F-ONE Kiteboarding WTF!? 138 x 42cm 2018
Reviews / Twin Tips
41,428
At A Glance
Over the last few years, F-One have been growing their range of kites, boards and foils. We have seen many new additions such as the Breeze, Furtive, and now the WTF!? range. The WTF!? range is all about out and out freestyle riding; we now see a Linx freestyle bar, the WTF!? C-kite and the new WTF!? Freestyle board.
We recently got our hands on the range and here were going to take a look at the WTF!? freestyle board. The WTF!? twintip features a double concave, rail channels, lifted tip channels and a wider deck, all of these features help the board plane early, grip the surface of the water, displace water on landings and give it a smooth, manageable ride. One interesting feature on the new WTF!? are the variable thickness inverted rails; we see thicker rails under the feet with thinner rails in the centre of the board and tips. Giving the board improved grip and increased balance.
Unpacking the WTF!? It became apparent how solid it is, it looks robust and very well constructed. Graphics are pretty stylish too; we love the Lite Tech addition to these boards (where the light shines through the TPU inserts).
The WTF!? Comes with Uni-Box 50mm fins which again are robust and fit together easily. The board doesn’t ship with pads and straps as standard as this board is likely to be ridden with bindings. However, the board can be ridden with the F-One Platinum3 footpad system.
Coming in one colour, there are three sizes. There is also a girls and Next Generation version of the WTF!? board which are tailored to suit these riders.
Sizes: 136 x 41.5, 138 x 42, 140 x 42.5cm.
A solid choice with impressive performance!
On The Water
Firstly, we headed out on the board using the Plainum3 footpad and strap set up, which are incredibly comfortable, easy to set up, configurable and the simple one strap system gives them that classic, perfect fit. The board is incredibly smooth for a high-end board, even in straps it’s not bouncing you off every bit of chop you hit. The board is fast, it gets going easily and does not bog down like some super heavy freestyle boards. The board is very forgiving; the slightly swept in outline enables the board to push on in a bundle of different water conditions without catching or bouncing the nose.
In footpads, the pop is great, and landings are soft. However, we didn’t see the full potential of this board until we rode it in bindings. With bindings, the board doesn’t feel super heavy or cumbersome underfoot. It remains smooth and agile. The board grips incredibly well at high speed with a lot of control so those days you want to boost its got your back. When you start unhooking and busting some passes on this board is when you see the potential pop and stability of its ride. The board releases from the water effortlessly, providing tremendous amounts of pop from the water. The larger fins and tip channels give the board plenty of grip in the dying moments of take-off. The WTF!? Soaks up landings really well, something I was glad of after a few heavy drops in some gusty conditions last week.
Overall
A solid choice if you are the avid freestyle rider looking to push your boundaries. The WTF!? boasts the high-quality construction we see from F-One as well as exceeding the riding capabilities its rider puts it through. It was an incredible bit of kit that was easy to jump on and go, getting dialled into this board takes seconds, it is effortless to ride. Best suited for those riders wanting to ride in bindings. However, it will also be suitable for those who are thinking of taking the plunge into bindings in the future.
Videos
This review was in Issue 67 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit F-ONE KiteboardingRelated
By Robin and Sukie
With years of kite sport experience combined, you can be sure you’ll be receiving the highest quality of knowledge on the best equipment the industry has to offer.
