Kitefoil Titanium AIR

Présentation du Kitefoil Titanium carbon by AlpineFoil

This year, AlpineFoil has completely reworked its kitefoil ultra high-end to further improve the quality of the glide. Thanks to years of research and development, the AlpineFoil Titanium has now at one’s disposal extraordinary performances.

   To buy your AlpineFoil kitefoil Titanium, go to the online shop

New:

New construction of the carbon pieces :

• Now eqquipped with the all new AlpineFoil AIR technology which ensures a significant gain in lightness and maneuverability, while remaining ultra rigid.

A completely reworked fuselage:

• New design
• Rounded rostrum
• Modified wedging for more possibilities
• New even thinner section for an optimal laminar flow
• Improved karmans
• Long fuselage provided with a RTeam stabilizer for unmatched stability

The AlpineFoil Titanium is the most incredible foil ever designed to this date. Originally, it was developed by the founder of AlpineFoil to satisfy his personal desires. The specification was to design a foil without any compromise on materials, design, technology or performance. The founder of AlpineFoil, Damien CHABOUD, is before anything else a great child eager for new toys, but also an ultra demanding rider competitor. Being also the designer, he then worked many hours until reaching this premium version. The very first Titanium achieved a phenomenal success on the beach: it was then that Damien CHABOUD had the idea to market the product, although it was not the initial objective because of the manufacturing cost.

In order to satisfy its requirements in terms of rigidity, drag reduction and therefore gliding, carbon alone was no longer suitable: the choice was then made of a titanium fuselage. This material, used in the medical, the aeronautics or in the armament, is the Rolls of the materials: it has all the due advantages except the cost. Added to carbon and patented technologies by AlpineFoil, themselves being the fruit of many years of research, titanium sublimates this incredible kitefoil.

Why to choose the Titanium rather than another foil?
 

The brand new AlpineFoil Titanium kitefoil is the most outstanding which is. Ultra high-end, it has a mast made with monolithic carbon of high quality, whose fiber is oriented extremely accurately, which is then cooked at high pressure. This highly technical production is entirely entrusted to the RTeam division because it alone possesses the necessary know-how. This revolutionary mast is incredibly innovative, since it features ACS technology, developed and patented by AlpineFoil: its "S" shape has been entirely studied for an impeccable glide and without untimely stall. Its progressive shape has also been at lenght worked to optimize each area of the mast. We thus obtain the ideal compromise between rigidity and glide.
 

The mast is equipped with a KF-Box specially designed for the practice of the foil. As it is integrated into the mast (MCBox technology by AlpineFoil), the fiber remains continuous between the mast and the housing. This technology not only means a big drag reduction, but also a small bulk, increased connection stiffness and easy and quick mounting. To perfect the rigidity of the assembly, AlpineFoil has fitted its housing with two mounting screws, which limits the risk of losing the foil and ensures more serenity to the rider.
 

The fuselage is made of titanium, a material completely insensitive to corrosion and fatigue, shockproof and very light, but whose incredible mechanical performance is similar to that of steel. Titanium being an isotropic material, the behavior of the fuselage remains homogeneous in front of flexion or torsion, and its cross-section could be reduced by 80% compared to that of a carbon fuselage, guaranteeing a considerable improvement of the flow. The laminar flow is also ensured by the presence of a leading edge and a trailing edge on the fuselage (FRDS technology). Also, the presence of karmans and the modification of the wedge contribute to a considerable reduction of the drag. For more safety and serenity, the drift has been refined and placed at the top of the fuselage, and the rostrum has been rounded. Finally, for unrivaled stability, the fuselage is relatively long: longer is the lever arm, more effective is the stabilizer.

Finally, the Titanium can be delivered with any wing of the RTeam range, without supplement. The wings are prepreg carbon, and their fibers are oriented to perfectly meet the requirements in flexion and torsion. Being cut at the CNC, then being cooked at high pressure, their profile is ultra thin and ultra precise. For more rigidity, the screws are staggered, which completely eliminates the clearance between the wing and the fuselage. All the wings have the VAS system that allows optimal gliding regardless of speed or practice. Finally, the Titanium is delivered with a RTeam stabilizer whose profile is similar to that of the Race wing, which allows a stability and a first-rate control and a sensational glide.

The all-new Titanium is the most prestigious kite foil on the market, and it benefits from an outstanding manufacturing. Its design required several years of work and its development Made in France is extremely meticulous. The RTeam division, based at the foot of the French Alps, pays particular attention to its finish, whose quality is incomparable.
 

