We chat with Brian Finch AKA @FoilTheWorld

Brian Finch is a prominent figure in foiling and has been since the explosion in its popularity. In fact, we believe he’s played a big part in that rise with his inspirational Instagram account - @foiltheworld. In this interview, Jack Galloway and Brian discuss Florida, the FTW Pro, new FFB foils, & more.

Welcome to Tonic Mag, we’re stoked to have you here! 

Thanks, Tonic, you guys are crushing it. I’m honoured.

You recently moved to Florida from Hawaii. How’s that been going? Seems like the foiling crew is very talented over there!

As much as I miss Hawaii, my friends, and the surf, Florida is going great, it’s made for foiling. The surf is generally small and weak, it’s a foilers paradise.

There is a great, talented crew here in Jax Beach, guys like Erick Antonson, Austin Tovey, Mike Pedigo, Rob Carney - lots of rippers.

What is your surfing/watersports background? When did you make the move to foiling?

I started surfing at age 14 on the south shore of Kauai. I grew up mainly concentrating on shortboarding. I had a few years of amateur competitive surfing, but I didn’t really enjoy contests. I lived a 10yr surf trip throughout Central America before moving back to Kauai. A handful of chronic injuries and a chance encounter with Laird Hamilton lead me to foiling, I think this was around December, 2017. Foiling was much easier on the injuries and it allowed me to ride waves again. I’m so grateful for it.

Your ‘@foiltheworld’ instagram is one of the biggest foiling accounts out there. Where did the inspiration come from to start it?

I was hyping on Gary V at the time so I embraced his ethos and applied it to foiling via Instagram. Foiling was so new, and I had so many questions, and there was very little information available at the time, so I decided to share my journey and findings.

Well, you've certainly done it well, I've always found it a useful resource! How did your relationship with Freedom Foil Boards come about?

My memory is crap, but the founder of FFB, Chris Sayer, reached out to me on Instagram and offered me a board. I don’t remember this part, but Chris said I initially said no haha! Chris ended up shaping me a board and I loved it. We’ve worked on a lot of designs and refinements together over the years and the FTW PRO was born from this. Presently I work for Freedom as a team manager, marketer, and on R&D.

I loved riding your FTW Pro board (on test this issue!) for both prone foiling and winging. So much fun! What was the R&D process like in creating it? Did you have lots of prototypes or did you already have a pretty clear idea of what you wanted?

Thanks! I absolutely love hearing people stoked about my board design, the winging aspect of the FTW PRO was unanticipated, but it’s been a great surprise.

R&D is slow. It takes a lot of sessions in varying conditions to be confident in a design. Once you have something that works great, you want to make more changes in an attempt to find the point of diminishing returns with a concept. I had a very clear idea of what I wanted, but it took many iterations and time to find the sweet spot.

Well, you definitely found it. What size do you prefer in the range? Is that 4’4 a new thinner size? I don’t remember seeing it before.

Board size really depends on conditions and foil discipline. Small strapped foiling, I go to the 4’2, winging and bigger days or long paddles, the 4’5 is my choice. The 4’4 is new and coming to market soon. It fills a gap between the two present sizes. Although it’s only an inch shorter than the 4’5, it’s a much lower volume board, very responsive… maybe we'll name it the Pro, Pro haha!

I’ve heard rumours of a new foil you’re working on with FFB? Can you give away any details?

We have a plethora of new foils in the works, many of which will be available very soon. In our Halcyon line, we have a 1250 pumping, dockstart, and downwind beast. The stall speed is incredibly low and forgiving, but still keeps up with quick-moving ocean bumps. I’ve been testing an 810 Halcyon this week in Hawaii. This is a mid/high aspect wing that feels soo controlled and carvy from waist-high to overhead, I’ve had some amazing sessions on it this past week. And finally, we’re working on a true High Aspect range of foils called the UNO. I’ve been riding the 655 in some of my recent videos. It’s a quick and controlled wing with a huge useable range. What I’ve found special about this wing is that it allows you to ride a small high-aspect shape in small surf without dropping out or stalling. We’re also working on a range of stabilizers for specific uses that will really bring these wings to the next level.

Sounds amazing, we can't wait to test them out! What’s your go-to discipline right now? Where do you see the sport going in the next few years?

Prone downwinding. There’s something about chipping in off the beach and working your way out uncomfortably offshore.

In the next few years, I see a lot of refinement on current design concepts. In the mid-term, new materials and construction methods. In the extended future, I can see a hybrid of efoils and foils drives, something electric without compensating performance.

How was the trip to Hood River this summer? Is it really as good as everyone suggests it is?

It was incredible, exceeding expectations. We had strong winds nearly the whole trip. I love the area, not just for the river, but the forest, mountains, people, and vibe. It’s so good, I would love to spend my summers there.

Great to chat with you Brian. Thanks for taking the time!

Videos

Foiling Nicaragua - Foil the World - Brian Finch
By Jack Galloway

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