I have just got off the water after my third outing on the T1 and wanted to share my thoughts. I was buzzing after the first day I had on the foil but wanted to try it out on my beloved Peaks before drawing any conclusions. I have a feeling that this review will sound like an advert, but I am a genuine customer with no link to Triton.
In a nutshell, this foil has blown my mind. It really is the nuts.
For a bit of context, I have been foiling for a few years and have owned Shinn P Foil > Zeeko Spitfire > Moses 633 > Armstrong HS850. Whilst I am sure we all like blasting along at speed, especially in light winds, I personally like turning more than I do speed. Fun on a foil for me involves carving off the (usually small) rolling swell we get here on the east coast of the UK. I like a loose foil that loves to turn. I have been using the Armstrong HS850 with the V200 tail, which is super fun and is probably why I was so drawn to the monofoil buzz as it really encourages you to crank hard. The Armstrong is a phenomenal foil and it was really just a boredom purchase that found the T1 on its way to me.
I went for the T1 with the Triton mast as I liked the look of the mast / foil connection. I probably should have gone with a Crazy Fly mast as that would have meant that I could have carried on using my Kanaha Shapes board, which I love, but I ended up with a SS Dwarfcraft 100 as the mast plate on the Triton is a very odd size. I do wish that it could have been 140x90 or 165x90 as that would have gone straight on, but I actually really like the SS board. There is, of course, the Triton option but I needed to stick to some form of budget... It does look good though, although I am not convinced that all black is the best design choice as it would be harder to see in the grim waters around here.
It is hard to get the scale, but the set up is incredibly compact and feels great:
It fits on the back seat of my car and will be great for travelling. The simplicity of not having a fuselage and stabiliser really is a bonus in my opinion. Super quick to dismantle if you want to and there is no sharp / pointy fin to cut your feet open on...
I was expecting the T1 to be loose and probably a bit of a handful at first but was staggered at how quickly it felt comfortable. I was up straight away and was making gybes from the get go. I can honestly say that you do not need to worry about a steep learning curve. I guess that may have been helped for me with the Armstrong with the tiny tail as my initial few runs on that were much wilder than the T1 and I found it incredibly pitch sensitive at first. Great fun, but it felt more like a wild stallion that needed taming. The T1 has all the immediate fun without any drawbacks as far as I can tell.
The looseness / fun factor is exactly what I was hoping for but the biggest standout for me is probably the smoothness when riding. I often describe foiling as like playing in a powder field on a snowboard. The T1 ups the stakes on this front and it is like spending the day in 4ft deep super cold snow. It is 100% fun and staggeringly fluid. I am guessing that the extra smoothness is a result of not having any stabiliser to pick up any turbulence from the main foil - you simply do not feel any vibrations at all and the silence (both sound and sensation) is addictive.
Turning is sublime. You can crank it extremely tightly, but also carve long drawn out curves. It just does exactly what you ask of it and I found my confidence building extremely quickly and it begs you to try stuff out.
Another real stand out is the speed range. I track most sessions on GPS. So far, I have used it in lightish winds on my Soul 9m and today was more of a breeze and I was on my 4m Peak. On both kites, I find myself cruising at around 28-30km/h but it is very easy to step on the gas and it jumps up to 35km/h where it still feels really comfortable. I haven’t pushed it harder yet, but there must be a top end as it looks weirdly blunt / thick on the beach and I am sure physics will play a part eventually. For me though, it is more than quick enough. Definitely more comfortable at speed than I found the 633, which I found turbulent (that may have been the mast though as I was on the original carbon masts, which were not that stiff imho). What is more surprising though is how slowly you can go. It was stay up on foil at ridiculously slow speeds and also pops up very quickly when starting, even when underpowered. I haven’t had the chance to take it out in decent waves yet but I am very hopeful that this speed range will be perfect for picking up slower swells. The Armstrong is quick and sometimes outruns swells before you can really start to enjoy them - I am hoping that the T1 will allow me to slow right down and then feel the power under your feet.
As you can probably tell, I am really really impressed by this kit. If you can foil, you will enjoy it and definitely do not need to be worried about a learning curve. I am not sure how good it would be for a total novice, but there are very few foils that really tick the beginner box without quickly becoming very boring. The Shinn P1 was a good example of this. Fantastic for learning but I was itching for something more fun very quickly. The T1 would be fine as a second foil though in my opinion.
I was also a bit worried about stepping back to an alloy mast after having enjoyed full carbon foil set ups. The Armstrong in particular is a work of art and stunning to ride. Yes, my whole set up is now heavier than it was but it doesn’t feel heavy in the water. The Armstrong was heavier than the 633 Onda kit and I preferred having a bit more weight and rigidity. This is another step in that direction. A bit heavier on the beach but not noticeable on the water and it feels super solid. I cannot compare the Triton mast to another alloy one, but the mast to foil join is super rigid and the little plug must be helping keep everything so secure. The foil floats (which I personally love as I always ride strapless) so you don't really feel the weight of an alloy mast at all.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Rather than bore you senseless, here is a screenshot of my first session on the T1. As you can hopefully see, this foil makes the water a playground and you cannot resist carving around like a nutter:
If you want to blast in straight lines at massive speeds, a higher aspect foil is going to be a better bet. For everything else, I would rather be having fun on the T1.
I am really looking forward to spending more time on it over the next few months. It is up there with the stoke I felt after getting to grips with the Peak kites. This combo is like having a go-kart on the sea.
A very, very happy customer