164 posts
I've always been attracted to Hydrocraft as a brand. Elegant boards, videos , product marketing, and branding!
Today Hydro Gav published a great review about their new foil system
But what really surprises me is how such a small team can develop a front wing, with such a well-balanced and efficient hydrodynamic design, beating stablished large brands. .... Trial and error alone can't be enough. Surely you need CFD simulations, solid engineering expertise, and extensive testing to get it right.
Does anyone know more about their technical background, engineering capabilities, and resources?
I had the same question when Code Foils launched their first products, which were already incredibly good right out of the gate.
Were they just lucky, or is there some serious engineering talent behind these small brands that we're overlooking?
384 posts
Pure luck. 😂 . Why would you even ask this question? Omen and Hydrocraft do have brains.
427 posts
Look at the people involved with Hydrocraft.
if you used to windsurf & kite you will know they have all been in the game since the beginning and have worked with numerous big brands over the years as designers & team riders.
so no its not luck its knowing what they are doing and having the backing to put it all into practise. for sure they are using cfd & cad programs for the design process as well as riding at a high level themselves during testing 😀
NSW
189 posts
Having spent a couple of weeks at the gorge in July it's hard to overstate just how much testing time in the water you can get in there.
The step up in level of my riding and familiarity with the strengths and weaknesses of my gear would have taking me months back here at home.
With the consistency and quality of the conditions (with the bonus of not having to worry about having a limb bitten off) it's not surprising some of the best riders and gear is coming out of there.
QLD
1643 posts
Chris Radcowski of F4 said on a recent GFP #148 thatF4 could not deliver foils commercially without going direct, they would just become too expensive. He also mentioned that to keep the masts affordable they were subsidised by the wing prices.
WA
1347 posts
New and small brands are nimble. They can take everything that has been learned in the industry and do something new. When you think about bigger brands that get a bit bloated with staff I think they end up locked in to their current designs out of fear of a big change. Surely there are plenty of amazing ideas kicking around in the heads of all the pro level designers but getting the greenlight is based on risk analysis.
So, Hyrdocraft starting totally fresh with long term industry people got to pick whatever they personally think was the absolute best setup for now and in the future.
Plus, doing boards which supports the foil division from day 1 is huge. Those boards are all over the Gorge while the foils are not as common due to the necessity of a full brand change that is tough to swallow for many buyers.
