Code Foils Origin Story | Brothers, Friends, and a Shared Obsession

At its core, Code Foils was never about chasing market share, trends, or hype. It was about making equipment the founders genuinely wanted to use themselves—and trusting that if it felt right under their own feet, others would feel it too.

Code Foils is an Australian-owned hydrofoil brand founded in 2022 by a team of passionate foilers.

That philosophy echoes a sentiment often attributed to legendary producer Rick Rubin: if you create something you personally love and believe in, success tends to follow. But if you chase success directly, it usually slips away. That idea became a quiet but powerful compass for Code Foils from the very beginning. The brand’s mission is to create high-quality hydrofoils through innovation, rigorous testing, and a deep understanding of the sport, ensuring top-tier performance for riders. Code Foils has pulled out all the stops to create world-class masts made from high-modulus carbon, positioning its products among the finest hydrofoils in the world. They are focused on downwind runs, long distances, and gear that rewards clean technique.

The team behind Code didn’t release products because a calendar said it was time. They released them only when they were proud to ride them. That decision—to prioritize authenticity over urgency—shaped everything that followed.

A Team Built on Shared Obsession

Code Foils didn’t emerge from a boardroom. It emerged from garages, CNC machines, late nights, and countless water sessions shared between passionate foilers—friends, brothers, and collaborators who had spent years immersed in foiling’s rapid evolution.

The founding group, Marcus Tardrew, Ben Tardrew, Daniel Juengling (a key innovator and designer), and James Casey, came from different professional and personal backgrounds, but they shared two things:

• A deep technical understanding of foiling

• A relentless desire to make it better

Designing and testing foils together wasn’t just work. For Marcus and Ben, it was an extension of a lifelong relationship—brothers who had always designed things separately but somehow arrived at similar conclusions. When they finally focused that energy together, the process felt natural and collaborative rather than forced.

James Casey brought the perspective of an elite athlete and coach—someone who understood not only performance at the highest level, but also what everyday riders actually need. Daniel Juengling provided critical structure, CAD expertise, and manufacturing knowledge, helping translate ideas into reliable, scalable products as a dedicated innovator and designer.

Together, this team of dedicated foilers formed a feedback loop in which design, relentless testing, riding, and refinement occurred continuously, ensuring high-performance hydrofoil products.

Code Foils products are designed and tested by a team of passionate foilers, who design and test their products daily to ensure top-tier quality and excellence.

Designing for Real Life, Not Just the Lab

One of the defining traits of Code Foils is how closely product development is tied to real-world use.

Code Foils' approach to innovation and relentless real-world testing leads to products with superior versatility and maneuverability, ensuring riders experience enhanced control and adaptability on the water.

Prototypes weren’t tested in isolation or by riders with wildly different skill levels and setups. Instead, the team deliberately rode identical equipment—same boards, same foils, same conditions—often back-to-back in downwind or surf environments. This eliminated variables and produced cleaner, more honest feedback.

They paddled up rivers and creeks to load foils with pressure. They downwinded in marginal wind to expose weaknesses. They surfed shallow reefs and accepted the reality of dings, scratches, and repairs.

This wasn’t lab-grade testing. It was real foiling, under real conditions, by riders who cared deeply about feel. Code Foils prioritize efficiency, glide, and predictable control at speed, while their designs offer versatility in maneuverability and superior glide.

Code Foils are designed in Australia and have been proven in some of the most demanding races in the world.

From Timber Cores to Carbon Reality

Long before Code Foils existed as a brand, experimentation was already underway.

Early foils were literally cut from timber slabs on a CNC machine, then wrapped in carbon. The results were often surprisingly good—fast, slippery, efficient—but structurally fragile. Flex and breakage were common, and many early creations ended up in the bin. As the team refined their designs, they focused on improving efficiency and glide, aiming for longer, smoother, and more controlled rides.

Instead of seeing that as a failure, the team treated it as data.

Each snapped foil revealed something new:

• Where stiffness mattered most

• How loads are transferred through the mast, fuse, and wing

• Which blends and transitions were critical

Those lessons eventually informed Code’s defining obsession with stiffness and connection integrity—from board to base plate, mast to fuse, and wing to tail. Code Foils masts are now made of high modulus carbon fiber to maximize stiffness and performance, ensuring superior efficiency and glide for demanding riders. The ultra-high modulus mast series offers outstanding stiffness and increased torsion, enhancing rigidity and power transfer for high-performance sailing.

The Long Road to “Good Enough”

One of the most telling parts of Code’s origin story is how long it took them to release anything at all.

The team had early versions they liked—sometimes even loved—but refused to ship the first thing that worked. They iterated through version after version, sometimes circling back to ideas they’d already tried, refining them until everything came together as a complete package.

In one case, the very first prototype and the final version ended up being favorites—but the final version carried the cumulative refinement of everything learned in between.

That patience became a defining trait of the brand, reflecting Code Foils’ commitment to uncompromising performance in every product they release. Code Foils pulled out all the stops to ensure every product meets their uncompromising standards, sparing no effort in the pursuit of excellence.

