Tucker Interviews Liquid Force's Gary Siskar

Gary Siskar Talks about Liquid Force Foiling

Hey Gary, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today! When did Liquid Force get into the foil game?

We got into the foil game because we fell in love with foiling...it is that simple.

Short story for you: Brandon headed to Maui in 2013 to shoot and test future kites with Julien. Before the trip he bought, yes bought a hydrofoil, mounted it to a wake skate and set off on the trip. All of us sort of chuckled and wrote it off. Couple weeks later, Gregg Gnecco, Jason Slezak and I headed to Maui to connect with Brandon and Julien to continue the product testing and low and behold here is Brandon jamming around on the foil having a blast in very substandard wind. At that point, we all decided to give it a try and immediately with the first 5 yard rides we got the feel and fell in love. And at that moment we knew kite hydrofoiling would have a place and a reason to be a part of every kiteboarders life.

Keep in mind, at this time, the kite hydrofoil movement was leaning to the race side. Liquid Force was never inspired by the race board scene, we all tried it and it was not that fun for us...so our pursuit in that genre never took off. But with the hydrofoil, we could see early on that the tree would have many branches diverting from race. We could see that the free ride, free style, and light wind branches would be just as strong as the race scene if not stronger, and I think we are seeing that now in 2017!

For sure, I would say that the Foil Fish really brought Hydrofoiling to the masses with an affordable design that was durable and accessible.

Yeah...right. At that point just after test trip in Maui, we all tried to get a foil. I reached out to everyone that was making foils at that time and a few things became very evident that were barriers to entry.

How as the line matured over the last 4 years?

1. It was hard to get.
   
2. It was expensive....nothing less than $3200.00 foil and board.
3. It was all hard to ride.
4. It was all fragile and hard to repair. You had to treat your foil with more care than your newborn baby.

So we set off to bring the sport of foiling to the kiteboarding masses...eliminating these barriers to entry by making a foil that is affordable, durable and easy to ride.

So, for the past 4 years, we have kept on that mantra of "for the people".

Thank you guys for that. And now for 2018 you guys have taken that manta further by offering even lower prices on some gear and yet another great foil. Tell me about the new line.

I don't think people realize that we were the first to develop the alloy extruded hollow mast. Since then we have teamed up with hydrofoil guru Mike Murphy to even make this technology advance more. We have created new mast profiles that are very stable and efficient in the hydrodynamic sense. We are now using very complex CAD engineering software to develop new fuselage shapes and wings, along with collaborating with some very, very smart engineers to bring wings and boards that are proven from an analytical design to real life.

As in how our line has matured, we have made multiple sets of wings that all have different feels and benefits of riding from increased speed and stability to offering the ability to even ride in much lower wind and for heavier riders! We introduced an HD fuselage that increases the hydrodynamic water flow around the fuselage after contact with the wings, creating a smooth efficient ride. And keep in mind all this is cross compatible from our first hydrofoil the Foil Fish.

Our new lines has something for everyone! Now that riding a hydrofoil is cemented into the sport of kiteboarding there are plenty of people that are past the "just trying it" stage to the "I'm a hydrofoiler" for life.

Want to be a "hydrofoiler for life"?

Get your hydrofoil today!

I feel like that is such a benefit going forward. Having the ability to fine-tune and adapt your ride to whatever the day requires is huge. Especially now that hydrofoils have crossed sports into wake, surf, sup, and windsurfing.

With that in mind we have introduced a new wing called the Thruster. This wing was designed by Matt Wheeler who is a Gorge hydrofoiling pioneer. Not to mention he has a Doctorate in Engineering...These wings are very special. They have a very low lift coefficient, meaning they get on a foil at a low speed. Yet, they have a solid top-end speed that will satisfy any free riding specialist. Matts design also incorporates what is called a "reflex" trailing edge on the front wing. This moves the stall point of the wing more to the center, meaning that you can "break" the surface of the water with the wing tips and not lose lift! This allows the wing carve very hard with confidence and remains ultra-stable.

