Can a foil-specific paddle improve your SUP foiling & dial in your downwind game?

Can a paddle really improve your SUP foiling and help make your downwind foil dreams a reality? It’s a question that has the foil world buzzing – especially with the arrival of the first paddles designed specifically for foilers. As the sport and market evolve rapidly, so does the gear: brands are now developing foil-specific paddles that promise quicker take-offs, optimised stroke efficiency, and better control on the water.

TotalSUP caught up with Chris Freeman, Co-Founder of Black Project, to find out if it’s just hype or truly the next frontier in performance.

Hi Chris! With the rapid rise of SUP foiling, did innovation stem from genuine demand, or are foil-specific paddles more of a strategic marketing move?

We have been working with foiling athletes for seven years and during that time there has been considerable change in the discipline and the accessibility to a wider range is part due to the evolution of equipment. What was once reserved for a handful of seasoned watermen and women e.g. Finn Spencer, Annie Reickert and Zane Kekoa Schweitzer, has become (almost) a mainstream SUP discipline.

Annie Reickert

At first athletes used what they had – surf paddles, our Surge was extremely popular but a combination of shorter masts, longer paddle lengths, higher aspect blades, and non-foil-specific constructions meant that foil/paddle impacts led to far too many breakages, which really hindered the sports development – it just wasn’t viable for the average paddler or athlete without a constant supply of equipment.

Initially we made some paddles with more layers of carbon and even with rail tape on the surface to help reduce breakage, but it was still an issue – and hence not really a viable market. Our use of hot-glue assembly did mean that it was easy to swap out blades as needed – something which we incorporated into the FoilX and new Duotone x Black Project paddles.

This status quo lasted for a few summers, but as a wider range of paddlers started their downwind foil journey, there was a growing number demanding greater power and they turned to our Hydro SprintX blade, with Large and XL being the go-to option. The same issues were still apparent, but the early adopters didn’t really care that much about breaking gear and mast length was also increasing at the same time. The lower aspect blade, increased power, flatter blade surface, and longer masts did start to stem to the tide of breakages.

Our decision to make a foil-specific paddle had been on hold for a couple of seasons as the participation rates remained low. It wasn’t until the completion of our Hydro SynergyX project which introduced new materials and construction methods that I knew that we could make a paddle which would withstand foil impact and together with the increasing maturity of foils and boards, it was possible to design a new specific paddle which would give a significant performance advantage and make SUP foiling more accessible to a wider audience.

Finn Spencer

The introduction of the FoilX with a low aspect ratio blade shape, shallower Power Scoop, which utilized new materials and new construction methods was now viable, and well timed.

The demand for foil-specific paddles probably increased 8-10 times from summer 2023 to summer 2024 (still well below race paddles), and while I do not predict the same increase year on year to continue, I certainly expect participation rates to grow through 2025 and 2026. So, for us, what was once a fun side project to support some of our athletes on Maui during the flat summer months, has turned into a key business direction, less marketing and more revenue focused, and of course it is always fun to be involved in new things and have fresh problems to solve.

The credibility of a product often stems from riders and pioneers in the sport – in your case, Hawaiian foiling pioneers like Andrew Gibbons, Gabriella Bella, Jack Ho, Finn Spencer, Jeffrey Spencer. Could you tell us more about it? What was their input into developing the foil-specific paddle and how did their expertise shape its design and performance?

The list of paddlers who have used our paddles for foiling over the years does read like a list of who’s who of SUP and foil, but it was not until 2024 that we formed an official team for SUP foil with the recruitment of Andrew and Gabby (who has both been using the Surge and Hydro SprintX paddles previously). While it is important to listen to athlete’s needs, customer feedback is also extremely influential, to be fair, Finn Spencer could probably foil downwind with one of his Dad’s Pickleball paddles strapped to a broom stick – but the rest of us are not as talented and hence the views and lessons learnt from the whole community are vitally important.

What was clearly apparent is that to make foiling accessible to a wider audience there were several factors which a paddle would need to fill or encourage.

• A vast reduction in the number of breakages and a system and policy which made them no longer an issue – our solution, new construction, componentized system, hot-glue assembly and a replacement parts policy
• A paddle which encouraged a high cadence to enable paddlers to gain the momentum to get up onto foil
• A paddle which had greater power to enable fast take-offs for a wider demographic
• A wide range of blade sizes and shaft options so that we could customize to fit the needs of paddlers from 110 lbs to 240 lbs – there is no one size that fits all.

Why choose a foil-specific paddle?

SUP foiling is without doubt the hardest of all SUP disciplines to get into. While surfing big waves or racing at a high level might ultimately take more skill, fitness, and dedication, the entry point into foil is higher. To have any chance of success most people will need to have their equipment optimized to suit their attributes and aims.

