Innehållsförteckning för Summer 2020 från Foiling Magazine

Hey Ulisses! How’s your day looking, and where are you right now? Hey! My day is going good, thank you. Right now I’m in Bali, more specifically at Dream Land close to Uluwatu. I really love it here, because there are good waves, good vibes, beautiful places and it’s so incredible how there are waves for anything! Waves for surf foiling, wing foiling, getting barrels or doing turns… So I think in so many ways this place has helped me on achieving my dream of becoming a waterman! How much has Covid affected your plans lately? Covid-19 changed a lot of my plans. Like not being able to surf or foil for almost three months because the beaches were closed here, so it was some pretty hard times! But it…

Aluminum Aluminum is quite light for a metal and offers some good characteristics with a very useful strength to weight ratio. For hydrofoil, grades 6061 and 6063 are most often used. These are higher grades offering advanced mechanical characteristics which is why they are used in structurally demanding applications such as in aircrafts for example. Metals normally yield at some fraction of the breaking load. These two grades offer a pretty high yield point which makes them particularly useful. Finally, they offer good corrosion resistance and are easy to anodize to work in the marine environment. Aluminum is an isotropic material, which means it has the same mechanical properties in any direction. It does not matter whether you’re trying to pull or bend it, the material will behave the same…

Hi Clifford. Let’s get right to the moment of conception… When was the first time you encountered foiling and what spurred you into designing foils in the first place? The first time I saw foiling I was in a sports bar in the UK, and I remember seeing Laird Hamilton bombing down this massive wave and I thought to myself “Nutter, that’s gonna hurt if you wipe out”. I never thought in my wildest dreams that one day I would be designing these epic flying machines. I started kiting in the early 2000s and when I saw that hydrofoiling had been growing in the kitesurfing scene, the thought crossed my mind. A friend and I started to make our own DIY foils to try it out. I can still remember…

SLINGWING V2 Slingshot can claim to be right there at the beginning when it comes to wind wings, so they have plenty of experience in the field, and with Slingshot co-founder and chief designer Tony Logosz behind the scenes, you know a lot of real passion and experience goes into the product. V2 of their SlingWing comes in at half the weight of their original wing, and is a great crossover option for anyone looking to harness windpower on a board, with comfort also being a big and conscious factor in their design. HIGHLIGHTS Lightweight Optimized for one-handed wrist control with no oscillation Soft handles for comfort and control Cambered dihedral design for extra stability Great crossover option SIZES (M2) 3.2/4.0/4.4/5.4/6.4 PRICE $888/€ (4.4m) ECHO Upgraded from their entry into…

Unifoil are a South African company who have been designing hi-performance hydrofoils since 2014. Working together with their team riders, they develop some of the most technically advanced foils on the market, with a constant design R&D lab innovating everyday in hydrodynamic research on profiles and outlines of hydrofoils combined with the most advanced technologies in carbon fibers and production methods. The Unifoil team have some of the best foil riders on the planet on their team, and a large range of hydrofoils wings, parts and stabilizers to match their team (and their customers!) expectations. The Unifoil Vortex slots in as a super light and stiff piece of carbon fiber designed to send the sharpest turns with the maximum speed. We had the 150 on test with the 75cm mast…

When it comes to the world of Wind Wing technology then it is clear that brands with a heritage in building these type of flexible inflatable products have a jump on the competition. RRD have been in the watersports business for 25 years (they have just released their Y25 quarter-century collection) and as a consequence they know quite a lot about how to make this kind of thing… Perhaps surprisingly they were not one of the brands to jump into the Wind Wing game as soon as it was clear that there was a rapidly growing market for them and have instead waited a year or so before bringing their take of the wind wing to the market. Looking back now and it’s pretty clear that this was a sensible…

