Some time ago, a Message about the iUP an autonomous flying foil. What sounded like an April Fool's joke is actually being developed further and is set to go into series production. However, the Taaroa brand also has other, much more down-to-earth products in its portfolio. We asked Antoine Raval from Taaroa and Andi Wirtz from the German distributor Norden Surfboards for an interview during the Foil Festival Schönberg.
Antoine, tell us something about the background to your brand. You are very well known in France - how did it all start?
Taaroa comes from kitefoil racing, where we have been involved since 2012. In the years since then, we have reorientated ourselves and shifted our focus from highly specialised racing products to more mass-market, user-friendly products.
As a kind of path from the extreme to the down-to-earth?
Exactly, our first foils were indeed products for specialists. But this expertise still helps us to design products for beginners and intermediates. We now have a complete range that offers something suitable for both beginners and experts.
Where are your foils produced?
We have our own production facility in Thailand. However, other carbon parts are also manufactured there - with almost everything you can imagine in the field of fibre composite technology: Car parts, boat hulls, drone wings, etc.
It has always been said that thick-profiled low-aspect foils are ideal for beginners, while slim and thin-profiled high-aspect foils are more suitable for experienced wingers. Is this foil law from the early days of the sport being rewritten?
I think it is indeed shifting. For most wingers, a high-aspect foil is no longer difficult to ride because foils have evolved rapidly. A thin profiled wing reduces drag in the water, which makes the wing faster and offers more glide. I think the future for many wingsurfers will lie with foils that combine the advantages of low and high aspect.
With the Front Wing HA 1700, you are launching a very distinctive wing on the market, which is quite thickly profiled in the centre, but then tapers off very thinly towards the slender wing tips. Does it go exactly in the direction you described?
Exactly. The Front Wing HA("HA" here stands for High Aspect, the ed.) has a thick section in the centre, which provides a lot of lift. However, the wing tips are then thin and also kept quite slim, which greatly improves manoeuvrability and also reduces drag in the water. In this way, the wing combines a lot of lift with high speed potential and good turning ability.
Andi, Taaroa offers the Front Wing LA 1600 (LA stands for "Low Aspect"), HERE there's a test) and the aforementioned Front Wing HA 1700. How would you define the target group for these models?
The Front Wing LA 1600, for example, is part of our freeride foil set. The focus here is clearly on easy handling behaviour. The wingtips have more surface area here, so this wing offers a lot of stability in manoeuvres, even with load errors. However, this wing is naturally not quite as agile. The Front Wing HA 1700 is faster and more manoeuvrable. However, those who can foil reasonably safely will not be overwhelmed. The HA 1700 has particular strengths when gliding, i.e. flying on small swells. Here it flies almost endlessly. This wing is also often used for pump foiling.
Antoine, you presented the autonomous flying iUP concept some time ago - but the idea isn't ready for series production yet, is it?
The iUP is a longer-term project. I think it's the key to simplicity and performance. It works like a drone, so it has built-in sensors that measure altitude and speed. Based on this, the foil then regulates its own flight position using built-in flaps.
So an autopilot for foilers?
Exactly. The foil can theoretically fly on its own, you can set different modes for beginners or advanced pilots and switch off the support completely. The technology works, but it is not yet ready for series production.
Won't the soul of the sport be lost with autonomous flying foils?
The Taaroa iUP is intended more as a performance foil or as a learning aid for schools. It's great for making your first attempts and offers quick learning success. It gives learners that weightless feeling that makes foiling so unique. If you find this too boring, you can change the mode at any time or switch off the support completely. This also allows the foil to be adapted to different conditions. It can deliver more lift in light winds and better performance in stronger winds. In purely economic terms, however, the product will probably only be of interest to us if we get a partner on board.
Thank you for the interview!