It is a balance between foil, board, paddle, weight, and technique. Get any of these aspects wrong and you are likely to be floundering, hence it is a good idea to reach out to trusted sources, discuss needs, try gear if you can, and importantly, avoid cutting steps or corners, what gear works for an experienced SUP foil athlete will not work for a newbie, even if they are experienced with foils and paddling. There is a learning curve which must be respected and trying to cut corners will likely extend the learning curve and increase frustration.

More specifically in answer to the question, the FoilX has been created specifically for foiling, from the inside out, everything we have learnt over the past 20,000+ paddles has gone into this design to help you succeed and there is a quantifiable difference to unlock.

Because this paddle has been developed for foiling and has a replacement part policy which is aligned with the discipline, not only does it make it easier for you to get up onto foil quickly, but it also protects your investment because you do not need to be worried about breaking parts.

The first major difference between traditional SUP paddles and foil-specific paddles is the characteristic round shape of the blade. Could you tell us more about the FoilX paddle and how this design influences performance and what benefits it brings to SUP foiling?

There are a lot of design considerations and aspects in this paddle which make foiling easier and more enjoyable, and I’ll highlight a few of them below including the ‘rounded shape’ or in more technical terms low aspect ratio blade. We have been pushing the design of paddles forward considerably in the past years and hence the FoilX has benefitted from much of that progress.

Low aspect ratio blade for quick acceleration.

The aim is instant power, and acceleration and the low aspect blade means that with shallow paddle strokes you are getting maximum force, compared to a traditional race paddle design which is higher aspect and more of the blade needs to be buried to get the maximum power. What this does is concentrate the power early in the stroke and the shorter blade helps increase blade cadence with the result is that you get a high number of short, powerful strokes, which help with increasing acceleration and forward and downward motion need to get the foil working. The compact low aspect blade also helps to keep the blade away from the foil and therefore reducing the chance of foil contact.

Gabriella Bella

Power Ridge and reduced blade volume for increased stroke cadence.

The distinctive design of the FoilX incorporates our Power Ridge (PRT) and Reduced Blade Volume (RBVT) technologies which when combined, lead to a strong, light, and efficient blade which promotes a faster paddle stroke = higher cadence. The ridge and scooped design enable us to reduce the blade volume while increasing strength and stiffness, this further helps to increase cadence and maximize power for quick pop ups.

All new foil-specific construction with X-Flex Core backed by a lifetime replacement parts policy and zero-breakage in first year of production

One of the most important aspects of this paddle is hidden from sight, the secret behind the power and strength lies in the core material, and while I cannot tell you what it is, I can say that it is much stronger, more impact resistant and makes the paddle feel lively, with a distinctive pop. The laminates used again are kept secret, we are using some very special and extremely expensive materials in our blades, this results in the incredible strength and resilience to damage – during the first year of sales, and first 500+ FoilX paddles sold, not one blade has been broken, and while paddle breakage can never be eliminated, we have foilers covered with our componentized system, hot-glue assembly and lifetime replacement parts policy.

I could continue about other aspects of the blade and complete paddle and if you would like to learn even more what makes the FoilX the top-rated paddle for foiling then check out our website and learn about Shallow Power Scoop, blade angle, React+ and more.

How does a paddle help in maintaining momentum and staying on foil?

There are three ways to stay up on foil, riding a swell, pumping with legs, or using the paddle, in reality it is a combination of all three and it depends on the conditions, if there are less bumps or the water is flat then you’ll clearly need more leg and paddle power, conversely on windy and bumpy runs, the good foilers will use their paddle for five or six strokes and glide the rest of the way.

Gabriella Bella

What characteristics make a paddle more effective for downwind foiling – blade size, shaft flex, length?

You need momentum, so a paddle must enable you to accelerate, it is a balance between going bigger for greater power but not going too big that your cadence falls. There is always a lot of talk about blade size, and I know smaller paddlers like Oskar Johansson who like bigger blades, while bigger paddlers like Steve Tobis trend smaller.

Paddle choice also depends on the size of your foil, typically as your foil size reduces you need a smaller paddle blade. Those who are experienced paddlers tend to be able to use a smaller paddle, which is also true as your foiling develops.

It is important to note that we have done all the upsizing on the design and therefore if you use a Medium for racing, then you are likely to need a Medium or smaller for foil, don’t be tempted to upsize. Blade sizes have come down in the past couple of years – our Medium is the most popular.

We use the same Tour Carbon paddles as our race paddles for the FoilX and typically you want a stiffer shaft than you would use for distance paddling, again because you need power and because you are not paddling in short bursts there is less need to consider fatigue.

For length you can refer to our guide, but lengths have come down in the past year or more, with the compact nature of the blade, the FoilX likes to be quite short, so head high is great for many and no more than two inches over your head. With hot-glue assembly it is easy to start slightly longer and work down. If you go more than +2 inches, then you’ll tend to find that your cadence drops.

Find out more about the Black Project Foil-X Paddle here

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