I’m On It… Fred Hope

At the first ever GKA Hydrofoil Freestyle event in Brazil a few months ago, foiling ninja Fred Hope wowed the judges with the high scoring ‘Around the World’ trick and took home first place. He talks us through the kit he uses to keep him spinning into the sunset...

I won the GKA event on the Dwarf Craft 100cm, 657 Phantasm foil and UFO kites. I had two set ups: strapped and strapless. The strapped was just in case I felt I needed to show another side of foiling in addition to the strapless.

The event was really fun, and very well executed considering all things Covid. It was the first time I had met all these guys that have been progressing the sport of foiling across different disciplines for years.

I got the first Dwarf Craft prototype in 2016 and they came out in 2017. The earlier models were much thicker but as time went on we found that lower volume was better for foiling. It is a balance between the weight of the foil and the volume causing the board as a whole to lay flat on the water. With a lower volume board, the board sits lower in the water and gives the rider more time to get up while strapless before the board falls back flat.

I consider length, thickness, and stiffness in a board. If the board is too long, there is too much swing weight, if too short, the foil often overpowers the board. If the board is too thick there can be a disconnect in feeling from the foil and unnecessary buoyancy. If the board is not stiff enough, there is a lag in reaction time of the foil when adjusting your weight.

Ideally you want a fast reactive board that responds instantly to weight placement. I also find that if a board is too light, it won’t quite lock in. A super light board can sometimes feel squirrely if not properly balanced.

The 100cm Dwarf Craft pairs well with the 730 and 657 Phantasm foils, the 110cm model pairs well with the 633 Phantasm foil, and the 120cm model pairs well with the 633 and FKite foils. But in reality, all the foils work well with all the boards!

It depends on how much surface area you want below your feet and how much touchdown ability you want. For example, foot switches on the 120cm are going to be much easier than on the 100cm when starting out. The high volume and surface area of the 120cm allows you to touch down for longer without nose-diving.

No matter the conditions, I always ride the same kite, foil, and bar in competition. The only variants would be the kite size. I don’t change my gear between competition and just having fun. I get very dialed on my set up so there’s really no reason to ride something else during competition.

My go to board for foiling is the 100cm Dwarf Craft. When wave riding, I favor the 5’4 SciFly. For the rare times that I twintip, I use the Super Natural. Kite-wise, I use the UFO for foiling, the RPM for twintipping, and the SST for wave riding.

The versatility of the Dwarf Craft is what has me sold on it. You can kite on it and go mach 10, or tow into waves in the ocean. In addition, you can ride it behind a boat and have the best time. You can even wing on it if it is windy enough.

I am currently in La Ventana where I have been riding the Dwarf Craft exclusively. Before that, I was at university in Seattle using it behind a boat. Before that, I used it all summer in Hood River. My best sessions have been those with friends. Riding with Charles Brodell in competition at the GKA event or in La Ventana with Reed Brady and Robby Murrillo are examples of that.

I’m not sure what’s next for me – with Covid everything has changed. I’ve found a new appreciation of kiting in my home spots and don’t feel as much of a desire to travel to other spots to progress. I’m currently in university and have a year and a half left, but after that it would be fun to travel the world a bit with kiting, making the most of my competition standing, before going into marine biology, the field I’m studying. ■