windmaker wrote: High end frames made in Europe (Colnago, Time, Pinarello etc) can be anywhere between 3 to 5000 euros frame only.
Two of the examples given (Colnago and Pinarello) have the VAST majority of their frames manufactured in Taiwan or China.
The C60 Colnago is the only made in Italy frame:
http://www.bicycling.com/bikes-and-gear ... olnago-c60
In Italy, the “Made in Italy” stamp can be added to any frame or bike if at least 50% of the price comes from Italy. This means for example that if a carbon fiber frame was made in Taiwan, sent out to Italy, where the company adds components, paint and tires, then this frame would be labeled made in Italy. I'm sure each country in Europe has their own rules regarding their 'Made in XX' labels, but one can't make the universal statement that all high end frames which still command high end prices are made in Europe.
To relate this back to the OPs question, there is no reason a full carbon foil can't be sourced from Taiwan or China for $500 or less per unit (assuming a 5000-10K unit purchase) with painting, packaging, and delivery included to a company. An advantage of a carbon foil is there should really only be one size/mold for everything except perhaps the wings, so compared to the bicycle industry where every frame will have at least 4 sizes with the associated mold/setup costs, a hydrofoil should come in cheaper than a run of bicycles, assuming a similar production run.
I still feel this is an apples to oranges comparison, because of the scales of the industries. Although cycling is more of a niche sport in the US, in the Europe/global scene, it is so much larger than kite boarding. Even in the US, it dwarfs kite boarding. And hydrofoiling is still a niche within a niche. Therefore, getting to a several thousand unit production run may be difficult, which will lead to higher per unit costs to a company, no matter where the product is manufactured.
JD