Paul Cooper is in the house! In Case 65, we catch up with Paul during his trip to Puerto Rico, chatting about our latest foil adventures and what a few days on the island really feels like when the conditions line up.

We throw Paul straight into the mix—epic surf sessions, a killer downwind run with the crew, and plenty of time on the water to see if we could break him.

The final verdict from Paul?
“Hurt… but not broken.”

Just a fun recap of great sessions, plenty of laughs, some new foils for Paul to try, and a full dose of Puerto Rico conditions. Check out our Instagram feed to see some of the sessions we edited together from the week.

Off to the FSRL — see you there!

🎙️ Sponsored by Kite Puerto Rico + the N1 Surf Shop
Support the podcast by subscribing, dropping a 5⭐ review, and grabbing your gear from someone you trust:
👉 www.KitePuertoRico.com

If you can’t get gear from us but still want to support the podcast:
☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/xfoils

📲 Follow along: @TheXFoils

We’re announcing our unsponsored surf foil test series that we’ll be running over the next couple of months. The goal? To see what the brands are really doing and find the best feels we can across the board.

No bias. No contracts. No filtering.

Just honest feedback and real sessions.

Brands that have already answered the call and are sending their best:
Lift, F-One, Slingshot, AFS, Cabrinha, North, Code, FliteLab, Naish and F4.

We’ll also be reaching out to Armstrong, Unifoil, Axis, and Hydrocraft to round things out. If we missed anyone… let us know.

This isn’t about a winner. It’s about understanding feel, construction, design philosophy, and what actually translates into performance in the water.

We’re fired up. This should get interesting.

🎙️ Sponsored by Kite Puerto Rico + the N1 Surf Shop
Support the podcast by subscribing, dropping a 5⭐ review, and grabbing your gear from someone you trust:
👉 www.KitePuertoRico.com

If you can’t get gear from us but still want to support the podcast:
☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/xfoils

📲 Follow along: @TheXFoils

In Case 63, Paul Cooper, a dedicated FoilDrive rider who isn’t tied to any single foil brand. That neutral perspective makes for a great conversation as Paul shares insight on the latest Fusion system, integrated masts, new pods, and how to optimize setups for the best ride possible.

This one’s all about those small percentage gains—the little tweaks that add up to smoother, more efficient sessions. Do all the upgrades, do none of them, and you’ll still have fun on a FoilDrive—but for the gear nerds chasing performance, this chat is full of useful takeaways.

Paul’s also heading to Puerto Rico next week to get some sessions in with us before we all roll into the FSRL in Cocoa Beach on March 6th. Should be a good run.

🎙️ Sponsored by Kite Puerto Rico + the N1 Surf Shop
Support the podcast by subscribing, dropping a 5⭐ review, and grabbing your gear from someone you trust:
👉 www.KitePuertoRico.com

If you can’t get gear from us but still want to support the podcast:
☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/xfoils

📲 Follow along: @TheXFoils

So good to be back in the studio with Walt, now officially the co-host. In this episode we catch up on a few things: my South Africa kite-foil trip where I (sadly) did not hit 30m — apparently the right gear really does matter.

We’re getting fired up for the upcoming FSRL on March 6th in Cocoa Beach with Billy and the Good Breeze crew. Walt will be joining us for the first time! We will have a smash burger XFoils style get together, stay tuned for the day/ time and location. Im stoked to be participating with the North crew this event again this year.

We also get to pull the curtain back a bit on an F4 foil designed specifically for the Gorge. Walt gets to catch Chris up on what the design feels should be for this new, yet-to-be-named Gorge foil we’re really excited to bring to life.

Oh, and yeah… we’ve got a new X-Foils logo and branding to show off.

Its all THERE!

Just a fun studio catch-up with plenty of froth.

🎙️ Sponsored by Kite Puerto Rico + the N1 Surf Shop

Support the podcast by subscribing, dropping a 5⭐ review, and grabbing your gear from someone you trust:👉 www.KitePuertoRico.com

If you can’t get gear from us but still want to support the podcast:☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/xfoils

📲 Follow along: @TheXFoils

In Case 61, We get to chat with Doc, Charles, and Julien from F-One for a conversation centered around feel, construction, and change. As most of the community already knows, F-One is transitioning from their long-standing Titan 1 connection to a new interface, which has definitely raised eyebrows among their loyal following.

Julien sums it up well: “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” This new connection isn’t about trend-hopping — it’s about stiffness, better feedback, and a more modern response as foiling continues to push into higher loads and higher speeds.We talk about why the change, the engineering challenges behind it, and how important it is to listen to the community during a shift this big.

