Which is your favorite Kdfoil tail?

I was prone on the Blunt for the last year paired with the gofoil nl160/ gl140 gl120. It pumps, glides, and turns very well, but the biggest thing is the stall speed. I would sneak out the back of a closeout wave with zero speed, stomp on the tail, be able to get a pump rythem going and be back in 6th gear pumping very quickly. Most other tails would push through the water collum and stall. compared to 4 other tails i have ridden, 2 go-foil.

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I have been proning on the Blunt with a lift 200 ha for the past 6 months. Nice snappy pumping and much improved turning.

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Glad you liked it Jef. Yeah prone is a different game though. It really depends on the conditions right? The Blunt is really good. I love it on the 120 and the 90 especially winging.

I just had a really great prone session using the Boomerang, paired with the 120 on the foil parts short fuselage. Small waves at Ukumehame on Maui, the wing rolls so nicely. Great flow feeling and no problem pumping way out for the next one.

They all have their day! Nice to have options.

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My favourite kd stab is the one now hidden in Davy Jones Locker. The 13.5" one combined with GoFoil RS1150, blew my mind…then sadly sunk into oblivion.

KD Boomerang tail is my current favorite for all tails, not just the KD Tails.

With the Lift 120, I needed to use the long fuse adapter with the boomerang. With the short fuse, last position (same length as stock fuse), the boomerang felt too unstable on takeoffs and I was just blowing too many waves. With long fuse, takeoffs felt normal, pump efficiency/consistency improved. Turns still feel good with the Boomerang.

The KD Boomerang is also a great fit with the Takuma Kujira 1210, probably due to the relatively long fuse on the Takuma.

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Thanks for the feedback guys, stoked to hear everything, good and bad. The most valuable feedback tends to be the most critical.

My personal experience is that R and boomerang can be magic when paired with the right setup. More “powerful” tails like the Classic or Blunt are more forgiving of which foil they are matched with.

Id say my tails ranked by “power” in least to most are:

Boomerang
R
Blunt
Classic

Future tails will also be more compatible. top mount like cabrinha and f one should fit better across all tails. I am working on new shapes but am taking it slow to make sure they are truly improved in all aspects.

The near-future goal is to start specializing into more specific tails with even higher performance but more limited compatibility, along with improving the more compatible tails.

Thanks for the support!

  • Kane
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Kane, i m really looking for ordering a 13R but for top mount,
Is this options in your roadmap like you present above?

Thanks a lot

I’m a big fan of the 13R in our surf! It’s the first tail input on to test a new foil.

Kane, how much AOA are you building in on it? I’m taking out about .5 degrees now.

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I recently got the 13R to use with my KJ980, feels faster, turns harder and easier to pump than his standard 13 tail but not as forgiving & a little more pitchy.

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+1 on the blunt. In our slow weedy waves the reduced stall speed is a lifesaver! I’ve had the original for about a year and just got the new one. Both are awesome.

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I bought the kd 14 few months ago to pair it with ha 725 and 925. It didn’t make it. The idea was to have a slower stall speed. In fact, this tail is too slow, and probably not designed for ha wings, and i quickly went back to the stock 195 from armstrong. Recently, i got a second hand 1250 wing, and tried again the kd14. What a suprise, this tail really changed my wing, making it more agile, really easy to turn, with a better control than the 232 or V200 tail.

Sofoil, that is interesting. It is probably just too big. The 12.5 is definitely quicker and turns better.

If you want a tail that reduces stall speed and works well with a high aspect, you should look at the KD Boomerang. It gets a little twitchy on a super fast downwind ( 22+mph), but in the surf with a high aspect, it is amazing. In the surf, I love my Lift 120, matched with a shorter fuselage and the Boomerang tail. It really goes rail to rail nicely, pumps great, and turns really well.

No boomerang for armstrong fuselage on Kd website.

Just got the 13R paired with the Lift 120 on foilparts long fuse pushed all the way to the back setting, and can honestly say this is a magical pairing for mushy SF Bay Area chop waves.

The extra fuse length and shape of the stab seems to keep the foil at perfect speeds for carving and staying within the small wave energy without blowing past bumps and losing speed. It definitely lowers the stall speed a couple of ticks and I felt like I could pump forever.

The downside is that it becomes a little unforgiving when turning rail to rail with speed. You kind of feel like you’re on the verge of a blowout, but I think this is probably more a factor in larger surf.

Has anyone done dockstarts with the 200 / 170 and the 13r? Curious to give it a go as I’m currently riding the 200/32.

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200HA is relatively easy to dock start if you can pump reasonably well.

I’ve seen videos of people beach starting the 170HA

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Hey Kane, how are you defining “Power”.

I just paired my new 120 with an old Blunt that i had and really liked it compared to a stock tail.

“Power” is more of a feel thing but is related to how much downforce a tail is capable of making.

Things that affect power are camber, span, and area. More powerful tails tend to be move versatile across different foil brands and front wing sizes. You generally sacrifice some low end or glide to gain power.

thanks Kane, i really like the feeling of the Blunt tail, It seemed to improve my pump and low end stall. I also just picked up a used Boomerang, so will be curious to see the differences.

A concept in tails that, to me, is most interesting is unifoil’s 3 pack. 3 tails, same outline, different foils - symmetrical, flat, and cambered.

I feel like practically your not going to be switching between but it would be fantastic to have that data point.

I think of all the attributes of a wing, the foil section is the most important, however, it’s the hardest to see, quantify, and market so we never actually hear about it. So much fuss about span, outline, dihedral but foil is dominating the feel

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What tail are people liking with the 1095? I’ve been using the KD 13.5 classic with a 0.5 degree shim. I like it but I could stand to loosen it up further. I have adjustable length fuse but I’m generally using a length about equal to the stock fuse.