AK Foilboards 2024 - new Phazer V4, Compact V3 and Nomad reviewed for the new 2024 season.
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- Опубликовано: 7 авг 2024
- There has been a ton of change in the New AK foilboard range - a long way from a minor tweak or two. Completely new shapes with different riding characteristics. Here Mike Birt from Ktwo reviews them having ridden most sizes of all AK boards through the years.
Learn how they have changed and what the new shapes bring to the table for this model year. Also new this year is the crossover Nomad boards which is really interesting - blending sup / downwind / wing and prone all in one board style.
0:00 - Intro to the range
0:42 - Phazer V4
4:24 - Compact V4
8:26 - Nomad
17:36 - Construction
20:04 - See ya! 
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Great run through on all the details, thanks Mike!
Recently had really good surf sup session on the 7-0 Nomad. The board let me catch waves that I'd have missed on my normal 6-0 surf sup foil board. When on foil the 7-0 felt smaller and more maneuverable than the 6-0. Paddling out thru waves was easier too. Lastly, my foot position when paddling into the wave was about the same as when on foil (Lift HA 170). No disruptive foot shuffle. I was very impressed with the board and will buy one when they land here in my area (Outer Banks, NC).
Good to hear. It’s a new frontier for sure!
Range looks great and very informative video, thanks Mike! Look forward to hearing about the foils!
Thanks Sir, the rest of the foil sizes just landed, so give me a few weeks and I'll get it done!
Great thorough review, thanks for posting. Especially interested in the AK Nomad, and you answered just about all my questions and concerns. At 63 years old, am a little hesitant about going all in on the 19-20” wide DW boards. I’m not getting any younger. This 115 liter Nomad looks like it will do it all for me, even SUP foil surfing as my go to SUP is 110 liters.
Thanks for the kind words. The 115 is a great allrounder. Slightly tippier in chop than an equivalent sup, but if you lighter than 85kg then you will find it ok.. It's great for winging though - with a high aspect bigger foil it's crazy how early they go.
Thanks a lot Mike, extremely informative factual video. My local dealer here in Bavaria strongly recommends the Nomad with a 1300 Tracer foil for the low wind Bavarian lakes, even though I only passed a beginners course. He says the weight of the foil would kind of compensate for the narrower board width. Do you see any equivalent to the Nomad by other brands or is it still pretty unique?
I'd say the weight of the foil comment is pretty weird, but the 1300 is a very easy foil to use and has a great performance aspect - I used it to learn the foildrive also - the speed range, stability and ease is excellent - and it also carves really well.
The Nomad is a great board - particularly the 115 which is super for winging and you can also paddle.
There are other boards arounds now, but the nomad spans all the disciplines so well it's a hard board to discount due to the adaptability of it - It's also awesome for learning and lightwind - you;d get a ton more water time on it, especially in summer. It will also stay in your quiver for years -= you'll not be selling it on as you would a traditional beginners board.
Great delivery interesting I'm loving the idea of the dw boards I would love to see how the Nomad works cross the brands ie with a axis foil or fone or dare i say gong foils and how well they will fit together i personally think it's interesting how people are quivering different brand parts and what works and I think it would make a good vid😊
Thanks for sharing, my friend let me know when foilers Bay is on fire 🔥
Thanks Sir. The Axis foil has been fine on all models of AK boards since the start of the sport. If you look at the footage at 12.06, you'll see a red mast in the shot ;-)
That was a spitfire. Axis are good foils and when the new AK foils were being developed we had a set for comparative testing (in the UK - along with other tester's favourites), so we knew where the goalposts were.
All the AK boards are 100% compatible with all the top foils.
The full set of new AK front wings (2050/1600/1300/1030/800) just landed, so the next few weeks will be devoted to testing, filming and knowledge building. The 1030 is already proving itself to be an absolute benchmark out there in the industry.
@ktwo-surf wow missed the red mast but wasn't expecting that class. That's good to know tho so nomad should work with my gong slightly back . Interesting to see your thoughts on the upcoming videos on the new ak foils they really look good in the flesh 👍 thanks so much , ya top ripper
It will work fine - the tracks are also much longer than a normal ak board so you can really shift things around. The new AK foils have the masts much further back on the fuselage - like axis and most others.. and so this year we are mounding the foils much further back in the ak boards. Last year we had them at the front of the tracks...
@@ktwo-surf thanks mate great info 👍 see you soon
Great video. I just ordered the 7 Nomad after seeing this single review on YT. You should make more videos. Love your clear explanations. Quick question: is the foil box on the Nomad at 0°? Or slight rocker? 🙏
Great video, I like your thorough and realistic explanations! I am considering my next board volume - 82 kg...do you have an idea how strong was the wind while you took off with the Compact? Thanks !
Hi there,
wind was VERY up and down that day, sometimes sit on your board and wait, other times 18kts.. That takeoff was probably 11 knots. The compact is very early to go. The problem this year is (at 80kg) getting it to the surface - it's harder as the surface area is less - when you are there it's a done deal. Last year the 58 was easy to get to the surface, but when there, the hard part was shaking it loose. I guess you cant have it all!
