The XFoils Podcast

We linked up with Liam and Freddy from the Generic Foiling Podcast for a collab and it was about time. Two podcasts, one conversation, little filter. This is Part 2 of sorts — we recorded on their show as well, so if you haven’t checked that one out go find it.

We get into products, trends, and just the industry overall. The kind of chat that happens when you get people in the same room who actually have opinions and aren’t afraid to share them. Some things were slightly spicy, some were agreed on immediately, and some we are still thinking about.

Two shows, one mission. Go listen to both.

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

Great time to drop this one. The Duotone crew just crushed the Kernow Foil Classic, taking a full podium in the foil assist and Finn doing what Finn does across all his events. This is not unusual, we watched these boys rack up about 8 podiums back in March at the FSRL in some pretty meager conditions. They know how to show up!

We get into the race adventures, the gear development happening behind the scenes, and just fun stories in general. Some good people who love what they do!

This probably won't be the last time they come on the show. There's more to talk about, and we have a feeling they'll have some things coming up that we will be into from the whispers of it!

Good people, great results! Thanks boys for coming on and showing up!

🎙️ 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

Brody, Sam and Matt welcomed us into their shop in Hood River. Beautiful retail space, a tight crew, and a brand that started small and is now moving globally without losing any of what makes them them. Small, nimble, and doing it their way.

We catch up on how things have been going, the range, where they see the market heading and what they are paying attention to. Hydrocraft has a clear view point on what's going on — because they listen to the XFoils Podcast — and it shows in everything they build.

Don't miss this chat. It's technical, fun, light, with some hit or miss bad humor involved.

They are hitting the road. The East Coast Demo Tour is live and if you are on the East Coast this is your chance to get on a Hydrocraft and see what the talk is about. Dates below, go find them.

🗓️ East Coast Demo Tour:
Vineyard Haven, MA — Sept. 27
Newburyport, MA — Sept. 28
Point Judith, RI — Sept. 29
Montauk, NY — Sept. 30
Bayville, NY — Oct. 1
Ocean City, NJ — Oct. 2
Virginia Beach, VA — Oct. 3
Wrightsville Beach, NC — Oct. 4

🎙️ 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

Sam Loader joins us all the way from New Zealand. Sam is behind the PPC Orbit in collab with Nova, and we had a lot to say about it before we even got him on the mic.

We spent a couple of weeks in the Gorge during AWSI on the 2.7, 3.5 and 4.5m and walked away with some strong feelings. Strong enough that we did a pre chat lead up to this interview because we felt it deserved more light than we gave it in Case 75. The Orbit earned it.

Here's the thing. The double skin parawing stigma needs to stop. We are shutting it down right here. We loved this wing, we sailed it hard, and we are telling you to stop talking about it and get out on the water. Some things just need to be experienced and the Orbit is one of them.

Good chat, some fun hangouts and meetings with Sam at AWSI. He is a genuine one, takes feedback to heart, and truly wants to build something special. Now go sail this thing and tell us we are wrong please.

🎙️ 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

Get and orbit: https://www.kitepuertorico.com/products/ppc-orbit-parawing?_pos=5&_sid=5db54b3bd&_ss=r

If you can't get gear from us but still want to support the podcast:☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/xfoils📲 Follow along: @TheXFoils

The moment we saw it online we knew it was a new take on something we know very well. I saw it and thought, our people are going to want to hear about this as much as we did. Two guys, a real idea, and the kind of execution that reminds you of some of the best origin stories this industry has produced. Al and Johnny from RIIFT sat down with us and we got into all of it, or at least just the start of it and what they have gotten themselves into!

One system, powered assist foiling, or ride it unpowered, all on the same board. Just plug in 3 components integrated with the tracks, then built into a board from a shaper of your choice. They are already working with some of the best shapers and brands we know very well, RIIFT providing the well thought out tracks for their system to plug and play.

