Boost: How did F-One start? Was it your idea?
Raphael: I was a pro windsurf rider from beginning 80s to 94, when I stop competing I was motivate to buld my own brand. I choose F1 because it was my sail number in the world cup. I start first by windsurf board and quickly look for something else.
I, stop the windsurfing world cup in 1994 and it was end of the travelling around the world on the best spots so I was stuck in Montpellier and the sea is flat and the wind quite ligth specialy in the summer. So I was thinking that I need to find a new game for those summer days. I was in a big lack of action with a new life to handle. First time I try a kite was a foil kite 5 m² on the beach with 5 knts and I get so scare by the power!
Boost: F-One has a reputation for Innovation, Quailty and Design. What is your source of inspiration?
Raphael: In my windsurf carrier I was pro rider for my result at beginning and in a second part I was fully into the r&d for all the products from fins to mast anything. So my passion for innovation is as big as the passion of riding.
For F.one we try to have a image of a innovative brand, our goal is to constantly improve our products. At beginning we didn’t have the distribution network so we needed to have innovative products to gain market shares, today we’re better but we still try to surprise our customers with new products every year.
Boost: in 2007, you developed the Bandit 1, the first delta kite in the world. Three years later, deltas are the most widely used kites! Are you proud of this, or are you angry at the number of clones?
Raphael: Since the beginning I know that F.one can jump in another dimension regarding business and recognition if we can a have major innovation in kite design. Its much easier to sell if you have the best product, its also important that our sport get much easier and simple. The delta is a excellent solution for every kiter.
If a major innovation is coming and the customers ask for it , the dealers give back the information to distributors and then its coming to the brands. And so you have more and more delta shape on the market. We have a patent on the delta so we are in negotiation with the brands that are using the delta. Some like North have anticipate the problem and have already sign a licence with us this winter. Some of the smaller brands are taking the risk and pushing the limit and try to avoid to pay a license but we are taking care of that.
The things is that more copies there are, and more we sell because it’s pushing our ideas and people are buying the original instead of copies. So we are proud to see more and more deltas it proves that its the right choice. I’m not sure that there is more deltas on the market than other design, difficult to know?
Boost: In comparison to its predecessor, the bandit 3 has been significantly optimized, offering improved performance and safety. Will it be possible to keep improving kites at this rate, or is there a limit?
Raphael: There is a lot of things to manage when you design a kite and there is only few people that can handle that job so its not that easy. But we work hard and we put a lot of energy into that. Yes I think that we still have a lot to do in the coming years.
Our gol is even more difficult because we have a single range that should fit all the different pratices and cutomers so we can still improve in most of the disciplines.
Boost: The F-One Kiteboards are among the best boards worldwide, and renowned for their performance. What is your secret?
Raphael: Thank you! Like in all our products first a lot of work and will build our next year products on the base of the previous years. Nothing is trow away we keep our bases and improve them, we don’t jump from a design to a completely different new ones. Unless its really needed because we have find a new solution. We don’t put in production a boards that is not better than the last year, for 2011 we will keep our TX model the same, we couldn’t do better in that program! In the surf range the Gun 6’9″ , 6’2″ ; 5’2″ shapes remain the same because they are perfect in their program.
We also invest a lot into the technologies, a board is not only a shape its also a construction matters. We work with strong partners like Nidecker for our twin tip and Fire Wire for the bamboo surfboards.
Boost: What is your vision for the future of F-One?
Raphael: I hope and wish that we keep going like that !
I have so many ideas that I have to slow myself down and try to be as safe as possible in driving the company. Its a balance between the fun to take extreme option like “doing a single range of kite with delta” while all others brands are doing different…
But we have some new nice ideas to show you this summer that could change our sport a little!
Boost: Your Videos are very emotional and exciting, with an emphasis on the personality and lifestyle of the riders. When will you have another “big” movie such as Addiket 2?
Raphael: Our next video Addikt3 will be shoot end of August.
Boost: Are we going to see you in Germany anytime soon?
Raphael: I been to Germany few times and I have meet our best dealers in our meeting in Egypt last November. I was surprise to see how much they are motivate to be on the water and by their kite level. This July we invite them to our international meeting in Mauritius.
But you know I’m not moving much. I never visit our factories, don’t visit our distributors, don’t go to the race events.
I spend a lot of time in the office and chasing the wind for our tests, so if I go away I take the risk to miss the only days were I could do the testing.
Boost: Thank you very much for your time! We wish you a great time on the water :)
Raphael: Thank you!
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