THE ORIGINS OF AFS
Join us on a journey uncovering the origins of AFS, a brand deeply rooted in expertise, excellence, and a relentless pursuit of innovation to push boundaries.
“ SEVERAL HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL NEW MODELS
FOLLOWED, AND AHD WAS THE BRAND TO
RIDE IF YOU WANTEDTO GO FAST ”
To some, the brand AFS may seem novel; however, to those in the know, its heritage, knowledge, and people have a deep history at the forefront of the watersports industry. AFS has its roots interlinked to the iconic Windsurf brand AHD, founded in Australia in 1987; yep, you read that right, a long time before the first kitesurfers arrived, before SUP and way before wings and foils arrived. AHD quickly moved to the USA to continue its expansion on the renowned Columbia River Gorge.
In 1990, Christophe Piaget acquired the AHD brand and established a production facility in Switzerland. Back in the 90s, AHD introduced the very first sandwich construction boards into production, with the flagship model being the dominant Eliminator, winning the World Championship in 1991 and the Europeans in ’92. Several highly successful new models followed, and AHD was the brand to ride if you wanted to go fast.
“ ALL THE PRO RIDERS HAD BEEN RIDING CUSTOM EQUIPMENT AT THE TOP LEVEL, BUT AHD BROUGHT THAT RACE-WINNING TECHNOLOGY RIGHT INTO THE HANDS OF THE CONSUMER ”
In 1993, it was on the revolutionary AHD 288 that Sébastien Carle won the World Championship in Egypt before finishing second on the same production board at the World Cup in La Torche, showcasing the effectiveness of the new production boards against the world’s top, custom prototypes!
1997, marked the beginning of AHD’s total dominance in the industry, revolutionising the windsurfing scene with shorter and wider boards, including the innovative 310 race model. French Champion Antoine Albeau and Jean Bouldoire joined the AHD team, adding shaping expertise.
AHD’s focus on innovation during this time was reflected in their introduction of the compact “Diamond” race boards, freestyle boards, and Super-X “Maxxride” boards, the first of their kind in the industry. This commitment to innovation and developing disciplines continues to be the driving force behind AFS’s creations today.
In 2007, Tridenn, a new company founded by Thierry Pen, Jean-Paul Riou, Pascal Gerber, and Bruno André, took over the AHD brand — the goal was to innovate in the forgotten 0-15 knot wind range.
Hydrofoiling, has existed for decades, with a development, the pioneering “sit down” foiling product ‘Air Chair ’gaining some popularity in 1990. This particular foil design required the engergy of a boat to tow it to gain flight, limiting its appeal and use; it was also a strange new sport in that you sat down in the chair with the foil rather than standing like a waterskier or wakeboarder.
“ AHD RIDERS CONSISTENTLY PLACED ON PODIUMS ACCROS THE GLOBE ”
Meanwhile, on Maui, Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama, revered big-wave surfers and watermen, embarked on an ambitious venture in the late 1990s and early 2000s by attaching hydrofoils to surfboards to enhance speed and ensure smooth rides on massive waves. Their boundary pushing construction and design still necessitated a powered tow to achieve flight; looking back now with heavy foil and snowboard boots screwed to the board, they were arguably death machines, especially if you wiped out and got washed by a big wave! This early foray into using foils for fun on the water, though, had started to open up the potential of the sport. However, due to the limitations of the equipment, the sport of foiling never really took off; excuse the pun. However, the quest for the perfect combination of low-speed take-offs and lightweight gear suitable for the masses was well underway.
In France, Brittany, independent developments were also being made and in 2009, the AFS-1 wind foilboard and foil, explicitly designed for foiling, hit the water. The groundbreaking, high-tech carbon foil was a game-changer in recreational foil development due to its low weight, high-strength construction and efficiency of flight.
The Paris Boat Show in 2009 saw the presentation of the AFS-1, the first carbon, production, wind foil board and foil combination; this was followed by the birth of the AFS brand. You can now see why the history lesson is important; for many wingfoilers, AFS is a relatively new brand on the market, but in reality, they were first to market, making Carbon, production, hydrofoils in Brittany way back in 2009.
“ THE LAUNCH OF AHD’S SEAL IN 2006 MARKED A NEW ERA IN WAVE RIDING ”
The AFS-1 Board, 112-litre x 25.5 inches wide, powered by a 7m sail, unlocked the holy grail of early flight in the calmest conditions. Its distinctive shape, which featured a sculpted opening in the nose, enabled air to feed beneath the hull, promoting early take-off, reducing drag, and maintaining the rail length required to glide effortlessly in lightwinds—very similar design considerations we are now being seen in the downwind boards coming to market today.
