KT foils with Kane De Wilde foil designer

[@tedp3408]

Kane is on the leading edge of foil design and riding skill. I wish I was in a position to change foil brands. Thanks for the great interview

[@lylecarlsonsurfboard]

Kane is very interesting. Love when guys that actually ride are doing the design and development work. It will evolve a ton this next few seasons 🙏🏽

[@ijpopoff]

Great interview! Love the tech design notes on this brand. Very well explained and thoughtfully inspired. I’ll put this on my list as I progress and get ready for more gear.

[@hirthproductions988]

Appears to be a very well thought out foil system designed with lessons learned from many foil brands on the market while integrating some cutting edge hydrodynamics in the wing sections. There is always room in the market for a better mousetrap.

[@Piros181]

Great interview learned heaps.... Thanks

[@c.n.1360]

Hey guys. Can you make a video of your foils in which you explain the trimming. How the basic setting is and how to trim the foil from there. That would be really great. Your atlas is mega cool!!!

[@NativeEarthlingAI]

Kane is the Man. Watch him grow 🤙🏼

[@coolfox999]

Theres a lot of similarity in shape of the wing and "fuselink" on 3 bolts, mast foot with AFS, interesting fuse looks like Takuma 🙂

[@compte11111]

In fact the "fuselink" was made first by chubanga or mikelab's (not sure but in my mind it was chubanga connexion and mike asked if he could use it Luca said yes ). The frontwing connexion look's like volo hydrofoils. Good stuff.

[@coolfox999]

@@compte11111 I have an "old" box connection and new "fuselink" AFS now and the latest win hands down on rigidity and ease of assembly, sand or no sand, it just works. The other thing I noted even high aspect wing have negative camber closer to the trailing edge, the same I see in AFS latest wings. I agree the liftoff is great, but does this limit the speed range?

[@onquarter]

I am confused as to how wing sweep (mentioned at 16m0s) helps with stability. I noticed Axis has ditched sweep altogether and the rest of the industry is minimizing it. I would love to have a wing with and without the sweep and be able to ride them back to back! I hope Kane did that in development.

[@ryanarzy]

Kane's using the word "stability" to refer to control. Foils with more leading-edge sweep create more predictable handling characteristics, as it stabilizes the center of lift and reduces pitch instability. Sweep also makes the wing more forgiving turning from rail to rail and through turbulence. As Kane mentioned, while sweep can enhance stability, it can also reduce overall efficiency and speed potential, as the drag can be higher compared to designs with less sweep, which is why the Atlas, which has very minimal leading edge sweep compared to the Nomad, is more glide, pump, and efficiency oriented. I assume this why Axis and other brands use less sweep for more glide, pump, race, and efficiency characteristics. Foils that want to have a controlled "surfy" feel benefit a ton from sweep

[@onquarter]

​@@ryanarzy Thanks for the response. Agreed, these foils don't have a ton of sweep, especially when compared to surf foils of 5 years ago. What do you mean "stabilizes the center of lift"? Pitch stability arrises from the restoring pitch moment this is created by the main foil and tail when pitch is disturbed from the stable angle. So if pitch was increased, the front wing provides more lift and the rear wing provides less down force (a delta of more upward lift). Those both act on the center of mass/lift that's in front of the centerline of the front wing to produce a restoring torque to bring the pitch back to the stable point. But for a foil with extremely high sweep, that is almost like having multiple front wings placed at different locations front to back on the fuse. So unlike a straight wing where the center of lift is in fully front of the center of the wing's lift, the swept wing may have some of the airfoil section in front of the overall center of lift, and most still behind it. That forward most section (closest to the root) would have the opposite effect and reduce pitch stability. Of course, this could be countered with a larger tail or longer fuse or more downward tail angle, etc. But either way, having sweep would actually cause a bit less pitch stability from that effect. But maybe there is another effect I am unaware of that causes more pitch stability? Thinking this through, I am suspicious if there is actually any pitch stability to be gained from wing sweep.