Amidst the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, the opportunity presented itself to take a pair of Fliteboard E-foils for an afternoon of social distancing. We tested two of Fliteboard’s offerings: the Fliteboard, and the Fliteboard Pro, each paired with their optimal combination of mast, battery, and front wing. I first tried the brand’s standard Fliteboard offering. This model is the brand’s standard offering. Coming in at 5’8 x 28” and 100L, this board’s construction is a PVC carbon sandwich with an innegra deck finish. Our test foil was equipped with the 40 Ah/2.1KWh Explore battery, referred to as the “Flitecell.” Average runtime is stated around 60-90 mins. The Fliteboard was finished in a slick black, matching nicely with the deck pad under which lies the board’s heart: the battery compartment…

New Zealand based foil brand AXIS have been working diligently at their development again, and have expanded their already comprehensive range even further with some refined higher aspect flat shapes. The result is the Glide series wings, which come in sizes dictated by their spans – 910, 1010 and 1150. These all go straight onto the existing AXIS mast and fuselage range with some slightly shorter countersunk bolts to adjust for the thinner profile, and they offer complete backward compatibility. With a span of well over a meter on the largest wing, the low levels of flex are impressive, and the thought that has gone into designing the existing system is evident. These new front wings have been derived from a completely new foil section, different from the original set…

Each and every day we wake up is a new opportunity to express ourselves and manifest those dreams and visions we have for our-self. I believe it’s human nature to want to explore new frontiers or try something new. We are constantly changing and adapting and looking for ways to improve what is already happening, whether it’s something in our own lives or maybe in our professional lives or something a lot larger that affects large populations. This is what foiling has brought to my life, it has expanded that component in my brain that strives for new ways to connect with nature and more specifically that spiritual experience that I gain from being in the ocean. The outdoors, the ocean, surfing, the changing seasons of nature, are all incredibly…

There are some very subtle hints as to where this might be, and any amateur social media sleuth worth his or her lot would probably not have too hard of a job figuring it out. But we recommend you don’t… Enjoy it for what it is, and as a representation of all the epic and as yet unrealized opportunities that remain across this largely blue planet for rocking up in your van at a launch spot and getting out on the water and still having an absolute blast in less than epic conditions……

PHOTOGRAPHER ADAM KLEVIN LOCATION ONELOA BAY, MAUI DATE WEDNESDAY, JULY 8TH 2020 “IT’S CRAZY TO THINK HOW AN AVERAGE DAY THAT MOST SURFERS IN MY NETWORK WOULD CALL “JUNK” COULD BE SO MUCH FREAKING FUN ON A FOIL” Here on Maui, an average summer day in Lahaina is paradise, yet can also get pretty predictable. Blue Skies, hot and sunny, the town busy with locals keeping a balance between free time with family and working around a thriving tourism industry. The factor that is constantly keeping us on our toes is the surf and the wind… On this Tuesday morning, hungry for some action after receiving my new Freewing, I woke up early and scanned the horizon and coast for swell and checked the cloud line over Moloka’i to the…

01 TABOU POCKET AIR 2021 Wing foiling has opened up an opportunity for board shapers too, with many now turning their hand to something more ‘specialist’. Et voila, the Tabou Pocket Air, a designated wing foil platform with plenty of footstrap options that is built to pop and perform. 02 ARMSTRONG HS1850 The largest ‘performance’ wing in the Armstrong range, the HS1850 was put on this earth to shred, its lineage coming direct from the popular HS1050 and HS1550 wings. Fast, stable, responsive, and an ideal pick for the wing foilers amongst us. 03 UNIFOIL 150 HYPER SPLIT FUSE-LAGE At the request of team rider Adam Bennetts, the Hyper 210 was revisited and a downsized but higher performing model was built, emerging as the Hyper 150, a wave riding and pumping machine ideal…

