AK Durable Supply Co. Plasma 1000, 1300, 1600 2022
Reviews / Hydrofoils
689
Long Term Test
Mike from Ktwo Distribution has been kind enough to let me keep a hold of the Plasma wings for over a year now, he also recently sent me the 1000cm2 front wing to make a full set with the 1300 & 1600. So I thought it was about time that I did a long-term test update, as I have several notes to share with you all after A, spending so much time on it, and B, progressing in prone foiling.
If you’d like to read my original test, you can do so here:
https://www.tonicmag.com/reviews/hydrofoils/ak-durable-supply-co-plasma-1300-1600-cm2-2021/
It was released this time last year and mainly focuses on winging & dock starting the Plasma. At that point, I was brand new to prone foiling, in fact, I’d only caught one or two waves successfully.
A year later, and I’m fully addicted to prone foiling, so much so that I’ll choose a prone foiling shorerunner over winging on certain windy days. While I’ve used a number of foils to prone with, the Plasma 1300 has been my go-to all year.
I’d call the Plasma foils mid to high aspect, they pump well but they’re not so aggressive that they have a super high stall speed. That is why I believe I’ve got on with them so well. In the early stages of my prone progression, I made a lot of mistakes, my feet would pop up in the wrong place, I’d exit the wave at the wrong time, or just generally mess up. The low stall speed of the 1300 wing and the stability of the foil setup meant that I’d always have time to correct my mistakes and pump back up to speed. Whether that be moving my feet back to centre or getting over some tricky turbulent water to the clean stuff. I could always rely on the foil to get me out of those sticky situations.
If you are surfing a spot that ‘closes out’ regularly, you’ll want a foil such as this that you can rely on. The Plasma is great for pumping out through breaking waves & whitewater. It copes well in the turbulent water by maintaining its speed and not losing too much efficiency when you start pumping again. That has been a real life saver on some sessions where a less reliable foil would mean you never get out back to the good stuff.
Breaching - there are two types of breaching. Breaching when you’re winging or kiting is entirely different from breaching when you don’t have lift from an external power i.e. prone or dock start. For those that don’t know, breaching is when a wing tip, mostly front but sometimes tail exits the water for a short time. Sometimes called ‘getting your tips out’. When wingfoiling, almost all foils will breach successfully as the wing helps you maintain speed and clear the bubbles or ‘ventilation’ for a smooth ride again. I had initially found that breaching on the 1600 while dock starting was very difficult, I would often fall off and that was due to the slower speed and lack of power in the water.
Now that I’ve been prone foiling on the 1300 & 1000 I’ve found the Plasma reacts well to breaching. The speed generated in the wave meant that breaching when turning or exiting the wave, or even just going too fast, didn’t end up in a wipeout! I’ve started to really enjoy the feeling and the Plasma is no doubt a great foil to do it.
The 1000 was a great addition to the quiver. Yes, the stall speed is slightly faster however that is well worth it for the increased turning ability and speed! I’m especially looking forward to riding it as bigger waves arrive this winter. I’ve also been wingfoiling with the 1000 and found it to be my favourite of the 3 for the discipline. The added speed makes everything better, jumping, tacks & gybes, turning on waves. It’s so much fun.
An update from the last test - the mast on the Plasma is actually fairly flexible. The full carbon mast will flex when the board is upside down and you twist the wings. So far, I haven’t really noticed this when riding, that may well be to the huge number of hours I’ve put into riding this foil and that I’m just used to it. I’d be interested to try the Plasma with a super stiff mast one day and see what the differences are.
Overall
You only have to scroll through the Tonic Mag Instagram a bit to see that I’ve been frothing on this foil for a long time now. At this stage, I find it hard to believe I’ll find a foil that is so versatile and so good at each discipline. I prone, wing and dock start the Plasma regularly. With all 3 sizes in your quiver, the 1000, 1300, & 1600, the possibilities are endless when it comes to the range of conditions available to you. This summer I took the 1600 tow foiling with my 3-year-old daughter between my legs, it was the perfect foil to do it and we had a blast! There will always be space in my garage for the Plasma.
This review was in Issue 14 of Tonic Mag.
For more information visit AK Durable Supply Co.Related
By Jack Galloway
