AK Foilboard Collection Overview
Interview with foilboard designer, Clinton Filen.
Hydrofoiling has opened up and allowed us to utilize the smallest waves and onshore conditions, bringing a new sensation to performance surfing. The AK foilboard collection will have you exploring the limits from surf foiling, open ocean downwinders, to freestyle wingfoiling, and beyond.
Let’s jump straight into it; what was the overall design approach for the new range?
Foiling is a completely unique sport that has so many facets to it and will continue to evolve. One aspect is the application of foils onto various watercraft, and the other is the versatility of foils and the increased number of riders that want to explore all aspects of foiling.
The AK foilboard range has continued to evolve along with the sport and at the center, the Phazer is our ultra versatile crossover range. The smallest sizes can be used for surf, kite, pump, and wing. The mid-sizes are very wing focused, and the largest 3 sizes cross over between wing and SUP.
The Compact wingboard, now available in our Carbon Plus construction, is our dedicated wingboard in the range. Sitting in the range below the smallest compacts is the Arcade, which is optimized for pump, tow, kites and wake foiling.
The Nomad Active Carbon and Nomad Carbon Plus explore light wind gliding in the wingboarding space, while crossing over into paddle up, downwind, and surf SUP, all the way through to small wave prone in the smallest size.
Tell us about the Arcade?
The Arcade focuses on meeting the demands of the rider looking for a pump, tow, and wake foil board. We focused on a very compact geometry that was ideal for a rider that either had a major secondary power source, such as a boat or ski, or a rider that was 100% focused on pump foiling. Considering that this board might live in a boat or on a dock, we also wanted something durable, which is why we’ve made it available in the bombproof Duratech construction.
What are the key differences between the Arcade and the smaller Phazers?
The Arcade is our shortest board in the range by a long shot. It is 6 inches shorter than the smallest Phazer, and this very minimalist platform allows you to be completely over the foil at all times, minimizing any swing weight. The wider nose and tail also creates more of a freestyle platform, although the rounder bottom maintains a good level of carving and helps with touch downs.
The Arcade is over an inch thinner than the smallest Phazer, getting you closer to the foil for better stability. This is possible due to the reduced volume as the board is not designed for surfing. The Arcade only has offset front straps and does not feature V straps. This configuration is more typical for tow foiling.
Finally, the Arcade is built in our Duratech construction, which improves the durability for use with boats, personal watercraft, and starting docks, where a carbon board would be more fragile.
Key Size Comparison:
Model. Length Width Thickness Vol.
AK Phazer 4’0″ (122cm) 18.5″(47cm) 2.65″ (6.8cm) 25L
AK Arcade 42″ (108cm) 17.7″ (45cm) 1.45″ (3.7cm) 12L
What are the key differences between the Compact and the Phazer?
The Compact prioritizes maneuverability through its short length, narrow width, and low swing weight. The Phazer focuses on combining carving, gliding, and maneuverability. If you review the comparison of the Phazer 5’4” to the Compact 4’8” below, you can see a clear difference.
Key Size Comparison:
Model Vol. Length Width Thickness
AK Phazer 76L 5’4″(162.5cm) 25″(63.5cm) 4.1″ (10.5cm)
AK Compact 74L 4’8″(142cm) 23.25″ (59cm) 4’7″ (12cm)
Why has the construction of the Compact been changed from Active Carbon to Carbon Plus, and what is the outcome of this change?
As the level in freestyle wingboarding advances, the demand on the equipment for jumping and very aggressive riding have increased. The Carbon Plus features a full sandwich PVC deck and bottom with a full carbon wrap. This construction results in a board that maintains the light weight of the current construction but is significantly more durable in the top and bottom deck and standing areas.
The Phazer is unchanged for this season, where does this board sit within market trends?
There had been a general trend from the market to push shorter “surf shapes” for surf foil and wing. From our testing, we felt that this trend was very relevant to freestyle, but compromised the glide too much, especially with the trend to smaller foils. The trend we see now is back towards longer boards and we feel the current Phazer sits perfectly in this space.
Where does the surf crossover start with the Phazer?
The 46L is a good size for an 85- 90kg rider to learn on, with smaller sizes ideal for more advanced smaller riders. You can consider the 55L for a person that is over 95kgs, although this becomes a challenge to duck dive in bigger surf.
Where does the SUP crossover start with the Phazer?
Our primary SUP tester, Peter Petersen, recommends at least 20L above your body weight for an intermediate rider. So, typically, the 110L is ideal for the average 85kg rider, although a lighter rider could use the 90L.