Made in France manufacturing quality

AlpineFoil, manufacturer of foils since 2007, is one of the few companies to fully control the design, industrialization, production and after-sales service of its products. The exceptional reliability of the latter lies in this complete control of the chain, which is a major asset of the company. AlpineFoil's know-how and equipment such as the machining center, the digital cutting table, the hydraulic press and the 6-axis robot give a unique reactivity and an immediate adjustment of the processes: the design of each product is perfectly refined in the heart of our workshop. But it also serves AlpineFoil to offer an after-sales service and maintenance to always have a functional foil at a lower cost and within a reasonable time regardless of the country. This speed is possible thanks to our transport partners (UPS, DHL, GLS, etc.) who deliver France in 1 working day, Europe in 2 days, the United States in 2-3 days and Asia and Australia in 4-5 days.
 

The mast

The mast of the Titanium is equipped with the "S" shape, exclusivity patented by AlpineFoil. This particular form, specific to the brand, is very complex technically. Its manufacture must therefore be extremely meticulous and neat: that is why it is entirely entrusted to the technicians of the RTeam division.

This ACS technology (Anti Cavitation System) completely eliminates the stall by ventilation, unlike a right mast. Indeed, ventilation (stall due to the presence of air in the wake at the mast profile) coupled with cavitation (cavities in the water that generate turbulence) can cause the fall. The more there is air at the mast, the more there is ventilation and therefore risks of stall. The "S" shape counters these phenomena thanks to its special shape that guides the flow of water going back up behind the mast and therefore avoids the descent of air. Today, with the Ultimate, the Titanium is the only foil in the market not to ventilate: so the rider can give full confidence to his foil. More serene, his pleasure to navigate is increased tenfold.

Besides the ACS technology, the mast has a progressive profile: it is wider at the top (emerging area) than at the base (submerged area). This principle shows many years of experience and practice: the top of the mast is thicker because it undergoes a lot of constraints, while the base is thinner to reduce drag and optimize the slide to the maximum. Each part of the mast has been studied for a long time to obtain both a fantastic glide and rigidity foolproof.

The material used for this mast is monolithic carbon, a very high quality material. Cooked at very high pressure, the mast is incredibly rigid and resistant. In order to obtain this perfect rigidity, AlpineFoil has also worked extensively on the combination and orientation of the high modulus fiber. An extremely reliable and high-performance product ensues from it, tangible result of a mix of innovation and unique know-how.
 

The box

The Titanium has at one’s disposal a KF-Box (KiteFoil Box), a housing specially studied and conceived for kitefoils. Its four sides give it a pyramidal shape that allows an automatic catching of the clearance but also a resumption of efforts between the deck and the hull of the board. Originally, the housing had only a single mounting screw in the center, which involved a risk of loss of foil in case of rupture of this screw. Now, AlpineFoil has awarded the KF-Box two mounting screws, which greatly reduces the risk of loss, but also significantly improves the rigidity of it.

These double screws are complemented with a large washer in machined ABS that has several advantages. Firstly, the efforts are distributed: it takes punctual overloads in case of impact with the ground, thus avoiding the destruction of the board. Then, the fact that this part is machined increases its mechanical strength by 80%. Finally, the broad shape of the washer avoids the punching which deteriorates the deck of the board. In his ABS washer is embedded a large stainless steel washer that prevents friction, followed by an A4 Torx stainless steel screw specially made for AlpineFoil in Germany. This screw increases the tightening torque by 300% without damaging the screw footprint.

In the beginning, more than a decade ago, AlpineFoil fixed the mast to the board with a platinum system. But during the experiments made the following year, the platinum showed many drawbacks: increased drag during takeoff or touch, it acting as a brake, especially in Light Wind; no resumption of efforts between the deck and the hull, which implies a less rigid set; bulky size and laborious mounting. The KF-Box was then created to deal with all these problems.

After years of work, AlpineFoil has designed a completely new housing: a KF-Box equipped with the MCBox technology (Monobloc Carbon Box) technology developed and patented by AlpineFoil. The principle is simple: instead of overmoulding a very low-resistant resin housing, AlpineFoil has chosen to mold the housing directly with the mast, in a single block. The housing is integrated into the mast; the fiber is continuous between both. This technology increases the stiffness of the connection between mast and housing by 20%. Added to the KF-Box, it has other major advantages, such as a very small bulk, a very important drag reduction and ultra fast assembly. This revolutionary system is made possible thanks to the unique Made in France know-how of the RTeam division, which uses a high-pressure manufacturing technology.

