Fernando Novaes alias "Mizo" is a talented surfer from Sao Paulo, Brazil. He started foiling a few years back to be able to spend as much time on the water regardless of the conditions. His ride is like poetry, flawless but powerful with a lot of grace.
F-ONE Magnet Carbon Sizes Available: 4’11” x 18.1” x 11L, 5’1” x 18.5” x 11.5L Sizes Tested: 4’11” x 18.1” x 11L
F-One Says:
Jump higher and stick all the strapless tricks you have been training on for months! With its surreal lightweight and low profile, the board sticks to your feet for the full duration of your tricks.
The reduced thickness brings improved control and an innovative flex to provide a lot more comfort and precision while riding and when landing, even in the harshest conditions. It’s a totally new feel in terms of control, with a more direct feedback. Its straight rocker line combined with the parallel outline offers the speed and stability you need to boost huge aerial tricks.
Combining the deep channels, precisely carved on the bottom of the board, together with the right amount of flex makes the landings a lot more controlled and smoother. The Magnet Carbon is built using the innovative Slimtech Carbon Custom process making it both light and incredibly robust, probably the two most important aspects of a strapless freestyle board.
Transform your ride with the Magnet Carbon, the most innovative strapless board on the market.
From the second you pick up the Magnet Carbon in hand it is obvious that this board is purpose built for maximizing your strapless freestyle pleasure. The Magnet Carbon features super thin construction that looks like a hybrid between a twin tip and a surfboard, but the weight in hand is so clearly featherweight that you know there’s some serious high tech carbon holding this thing together. The Magnet comes with Future fin boxes and has a channeled, double concave bottom with an exaggerated spine down its center; the rails look fairly straight under your front foot, boxy nose and tail hips. The board’s mid-section outline is indented with grab rails for tricks. The deckpad runs ¾ length with a soft corduroy feel, a kick on the tail and a raised bump on the front to keep your feet on the board. The board skips straps inserts, one of the ways it arrives at its mind-blowing light weight.
When you combine the low weight with the wide and boxy surface area of the board you get a design that is purpose-built to levitate to your feet during airs. As you head out on your first tack you will feel the board reacting to every piece of chop with the tail template and rocker seeming to want to launch off even the smallest ripple. The Magnet feels super poppy and ready to make just about anything a ramp. On hard upwind slogs, the light weight and rail template gives the board a little bit of chatter as it cuts through the chop, but with its thin straight rails and extra channeling on the bottom, it is easy to control and efficient through the water. In terms of launching airs, the Magnet’s incredibly low weight helps with the release—as you load and release the edge, the board accelerates effortlessly with you into the air where technique and wind will help you stick the biggest multi-rotational jumps. If you were doing single front rolls before, with the Magnet you’ll be doing double fronts. The side question is how does a strapless board do in the surf? The tail doesn’t have that much grip and its rocker isn’t built for seamless transitions between bottom turns, pivots in the pocket and slashes off the lip, so the Magnet is not as fluid as a traditional surfboard. It’s not that you can’t have fun in the surf with this board, but you will have to pay a bit more attention to rail control— it’s just a bit more technical and not its strong suit. The Magnet is a piece of technology that is designed to push strapless freestyle evolution and give you the tools to reach the next level.
3x Windsurfing Wave champion Kauli Seadi is not the type of rider who thinks twice before attempting a new trick. Kauli brings all his pro windsurfing experience to push the limits of wingfoiling and we are proud to have him joining the team ! Welcome Kauli!
This is our Part 2 - First impressions with the STRIKE, this time in Miami and Oahu, Hawaii; with a 5m where in La Ventana, we had a 4.2m. In the range there is also a 2.8/3.5/4.2/5.0/6.0m.
Miami: Billy Ackerman and Gael Espeche took advantage of a solid few days of strong wind in Miami to get their first taste of the STRIKE. Here are their first impressions.
