The F-One KiteFoil Is Here
Marie Desandre Navarre cruising on the F-One Foil and Foil Board combo in Tahiti!
F-One, one of the larger brands in the industry have recently launched a new weapon in their arsenal, the F-One KiteFoil is here! Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately you will have noticed the rise and rise of foiling in the kite industry. A few major brands have been watching this keenly and F-One are the latest to throw their hat into the ring with an offering.
The F-One Foil in all it’s glory!
Alex Caizergues, one of F-One’s longest standing team riders and a previous World Speed Record holder has been riding foils for some time. France is also where the foil scene is at it’s largest and so this move makes total sense for the brand. In recent weeks they have taken on Maxime Nocher, a very experienced foil rider and racer to increase thier presence at the various race events around the world. At the recent Mondial Du Vent event in France Maxime, Alex and fellow F-One rider Roman Castel filled the podium for the long distance race!
The very formidable F-One foil team on the podium!
The F-One KiteFoil compliments the existing F-One Foil Board Range, which includes the Mitu Pro surfboards with a foil board connection offering you the ultimate in versatility and making them perfect for travel! The foil itself has been designed by their in house naval architect to be progressive, yet easy top ride and forgiving.
Maxime Nocher racing at the Kite Foil Gold Cup in Mexico with the new F-One Foil Kite and KiteFoil set up.
The foil is constructed in France using “Pre-Preg” carbon fibre, a technique where the carbon weave is directly impregnated with epoxy resin by the manufacturer. This technique guarantees a perfect ratio between the epoxy and carbon and is the highest production process available. Other pieces are made with a new technology called “Forged Carbon”. This technology takes advantage of the same principles as standard Pre-Preg but uses a different type of fibre which is better suited to mould small parts with complex shapes.
This demonstrates the Fast Connection Device which ensures ease of use and accuracy.
There are some interesting technologies utilised within the foil itself too, the mast connection makes use of the fully conical KFBox which is compatible with all F-One and KETOS foils. Perhaps most interesting though is the “Fast Connection Device” this allows you to very simply and accurately put the entire foil together. A critical aspect of riding a foil board is ensuring the mast and wings are in perfect alignment. This is often tricky to achieve with some systems, or involves multiple bolts and connections to ensure accuracy.
The F-One KiteFoil is compatible with both the F-One Foil Board and the Mitu Pro Convertible.
With the FCD that F-One use you can simply put the pieces together, connect the single bolt and tighten it up. Your foil is now ready to go and perfectly aligned…
The Foil uses an 88cm Mast this offers great performances and comfort without being intimidating or proving too long when starting off in onshore winds or shallower waters. F-one then went for a freeride wing with a focus on ease of use but also progression so you won’t grow out of it too quickly.
We wanted to design a wing that was truly versatile and progressive. When we realised that even the most experienced within our team loved to ride with the wing we had developed for novice riders, we knew we had succeeded. With a span of 58 cm and a surface area of 595 cm² this blade has enough grunt to lift you out of the water effortlessly even in marginal conditions but will remain easy and fluid to handle even at pace thanks to its refined profile. Built using Pre-preg carbon over a Forged Carbon central core, the stiffness of the blades has been finely tuned to make it as stable and predictable as possible.
A one piece freeride stabiliser completes the set up, by using the FCD this simply slots into the bottom of the mast and is held in place with the single bolt. It’s an interesting concept and the FCD set up will no doubt prove popular among riders looking for an easy set up that is reliable and doesn’t leave you fiddling with loads of bolts in the car park after a session.
The freeride wing and on piece freeride stabiliser which utilise the forged carbon technologies.
The Foil is available from all good F-One dealers now and is retailing at €2295 for the mast and wings. For more information check out the F-One Website. Or take a look at the brochure which can be found online HERE.
Tue 28th Apr, 2015 @ 10:34 am
