Omen Foils

Your brand caught my attention the other day as @KDMaui made a statement on his IG feed in pretty blunt terms that he wasn't going to ride Omen products anymore. I was always curious what brand he was on (seeing the bird logo) I guess many folks are now wondering why he said so..

Anyway, as a curious wingfoiler I had a look at your website, and read that Appletree boards produces your boards. Which I think is great. At the same time (and I think many will agree) if to spend on a new board for that price, then why not buy an Appletree board (an actual one)?

So just some thoughts. I think we all appreciate more info.. some history, where it started etc. Why we should buy an Omen board over Appletree. And ( the other elephant in the room...) KD is a pretty big name in this little world. Did you guys have a fallout? Was it about the quality of the product etc.

Entice us!

I suggest not everyone thinks Appletree shapes are the best. They march to a different drummer. Having the Omen board shapes made by Appletree, is a breath of fresh air. Options are a good thing.

The Omen shapes look interesting, but the Slice v2 is the best all-around wing board I've ridden. They've got some very nice looking DW boards coming too. More options with great construction is a good thing for everyone.

Thanks for all the feedback guys!

To answer your question about the brand, Omen started unofficially over two years ago when I approached Peter of LP foils with a concept to create a brand focused on progressing the forefront of wave foiling performance. Peter's one of the pioneers of kite and windsurf foiling and has been making high performance composite paddles and bike frames for decades. We're both passionate foilers and have been dedicated to see how far we can push design, materials, and construction. I can't speak for Kane's career choices, but Peter and I certainly stand behind the work we've done and Omen won't be releasing any products we wouldn't be excited to ride ourselves.

Peter and I are both builders and feel strongly about our products being made in NA and the EU. Omen is focused creating high performance parts of unmatched quality using US manufacturing, while keeping overhead low to allow us to innovate. Our logo and name represent change and adaptation, and the ultimate goal of engaging with the energy of the ocean in as natural a fashion as the swift flies.

Regarding boards, I've been a fan of Appletree for quite some time and am super confident in the construction methods and quality. Choosing them as a manufacturing partner for Omen's boards was easy, and I'm super proud to have their logo on our boards to represent the awesome work they've done. They have amazing shapes for offer and choosing an Omen board vs. Appletree will come down to personal preference and what you're looking to get out of the board. Omen products are focused on the abilities and sensations of experienced foilers focused on progression.

I'll take the Henry Rollins reference as a compliment, haha!

Greg

Digging the longer boards that are low volume especially that 84L one. How is the track placement with the different brand foils. Do the tracks have enough play to be far enough forward for say Armstrong but can also accommodate some of the brands that need them further back.?

Digging the black and white too. Little hard to see but..... it looks like I see footstrap inserts.. yes/no?

Thanks Ninjaturtle! The goal with the track placement was to accommodate everything from Armstrong to Gofoil. Lucky for us Appletree just finished their mold for custom 12" tracks which made it much easier! We erred on the side of having the tracks a bit further forward as some people are really pushing the forward placement. Can't make everyone happy, but I expect 95% of people will find enough space to dial in their feel. You're right on the inserts, they are setup for an offset stance. You can zoom into the pictures on the website to get a better look.

Social media is definitely a weak spot of mine MProject, I'll try to get a few more shots of me flailing about until we have some more product out there and can recruit some younger, handsomer team riders to do the gear justice!

The Allula connection is interesting. I have been listening to a few excellent podcasts lately & the one with Richard from Ocean rodeo / Allula was very informative.
One point he & a few other designer/ product developers have been making (I'm badly paraphrasing) is that as products have been developed so quickly to the point where the differences between gen 3 -4 products are getting quite slight, the market will soon be saturated with similar products & it'll turn simply into a branding competition. I find it interesting that there are newer players coming into the market. Will the company with the biggest advertising budget squash newer startups such as Omen?
Greg do you see your brand as a boutique brand & how do you see it playing out with the established players? Aside from having the boards coming out of a pretty respected manufacturer what's your point of difference?

From what I remember with my little talk with Wieger (Appletree founder), They've developed rails / tracks themselves and pretty recently entered the stage that they are convinced it's ready to take into production.
The longer length of those tracks is just a additional benefit. The track itself is stronger (the main reason for developing it) and allows them to benefit even more from the construction they already use and becomes part of the design-process (In my words: not a retro-fitted third-party part).

From what I understand these tracks will be in the Apple Skipper range (stock and custom). The prototype of the Skipper Wing that I borrowed also had a (pre-production) version of those tracks.

Imo. Bringing the longer tracks in the existing shapes would mean a bit of R&D (where to put the center to give best benefit of the extra length) and adjustment in the building process. No idea how much work that would be. The existing shapes and construction are already really good (so the gains become less interesting (says the economist inside me)).


Besides the collab with Majek (Appletree sells Majek shapes in Appletree construction), the Appletree factory builds boards for several shapers, who sell the boards through their respective saleschannels. I think this is the case with Omen foils (BTW: I like the slightly longer and narrower shapes for winging), Levitaz, Kold and maybe some other brands.

Looks like it has a fin instead of a carry-handle?? Sounds weird and awkward for storage, sliding into car etc

Hi Microsurfer,

Glad you're interested in the Aluula materials, lots of exciting stuff coming out over the next few months on that front too!
Regarding the foiling market there will always be brands that focus on marketing, others that focus on refining design and manufacturing, and most that fall somewhere in the middle. My vision for Omen is heavy on R&D and the highest possible standards of manufacturing with a goal to at the pinnacle of high performance wave riding. For that reason it will remain a smaller player in the grand scheme of things but less susceptible to trends in the industry and pulled in directions that would deviate from the brand's core values which is to progress the sport.

Aside from Appletree's incredible manufacturing, the differentiator on our boards comes down to the shape. Some people will love it and others will find something else that better fits what they are looking the accomplish with foiling. I've been stoked to see how many people have taken the leap based on the description and what they make of the shape/dimensions but certainly respect that most will need to try to see if the feel is right.

Cornwallis, all the production boards will have the 12" tracks, thanks for asking for the clarification on that.

Patronus, the fin carry handle definitely does not lend itself well to stacking boards! That being said, we felt the compromise was worth it for more efficient touch downs, smoother take offs, and some weight reduction. My arms are long enough I actually don't even use the fin on mine, but happy to only have an FCSII box there instead of a regular handle.

Gorgesailor, the inserts were a tough call - most people so far have been happy with the configuration but I agree a centered rear strap is a must for some styles. Easy to do this on a custom board for no extra charge, only downside is a bit longer lead time.

Thanks for all the kind words Burchas! Hope to see you in Hood River this summer!

Big agree on needing Y straps. Won't buy a board without them.

I just happened to listen to this podcast with Greg yesterday. I listened to it because the shape they chose for their boards several months ago is becoming so pervasive and I wanted to learn a bit more about a small company who appeared to be doing their own thing in a prescient way.

Really interesting company. Great backstory. Very modular in their approach making use of smart collaborations. Sustainable approach: not too many products, thinking about a two board quiver and two foil quiver from the outset.

I ride somethign similar to their 85L wing board in shape and would love to try their smaller boards.

winglifepodcast.com/episode/episode-31-greg-falck

Best of luck Greg and Co. We need more companies like this.