It might seem easy to the untrained eye, and we’ve all seen the videos… Elegantly gliding alongside leaping dolphins in a superyacht-stacked harbour, or sitting on it, magic carpet style, comfortably heading toward the sunset with nothing more than a smile and absolute faith in your battery life. Well, turns out there’s a little more to it. So rather than finding yourself with a starring role on Kook of the Day, here’s Damien LeRoy’s guide to your first tentative flight on an e-foil… “STAY LOW LIKE SOMEONE WAS GOING TO WRESTLE YOU AND KEEP THAT SPEED UP…” FIRST THINGS FIRST. Make sure you are operating properly in your local canal, ocean, lake, or intercoastal. You can always check with the local marine patrol and make sure you are abiding by…

NAME: RICHARD BOUGHTON (TECHNICAL EDITOR) DEVON, UK @KITEBARN Richard, our Technical Editor here at Foiling Magazine, has been in and around the water sports industry for the best part of 18 years. He’s traveled internationally for many years coaching kitesurfing, runs his own sail loft in the UK, and is an avid paddle boarder. Rich fell in love with foiling in 2015, initially shaping his own boards and foils before equipment was commercially available. He’s a genuine multi-sport foil user… Be it propelled by a wing or kite, paddling or prone, he’s very adaptive, and gets out in all conditions, whenever possible. Now permanently based in the wild southwest of the UK, Rich has perfect ‘real world’ conditions for testing prone and SUP foils on his doorstep. His favorite spot…

The Aero foil range from Fanatic is their modular direct turning foil system comprising of three different sizes up to 2500cm2. We tested the mid-size 2000 Aero wing with the long fuselage, aiming across the three disciplines of surf, SUP and wing use. First impressions, as they say, are everything and everything comes in a slick package with well-tailored wing covers and a well-conceived and compact travel case teeming with Velcro pouches to keep the relevant parts separate, safe and protected. Immediately noticeable is the deep chord on the mast which is German manufactured with a fusion technology, which Fanatic says offer a 30% increase in stiffness over other aluminum counterparts. The base plate is also bonded permanently to the mast, with some chunky bolts locking things in place making…

F-ONE have been designing hydrofoils for a decade now, they started designing surf foils and boards in 2018, and the Phantom series are their new high-performance, high-ratio hydrofoils with their sights set firmly on the surf market. The Phantom 1080 has an aluminum mast and baseplate on a full carbon front wing, fuselage and stabilizer. There´s four sizes: 1080, 1280, 1480 and 1780cm2 and we had the baby of the crew on test, the 1080. The F-ONE Phantom series has a unique assembling design. The mast and top plate are mounted together with two screws and then every aluminum part has integrated stainless bolts to prevent seizing for a longer lasting product. The bottom of the mast is mounted on a specific mast mount with two screws which is then…

The range-topping performance option, the Fliteboard Pro is a 5’0 x 24.5”, 70L board. Our test unit was finished in a clean, bright white, contrasting nicely with the tall 75cm black aluminum mast. Within this board was the Sport Flitecell, a slightly smaller and lighter 30Ah/1.65KWh option with an average 45-60 minute runtime. Charge times on this unit are about 2 hours on average. Our test foil came with the Flyer wing, a thin, small (~1000sq/cm), high aspect design allowing for a top speed in the mid to high 20s (MPH). It’s worth noting here that both test setups were equipped with the same stabilizer. Test conditions were typical Central California: a breezy onslaught of knee to thigh high bumps, and a healthy serving of floating kelp to dodge. Tester…

Hey team! So could you give us a quick overview of the new S25 foil range… Working closely with our global team and ambassadors, our design team has come up with a new range of lighter, stronger, stiffer foils for riders of all ability levels. Weight has been dramatically reduced on all components of our modular system, so whether for surf, SUP or wing foiling, with S25 we have the right set up between our Jet series and expanded HA range. You guys have a massive range of board sizes this year, perhaps more comprehensive than any brand out there. It’s great to see so many volumes in the wing SUP range. Which are your most popular at the moment with people learning the sport from scratch? Generally our most…