Good people, great vision, and a product that has the community already talking. The kind of thing that reminds us why we love this industry. It can't keep doing this 📈

🎙️ 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.comIf you can't get gear from us but still want to support the podcast:☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/xfoils📲 Follow along: @TheXFoils

Walt and I sat down with some of the crew behind a really interesting project that we believe is different, and right up our alley. Ken Adgate, Kyle Touhey, Michael McKinley and Fred Hope, the only Slingshot man in the room bridging the gap between this band of misfits and a brand willing to take it on. We think Slingshot made the right call to push progress and go against the grain.

How did Project Drag come about, the story behind the crew, and what it means for where Slingshot is heading. This is the kind of project that gives a brand real momentum and speaks directly to the hyper focused foiler who actually cares about what's happening under their feet.

We get into the drag, on takeoff yes, but more importantly the drag when you're up on foil and how we actually use the board to ride. The Tuttle box Michael designed, the collaboration with Slingshot, and the push to make this an industry standard, a parallel platform alongside tracks that other brands can adopt. That's a big deal, and we feel everyone did right by it.

And then we just talk about how we ride boards. Stance, style, real foil talk with people who really care. This was a good one. LOVED this!

🎙️ 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

The Naish Hatch V2 was our favorite all round wing of the season, mentioned in Case 75, for someone getting into the sport all the way to the high end performance, and we meant it. So who better to chat about it than the guy who actually designed the thing.

Ewan Jaspan, three time Kite Park League World Champion, kite and parawing designer at Naish, and someone who clearly knows and cares about designing for a wide range of users. We dig into the Hatch V2, what things he looked at, why it performs the way it does. Good chat with a guy who clearly loves what he does.

🔥 Grab the Hatch V2 with free shipping, discount code Case75 at checkout:👉 www.kitepuertorico.com/products/naish-hatch-v2

🎙️ 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

Mike Raper needs no intro. Thirty years in the watersports industry, the guy who has built brands from the ground up and knows what it takes to move something to the next level. I personally know Mike from North, we have worked close on some small projects in the past that I really enjoyed. Having him as our inside man at Foil Drive feels pretty good, we like having people on the inside!We catch up on what life looked like after North, and what brought him to Foil Drive. More importantly, what his role means for where Foil Drive is heading. This is just a bit of gear chat, more about vision, growth, and what happens when someone with Mike's experience steps into a brand that's already doing something nobody else is doing.Thanks Mike! See you at AWSI buddy! Come grab a shirt to go along with that hat you look so good in!🎙️ 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.comIf you can't get gear from us but still want to support the podcast:☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/xfoils📲 Follow along: @TheXFoils

It's been a whole summer. A whole summer of testing, riding, and teasing the market nobody explicitly asked for, but we have an opinion to share obviously.

The parawing market has been moving fast, people are in the upgrade phase, and Walt and I have been putting in the work so you don't have to guess so much. Some wings get more love than others, and some get a beat down, but that's because they earned both. Let me summarize a bit.

The Ozone Afterburner, highest priced on the market right now, so they better deliver. The PPC Orbit, our favorite high end parawing for sailing upwind downwind when you want that extra good feel. The Naish Hatch V2, our overall favorite wing of the whole test based on performance, price and useability, and yeah we said what we said. The F-One Quest, possibly the best beginner parawing out there, and how it stacks up side by side against the Pocket Rocket V2 might surprise you. The Frigate V2, no news, not out yet, but the expectations are high and we had thoughts on their release timing.

Walt and I don't always agree, but on a few of these we were on exactly the same page.

Like always, I only sell what I believe in. The Hatch V2 is the one. If you trust us and want to support, order here 👇
🔥 Free shipping on the Hatch V2 with discount code Case75 at checkout:
👉 www.kitepuertorico.com/products/naish-hatch-v2
Another favorite of mine now:👉 www.kitepuertorico.com/products/brm-s3-parawing

🎙️ 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 are back and we came with opinions, and some new things tested. This is just a short catch up, we have some larger more focused episodes in mind.

We spend way too much time thinking about this sport and what could actually move it forward or backwards! haha. Board design, parawings and how to make sure you don't get seen riding a stripped foil. Walt and I may or may not agree on everything, but if we see enough people saying the same thing, we have to bring it to light.

We are having an XFoils event, Hood River at Friem, 2-5pm on the 9th. Get the details in this episode!

🎙️ 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