Exocet have recently announced the launch of 4 new windfoils for the season 2019.
- NOÉ
- Evo Freeride
- Evo Freerace - SWORD
These foils offer a good compromise between glide, stability and safe performance. Noé and Evo Freeride are freeride oriented, preferably used with freeride boards and under 7sqm no-cams sails. The goal of these foils is to achieve an early take-off and “friendly” foiling. The 80cm mast of the Noé will suit smaller boards best (<85cm wide) and for foiling in shallow and/or flat water.
The 97cm mast of the Evo Freeride will make it smoother to ride in rough water and it will be easier to reach higher speed. It will also be better suited for wider boards (>85cm).
Evo Freerace and Sword are ideal for high performance foiling. They have identical profiles but the Sword is made with a type of carbon (M40J) that makes it stiffer. This gives the foil more nervosity and the foil stays stable when foiling in the chop and at high speeds. It will also respond instantly to any change of direction.
All foils are made with full carbon construction for wings and mast, aluminum fuselage, and stainless steel inserts in the wings. There is an intuitive setting for the angle of the rear wing, with markers engraved on the fuselage.
All foils are delivered in a transport bag with EVA protections for the mast and wings.
To get some more information about these foils, we have asked some questions to Damien Le Guen of Exocet:
Windfoil Zone: Damien, you have recently launched 4 new foils in the Exocet collection. Could you tell us who these foils are for?
Damien Le Guen: Exocet foils are for all types of riders, however they have some specific qualities:
- The Noé is ideal for learning and improving foiling skills as well as doing foilstyle manoeuvres. The key features are early take-off and stability.
- The freeride 97 is equipped with the same wings and fuselage as the Noé, but with a 97cm long mast to sail better in rough sea conditions sustained or when you use a more freerace oriented board, as the Exocet RF81, to better angle the board and leverage on the foil.
- The freerace has the same mast and fuselage as the freeride 97 but with a set of wings that are more speed oriented. The 80 cm span of the front wing wingspan gives an early lift and the narrow shape makes it possible to reach a very high speed. The faster you go, the more stable you’ll be with a very well-balanced rear foot / front foot pressure.
- The Sword is the same foil as the freerace, but built in carbon M40J for more stiffness and more control. Note that the foils are all equipped with an aluminum fuselage and all parts are interchangeable.
WZ: What differentiates your products from other brands?
DLG: I believe that we have a different approach to windfoiling. We have developed our foils in order to be very balanced with a very low pitch, which allows us to have great stability despite the short length of the fuselage.
The foils are designed by Martin Turbille from the French foil manufacturer “Taaroa”. Martin comes from the kitefoiling industry. His approach to windfoiling is really interesting and I think that in the near future we will be able to push the limits of what’s possible with windfoiling at the moment.
WZ: What are the current selling prices?
DLG: The price range is from 1300€ for the Noé to 2390€ for the Sword. WZ: If you do not have an Exocet board, what kind of boards would you recommend?
I’d advise to choose a dedicated foil board because it makes foiling easier. The Noé and Freeride 97 do not need very wide boards because you are not seeking performance with these foils, but fun.
The Sword and Freerace can be used with wider boards if you are looking for speed and stability.
WZ: Where can you buy these foils?
DLG: Today these foils can be found in the Exocet dealer network and in the countries distributing the brand. The list is available on our website. We are also working on an online sales platform. WZ: Do you have anything else to add about these foils to finish off?
DLG: We have worked particularly on the quality of the finish and details on these foils. For example, the wings are equipped with built-in stainless washers to prevent the screws from being in contact with the carbon directly.
Another detail is the adjustable angle of the rear wing by changing the position on the fuselage. We have engraved a graduation on the fuselage to give more precision on this setting.
Thank you for answering our questions Damien!
Pictures: Exocet and Eric Bellande
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