For F-One, the new connection had to be a net positive for all users — stronger, stiffer, and with better feel than the Titan interface — to stay relevant in an ever-evolving foil landscape.A refreshingly honest chat about feel, performance, and what it takes to future-proof a system while keeping customers onboard.

🎙️ Sponsored by Kite Puerto Rico + the N1 Surf ShopSupport the podcast by subscribing, dropping a 5⭐ review, and grabbing your gear from someone you trust:👉 www.KitePuertoRico.com

If you can’t get gear from us but still want to support the podcast:☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/xfoils

📲 Follow along: @TheXFoils

Case 60 is just Walt and I, catching up and talking about the feels of the new foils we’ve been testing lately. Not a spec dump—more about how they actually ride, how they translate into progression, and what’s getting us fired up at the moment.

On the FoilDrive side, we just do a quick Fusion recap and share how it’s been fitting into sessions lately.

Classic X-Foils van chat energy.

🎙️ Sponsored by Kite Puerto Rico + the N1 Surf Shop
Support the podcast by subscribing, dropping a 5⭐ review, and grabbing your gear from someone you trust:
👉 www.KitePuertoRico.com

If you can’t get gear from us but still want to support the podcast:
☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/xfoils

📲 Follow along: @TheXFoils

In Case 59, Walt and I sit down with Kai Calder. Kai has deep roots in foiling, and honestly, there’s so much we could have covered with him. This episode is more about bringing Kai into the conversation—getting some background, hearing his perspective, and setting the stage for more to come.

We touch on parts of his journey, how he found his way into foiling, and what shapes his approach today. It’s not a full deep dive (yet), but an introduction to someone with a lot of experience and insight in the sport.

Consider this one the start of the conversation, not the end of it.

🎙️ Sponsored by Kite Puerto Rico + the N1 Surf Shop
Support the podcast by subscribing, dropping a 5⭐ review, and grabbing your gear from someone you trust:
👉 www.KitePuertoRico.com

If you can’t get gear from us but still want to support the podcast:
☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/xfoils

📲 Follow along: @TheXFoils

Walt and I, wrapping up the year the only way we know how—talking sh*t about tech, recapping what went down, and dreaming about what we want to see in the future.

From gear overload to real progression, we reflect on the year of tech, what actually mattered, or we think matters? what didn’t, and where we hope foiling is headed next. No agenda, no guests—just end-of-year vibes, laughs, and honest takes.

This is our Christmas / end-of-the-year special, and most importantly, a big thank you. We genuinely love this community and appreciate everyone who listens, supports, and keeps the stoke alive.

🎄❤️ See you next year.

🎙️ Sponsored by Kite Puerto Rico + the N1 Surf Shop
Support the podcast by subscribing, dropping a 5⭐ review, and grabbing your gear from someone you trust:
👉 www.KitePuertoRico.com

If you cannot support us with buying merch or gear and want to support us: here is out buy me a coffee link. Think of it as investing in the future of foiling with us! Love you guys!

buymeacoffee.com/Xfoils

📲 Follow along: @TheXFoils

It’s just Walt and I — a long-overdue catch-up and a high-demand review on the new F4 foils. We dive into first impressions, and how these foils fit into the evolving landscape. We also chat about Foildrive, and what ever else pops into our head!

Nothing fancy, just classic energy and some gear talk everyone’s been asking for. Always a good time catching up with Walt.

🎙️ Sponsored by Kite Puerto Rico + the N1 Surf Shop.Support the podcast by subscribing, dropping a 5⭐ review, and grabbing your gear from someone you trust: www.KitePuertoRico.com

📲 Follow along: @TheXFoils

In Case 56, Walt and I sit down with Mike Raper, North’s Brand Director — and yes, I give him a hard time for being too good at promoting the North lineup. The man is proudly dialed into every product, every update, and every detail… and honestly, rightfully so.We run through a quick overview of what North has been up to, some of the standouts in the current range, and how the brand continues to push design and performance forward. Mike’s schedule during AWSI is chaos, so we’re stoked we managed to sneak him in for a van chat between meetings and demos.Short, fun, and full of North energy.🎙️ Sponsored by Kite Puerto Rico + the N1 Surf Shop.Support the podcast by subscribing, dropping a 5⭐ review, and grabbing your gear from someone you trust: www.KitePuertoRico.comBoost Trench and FD masts with us. 📲 Follow along: @TheXFoils#XFoils #Case56 #MikeRaper #NorthFoils #NorthKiteboarding #FoilTalk #AWSI #FoilDesign #Wingfoil #Kitefoil #N1SurfShop