What is the key concept behind the Nomad and Nomad Carbon Plus?
The Nomad concept was centered around building the ultimate light wind wing board, but versatile enough to use as a surf, paddle-up, and downwind SUP. We knew that if we could get a certain amount of glide speed, you would be able to pop up onto foil. We also wanted a board that was very comfortable off foil as we believed that anybody who was chasing light wind would most likely spend a fair amount of time off foil.
The Nomad Active Carbon is a lot longer than the Phazer, although with the introduction of the even longer Nomad Carbon Plus, you could consider the regular Nomad as a new generation “mid-length” shape.
For the Nomad Carbon Plus, we wanted to make the lightest and most high performance board possible, with a bit more focus towards downwind and absolute light wind winging without foot straps or a bottom handle.
How does the all-new Nomad Carbon Plus construction and weight compare to the Nomad Active Carbon? What are the benefits of the new construction?
The Carbon Plus is a full PVC sandwich with a full carbon wrap, top and bottom. This creates a stiffer board overall, which helps on paddle ups and extremely early glides. We have removed the handle and footstrap inserts, and together with the weight benefits of the full sandwich, we have a weight saving of around 15% over the Active Carbon construction. This weight saving also reduces the overall swing weight, which significantly helps in pumping and maneuverability, keeping this model incredibly versatile.
How does the shape differ between the Nomad Active Carbon and the Carbon Plus?
The Nomad Carbon Plus shapes are longer and narrower than the Active Carbon shapes. However, with the reduced weight, the impact of the swing weight on the Carbon Plus is minimized.
The Nomad Active Carbon has some new sizes in the range, can you tell us more about these sizes and what application they’re designed for?
All models in the Active Carbon have reduced in width over the first-generation Nomad. For example, the 115L board is two inches longer and 1 inch narrower than the first generation. We have optimized the bottom shape and rocker so that we did not lose any stability with these changes, but we have been able to really increase the glide speed on the shape. This is the same trend for the 135L and 95L sizes.
We are really excited about the new smaller size Nomads, with the 46L being a very easy board to use in surf foiling that gets you into waves really early. The 55L and 75L have been the staple of our wingfoil test team as these boards are narrower and longer than the equivalent Phazer, and have a crazy amount of glide. These are our absolute favorites for downwind winging and freeriding. We also believe these 3 sizes will be ideal for Foildrive systems due to their glide oriented shapes.
The Nomad Carbon Plus is only available in three sizes, why did you choose to make these sizes in the new construction?
The benefits of the reduced weight and increased stiffness is most evident on the bigger boards where you have higher swing weight, due to the length or less energy generated by a larger wing. These three sizes will cover anyone from the 65kg rider up to the 105 kg rider for wing/SUP crossover (At least 20L above your body weight). If being used for winging only, you could downsize to around 10L above your body weight.
Key Size Comparison:
Model Vol. Length Width Thickness
AK Nomad Active Carbon 115L 7’2″. 22″ 5.7”
AK Nomad Carbon Plus 115L 7’6″ 21″ 5.7″
How does the Nomad differ from the larger size Phazers?
The Phazer is an all-around shape focused on combining carving, gliding, and maneuverability. In comparison, the Nomad is all about connecting with the glide.
If you compare the 110L Phazer to the 115L Nomad below, you will see the major difference in the length and the width.
Model Length Width Thickness Vol.
AK Phazer 5’10″ (178cm) 28.5″ (73cm) 4.6″ (11.8cm) 110L
AK Nomad 7’6″ (213.3cm) 22″ (58.4cm) 5.7″ (13.8cm) 115L
How does the Nomad differ from a Downwind SUP?
We knew we could get even more glide from an even longer and narrower board, but our key objective was making a wingboard with crossover capabilities. One of our design fundamentals is to “make everything as multifunction and versatile as possible, without undermining the core function”. So, we optimized the length so that once you were up on foil, the Nomad is still a very fun and playful board to pump around on.
The Nomad Active Carbon also has footstrap inserts, which makes the board a lot easier to use for the intermediate rider when winging, and much easier to go really fast. We have also added deck reinforcing for the increased durability needed when winging.
How does it fair as a downwind SUP, paddle up, or prone board?
Many of the characteristics you are looking for in a downwind SUP or a paddle up board, specifically the glide, is consistent with the Nomad design, so it is very capable. From a surf SUP perspective, it is still short enough to surf comfortably, although the only limitation would be the width in terms of stability for beginners or early intermediates.