CrazyFly Up Foil

CrazyFly have entered the increasingly competitive foil market this year with two foil offerings. The Up and the Master. They have opted not to skimp on the quality for either of these so they both have full pre-preg carbon front and rear wings coupled with an aluminum fuselage and mast. The whole thing weighs in at 2.8kg which is significantly lighter than many other beginner/intermediate foils. Assembly of the foil is super-easy with three screws securing the front wing and then two securing the mast and two on the rear wing. This seems to be pretty standard now and one of the advantages for CrazyFly is that – having not jumped onto the foiling game too early – they can now see what really works and have produced a foil that is very much ‘up to date’.

The board we had was the Chill. This is a low volume, twintip style construction board with an EVA grip. The board is built at CrazyFly’s EU factory so as you would expect the construction and attention to detail is A1. It’s relatively light, looks great with some Paulownia wood showing through, and has a wide, square outline with plenty of nose rocker to help you bounce back up. There are four fixing positions for the foil on the bottom of the board so you can adjust the placement of the foil depending on your level and/or style of riding.

On the water and the relatively low volume of the board means that it sits ‘in’ rather than ‘on’ the water. For this reason, having a front footstrap will make getting the board into position and getting on to it easier in the early stages of your foiling experience. Then, once you’ve mastered strapless take offs, you will appreciate the thinner and more maneuverable board underneath your feet. Getting up on the foil we found that it can come up nice and early, but if you hold the foil down a little longer than you need to then it comes up super smoothly and you are off and riding at a good speed. It feels controllable under your feet and is a forgiving foil that will work with you when you are getting a feel for the sweet foot and mastering the art of back foot pressure. Transitions are smooth – the Up turns very evenly and predictably – and it handles the change in speed comfortably. Learning tacks and gybes is never easy, but the Up will give you the confidence to commit to these and the wider nose of the board provides a good ‘springboard’ if you touch down during this. In terms of speed, you can turn the Up on and it generates a lot of speed and, with the carbon wings, definitely feels more like an intermediate or even advanced foil if you really give it some power.

In a sentence: In terms of quality of construction and the price point, the Up is pitched as more than a ‘beginner’ foil and it delivers here as an accessible foil, but also one that has more to offer when your foiling skills improve and you want to put the pedal down.