Development of the AFS-1 by AFS helped to create a growing following of passionate early adopters, resulting in Bruno making the first SUP surf foil flights in 2010 on a Sealion board with the AFS-1 carbon foil. Waves and paddle power replacing powered tow-ins. Advancements in design and materials, primarily carbon, facilitated complete autonomy for the AFS production facility in Brittany. The Sealion board, perfect for windsurfing, windfoil, and SUPfoil, proved popular in its ability to do it all. A new generation of multi-sport enthusiasts saw the potential of foiling.
In the years between 2015 and 2018, foiling technologies like SUP foil, Windfoil, and Wingfoiling saw a huge increase in participation. As a result, Tanguy Le Bihan and Thierry Pen established Foil & Co, which later merged with Tridenn to become the current Foil & Co the parent company to AFS.
Today, Foil & Co. manufacture its AFS brand of innovative and immensely capable foil ranges comprising of boards, wings and 100% carbon foils for every level of participant, beginner to expert alike, with equal passion and know-how. AFS Advanced, in particular, stands out as the range of cutting-edge developmental board and foil designs.
“ THE QUEST FOR THE PERFECT COMBINATION OF
LOW-SPEED TAKE-OFFS AND LIGHTWEIGHT
GEAR SUITABLE FOR THE MASSES WAS
WELL UNEDERWAY”
Naval Architect, Foil and Co-President Tanguy Le Bihan leads an exceptional in-house design team. The AFS Team is also drawn to work collaboratively with some of the best industry sector designers worldwide. Such as multiple Moth World Champion foil designer Kevin Ellway with his record setting high-aspect creations and Laurent Borgna with his signature SILK, ULTRA and ENDURO Foils with their unique and formidable Tubercle design.
AFS comprises passionate, expert representatives in a wide range of foiling disciplines: freeride, race, freestyle, prone, SUP and downwind. A cohesive and exceptional family that values both fun and performance. Moreover, the factory, admin, marketing, and production teams are all equally driven.
“ ITS DISTINCTIVE SHAPE, WHICH FEATURED A SCULPTED OPENING IN THE NOSE, ENABLES AIR TO FEED BENEATH THE HULL “
The downwind charge is spearheaded by Richard Boudia, a true waterman and AFS International business manager. Chipri Courde set trail-blazing performance within the world of prone foiling wave-riding abilities and design, his light shines on brightly.
Co-founder and R&D legend Bruno Andre coached the AFS GWA podium Team Riders Alan Fedit and Champion Axel Gerard. Alan now too is developing his coaching skills at the highest levels furthering the AFS performance cycle. Recent addition to the AFS riding team Guy Bridge, a UK based free riding powerhouse.
During the 2022 Weymouth Speed Week, Bruno himself broke the unofficial 500mtr world record with a speed of 30.05 knots, while Emeric Mouret, AFS head production engineer and tester, came in second place at 29.52 knots. In 2023, Emeric returned to Weymouth Speed Week and took home the win by pushing the unofficial World record to 30.88 knots on the PURE 560, a production race foil with an AFS Board and wing. Four AFS riders, including the first female and third overall, used the same products and secured the top 10 places, validating AFS as the complete package. The foiling passion and performance runs deep.
AFS takes great pride in producing all its carbon foils and advanced boards at its factory and HQ in Pencran, Brittany, France. The long-standing expertise of Christophe Piaget’s Tunisian production team continues to produce AFS, One Shot Sandwich (OSS) construction wing foil and SUP boards.
“ AFS ADVANCED, IN PARTICULAR, STANDS OUT AS THE RANGE OF CUTTING-EDGE DEVELOPMENTAL BOARD AND FOIL DESIGNS.“
The expertise within the factory in Pencran facilitates every stage of every product, from design to prototyping to CNC mould creation and final product production. All ensures an unparalleled DNA of innovation in every product released with incredible responsiveness. The state-of-the-art production facility operates with eco-friendly, energy-efficient principles, which aligns with Foil and Co’s company core values.
Made in France and with a history that stretches back to 1987 and now reaching the globe, AFS is not only riding the waves, it’s making them!! 2024 is an incredibly exciting time to be on a foil with so much development, disciplines and emerging styles. With 2025 only just around the corner AFS continue to push at the forefront bringing you products to market that allow you to maximise your performance, time and the fun and enjoyment you have on the water…
“ 2024 IS AN INCREDIBLY EXCITING TIME TO BE ON A FOIL WITH SO MUCH DEVELOPMENT AND EMERGING STYLES.“
“>The story continues…
Sept 2024 – Paul Wakelin, AFS brand manage UK
Gwen Le Tutour geared up for an epic session on his AFS 8’0 Blackbird + 1100 Pure before the aze race in stunning Guadeloupe!