The best way to feel the difference is to ride our beloved SWING V1 and the STRIKE back to back and to have two riders on the same boards and foil setup to see the drastic improvements while riding and from another vantage point.On December 31, 2020, we did just that in Miami with 20+ knots and nice wave conditions. Here are our first impressions: The first time you hold the strike in your hands you can right away feel the rigidity of the canopy and the inflatable structure. You get more power right away. F-One has placed two comfortable longer thin handles which acts like changing gears when moving your hands on them. As soon as your leading hand is gliding toward the end of the handle, there is a boost! More power instantaneously!
Gael flying high - Photo @arnold1956newman
We tested the Strike vs the Swing and their upwind abilities, and there is no match. Thanks to the new canopy stiff design and reinforced strut and handles, speed and control in even unsteady wind is fantastic and will let you zoom upwind effortlessly. We really felt also that the Strike needed less pumping to get you up and riding. Its speed creates a boost in the apparent wind which make you fly above water faster.
As for maneuverability, the strike is much easier for tacks, the wing is just so easy to pass over your head for a seamless transition. The new long handle in the back hand is adjustable and let you get the power you need to lock in your course.
The most impressive part of riding the strike is unlocking your desire for tricks. The jumps you can get and the hang time is mind blowing! The Swing is great for jumps but the Strike just wants to boost you way higher than you could actually expect. My first big jump, I just felt having a hand glider in my hand for a few seconds. I was a bit confused at first, I almost thought I was jumping with the hang time of a kite. You literally feel like a bird and then you are hooked for more jumps!
Gael Espeche - Photo @arnold1956newman
As for tricks on the water surface, your back winging and 360 rotations are easier and executed at a faster speed. Finally, catching waves with the Strike is simple and easy, it weight felt the same as the Swing. With its added ability upwind and impressive speed you can rocket to the right position on the waves until you grab the neutral handle to enjoy gliding up and down the slab.
In conclusion, F-One has delivered, again, a wing that is above and beyond. A massive improvement for those that wants to progress in this new sport and get the best thrill on the water. F-One simply Strikes back! - Gael Espeche
Billy Ackerman & Gael Espeche - Photo @arnold1956newman
Oahu: Jeff Chang (WetFeet) who has mastered all kind of water sports over the years (SUP, kite, surf, foil) has embraced winging from the getgo and has been a big Swing enthusiast this past year. He was eager to try out the new STRIKE. We asked him if he could feel a clear difference:
Yes, a big difference! Quite a bit stiffer and more responsive. Handling is super quick compared to other brand wings allowing you to instantly place it where you want and do moves quicker. Points upwind better and is faster through the air. Jumps are amazing. Got my highest jumps by far on the first day. Everyone is excited to get them. - Jeff Chang
F-One sent us a few STRIKE (sizes 4.2 and 5.0m) we were able to immediately put to the test in La Ventana (Baja, Mexico). La Ventana is a fantastic place for winging, with consistent and strong daily thermal as well as numerous beaches to start from. Epic downwinders from the hot spring when El Norte blows are a must, and if you like waves, you will have plenty south of La Ventana, in the long stretch going for miles all the way to the light house. If you want to get on the wing game, you have numerous schools to learn from (we recommend you call Ozzy Kite School).
Christopher McDonald flying high - Photo: Chris McDonald
First full production of STRIKE will start to flow to our network of dealers in North America the second half of January (for sizes 4.2 and 5) then early February for sizes 2.8 and 3.5. The light wind STRIKE 6m + is not yet finalized and will come in March. You can already contact your favorite shop to pre order yours!
Below are the first impressions from expert wingers, some as young as 13 with deep experience with the SWING, our beloved first generation wing. Best way to appreciate the STRIKE was to compare it on the water with the SWING, knowing that to this day, the Swing is still one of the very best.