We also introduced the HD fuselage, which I have mentioned earlier, this makes water flow very efficient and add performance to any of our current wings.

I have to say that the hype is high for the Thruster foil. I have yet to ride it. Does it live up to the expectation?

We also have something up our sleeve but people will have to attend the King of the Great Lakes event to see this, ha!

The Thruster is nothing short of amazing. I know that is a big claim, but it is nothing like what is out there. I do feel that most brands that are going after hydrofoiling are sort of chasing each other’s design. No one is being innovative.

Yeah, I probably just hurt some people’s feelings, but just look at how may allow masts are out there now. Look at wing shape, they all look the same other than the brand just puts their "twist" on it.

So stoked. Any plans to offer foils outside of kiteboarding or am I spoiling the surprise?

The Thruster wing is outside what everything currency is: it is flat, yet stable, it has a somewhat small surface area yet generates lift at a very, very low speed. You watch...the next wings from some of these other guys will be flat!

Liquid Force Kiteboarding is committed 110% (yeah, that is over 100%) to kiteboarding. This is our focus. Which is to bring to the kiteboarding world market-leading, innovative and exciting products.

With that said, if a product works for other applications, then it works for other applications: sup, surf, wake foiling...blamo!

Awesome, looking forward to see where else you innovation can be applied. We see a lot of interest in kites specifically for foiling. What is your favorite kite to foil with?

For me the Solo is the perfect kite to be paired with a hydrofoil. The single strut lets the kite float and drift in situations that present themselves when riding a foil. It sits perfect in the wind window, which is just forward of center. This really helps keep the tension in the lines and aids in tacks and jibes where you really need to "follow" the kite.

But really, it is the kite for me. Some people like to use "foil kites" or "ram air" kites. We have the Elite which is great for teaming up with a hydrofoil but for me [it] is still like an inflatable leading edge kite.

When someone is starting to learn foiling, what advice can you give them?

The first bit of advice is to take your foil for a swim without a kite. People struggle in the beginning because they think they are just going to go out and do it because they can ride a twin tip and boost or ride a surfboard in the surf but riding a hydrofoil is nothing like this.

Even down to how it reacts when you have to get it on your feet. So the first thing I always say is go for a swim and learn how to get in position before you use a kite...this will shortcut a few hours of learning FOR SURE!

I think the trend currently is lightwind freeriding, fancy footwork, and swell riding. All these disciplines lend to medium to larger boards and limited strap usage. The low aspect/large surface foils are the best solution to the challenges those conditions present.

I have seen people go 10 rounds of WWF with their foil in the water with a kite in the sky, only to have to tap out before they even get the board on their feet! ha!

Next bit of advice is to forget everything you know about riding a twin tip or surfboard. Riding a foil is a different watercraft vehicle.

For sure. I was one of those guys on a lift race foil about 5 years ago. Both straps locked down and ready to bend me in half. Luckily I survived. :)

From there, no other advice right now other than get out there and do it.

We find the fastest and most successful foil students take a Jet Ski lesson with us to learn the foil without the extra variables that waves and kites present.

Yeah, if you have access to a ski and a short mast. That is key, because behind a ski or boat it is much easier to crash on the wings because of the pull of the line, but it is a shortcut to learning to foil!

Any last thoughts for those people into foiling or wanting to try it?

Oh man, for those who have not tried it, all I can say is don't be afraid and give it a go! It is not as hard as some people want to make it out to be. They just want to keep the secret to themselves, ha! As for the ones that are already foiling, I think the key is to try new things when you can. Demo different wings, demo different boards, you never know what is going to be the best until you try.

About Liquid Force

Founded in 1995, Liquid Force quickly became the leader in wakeboard products and apparel. Soon after in 1999 Liquid Force entered into kiteboarding and became the benchmark in design and product progression.

Liquid Force is dedicated to relentless innovation, progressive design, maximum functionality and unparalleled quality.