LabRat Foiler Podcast

Learn to see the downwind matrix with Huey, aka Foil Me Harder. In this episode, we explore the science of ocean waves and the practical skills that can improve your parawinging and downwind foiling—from reading swell and wave patterns to choosing the right foil, timing your parawing pack-down, linking bumps and finding faster lines through the ocean. Whether you’re learning to parawing, chasing longer downwind runs or trying to understand the energy beneath your foil, this conversation will change how you see the water. Episode links: https://www.instagram.com/foil.me.harder/ Sponsors:
@ozone.wing @foilrat on Instagram

The Ozone R&D team returns to the LabRat Foiler Podcast to unveil their new parawing: the Afterburner—a high-performance single-skin parawing designed for experienced riders seeking greater speed, wider wind range and upwind efficiency. I sit down with designers Dom Zimmermann and Axel Mazella to explore how the Afterburner evolved from early double-skin experiments into an accessible, low-drag design with a higher aspect ratio, refined bridles and a lightweight carbon bar. We discuss its impressive low-end power, huge wind range, rapid steering and exceptional VMG, allowing riders to spend less time fighting their way upwind and more time downwinding. Axel also shares what happened when he pushed the Afterburner in competition, racing among 800 riders at the Défi Wing and reaching incredible speeds on a Parawing. The team explains how the Afterburner parawing compares with the Power Pack and Pocket Rocket, who it is designed for, recommended two-wing quivers and why Ozone ultimately chose a single-skin construction.

In this episode of the LabRat Foiler Podcast, I sit down with Charles Queguiner, engineer, designer and product manager at Takoon, to unpack the development of the Takoon parawing gear line-up. We go deep into the parawing design details that make the Takoon Cloud different: its simplified four A-line stowing system, flatter bridle geometry, curved wingtip outline, full-carbon moulded bar. Charles explains how these features were designed to make launching, stowing, relaunching and learning to parawing more intuitive—without sacrificing agility or performance. Beyond the wings, Charles breaks down Takoon’s parawing-specific Slide board, its forward volume distribution and wider outline, plus stash belts, safety accessories and Takoon’s lightweight hollow-board construction. We finish by discussing where parawing foiling is heading next—from light-wind riding and racing to wave riding, upwind/downwind missions and faster downwind-foiling progression. Whether you are learning to parawing, comparing the Takoon Cloud and Cloud One, improving your stowing technique, choosing a parawing board or simply interested in foil and parawing product design, this episode is packed with practical and technical insight. If you’re into parawing gear, downwind foiling, wave riding and the future of foiling, make sure to like, subscribe and let me know in the comments: what feature would you most like to see in the next generation of parawings? __ Chapters 01:30 Meet Charles Queguiner from Takoon 06:04 Joining Takoon as a designer and product developer 08:54 Why Takoon decided to develop the Cloud 11:57 Prototypes, bridle testing and Fuerteventura development 16:25 Learning to ride while designing a beginner-friendly parawing 18:46 Takoon Cloud and Cloud One lineup explained 23:59 Nylon vs polyester fabrics for water use 26:57 Full-carbon bar design and simple line setup 30:30 The four A-line stow and simplified bridle system 35:45 Curved wingtips, stability and manoeuvrability 39:56 Designing the Takoon Slide parawing board 44:46 Board width, mast length and upwind performance 46:49 Stash belts and essential parawing accessories 51:37 Accessories for freeride, waves, downwind and racing 54:40 The future of parawings: wider wind range and bigger sizes 59:18 Why every foiler should try parawinging 01:03:29 Takoon’s lightweight hollow-board technology __ Episode links: Takoon Parawing range:https://takoon.com/en-int/pages/parawing Takoon Slide parawing board:https://takoon.com/en-int/products/slide Takoon on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/takoon/ __ Visit https://www.labratfoiler.com to learn more about the Online Parawing Course.Use code LABRAT10 for 10% off :) __ Don’t forget to subscribe for more foiling tutorials, downwinding tips and parawing techniques to elevate your water-sports skills. __ Sponsors: @ozone.wing @codefoils @foilrat on Instagram #Parawing #Parawinging #Foiling #DownwindFoiling #Takoon

In this episode of the LabRat Foiler Podcast, I sit down with Greg Drexler from BRM to talk about his latest creation: the S3 Parawing. Greg breaks down the full design journey behind the S3 and why BRM moved from multiple parawing models into one refined single-skin design. We go deep into parawing design, including the new D-grip bar system, improved ergonomics, bridle layout, stowing considerations, and how the S3 aims to deliver more drive, stability, and forward flight while still keeping the simplicity and packability of a single-skin parawing. We also nerd out on canopy shape, aspect ratio, bridle cascades height, spliced lines, fabric choices, stash systems, and how small design details can completely change the way a parawing feels on the water. This is a deep-dive episode for anyone interested in a technical parawing talk and thanks to Greg for being such a gentleman to share his knowledge with us!

In this episode of the LabRat Foiler Podcast, I sit down with Dom Zimmerman, Head of R&D at Ozone, and Axel Mazella from the Ozone R&D team to unpack everything about the brand new Pocket Rocket V2. We go deep into the design evolution from the original Pocket Rocket V1 and how the development of the PowerPack helped shape this next generation of parawing design. This conversation covers the real details that parawingers care about: shorter line lengths, stiffer and thicker lines, improved stowing ergonomics, updated bar widths, the new bow bar system, harness line setup, canopy feel, low-end power, upwind performance, quiver building, and where Ozone sees the future of parawinging heading next. If you’ve been waiting to find out whether the Pocket Rocket V2 is worth the upgrade, this episode is packed with insight straight from the people designing it. We talk about what type of rider this parawing is for, how it compares to the PowerPack, what was improved from the V1s, and why small design details like line coatings, bridle layout, and bar feel make such a huge difference on the water. We also dive into bigger-picture topics around the future of the sport, including parawing racing, performance progression, quiver choices, travel setups, board sizing, and the possibility of new high-performance models to come. Whether you are into parawing foiling, downwind foiling, wave riding, upwind performance, gear design, or just want to understand the latest innovations in parawinging, this episode is for you. If you’re frothing on parawing gear, foiling progression, and the future of the sport, make sure to like, subscribe, and let me know in the comments what you think of the Pocket Rocket V2.