Family, Risk, and Commitment

Code Foils wasn’t built in a vacuum. It was built alongside families, day jobs, and real financial risk.

Some founders drew on home loan offsets. Others invested nearly everything they had. Not everyone had the same safety net, which made the leap more daunting for some than others. But everyone involved believed deeply in what they were building.

Late nights weren’t spent in offices—they were spent in garages, with laptops open, kids wandering in and out, and designs evolving over a few beers. Over time, families became intertwined with the project, and the line between work and life blurred in a way that felt human rather than corporate.

The First Product—and the First Feeling

When the first production-ready Code Foils kit finally arrived from the manufacturer, there was a quiet moment of truth.

Would it bolt together properly? Would it feel the same as the prototypes? Would it hold up in real conditions?

It did.

That first foil—built with a single mast, front wing, fuse, and tail—went straight into the water. The conditions were good, the riding felt right, and something clicked. It wasn’t just functional. It felt complete.

Code Foils now offers a full range of hydrofoil products, including front wings, masts, tail wings, and fuselages, each available in different series tailored for various performance needs. The Code Foils AR Series, including the AR Series Tail Wing, is available in multiple sizes to suit different performance requirements within the AR lineup. Series Tail Wings, such as the R Series and AR Series, are engineered for specific characteristics—highlighting the Foils R Series Tail for its superior glide and maneuverability. Components such as fuselages and paddles are available in medium sizes to accommodate a range of rider preferences. The X Series front wings are also available, known for their unique features and all-around performance applications. The Code Foils Fuselage features a unique joining system that ensures zero movement for optimal performance.

That initial setup remains one of Code’s highest-selling foils to this day.

Validation on the World Stage

While Code Foils was never designed around racing results, competition quickly became a proving ground.

James Casey’s performances—particularly his win at the Molokai 2 Oahu (M2O) race—became a pivotal moment for the brand. Winning one of the most demanding downwind races in the world on Code equipment wasn’t just a marketing win. It was an emotional milestone.

For the team, it represented:

• Years of iteration are paying off

• A lifetime of shared experience distilled into one product

• Proof that feel, stiffness, and design integrity truly mattered

The team is especially excited about their high modulus downwind-specific front wings, which feature an innovative design tailored for the rapidly growing downwind SUP foiling discipline.

Watching the race unfold—some from factories, some from school drop-offs, some glued to live trackers—reinforced the sense that Code Foils was more than just a business. It was a shared journey.

Why Code Feels Different Underfoot

Riders often describe Code Foils as feeling “connected” or “solid.” That sensation isn’t accidental. The design delivers outstanding stiffness and control, giving riders predictable handling even at speed.

From the beginning, the team obsessed over eliminating unwanted flex and energy loss. Code Foils masts are made of high-modulus carbon fiber and are optimized for stiffness, rigidity, and power transfer, enhancing overall feel and responsiveness. The goal was simple but difficult: make the foil respond instantly and predictably, without harshness or dead spots.

For riders like James Casey, that meant confidence in everything from marginal paddle-ups to high-speed downwind sections. For everyday riders, it meant a foil that felt intuitive, forgiving, and capable of growing with them.

Still Building What They Want to Ride

Despite the brand’s growth, the core philosophy hasn’t changed.

Code Foils is still about making equipment the team wants to use themselves—whether that’s for racing, downwinding, surf foiling, or pure fun. Code Foils offers a range of hydrofoil products, including the versatile Code Foils S Series front wings for all-around performance and the Code Foils R Series front wings designed for downwind efficiency. They provide demo setups to retailers worldwide, enabling more riders to experience their products firsthand. Code Foils products are also available for purchase at select retail locations and showrooms, allowing customers to see and purchase high-performance foils in person.

New products aren’t rushed. They’re tested until the creators genuinely look forward to riding them again the next day. In many ways, that’s the simplest and hardest approach possible.

Key Takeaways from the Code Foils Origin Story

• Code Foils was built by riders, not marketers

• Products are released only when the team genuinely loves using them

• Real-world testing matters more than lab perfection

• Iteration, patience, and honesty drive better design

• Family, friendship, and shared risk shaped the brand

• Performance is a byproduct of feel, not the primary goal

• Code Foils offers tail wings, fuselages, apparel, and accessories to complete the foiling experience

Looking Ahead

For the people behind Code Foils, success isn’t defined by constant expansion or endless travel. It’s defined by continuing to build better gear, spending more time on the water, and staying connected to why they started in the first place.

At its heart, Code Foils remains what it always was: four guys building things they want to ride—and trusting that if it feels right to them, it will feel right to others too.

Code Foils continues to innovate, with the Plus Mast Series representing their latest development in mast technology. The Plus Mast Series features ultra-high modulus construction for improved stiffness and durability, showcasing the latest development in high-performance masts. For those eager to see what's next, here's a glimpse: Code Foils is preparing upcoming product launches and future developments that will further push the boundaries of performance and design.

That’s not just an origin story. It’s the code they still live by.