The Olympic iQFOiL class is a standardised class. However, this only applies to the material, not the manufacturer. According to the regulations, there must be no monopoly position of one supplier. Up until now, we had become very accustomed to only seeing material from Starboard and Severne at the regattas. That is now changing.
From now on, more iQFOiL material from the Patrik brand will be on show. The Swiss shaper and sail manufacturer Patrik Diethelm, known for his tenacity, has managed to get approval for his own Olympic material. This means that there will at least be some visual variety on the regatta courses in future.
iQFoil as a globally popular Olympia class
With the Swiss Elia Combo, Patrik has one of the top European riders in the team. It will be interesting to see who else switches to the new material and whether there will be any recognisable differences to the Starboard/Severne setup.
With the Olympic debut of the iQFoil class in Marseille in 2024, the market is highly interesting. The iQ regattas often have well over 100 participants and are also very popular in Asia. In the past, iQ boards with the look of Future Fly and FMX Racing have also been seen at regattas, but these were one-offs.
Patrik will tell you in one of the next surf issues just how difficult and time-consuming it was to get the licence. The boards and sails are already available to buy.
You can find more information at patrikinternational.com
The key data of the iQFoil equipment
- Length: 220 cm
- Width: 95 cm
- Volume: 196 litres
- Sails: 8.o m2 (women)/9.0 m2 (men)
- Mast: 522 cm/554 cm
- Boom: 220 cm/232 cm
- Front Wing: 900 cm2
- Back wing: 255 cm2
- Foil mast: 95 cm
- Fuselage: 95 cm or 115 cm
There are also junior classes with smaller sails, foils and an 85 centimetre wide board.
