TECH HIGHLIGHT: LIMITED TWISTING OF THE TIPS ON THE 2026 WINGS
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Effect on the behaviour of your wing, explained by Patrice Guénolé.
Wing foiler: Malo, GONG team rider, on his Stunt FSP Pro, Droid Aramid X wing, HM85 mast, Ypra Freestyle front wing and stabiliser.
New for the 2026 wings
On the 2026 wings, the basic twist has been eliminated. The draft remains locked and the traction point constant, with no unwanted movement.
At the tips, only a dynamic twist linked to wind pressure remains. It is limited, perfectly controlled, and does not create any profile deformation. As a result, the behavior is clear, predictable, and firm in hand.
This choice provides greater steering precision, more lift in jumps, and direct traction that makes it easier to use smaller foils and boards than before.
Thanks to modern, reliable, and stiff materials, there are no more unwanted deformations: the 3D shape is mastered, optimized for maximum efficiency, power, and progression.
Patrice Guénolé, boss and shaper at GONG, tells you more about the meaning behind this development:
“First, you need to understand that this type of setting depends on the brand’s philosophy. Some are very focused on relaxed winging, with products that let the wing self-regulate. I take the exact opposite approach: the wing should self-regulate less and deliver more precisely what you bought it for.
When you put a Droid in the water, you want a wing that’s full send: powerful, pulling, catapulting. When you put a Neutra in the water, you want a wing that’s sharp, efficient, precise. When you put a Plus in the water, you want something that takes off early, heads upwind quickly, goes downwind, turns, jibes, in short, something extremely effective.
Twist always occurs to some degree. Under tension, with the wind, the wing inevitably deforms, and the tips tend to twist and open. The “problem” is when this base twist exists from the start. It creates a sort of propeller shape: the wind angle that’s optimal at the center is no longer optimal at the tips. The tips then try to realign the wing away from its core. Fully overpowered, it can be effective. But in normal conditions, or worse, underpowered, it’s disastrous: it creates micro-cavitations, the pull point is never clear, and you don’t know where to place your hands on the boom. You feel like you always need to move them back. It’s particularly unpleasant.
That’s why we eliminated the base twist. We also redesigned the tip curve, moving back the leading edge near the tip to achieve a twist that is purely dynamic: it only occurs as a direct response to a gust, not as a permanent, softening factor.
The result: a wing that feels much cleaner in the hands. You no longer need to constantly move your hands on the boom, you know exactly where they should be. It’s clear, precise, and very enjoyable. The wind then does its work on the wing, but within a perfectly controlled framework.”
Wing foiler: Malo, GONG team rider, on Lemon FSP Pro, Neutra Aramid, HM85 mast, Fluid front wing and Ypra Surf-Freestyle stabiliser.
