KT Nomad

KT’s foil collection is now largely developed by Kane de Wilde, a name synonymous with tail wings that have been well renowned for several years and have had industry-wide influence considering their humble G10 beginnings. It’s great to see such a high-level rider and cult legend of our sport have the free rein to design a foil system, and we were eager to sample the results. It’s clear from the technical information KT provide that they design foils from a slightly different perspective, and with Kai Lenny on the test team.

There’s four sizes in the range which are very much individually fettled rather than scaled, with the smaller two sizes having more sweep, and the aspect ratios stretching out in the larger sizes, which top out at 1160cm2. The 830 we tested is in the ‘golden sub-90cm span’ dimension band for my day-to-day use in waves at 86cm across.

Three rear wings are available in 155, 190 and 250cm2 which KT suggest you choose based on your riding ability. We found the 155 paired pretty perfectly with the 830 for all around riding and provided a decent level of agility and flair for hacking turns.

For those not familiar with the system architecture, the mast is a stiff and sturdy High Modulus affair at 15.5mm thick which has almost no resonance when you tap it; it feels dense and weighs in at 1.7kg for an 85cm length. The chord is comparatively short compared to other brands. Torx head bolts are neatly labelled with their diameter and length with three M8s handling the mast to fuselage socket-style connection, and two further M8s pull the front wing into a recessed socket design onto the aluminum fuselage. The relatively slender aluminum fuse forms the backbone of the system, with exposed stainless helicoils neatly tapped in to house the bolts. Once the system was together and torqued down, this became one piece and the tolerances were very tidy at the joints, with no movement. The provided foil covers are well designed, a particularly good fit with Velcro based closures.

The front wing shape is quite unique in the marketplace and initially you can’t fail to notice a heavily emphasized, loaded rear camber. It’s so deep and saucer like you could feed your pets from it, and the entire length trailing edge is extremely refined. The Nomad definitely falls into the medium-sweep, mid-aspect category with the 830 sitting at a ratio of 8.9. The surfaces are an honest exposed standard modulus carbon with a satin finish from factory. The tip shape has a gentle inflection at the end to help with roll and tip breach which is predictable and controllable.

Initially we tested the 830 on the shorter 56cm fuselage, which we found a bit nervy for our often confused northern European water states. As you would expect, stepping up to a 63cm made a significant difference to the pitch stability and let us get more comfortable and chuck the Nomad around with far more confidence. This also enables easier access to the correct pumping cadence for us. Historically we’ve found some of these high cambered foils a little choppy in their stall characteristics, but within reason the Nomad keeps things neat and tidy in this department.

An often lauded statement in your average YouTube foil reviews is that a foil has lift more significant than its stated dimensions, but in this case we can assure you it’s absolutely true. The 830 we tested is far more in line with 1000cm2 foils from across the wider market of surf foils. We back to back tested with some big players’ latest releases, and in terms of low-end power and overall speed range, the Nomad is impressive. What’s equally relevant is the speed range and terminal velocity – the foil locks in more the faster you go.

As with many surf-oriented foils now, they blend characteristics so well that they naturally cover a decent range of disciplines. My primary diet of wing, SUP foil, Foil Drive and now the infernal parawing was more than catered for by the Nomad 830 at 90kgs, and would serve as my daily driver for the extremely mixed water states we have in the southwest of the UK.

There’s a myriad of shim options and trim ability in the tail and fuselage selection to make it as well behaved or as loose as you like, so factor in a little experimentation time to get it to suit your personal taste and usage case. It’s a tweaker’s dream straight out of the box, but if you’re more of a set-and-forget kind of rider, clear instructions are there. The price point is also pretty sweet, and the Nomad bats above its weight here.

The Nomad is a lifty, skatey and agile surf foil, with its own unique and dynamic feel. With a slew of middle-of-the-road surf foils currently on the market it stands out as a foil with a personality.