Hey Gary, so tell us what’s new construction-wise in the new boards? We have tuned in the lamination construction and material use by model, as each specific board has a different set of requirements based on its intended use. Then the boards do share a few techniques that add to the overall strength and durability, while remaining lightweight. One of these techniques is a unique process in which the foil tracks are constructed in the boards, that incorporates a top to bottom lamination that creates an I-beam. This allows us to deliver an extremely strong mounting interface for the foil, yet eliminates unnecessary lamination around the boxes that creates unwanted weight. It seems the evolution of dedicated foil boards has been almost as quick as the evolution of foils –…

Firstly Nick, kudos on a really good-looking documentary. Who was behind the camera and production? The footage was a collection of content that we have captured over the years. My friend Christian Suau put together the production and editing. He’s typically making the hit Reggaeton videos for the Puerto Rican rap stars, but he’s a surfer and part of the Lift family. There’s a huge range of locations in there. Rivers, towns, bridges, harbors… Can you tell us where a few of the spots were? Most of the shoots are all within a short distance from our home and headquarters here in Puerto Rico. There are also different shots that we have collected around the world. You refer to your dad, Michael, as the main tester. Benny Ferris also acknowledges…

What an interesting July this has been. After four months being “locked down” in Florida, we finally made it back to our home base in Marin County, a few miles north of San Francisco, California, where we could once again ride our local spots. While summer is not known for its big waves on our Pacific coastline, foiling has opened up so many spots and on smaller days, which combined with the consistent winds, have created an amazing surf, SUP and winging playground. It was mid-July, and a good swell was coming through SoCal. My good friend Merten – from the Los Angeles Foiling Club (LAFC) – suggested to my girlfriend Dorothy and I that we head south to LA, meet with the local crew, and try some of the…

PHOTOGRAPHER KYLE CABANO LOCATION MUIZENBERG, SOUTH AFRICA DATE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24TH 2020 I have lived in Muizenberg for the majority of my 23 years of existence. It was the place where I learnt to surf at the age of 5 and where I did many of my first maneuvers on my short-board. As I entered my teenage years, the rolling waves of Muizenberg no longer excited me, and I graduated to the Cape’s heavier surf breaks. Fast forwards 16 years, and I had just been introduced to surf foiling. This completely altered my perception of Muizenberg as its sub-par shortboard waves are absolutely perfect for foiling. Muizenberg is one of the most crowded surf spots in Cape Town because it is the best and only place to learn to surf.…

Abel, first a little background… You’ve been involved in wind sports and surfing from a young age. What are your first memories of getting on the water? My first moments on the water were like almost every kid with a small bodyboard in the shorebreak. But the first good memories on a sail board were at the age of eight, with a really old windsurf board that my mother bought for me because I got good rates from the local school, and we learnt how to ride together. Those were amazing days. You moved to the Canary Islands and became a professional windsurfer, and soon after that your professional kitesurfing career took off. Were you set on a wind and water career path from that point? From my first second…

Hey Pio. So I think we’ve had more people tell us “You need to interview Pio from MFC” over any other name in the industry. You clearly have a lot of respect in your field… That is good to hear, thank you! I like to connect with lots of different people, hopefully I can continue this way. So firstly, tell us a little bit about your background and how MFC came about. I’m from Napoli, in the south of Italy, and I came to Hawaii at the end of 1989 when I was 18 years old. I’d been involved in windsurfing and surfing since I was a little kid, dreaming that one day I might move to Hawaii. So I followed my dream and I’m happy I did it. I…

AK is a South Africa based brand manufacturing high quality foils as well as surf, wakeboard and kitesurf accessories. From their base in Muizenberg, Cape Town, they have one of the very best foil testing playgrounds on the planet and a dedicated team of foil loving enthusiasts who can turn around and be testing prototypes in less than 24 hours. So: this is a very well honed product! The AK Surf foil has an aluminum mast and fuselage, with full carbon front and back wings. There are two sizes available, the 1300 (which we had on test) and the 1600. The big difference with most of the other alu foils on the market is the depth of the mast mountings on the fuselage and baseplate. They are twice deeper than…

