultimate playground. I’ve loved being in the ocean since I was little, and surfing on the front of my parents’ boards. As I got older, I wanted to be able to play in the ocean no matter the conditions. That desire has led me to do a variety of watersports including stand up paddling, downwinding on a SUP and foil board, short boarding, long boarding, tow surfing, foil surfing, and my favorite, big wave surfing. Most of the innovations in water sports have happened here and foiling is no exception. I’d have to say it was because of Kai Lenny that I wanted to foil. We were both stand up paddling and doing downwinders a few years ago on our SUP boards when Kai decided to chop one off and put a foil on it. It was amazing how fast he went with what seemed like little effort. Then, at a favorite North Shore spot, he started playing around with a foil on a surfboard and he was having an amazing time in really small, un-surfable conditions. So I got one mounted on an old SUP surfboard and took it out. To be honest, I was initially frustrated by it. It took about five times before I could stay up and really feel the sensation of gliding down the wave. But once it clicked, I was hooked! Foiling has been a game changer. Now it seems there are no bad days, condition-wise. If the waves are marginal, then it’s time to foil. And when the wind is up, there is nothing better than racing down the coast with friends. It’s been really fun to be part of a sport in its developmental stages, the boards have gotten smaller and more dialed-in, and the foils themselves are constantly evolving. •

T H E WAT E R W O M A N 1 4 5

RIGHT Just occasionally, Annie has to leave the water so as not to grow gills and webbed feet. Here's one of those rare occurrences...

Being a young female foil rider is so much fun! On Maui, there are lots of amazing women who foil. I do tend to be one of the youngest females in the foil lineup but I attribute that to having so many incredible people around me who inspire me to try new things and push my limits. When I go to the beach and watch someone like Kai catch air on his foil, I want to try the same thing, and I think it was inevitable that I would get into foiling. So many of my friends were doing it and I didn't want to miss out. Everyone seemed struck with “foil fever”, and once I tried it, I got it too. I am so fortunate to be surrounded by amazing water athletes – both male and female – who have paved the way and allowed me to see what’s possible. I’ve been asked before what I think a waterwoman is, and I really don't think it’s any different from being a waterman… Someone who is passionate about being on and in the ocean. They engage in a variety of water sports and are knowledgeable and confi dent in a range of conditions. They get out there regardless because they don’t want to miss a day in the water. They have a deep respect for and love of the ocean and that passion pretty much shapes who they are. My goal is to be the most well-rounded water athlete that I can be and to encourage younger water athletes, male and female, to get out there, try new things, and have fun! I am hoping to see more and more females get into foiling, especially young girls. Last July, during the M2O channel crossing, I became the fi rst female to cross the Kaiwe Channel on a foil SUP. It was an amazing experience to fly 32 miles from Molokai to Oahu and it was an honor to pave the way for more women to come! That said, I will be foiling it again this year and as of right now, I am the only female registered in the foil division. So this is an invitation to other women to please come join me next year! I think foiling has a really bright future. You don't need perfect waves to have an epic session. And most places don't have great waves all the time, so foiling gives us all a way to play in the surf no matter the conditions. Also, downwinding on a foil is the most incredible sensation. I’ve clocked 24mph on my foil board with good winds and it’s really indescribable. It makes me think of Ricky Bobby in Talladega Nights and his “I wanna go fast!” line. If you like to go fast, there’s nothing like flying over the water on a foil. •

1 4 6 S TAT E O F P L AY

CMY

“I think foiling has a really bright future. You don't need perfect waves to have an epic session. And most places don't have great waves all the time, so foiling gives us all a way to play in the surf no matter the conditions.”

A B OV E TH E REST

2.5 kg

We design ed a su rf foil for ad va n ce d r iders l ook ing to p u s h t h e ir spe ed a nd maneu verabil ity t o t h e n ex t level .

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H E A D L I N E 1 47

w w w. d e l ta hydrofoil.c om

@de l t asu rf fo i l s

f ace b o o k .co m /de l t asu rf fo i l s/

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Below the surface we are quietly confident. Fliteboard’s singular goal is to create the world’s leading electric hydrofoil. If you look beyond the beautiful Italian carbon Innegra exterior, you’ll find every detail designed for performance. Our patented Flitebox and Unibody Fuselage technologies result in market leading efficiency, stability and agility. Our Flite Controller featuring ‘virtual gears’ and a sophisticated GPS trip computer put the power at your fingertips. All powered by the highest grade lithium marine battery available. Fliteboard provides the freedom to ride anywhere, anytime, without wind or waves. Fast, quiet, and emission free with a range of up to 1.5hrs / 30km per charge. INTERNATIONAL DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARDS

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