Would you recommend Plasma or Tracer foil for Nomad, both for lite wind and meduium wind, I am 60kg, like you reviews, looks like a tracer is used in this video forNomad
Hi, have been enjoying the 110 l ak phazer v2, but want grab a smaller size. I used mine wingfoiling.
Would you recommend taking the Phazer 90L over the Nomad 90L? Getting going in lighter air is definitely important to me, but also want to be able to ride waves.
I'm 95kg dry.... So both boards could sink a little bit in the lighter stuff. But most people say these day that length gives you stability too, whereas width would help you get going in the light air....
What would you advice?
Hmm,
The 90 Nomad was a fun board but at 80kg, I found the 115 better suited this shape. The additional power needed to get the 90 going meant you were in phazer territory and I like the thinner feel of the phazer for handling.
So - if nomad it would have to be light and I;d be on the 115.
I guess what I am saying is tghat I have 2 boards as the ultimate quiver.
but - if you are only going to have one board, then I would go phazer, as personally my heart is in surfing and the phazer gives more agility on the wave. I;d sacrifice lightwind ability for that gain. This is a very personal reason though.
95kg - you'd want the 90 or 78 for stronger winds,
perfect quiver for you would be 115 nomad and 78lt Phazer V4
Hi, would the compact 3rd version in 85L be a good board for advanced beginner 75kg. I can ride comfortable both directions, starting to work on jibes. (Right now im at 7' inflatable gong cruzader 135L). Or should someone with my skills, or lack of skills stay away from compact v3. I like the board mostly because how narrow it is. My inflatable is 21" wide and cuts through water like crazy. Thank you for your time.
Interesting what you say about the width, for this reason I think that the Nomad will start to creep into our lives in smaller sizes...
To answer your question directly - Right now the Phazer is probably the best allround 'wing' board when you are up on the foil.
I had a skilled rider test the compact V3 in 74 and phazer in 78 V4, and he said that though the small compacts go earlier, the bigger ones are the same as the phazer and the rocker of the phazer, and lower thickness make it more responsive on foil. So in bigger sizes the phazer is winning unless you are jumping.
There is a lot to be said (I think) for reducing the thickness of the board between the foil plate and the back foot.
When you are free from the water this is like the height in a sports car. Closer to the ground means you have more feel and tighter handling....
Nice review but could very well do without the low blow to the closed cell boards and manufacturers... The no worry on closed cell is very much worth it quite often. I use both.
I knew I would get some flack for that, perhaps you are right it was a bit low.
Though XPS foam manufacturers are all to ready to market the closed cell advantages there are a number of disadvantages, and no-one sticks up for EPS in an industry has been using it for years.
I asked a couple of designers (production and custom) why they still use EPS and I was told that not only is it heavier but it also has less compressive rebound which is why it dints. Also the fact that it is not porous means that when you laminate it the epoxy does not penetrate into the structure of the foam and that leads to delamination issues.
XPS is very interesting technology and it's ability not to take in water is impressive, but one advantage masks a lot of disadvantages, so lets hear some praise for EPS... It's not the poorer cousin by any means - quite the opposite.
It's not necessary to go the bashing route, again in your reply actually, just focus on your own choice, which is fine. The explanation is not necessary either, it's known for ages. The lamination argument gets worn out, that's why they came with the fusion tech. Yes EPS is lighter and easier and has its feel. But sometimes weight is not key and durability and ease of use is. It's just a matter of preferences, let's leave it like that. @@ktwo-surf
@ktwo-surf @raymondwitvoet let me add that I read on a French foil forum (pimpyourride) someone mention the threshold for superiority of closed cell vs eps was for around a 60/70l, after which EpS was better through comparative weight savings. I am no expert and don’t know what to think, but it’s an interesting debate!
@@ktwo-surf ... since you made the point about construction. I have a board from another brand which has a XPS core and my buddy has the AK Phazer v3. We both use the same wing brand and sail in the same locations. After a season his board has dents on both sides (possibly from the wings hard handles), while mine looks great? Just pointing out you can make a XPS board that's strong, light and still be performant. Not so black and white as you describe.
Otherwise, the AK boards look impressive and if they are an improvement on last year models, then will be an excellent ride.
As a complete beginner would the nomad be a good choice? I am 93 kilos.Trying to avoid getting a big board which I will then grow out of.
That is a really good question. I have been wondering the same. My instinct is to say absolutely - as if you buy a 135, not only do you have a good entry board, but it stays with you for a long time as it's dual use.
It's certainly FAR more efficient getting on the foil than the big 140lt standard boards, and thats a really good thing - the only thing that makes me worry is that they are slightly more directional in the water (harder to turn, plus less stable in the roll axis when not foiling.
The only way to tell is to put a couple of beginners on both styles and see what happens!
I would happily volunteer…I’m in that no man’s land of deciding what to buy without spending/losing a shed load of money before I’m up on the foil and knowing what all the fuss is about. I’m coming from a kite/kitefoiling background.
@@ktwo-surf I was going to ask the exact same question, I think if you're from a surfing (especially longboards) or windsurfing background then the nomad could be an excellent option as a starter and then you get to keep it 🙂
I agree @@ashdee-zz1ze
What is name AK stands for ?
Airush kites (parent company)