Partner and designer Mike Giblin discusses decision to protect the Go Foil
Things have been exciting here since the world discovered the foil possibilities, thanks to Kai’s video. Designing and building the GoFoil for SUP has been an act of faith. Years in the making and countless hours of tinkering, designing and testing. Most people, even the experts had dismissed it as impossible. When people first watched the youtube videos many thought it was a hoax. In just a few weeks things have swung around to, “oh yeah, of course!”. Funny how that happens.
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they join you.”
A couple of years ago Alex and I were working on a foil for an OC-1, I almost gave up after a series of failures, but Alex, as anyone who knows him will attest, is stubborn. His Quonset hut turned workshop is littered with foils of every shape and size. Since he got it right he’s looking a little less batty and a little more brilliant.
The question then came up, do we patent this thing? What happens if we do? How will that effect the end user and the growth of the sport? We knew a guy, who knew a guy, and he convinced us to protect the design that Alex has given his life to, and long story short, he filed a patent.
The question then came up, do we patent this thing? What happens if we do? How will a patent effect the end user and the growth of the sport?
Alex has been working nonstop building foils and putting boxes in boards. The number of foil riders has grown as fast as the molds can be cycled. Meanwhile, we’ve been working hard to ramp up production in the Ozone factory where the GoFoil is in production using a high tech method of prepreg single piece construction. We’ve partnered with Svein Rassmussen of Starboard to match the foils with great boards and make them available through retailers everywhere.
We are humbled by the opportunity and we’re prepared to do everything it takes to make it happen. We welcome this adventure and invite you to join us, we want to push the envelope and take our ocean experiences to new heights.
~Mike Giblin
GoFoil Partner / Ozone Founder