The fuselage

1. The main asset of Titanium is its titanium fuselage, this material being provided with many qualities. The fuselage is machined in a single block of titanium, laser numbered and etched, and polished by hand. Not being treated against corrosion, it keeps the natural color of titanium. The first property he has is his mechanical performance. Depending on the grade of titanium used, performance in terms of rigidity and strength approach those of steel. The second, and not least, property is its weight: its density is 4.5 against 8 for steel. It is as high-performance as steel is, but it is almost twice as light. Finally, in addition to its high impact resistance and excellent fatigue behavior, titanium is insensitive to corrosion.

The fuselage is a very complex and highly stressed part in foil because it undergoes phenomenal constraints in terms of torsion between the main wing and the mast, but also in terms of flexion along its length. Unlike carbon, which consists of fibers, titanium is an isotropic material, in other words, it always keeps the same properties, its behavior remains homogeneous regardless of the direction of the effort, whether subjected to flexion or torsion. Carbon, on the other hand, only works in the direction of the fiber, which is why its section is much wider: it is necessary to superimpose many layers of fibers with different orientations if we want to respond to all constraints.

This isotropy of titanium allows on the contrary to perfectly model the fuselage according to the mechanical forces and to completely optimize its shape depending on these requirements and depending on the flow. Thus, AlpineFoil's Titanium is the finest and most advanced titanium fuselage that exists today. This ultra-sharpened fuselage is 80% smaller compared to a carbon fuselage and 20% smaller than the aluminum fuselage of the Ultimate.

Note: AlpineFoil was the first manufacturer to innovate by combining a titanium fuselage with carbon mast and wings. Foil manufacturer since 2007, AlpineFoil guarantees you the most innovative and especially the most reliable hydrofoils on the market.

Titanium is the result of a subtle calculation at the level of flow. Contrary to preconceived ideas, a fuselage generates an extremely large drag when moving in the water. Unlike a plane, a hydrofoil type kite foil or wind foil does not have elevators to vary the lift of the foil. Now, one of the bases of fluid mechanics indicates that the lift of a foil or plane is proportional to the square of the speed. It turns out that the weight of the pilot does not vary, unlike the speed, and therefore the lift. The only way to balance the forces is to play on the center of gravity of the pilot to vary the lift of the foil.

To simplify, from the take-off phase to the maximum speed, the position of the foil in the water will vary by several degrees (incidence). For this reason, the fuselage will not move only in the flow axis but at a certain angle. The contact zone between the foil and the flow is not only the fuselage section but its entire length.

This is why a circular or rectangular section as often found is absolutely detrimental to the laminar flow. That's why AlpineFoil specifically worked the lower part of the fuselage to make a leading edge and the upper part to make it a trailing edge: thus was born the FRDS technology (Fuselage with Reduced Drag System) by AlpineFoil, which allows a flawless and perfectly fluid glide.

For this new edition of the Titanium, AlpineFoil has chosen to round the rostrum of the fuselage (soft nose) for maximum safety, while leaving it more advanced than the wing for better performance.

The fuselage is now equipped with karmans (elements that create a progressive connection between the wing and the fuselage) which, by their shape, help to reduce the drag that forms at this junction. Namely: in competition, glider pilots go as far as placing adhesives in addition to karmans so that the flow is the most laminar possible and so that the performances are thus improved.

 

The wedging was also modified. The embedding was perfected in a way that the flow is optimal. Equipped with the RSS system (Reflex Stability System), it automatically compensates the nose down moment of the wing according to the speed. This technology makes it possible to beat records of stability of the foil, whatever the speed. Now clipping, the wedging offers a maximum of settings options (ultra wide stance), which is particularly useful for competition drivers. The setting is customizable, adaptable to each rider, regardless of its level, navigation or weight. The front wing and stabilizer can each be set to 0 °, 0.7 °, 1.1 ° or 1.5 °.

The vertical fin placed on the rear part of the fuselage is located in the upper part so as not to be damaged in case of impact with the ground. It has also been refined so that the flow is perfectly laminar and it is the most efficient possible.