Rider: Nico Ostermann - Photo: Chris McDonald
Upon first grabbing the Strike you immediately notice some improvements in construction and design. The new larger handles (only two now) are really bomber feeling in your hand. The larger handles allow for enough room to move your hands back and forth and are really easy to grip. There’s now webbing near the handles that go around the strut which improves load distribution of the handle to strut joints. The handles placement is perfect and allows for a more balanced load on your arms (less rear arm) and positioning feels very natural. The canopy layout with cross reinforcements and the panel shape and cuts are a huge step forward virtually eliminating flapping during all angles of attack. Additionally, the new shape creates a much more rigid feeling wing so when you sheet in you feel direct power and no lag or slack as you pull in on your rear arm. This in combination with the new shape translates to much more speed, power and the ability for higher angles of attack than last year’s Swing. The power and upwind are a substantial improvement. The new Strike was so much stronger upwind in both angle and speed that I couldn’t believe it and questioned that such drastic difference was possible. Downwind the Strike was very well balanced as you would expect. Tacking, jibing and transitions were predictable and easy and the improvement in power made coming out of lower wind tack and jibes easier as you have to only provide a little rear arm input to get you back in plane again. Overall, I really loved this wing and appreciated the vast amount of improvements - Brian Friedmann
The first thing I noticed even before starting my session was the two larger handles that come in handy giving you the ability to hold the wing in the perfect position at all times. There was a notable improvement in my ability to jump. With the speed I can generate I get higher, the Strike catches me on the way down making for a smoother landing. The Strike is definitely the finest wing I have ever flown. The future of winging has arrived. - Mary Rose Kissinger (16)
One of my favorite things to do with winging is jumping. On the first day after ten minutes on the 4.2 meter Strike I was jumping higher than I ever have. Man does this wing have lots of hang time. One of the first things I noticed was the tighter canopy and the more reinforced panel stitching. This makes the panels much tighter so they can hold power way better. I can't wait to get more time on this amazing new wing. - Christopher McDonald (14)
After thorough inspections of the new STRIKE and its new paneled design, we got straight on the water with high exceptions. And oh boy did it deliver. The second I got my hands on, I could instantly feel the power. With the new panel design, it holds its shape more without flapping which keeps more power during turns and going upwind. I found that I could almost keep up with the kite foilers going upwind! Another key aspect of the Strike is its jumping abilities. It’s perfect as it gives a boost during the ascent, and carries you down to the water, gliding effortlessly for an easy landing. When freeriding, you almost forget you are even holding a wing so much it keeps its stability when holding it with one hand, which is perfect for smooth turns in the waves. - Morgan Ostermann (13)
Photo: Matt Bansak
I really like the wide handles. For the back hand going up wind one can grip the handle further back for more power or bring the hand more forward to get the wing in the sweet spot for going up wind in a relaxed position, as to not using much muscle energy. Transitions obviously are way easier having a wide handle. Big upgrade with the Strike flex. I see most wingers riding overpowered. This definitely makes riding overpowered way better. The strike was not only stiffer, the canopy was not flapping on the trailing edge. Not sure if it was a combination of the stiff wing or the shape but the low end has way more power thus allowing one to get up on foil in way less wind. All the wings I’ve used go up wind at about the same angle. Till I used the STRIKE yesterday I was convinced that a kite foiler was superior for going up wind. I was able to go upwind like I was on my kite with a foil board. I am guessing about a 15 degree difference for myself. Wind resistance is the biggest upgrade for wave ridding and tacking. When going into the wind the strike is not pulling you back or flapping. This is huge for bigger surf and or offshore wind conditions. Having that dump valve on the center strut will make putting your wing away that much faster. The canopy lay out as far as panels seems to have been designed for no flapping in the canopy along with the shape change. Having webbing wrap all the way around the center strut at the handle attachment points along with the stiff center strut made for no flex in the center strut when pulling in hard with the back hand. Weight. A little heavier than the Swing but when flying the wing it didn’t seem any heavier. When I fly back winded the STRIKE went side to side where the SWING stays parked. The Swing gets overpowered easily where the STRIKE power is more consistent and easier to handle when backwinding - Treve Jones
At this exact moment, the world seems to be in a state of suspended animation. An underlying feeling of panic accompanies a unique calmness few have felt before.
We're gaining a new perspective on our acts, our habits, and our way of life. It's an experiment in boredom, confinement, and restriction: such an experience rubs our faces in what we miss most.
It's the thing that gets us up at dawn to catch a handful of glassy waves, or drive for hours to score a few momentary gusts of wind. The reason we're attracted to the water: it's so much fun.
Our sports are not essential for survival, but our lives wouldn't be the same without them. Soon, having fun will be one of our priorities again.
