2024 Olympics

It will be interesting to see what people actually end up paying because basically no one pays actual RRP for gear....but maybe the cost controls will be strict on it.

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Mitch Pearson said..

cammd said..

RichardG said..



I am excited about the Olympic iFoil but not the pricing. You would think they could offer these items much cheaper.... they will be last years , obsolete gear in a year from now when they become available in WA for example... Olympic iFoil might cost more than the 2021 top of the line open foiling gear. 433 Euro (exc of VAT) for a fin...ridiculous, take the gear without the fin for example. I don't see the incentive for local open foiling owners to move over to one design. One design is better for weekend club racing however but at these prices it won't be. Its elitist and disappointing. Not as inspiring nor as simple nor affordable as the advertising makes out. What is the Australian pricing ? It would appear the same mistakes will be made to ensure this new class is as rare and as scarce as the RSX. Nothing is learned and history is repeated.

How does the open manufacturing arrangement work, will other manufacturers have to pay a license fee or royalties or some other fee to allow them to build the Olympic gear. I see Zulu are making a race foil for 900 Euro, thats more or less compatible with the starboard gear, if they decided to make a one design Olympic foil would they be able to keep the cost low or would it increase due to some sort of fees.

700 euros plus 150 shipping. I'm hopefully going in my first race at RQ tomorrow on it.

Awesome see you there, keen to see the new foil as well

That Zulu foil coupled with a old formula board and slalom sails looks like a realistic pathway from techno to foil without needing to sell the house.

I just bought a s/h foil this week so my sons are frothing to get on it this weekend, my thoughts prior to seeing the Zulu was no way can I afford to kit them out with race foils but the Zulu makes that seem possible.

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cammd said..How does the open manufacturing arrangement work, will other manufacturers have to pay a license fee or royalties or some other fee to allow them to build the Olympic gear. I see Zulu are making a race foil for 900 Euro, thats more or less compatible with the starboard gear, if they decided to make a one design Olympic foil would they be able to keep the cost low or would it increase due to some sort of fees.

RichardG said..



I am excited about the Olympic iFoil but not the pricing. You would think they could offer these items much cheaper.... they will be last years , obsolete gear in a year from now when they become available in WA for example... Olympic iFoil might cost more than the 2021 top of the line open foiling gear. 433 Euro (exc of VAT) for a fin...ridiculous, take the gear without the fin for example. I don't see the incentive for local open foiling owners to move over to one design. One design is better for weekend club racing however but at these prices it won't be. Its elitist and disappointing. Not as inspiring nor as simple nor affordable as the advertising makes out. What is the Australian pricing ? It would appear the same mistakes will be made to ensure this new class is as rare and as scarce as the RSX. Nothing is learned and history is repeated.

How does the open manufacturing arrangement work, will other manufacturers have to pay a license fee or royalties or some other fee to allow them to build the Olympic gear. I see Zulu are making a race foil for 900 Euro, thats more or less compatible with the starboard gear, if they decided to make a one design Olympic foil would they be able to keep the cost low or would it increase due to some sort of fees.

I don't know, that is a question for Starboard, I am personally not sure how this would work. Did World Sailing fully comprehend this and interrogate on it, is a question. I think foiling will be good for the Olympics , it won't be hard to improve on the RSX, but like the RSX, iFoil doesn't (without price reductions) translate into affordable sailing for weekend racers. The IMCO was quite different and much better priced. For the LT, my understanding is that the cost is the same as all are made at Cobra for the board and the other OEM suppliers (sails, spars, boom etc.) whether it is the co-branded distribution of Naish, Windsurfer, Exocet, i-99, Starboard, Mistral or now rumoured Severne (?) etc. Consumers are buying the LT and it is becoming the racing board of choice and the "brand" manufacturers realise its merit. I am not suggesting it be the Olympic board either.The Laser dinghy and the IMCO became popular, initially, without Olympic status and that is the best way to bring about a sustainable class not picking winners and monopolies by World Sailing.

www.windsurferclass.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2019/02/iiwca-rtp24.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0gOqC9WU-WE3ujKVSmuK51UQvccKghvDgKFbkpKdN4bbOTWl199UuSSfQ

The IOC GIVES money to sailing - about 15 million Euros, I think. The IOC does NOT make a profit from sailing so we are not paying their lunches. We are getting the benefit of being a tiny sport that manages to get into the world's biggest event.

You're right that some Olympic classes often supply gear. It's not always the case - even Lasers have failed to supply gear for some world championships. Other Olympic classes don't supply gear and other manufacturers seem to get by with charging 200 Euros or so and then selling off the charter gear cheaply.

If the ifoil is good enough to compete now that's one thing, but will it be good enough in seven years time? And who is going to get on an ifoil and try to compete with the Olympians?

The most popular Olympic class, the Laser, just had its state champs in our biggest state. You know how many sailors in the Olympic age bracket turned up in the Laser Standard, the men's most popular Olympic class? None. Yep, none. That says a lot about how many people move to Olympic classes, how popular they are, and how well Olympians fit in with normal racing.

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Chris 249 said..
The IOC GIVES money to sailing - about 15 million Euros, I think. The IOC does NOT make a profit from sailing so we are not paying their lunches. We are getting the benefit of being a tiny sport that manages to get into the world's biggest event.

You're right that some Olympic classes often supply gear. It's not always the case - even Lasers have failed to supply gear for some world championships. Other Olympic classes don't supply gear and other manufacturers seem to get by with charging 200 Euros or so and then selling off the charter gear cheaply.

If the ifoil is good enough to compete now that's one thing, but will it be good enough in seven years time? And who is going to get on an ifoil and try to compete with the Olympians?

The most popular Olympic class, the Laser, just had its state champs in our biggest state. You know how many sailors in the Olympic age bracket turned up in the Laser Standard, the men's most popular Olympic class? None. Yep, none. That says a lot about how many people move to Olympic classes, how popular they are, and how well Olympians fit in with normal racing.

Having no youngsters sailing the Laser might also be a reflection of poor administration/promotion of sailing, limited numbers spread across too many classes and our (sailing and windsurfing) interest in the latest and greatest classes or gear. I'd love to see all fringe and outdated racing classes dropped to build fleets for what's left.

Not saying they do things any better here but Hobart only has 1/20th the population of Sydney but there are kids racing Lasers - not that many mind you. Hobarts population having a mainly European background and having a view of the Derwent River probably helps.

To the average punter windsurfing/sailing is already a fringe and complicated sport. Nothing against foiling and it looks good but I wonder if the choice of Olympic foiling will prove a bad one in terms of building the sport.

I'm considering buying a Bic Techno for my kids. I liked the board because it's versatile, all parts available from a good website, clearly the biggest youth board and pathway to the Olympics. Now even Bic have foil options which will draw numbers away from the Techno. The foil alone is $2600.

Keep it simple and cheapish.
Perhaps that's why the LT is selling so well.