Finally, the Titanium fuselage is one of the longest on the market. AlpineFoil made this choice because it works like a lever with the rear stabilizer: longer the arm is, more efficient the stabilizer is. For an equal sized stabilizer, a longer fuselage will be much more stable and the foil much easier to control than with a shorter fuselage. Another important advantage is that with a long fuselage, the stabilizer is kept away from the turbulence generated by the wing and the mast. Thus the stabilization is perfect, like the gliders of competition, equipped with long fuselages.

 

The wings

The RTeam wings are entirely produced in France, in our workshop located at the foot of the Alps. Only the technicians of the RTeam division are able to carefully shape these ultra-complex wings. Their particularity is that they are produced by hand in small series, so that their elaboration is particularly neat. Indeed, the exceptional performances of these wings are due to the attention to detail: each micro-detail is important if we want to achieve this matchless result. It is the precision of this manual shaping 100% Made in France which guarantees to the buyer products of a remarkable quality.

Each carbon element in the RTeam range is composed of pre-impregnated carbon (prepreg) from racing cars and aviation. This fabric is CNC cut for perfect precision and reproducibility. Each layer of carbon that constitutes the wing has been studied meticulously and has a fiber orientation of its own. Thus, it perfectly meets all the requirements in terms of flexion and torsion. The profile of each wing, but also of each mast or stabilizer is very accurate too. Several years of research were needed for their development; now the profiles are optimal and deliver sensational glide performance. So that these profiles to be fully respected, each wing is compressed at a pressure ranging from 50 to 200 bars, depending on the needs. This gives an ultra compact and rigid carbon, while preserving an ultra-thin profile.

The AlpineFoil wings are the result of a long process of research, of modeling, but also of experiments which generated profiles developed especially for the hydrofoil.

The wings have different profiles in the center and at the extremities with a particular twisting, and a different angle in the upper part and in the lower part of the wing. This is the VAS technology (Variable Angle System) developed and patented by AlpineFoil. The objective is to fictitiously remove part of the wing surface at low incidence (so at high speed) to always maintain a quality glide. Indeed, in hydrodynamics, it is considered that the higher the bearing surface charge, the higher the speed. In other words, to gain speed, failing to be able to change the weight of the rider, we reduce fictitiously the bearing surface of the wing through a variation of angle between the profile located in the center and that located at the ends of the wing, so that the load on the remaining surface is higher.

Finally the fixing of the front wings is done with screws placed in staggered rows. Indeed, when the fixing is done with aligned screws, it creates a pivoting of the wing which can lead to the destruction of the fixing inserts in case of clearance between the wing and the fuselage. The staggered arrangement on the contrary makes it possible to obtain an incredible stiffness at the level of the assembly of the wing and the fuselage, which gives more serenity during the piloting.

The Titanium can be delivered with the RTeam wing of your choice, at no extra charge, outside the Windfoil wing. Available choices: XLP2 wing, Wave wing, GT wing, Sport wing, Racefoil wing and SC-Race M or S wing.

 

The stabilizer

The new RTeam Stabilizer keeps an outline similar to the 5.0 Carbon and Access that made it successful, but with an improved profile. Now, the profile of the stabilizer is similar to that of the Race wing, which gives it a huge gain in terms of gliding, but also in terms of progressivity and foil control. This stabilizer, one of the most stable of the market, is entirely entrusted to the RTeam division, specialized in the production of ultra high-end foils.

Some calibration settings recommended with our wings:

Position of the straps: front strap in central position (3rd hole).

The finishing

The finishing lavished on AlpineFoil products is the most elaborate in the industry. We chose not to settle for a slight sanding at the exit of the mold, as this is not enough to fill the porosities of carbon slowing down the glide. Indeed, the carbon, because of its multiple crossings, generates a bad flow and therefore much turbulence. That's why, to counter this problem, AlpineFoil blocks up these porosities by applying multiple layers of successive varnish and sanding between layers. In this way, we return to the original profile while progressively filling the porosities. After the last coat of varnish, for products with Gloss option, an AlpineFoil operator performs a manual sanding with water at P2.000 then at P3.000. Finally he performs a final polishing at P16.000 using a polishing paste.

The matte versions (default choice) do not have this AlpineFoil ultra high performance finish that not only refines the product design, but also significantly improves the quality of the glide.

   To buy your AlpineFoil kitefoil Titanium, go to the online shop

Which AlpineFoil foil to buy ? How to choose your foil according to your level : beginner, confirmed, expert ? How much is it ? New or secondhand ? Contact us here.

Kitefoil Alpinefoil Titanium AIR - Price 2990 euros

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