Affordable French Carbon Foils

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Affordable French Carbon Foils

A couple of French companies are having some good deals on all or all but fuselage carbon foils. Both have gotten good reviews and both from good (afaik) firms. If you are needing a warranty, the AFS can be had almost as cheaply via Sailworks. Both are 85cm masts which are more rec than upwind/downwind racing. Remember that the prices may reflect VAT which we don't have to pay. Current $ to euro is about 1.17

ASF W-85 http://www.afs-foils.com/boutique/afs-wind-85/?lang=en
Sroka (stock wing is big, good for heavys or lightwind) https://srokacompany.com/en/produit/windsurf-foil-windfoil/

PM about the Sroka if you are interested as I've been emailing them. Cheaper than just about anything but the Pryde Alu right now.

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Re: Affordable French Carbon Foils

One possible downside (from my own experience purchasing from the EU). Shipping costs are quite high. I paid $50 a few years ago to ship a kite - which weighed only a few pounds. This could be more than that. Also - shipping times can be quite long due to US customs. I thought my shipment was lost as it just disappeared from tracking for weeks. I've heard many others report the same thing. Not saying it is not a good deal, but do expect some delay. Also - not all vendors are up front about the VAT refund - make sure to ask about it in advance.

What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.

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Re: Affordable French Carbon Foils
Randy wrote:

One possible downside (from my own experience purchasing from the EU). Shipping costs are quite high. I paid $50 a few years ago to ship a kite - which weighed only a few pounds. This could be more than that. Also - shipping times can be quite long due to US customs. I thought my shipment was lost as it just disappeared from tracking for weeks. I've heard many others report the same thing. Not saying it is not a good deal, but do expect some delay. Also - not all vendors are up front about the VAT refund - make sure to ask about it in advance.

Already asked and sorted. I've had foil parts and a bike shipped from Europe without issue. DHL and Fedex make it easy. Biggrin

Shipping is reasonable - in one case less and the other slightly more than your kite but the all-in cost is still reasonable.

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Re: Affordable French Carbon Foils

That's good to know. I was dealing with a shop in Germany (as did most of the others I've heard about with the same issue) which used a
"don't ask don't tell" VAT policy (if you don't ask about we don't tell) for sure and maybe shipping as well. While they said theyused DHL they only used DHL to get it to the US then USPS picked it up and sent it through customs where it sat for weeks. A lot better to stick with DHL for the whole trip. I've had packages come from China that took only 3 or 4 days on DHL.

What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.

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Re: Affordable French Carbon Foils
Randy wrote:

That's good to know. I was dealing with a shop in Germany (as did most of the others I've heard about with the same issue) which used a "don't ask don't tell" VAT policy (if you don't ask about we don't tell) for sure and maybe shipping as well. While they said theyused DHL they only used DHL to get it to the US then USPS picked it up and sent it through customs where it sat for weeks. A lot better to stick with DHL for the whole trip. I've had packages come from China that took only 3 or 4 days on DHL.

That's bizarre. I wonder if the hold up was because they under reported the value for customs or something? The only deal I'm aware of with VAT is just the paperwork - certifying that it is, indeed, being shipped out of the country. The DHL/USPS thing is similar to UPS which does the same thing on some domestic shipments - worse, the package will travel across the country and then sit until they decide to drop it in the mailbox because they don't want us to get it too soon and cannabalize their more profitable expedited services.

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Re: Affordable French Carbon Foils

I think it was due to the way packages were routed through the NY ISC. At the time I recall reading about the ISC (International Service Center) in NY, in an online forum. Apparently packages that are routed through that facility have a terrible reputation for being delayed for a long time. Anyway, all was well that ended well.

What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.

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Re: Affordable French Carbon Foils

North Beach appears to be closing out the 2018 model alum Starboard foils for $999.

Comparison review (requires translation): https://www.windsurf.boutique/actus/windfoil-comparaison-starboard-gt-alu-vs-freeride-alu.html

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Re: Affordable French Carbon Foils

Isthmus is blowing out Pryde F4 foils with 2 wings $1499. Also have Fanatic Foil board on sail. A lot of retailers are thinning the herd for the end of the summer season and just in time for us.

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Re: Affordable French Carbon Foils

For all you powerbox guys/gals - along with the upcoming NP Glide, Alpinefoil has a Powerbox compatible mast head for their much acclaimed aluminum foil. Requires a bit of drilling for extra bolts but they include drill guide, etc. Alpinefoil make very highly regarded foils.

(May require google translate, etc) https://www.alpinefoil.com/kitefoil-windfoil-shop/windfoil/windfoil-alpinefoil-a1-aluminium.html

Someone is selling a Pryde F4 foil on Windsurfing Classifieds Facebook for 1199 https://www.facebook.com/groups/425661507450784/permalink/2438846242798957/?sale_post_id=2438846242798957

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