Review of the Indiana foil range with brand ambassador Philipp Pfeifer

Choosing a foil is always a crucial moment, when you ask yourself a lot of questions. What surface, what aspect ratio, what profile… but what do the numbers in the name of this foil mean… what do these letters correspond to? Sometimes you might feel a bit lost. But we’re here to help! With Philipp Pfeifer, we take you through the Indiana Foils range, and you’ll see, it’s actually quite simple! Philipp has been an ambassador for the Swiss brand for many years, and has even known its shaper Andi Widmann since childhood, as they share the same Lake Constance local spot. This has enabled him to test many (if not all!) Indiana foils, and even prototypes! For TotalWing, Philipp talks to us about his quiver, but also about the organization of the Indiana foil range, and how to make your choice.

Hi Philipp! First of all, can you tell us about your riding profile and how you became an Indiana ambassador?

I have been fascinated by water sports since my early childhood. After starting with sailing, I was quickly hooked into windsurfing and since then haven’t stopped loving water sports. And that was almost 30 years ago now. Over the years I think I have tried almost all facets of water sports and practiced them at a varying levels of intensity. I came to Indiana through Andi Widmann (current Indiana Shaper). I have known Andi since I was a child and he was and still is always supporting the water sports scene on our local spot Lake Constance. Andi has also built a lot of boards for me, especially in the time I became more serious about stand-up paddling. (I was even state champion several times and won the German Championships (Master) once :).

At this time, the collaboration with Indiana also increased and I was very pleased when I was given the opportunity to be part of Team Indiana. But today the focus is almost completely on the foil and I am very grateful to be able to rely on such high-quality equipment.

We wanted to talk to you about Indiana’s foil range. Can you give us a tour of your personal Indiana quiver?

Thanks to the local connection with Andi, I am always very privileged to test the latest prototype foils and board shapes. But I’m probably not allowed to talk about that…but the upcoming product releases are feeling next level to me. In addition to the new prototypes, I love the 1396 P for pumping. And for winging I use nearly always the MA-R 864 or 754.

What’s your feedback on each of these foils?

The 1396P is a good example of Indiana’s commitment to continuous improvement and innovation. Personally, I use this foil just for pumping and to catch one or the other boat wake. The foil has the optimal balance for these purposes. It has a really good balancing glide, speed and still the right amount of agility for a fun and playful feeling. And I think especially this combination is pretty unique on the market.

The MA-R series is a performance but ultra-accessible foil and for me personally the best product to cover the widest range of conditions with one foil. It has enough lift to foil in really light wind conditions but works equally well at high speeds and in demanding conditions. But what I particularly like is that the foil always remains easy to control and you can feel exactly what is happening under your feet.

I would recommend this foil to anyone from intermediate to far more advanced riders looking for a foil to suit at all kind of conditions. Just choose the right size for your skills and ambitions and you can’t go wrong with this foil.

Indiana’s foil range is divided into several large families: M-AR, X-AR, H-AR, HP and P. Can you tell us what each of these titles correspond to, and help us see more clearly how this range is organized?

• HP is just the name of the actual fuselage system.
• P means Pump, what says it all.
• The other lines names come from their aspect ratio AR:
• M-AR is mid-aspect ratio, all have the same ar of 6,0
• H-AR is hig aspect ratio, ar varying from 6,7 to 8,7
• X-AR is xtra high aspect ratio, ar varying from 9,5 to 12,2

For whom and for what are each of these foil families designed?

• M-AR: Wingfoil allround beginner to expert depending on size. Area sizes cm² 950, 1250, 1550, 1850
• H-AR: Pumpfoil performance and freestyle. Area sizes cm² 1270 and 1660
• X-AR: Downwind, prone, or pumpfoil xtrem.  Area sizes cm² 595, 844, 1123, 1427

By the way, still on the subject of titles, at Indiana the number associated with the name of a frontwing corresponds to its length, and not to its surface area?

Yes, the numbers in the name tell you the wingspan.

Photo : @franklyfraenk

And now there’s the new Steeve Fleury-designed frontwing “Le Doigt”. What are its specific features and for whom is this frontwing designed?

This is a one and only foil for the everyday use like Steeve does it and for everyone who is looking for a good crossover of pumping and winging on an advanced skill level. This wing does it all whether it is pumping, winging, surfing or downwinding. So if you are looking for a wing with which you can do everything without much compromise, this is the right choice. Surface: 1236 cm², wingspan: 959 mm, AR: 7,6.

Photo : @franklyfraenk

It’s a pretty wide range of foils, with a lot of choice, so we were wondering: how do you choose? How do we know which Indiana foil is the one for us?

As a Team Rider close to Andi I am in the great position to get every foil in hand. If possible, I try to test every foil at least one time. So for me, it’s easy to choose which foil I like. For all others there is the foil finder or even better test events or Indiana foil competence centers. Nothing beats testing yourself.

Photo : @franklyfraenk

In terms of frontwings and stabilizers materials, how are Indiana foils built?

All foils and stabilizers are made of carbon in a mold, same with the X-AR. These lasts are produced by a Swiss company in a high-end technology.

A word about Indiana’s masts and fuselages, what choices do we have?

You can choose from:

• Aluminum mast in 75, 90 and 105 cm
• Carbon mast LW (for LowWeight) in 72 and 85 cm superlight and stiff for pumping
• Carbon mast LD (for LowDrag) in 72, 85 and 96cm faster profile for winging
• Aluminum fuselage in 610, 710 and 900 mm length with 3 options to mount the stabilizer
• Carbon fuselage in 575, 625 and 675 mm length

Photo : @franklyfraenk

By the way, is everything at Indiana foil modular?

Yes, everything in the HP range is modular.

I’ll leave you with the last word?

The choice of materials for foiling can sometimes seem a little tricky. I personally would advise anyone who is not quite sure about the right  foil set up to talk to experts and ask for advice. And if in doubt, it is better to buy a complete set where you can be sure that at least everything is perfectly balanced. However, as mentioned above, in the end there is nothing better than testing it yourself and finding out what you personally like best.

Photo : @franklyfraenk

Many thanks Philipp for all these details! Stay tuned, our interview with foil designers Jan Pütz and Andi Widmann is coming very soon!

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