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Coxy, I agree totally with what you are saying. You can't manufacture a product using the current manufacturing methods in Australia, because the cost of labor is the highest on the planet - unless you do the whole thing yourself.
Find a way to minimize the labor time component and then the manufacturing sector will grow.
Unfortunately it's very easy to offshore labor, and very difficult to invent or renew an alternative manufacturing method that requires less labor.
Fast forward 10 years time, and titanium 3d printing will be in, cost per KG should reduce down by at least 50%, and with a little CAD experience, you can spend the time designing rather than building.
Got to ride a Double Agent today . . . I assume it's a typical model and not out of whack somehow.
Only comparison I can make is with my LF Fun Foil. Usual caveat that it's all my impressions and opinions.
The Double Agent:
. . . is lighter. I could tell as soon as I picked it up, even without a side-by-side. Even when the LF mast is not full of water 
. . . has a welded fuselage. Eh? 
. . . lets you know it's up to foiling speed by whistling loudly at you
. . . is nice and stable. Which is good (for learning) and bad (it's boring) . . .
. . . is very, very slow. Acceleration is slow, take-off speed feels slightly higher and cruising/top speed is lower than the LF.
. . . feels quite draggy. Needed some good power from the kite to get moving up to take-off speed and doesn't build apparent wind easily.
. . . doesn't point upwind as high or as easily. May be technique.
. . . jibes nicely. Narrower wing means I didn't vent the tips 
Lazy me.
. . . board is overall the better out of the two. Would do the double-up skimboard-thing job better as it's got more surface area, I think, and I like the three straps better while foiling. The "volume" of the LF reduces sinking when the touching down at low speed, but the wider DA is easier to get feet around on if you keep the speed up.
I prefer the LF as it's faster(!), smoother, and despite being a more twitchy, is paradoxically easier to ride. Might see if I can nab the board and try it with the LF foil. . . .
Lazy me.
Lazy me.
Lazy me.
If you want cheap DIY but don't want to fly totally solo on the shaping, these guys have a kit for $150 US which is at the "glass & go" stage.
www.clearwaterfoils.com/
Looks stable enough..
Been foiling for a couple of years now and have tried a bunch of them - I learned on the LF Foil Fish and now ride the Sword2. In between have tried KFA mark 3, double agent, Zeeko Alluminium. In my opinion , the one that is relatively cheap with the best performance and transportability is the Zeeko aluminium by a country mile. stable in all directions and have had it up to 23 knots. Apparently both LF and Cabrinha are coming with improved beginner wing offerings which I haven't tried. If you can find a second hand Zeeko aluminium it's the way to go.........
This is a custom stubby made by David which works perfectly on the Zeeko. 130cm x 44cm.....3 straps weighs 2.5kg
its the turned up nose and the thickness approx 2" that really make this work
Livit (David) - you,re a genius! THANKYOU
i bought this set up as I'm going to travelling a fair bit and it packs away so small. I was worried when I first saw it as its sooo short However , it works really well - easy to manoeuvre, easy to get up, no problems with nose diving With that great nose rocker. Amazing considering I'm 100kg! All I've done is replace the wax with a clear grip (NOWACS) . Have heard great reports about the carbon Zeeko aswell.....maybe we can swap boards down at the river one day this season. Also, I love the cork/glass construction and the paint job......
I dove into foiling on a Sword 1 so definitely not entry level..i've been out 5 times and am able to foil for maybe 100 or so meters on either tac but cannot seem to be point at a very high angle, over all, with all my crashes i stay pretty much level to my take off area without much effort. What should I be doing to get the upwind angle happening? The foil seems a lot more stable when i do happen to be pointing upwind.
I have my front foot in the strap and the back foot is just infront of the back strap. I have tried moving my foot back into the strap but then the whole rig seems waaay more unstable and wants to tip onto the heel side and I dont seem to get any angle for the moments i do get up in this position.
Any tips? i've got bruises up both legs from all the crashes
make sure your back foot is just behind the trailing edge of your mast . i find tuttle foils are not as tuneable as plates .
Dusta, i'll have a look as to where this point on my board is. Might be that the foot strap is too far back. Do i need to be pushing down wind with the back foot? Is a strap even required? Maybe i should just take the back on off to help keep the board flat..
Decent deal on last manta/comet at TheKiteFoil.com.
This would suit someone who wants a new cheap foil & board combo and is looking at a Fish or Double Agent or Naish. Otherwise there's better deals in the buy & sell at the moment..
Been looking at making my own foil, basic low aspect to learn and bash around, and then decide whether to make the next step and save some pennies or just have it as an every now and then thing.Does anyone have a foil they had created/used that the would be looking to offload now theyve either decided against foiling, or moved to the next level in foiling, i would be interested, and it would also help in building my own.Hopefully someone can help me out!Cheers
Thinking of getting into foiling:
Do you guys think this is a good rig to start on?
www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Kitesurfing-Race%20boards/~v4xx_/2015-The-Kitefoil-Arrow-With-Pro-Race-Board.aspx?search=lH9XfdA4IG0gF2!fMCWhLQ==
This new zeeko is pretty interesting. A foil designed for waves, carving and jumping. Rides off the back foot. Mr Zeeko said it took between 30 & 50 prototypes, and also top speed around 27kts so still more than quick enough.
Looks really weird with canard design. Goes right in this pic.
Hi Dave,still got my L plates on.So will keep trying to crack a good run.I asked Tony "Railing
If fuselage and foils of the Zeeko Spitfire can be retrofitted to the Black &white or Blue & white
Foils.The Wave foil looks like more of the surfboard feel.
