WINDSURF MAGAZINE 73FA N AT I C FLOW FOIL 1250, STINGRAY 125 LTD
WEB WWW.FANATIC.COM PRICE FLOW FOIL 1250: £1249 FLOW FOIL 900: £1149 STINGRAY LTD: £1699THEY SAY
From your first take off to frequent flyer in no
time! Our Flow windsurf foils got completely
redesigned for the new season to cover your
windsurf foiling experience all the way from be-
ginner to performance level. As a special release
for the 2019 range, the all new Stingray is a ded-
icated windsurfing foil board with an incredibly
easy and fun character. If you thought windsurf-
ing foiling is too technical for you – the Stingray
will prove you wrong!
WE SAY
Supplied in a padded bag, the Flow Foil 1250
slots together easily, using the supplied allen keys
to apply tension and the tube of marine grade
lubricant to protect from corrosion or seizure. As
you connect the components, you get a real sense
of its engineering detail and consideration – a
notion and feeling that continues out onto the
water. In our in inaugural foil test last year, we
described how the Flow Foil’s predecessor (the
H9), had stability issues when pushed. Move on
a year and we’d place the Flow firmly at the other
end of the stability spectrum! Using the pedes-
tal plate on the Stingray, there is an incredible
amount of tuning versatility to get the position
of the lift just right for rider weight, ability and
sail size. Start from the middle and then adjust to
suit, moving forwards for more lift and back for
less. The lift itself is very smooth, easy and pro-
gressive, giving the Flow a truly user-friendly and
forgiving nature. It is a great match for the Sting-
ray, which itself is incredibly plug and play for a
first time foiling experience. In marginal winds,
the extra waterline of the Stingray provides the
opportunity for more conventional sail-pumping
techniques, before moving back, into the straps,
to work the foil. The gently domed deck and
adhesive contoured deckpads feel comfortable
underfoot, with plenty of feel and connection
to the foil provided through the rider’s heels.
A wonderfully rewarding freeride foil setup,
Fanatic have certainly done their homework here,
giving their riders the tools to learn to fly com-
fortably within a matter of hours. Gybing on the
Flow Foil is also incredibly smooth and intuitive,
the thickness and surface area of the front wing
allowing it to still generate lift at slow speeds
and critical angles. Requiring relatively little
input or finesse, it can flatter the rider and forgive
any mistimed or clumsy footwork to get through
the turn. Taking the Fanatic setup into powered
conditions and turbulent seas, the height of the
90 cm mast was a welcome asset, providing the
extra margin for any error in flight control. The
size, or more accurately, the length of the board
does begin to become apparent compared to
others in the group, giving it a more progres-
sive than immediate response to foot pressure.The foil’s speed and slipperiness certainly put it
in the cruisy freeride category, rather than perfor-
mance focussed. And yet, for an extra £399.00,
you can buy the extra front wing to convert the
Flow Foil into the 900. Feeling looser, with sig-
nificantly more speed and pointing performance,
the modular flexibility means Fanatic’s new foils
can nurture your foiling development right from
first flight to high wind competency. What a
difference a year makes!VITAL STATS
BOARD
- Length: 228 cm • Width: 75 cm
- Volume: 125 L. • Foil Box: 2x US Box 10 / Deep
Tuttle • Sail Range (Quoted): <9.0m - Sizes Available: 125,140
FOIL
- Head: Pedestal Plate • Mast Length: 90 cm
- Mast Material: Aluminium • Fuselage Length:
90 cm • Fuselage Material: Aluminium - Front Wing Span: 74 cm • Front Wing Chord:
21 cm • Font Wing Area (Quoted): 1250 cm² - Tail Wing Span: 35.9 cm • Wing Material:
Carbon • Weight: 5.98 kg