As Naish head into S25 which marks a quarter of a century of water sports legacy from the Hawaiian brand, they have been ahead of the game in the exploding wind wing sector and have now released the second version of their Wing-surfer. We are greeted with six different sizes ranging from 2.8 through to a mammoth 7.2. The one wing quiver theory from last year is long gone – as the sport started to find its feet it was obvious that a full range was required. The other notable change this year is some large PVC windows which fill a considerable percentage of the canopy of the wing. The luff strut remains and is a mid-sized profile depth in comparison to its stable mates. The high pressure (7-9PSI) leading…

The Rocket foilboard is a compact platform designed to ensure that you can ride with maximum control. The stiff and super light construction gives an instant response from the foil and the compact outline and volume distribution makes it easy to catch waves. It’s available in 5 sizes from 3´10 through to 5´6. This test was run on the 4´2 (28 liters) in 3-5 ft waves on with the Phantom 1080 F-one foil. The construction of the Rocket is in line with your expectations for F-ONE boards. They have been refining this ultra-stiff, ultra-light full bamboo construction on their SUP, kite and foilboards for many years now. The result is light, bulletproof and ultra stiff. In terms of the shape, there is a relatively constant rocker, a compact round outline…

JSlingshot were well and truly ahead of the game when it came to pioneering inflatable wings, with the perfect test bed of Hood River on their doorstep. Finally releasing their first serial product in 2019, the SlingWing Classic was headed off on a strong design tangent with huge leading tube diameters, and an inflatable trailing edge. It was focused on rigidity and had enough handles to confuse an octopus. It was a product focused on Gorge use – blasting around in strong gusty wind – and was without doubt successful in those conditions. The user requirements in the wing surf market have evolved quickly, and Slingshot have reacted suitably. Emerging sneakily on social media, amazing videos appeared from the Spencer brothers in Maui. There were glimpses of minimal prototype wings…

So let’s start with the thinking behind the name, Kujira foil. We did a quick Google of ‘Kujira’ and we got pictures of some pretty impressive whales… Yes exactly, Kujira is Japanese for whale. Takuma has some Japanese ties, not only with the name of the brand, but also part of our R&D is actually located in Japan where a minority of people still hunt whales as a traditional custom. We have always been very against these cruel behaviors and during the process of developing the Kujira foil, we made the decision to commit ourselves to contributing even more to environmental protection. There is an element of biomimicry in our innovation and engineering process on the Kujira foil, as it is fully inspired by humpback whales. So after two years…

So, the A-Wing is here! It looks great. What originally spurred you guys into joining the wind wing market? Winging is simply so fun! It’s light, easy to setup and makes foiling accessible for more people to experience the sublime sensation foiling delivers. So tell us about the A-Wing setup, and some of the technical highlights… We have put a lot of time and effort into understanding what we wanted our A-Wing to deliver. This led our design process to create something powerful yet well balanced in a wide range of conditions. Some key features are: • Shear Web stiffened handle connection system for enhanced control and no energy transfer loss. • Pre-loaded LE geometry for maintaining our unique airfoil section when under load. • SAIL101 leach tensioning Dyneema line.…

The big evolutionary leaps of the last century created an expectancy that the progress would continue. Flying cars? But a car still looks like a car. A plane is still a plane. Formula 1 track times haven’t changed much in 30 years and the Concord hasn’t flown in 20 years. Sure, there have been improvements, but very few leaps. Whenever I’m stopped on the beach after a foil session, and folks are inspecting my setup, and they ask about the sport, my response is, “We didn’t get flying cars, but we did get foils.” The foil is the rare evolutionary leap forward. Maneuvers get bigger, but they won’t continue the rate of change we’ve seen in the last year. Strapped foiling will start to look more like a snowboarding/surf crossover.…