[@ryanarzy]

@onquarter Yes, good point-I don't think I used the right words to describe what I meant to say, considering the terms we use in this sport are often misused compared to their textbook definitions. I tend to focus more on the real-world feel of the foils rather than pure physics, so my perception of sweep and pitch stability has been shaped by how existing foils perform on the water. From my experience, foils with more sweep often feel more predictable and controlled during rail-to-rail transitions and surf-style riding, where their gradual stall characteristics help prevent sudden losses of lift during maneuvers where speed is constantly changing. You're right that pitch stability comes from the restoring moment between the front wing and tail, and I misspoke when I said sweep stabilizes the center of lift. What I should have said is that while sweep doesn’t improve pitch stability specifically, it does enhance handling by spreading the lift distribution across the span of the wing, making the foil feel smoother and more forgiving during rail-to-rail transitions and turbulent conditions. In a rear-loaded design, this effect can help harness the foil’s responsiveness, creating a more controlled and solid feel underfoot during dynamic riding. Another significant factor that contributes to the Nomad's stability is its lower aspect ratio compared to the Atlas. The Nomad’s lower aspect ratio (in the 9's) adds to that surfy, controlled feel, while the Atlas, with its higher aspect ratio of 10 and no sweep, focuses more on glide and efficiency. Stabilizers, shiming, and fuselages all play into this too but fortunately Kane developed a really simple and convenient shimming system to balance everything out.

[@onquarter]

@@ryanarzy Agreed. While foiling I’m always trying to connect the textbook definitions what I am feeling through the foil. Sometimes things feel very different than I expected! I certainly know the “stable underfoot” feeling but it’s hard for me to exactly understand the physics of it. Thankfully Kane had done all the work for us to make this beautiful set of foils!

[@ironphil62]

👍🍺🏄🏼

[@franpinyol8500]

Most probably it's a great foil but the product positioning, product marketing, etc is quite poor. KT, you've been lucky Gwen helped structuring the key messages about the product, what matters, differentiators, etc.

[@bastialdehoff7779]

Kane is the designer/rider and not a sales person. I personally like the more technical approach from Kane rather than the usual marketing lingo. I am sure there will be more marketing content once the foil lines officially launch.

[@franpinyol8500]

@@bastialdehoff7779 I'm also looking for a technical explanation, key features approach, etc. (I'm engineer, trying to learn about foil mechanics) . But IMHO, any designer in front of a camera should be able to explain the key design principles, who is it for , etc..

[@francoissavoie-ferron4961]

I prefer a rider/designer technical talk over generic and blend marketing sale pitch. Kane is at the forefront of foil designing, foil testing and foil riding. That alone is so valuable for a brand reputation. The analogy of a shopping cart was great! The scoring system for matching foil component is really a game changer. Make me want to switch my foil system! YEWWW

[@dlsspy]

I was sold at “this is what Kane has been working on.” My only disappointment here is not being able to buy this stuff today.

[@ryanarzy]

@franpinyol8500 How would you suggest they improve the product positioning and marketing? KT had to announce this foil lineup early due to overwhelming public demand. It looks like they're also doing their best to share info on a pretty complete all-around range of foils before they're even available.

[@max4997]

Releasing a foil system with no carbon fuse is an absolute no no for me. Besides that, Kane speaks very poorly. It’s painful to listen to.

[@ryanarzy]

Interesting perspective! Going with aluminum to start offers an affordable, stiff, and durable choice for all types of riders. It's also more cost-effective, which means KT can offer foils to a wider audience without compromising on quality. Aluminum's strength allows for a narrower, faster diameter, and its ease of modification supports ongoing improvements. With proper anodization and stainless inserts, KT is balancing performance with practical considerations. Duotone even switched from SLS & D/Lab carbon fuselages TO aluminum for this very reason... Kane has designed this connection after four iterations to make it future-proof and allow for future monoblock carbon fuselages. Jumping straight to carbon just to have something that's only 20-40% lighter might sound appealing, but it comes with significant trade-offs-it’s far more expensive for both the manufacturer and end consumer, and more prone to flexing if not reinforced properly. Carbon fuselages generally have to be built thicker to meet the same stiffness but again, this is just what KT is starting out with to make the system affordable for people to switch too. As for Kane, his deep technical knowledge, skills, and passion for foiling shine through in the design. It’s clear he’s focused on creating gear that performs on another level and doesn't need to mask anything with exaggerated marketing speak and what people think about his public speaking. The direction he and KT have taken makes a lot of sense when you look at it from a broader perspective.