LabRat Foiler Podcast

In this episode of the Labrat Foiler podcast I sit down with Andrea Crociara to talk parawinging, wave riding and the Ozone Pocket Rocket UltraX. Based on Maui, Andrea is exploring what’s possible with a parawing in the surf, combining powered turns, behind-the-back handle passes and backflips, and free-flowing wave rides.

Andrea shares his journey from parawing sceptic to describing it as “tow foiling without a jet ski,” and how his dad inspired him to explore riding waves with a powered parawing. We break down his riding clips, talk through his approach to bottom turns and wave selection, and explore how his kiting and wing foiling background translates into parawing technique.

We also get into his experience with the Pocket Rocket UltraX compared with the standard V2 and PowerPack, his Appletree and SABfoil setup, and the practical details of pumping, water starts, stashing and redeploying. From his “raccoon tail” half-stow to lessons learned from wipeouts, this is a conversation about experimenting, progressing and finding new ways to enjoy waves with a parawing. I hope you enjoy :)

How should foilers train to ride harder, recover faster and stay on the water for years to come? In this episode of the LabRat Foiler Podcast, I sit down with exercise scientist, author and performance coach Rodrigo Perez, founder of Holistic Pro Health Performance and creator of the Holistica Movement Method. Rodrigo shares his incredible journey from growing up with serious breathing and health challenges in Brazil to arriving in Australia with almost no money or English—and eventually coaching some of surfing’s biggest names, including Gabriel Medina, Joel Parkinson, Adriano de Souza and Jack Robinson. We explore what separates world champions from talented athletes, why consistency and commitment matter more than short bursts of motivation, and how to keep chasing ambitious goals when progress feels slow. Rodrigo explains why foilers need more than time on the water and identifies the physical qualities the sport demands: strong glutes and legs, mobility, stability, proprioception, endurance and a well-connected nervous system. We also discuss recovery during a busy foil season, sleep, hydration, nutrition, supplements, peptides, sauna and ice baths. Whether you’re an everyday foiler, weekend warrior or athlete trying to push your limits, this conversation is packed with ideas for building a stronger body, a more resilient mind and a sustainable approach to progression.

Learn to see the downwind matrix with Huey, aka Foil Me Harder. In this episode, we explore the science of ocean waves and the practical skills that can improve your parawinging and downwind foiling—from reading swell and wave patterns to choosing the right foil, timing your parawing pack-down, linking bumps and finding faster lines through the ocean. Whether you’re learning to parawing, chasing longer downwind runs or trying to understand the energy beneath your foil, this conversation will change how you see the water.

Episode links: https://www.instagram.com/foil.me.harder/

Sponsors:
@ozone.wing

@foilrat on Instagram

The Ozone R&D team returns to the LabRat Foiler Podcast to unveil their new parawing: the Afterburner—a high-performance single-skin parawing designed for experienced riders seeking greater speed, wider wind range and upwind efficiency.

I sit down with designers Dom Zimmermann and Axel Mazella to explore how the Afterburner evolved from early double-skin experiments into an accessible, low-drag design with a higher aspect ratio, refined bridles and a lightweight carbon bar. We discuss its impressive low-end power, huge wind range, rapid steering and exceptional VMG, allowing riders to spend less time fighting their way upwind and more time downwinding.

Axel also shares what happened when he pushed the Afterburner in competition, racing among 800 riders at the Défi Wing and reaching incredible speeds on a Parawing. The team explains how the Afterburner parawing compares with the Power Pack and Pocket Rocket, who it is designed for, recommended two-wing quivers and why Ozone ultimately chose a single-skin construction.

In this episode of the LabRat Foiler Podcast, I sit down with Charles Queguiner, engineer, designer and product manager at Takoon, to unpack the development of the Takoon parawing gear line-up. We go deep into the parawing design details that make the Takoon Cloud different: its simplified four A-line stowing system, flatter bridle geometry, curved wingtip outline, full-carbon moulded bar. Charles explains how these features were designed to make launching, stowing, relaunching and learning to parawing more intuitive—without sacrificing agility or performance. Beyond the wings, Charles breaks down Takoon’s parawing-specific Slide board, its forward volume distribution and wider outline, plus stash belts, safety accessories and Takoon’s lightweight hollow-board construction. We finish by discussing where parawing foiling is heading next—from light-wind riding and racing to wave riding, upwind/downwind missions and faster downwind-foiling progression. Whether you are learning to parawing, comparing the Takoon Cloud and Cloud One, improving your stowing technique, choosing a parawing board or simply interested in foil and parawing product design, this episode is packed with practical and technical insight. If you’re into parawing gear, downwind foiling, wave riding and the future of foiling, make sure to like, subscribe and let me know in the comments: what feature would you most like to see in the next generation of parawings? __ Chapters 01:30 Meet Charles Queguiner from Takoon 06:04 Joining Takoon as a designer and product developer 08:54 Why Takoon decided to develop the Cloud 11:57 Prototypes, bridle testing and Fuerteventura development 16:25 Learning to ride while designing a beginner-friendly parawing 18:46 Takoon Cloud and Cloud One lineup explained 23:59 Nylon vs polyester fabrics for water use 26:57 Full-carbon bar design and simple line setup 30:30 The four A-line stow and simplified bridle system 35:45 Curved wingtips, stability and manoeuvrability 39:56 Designing the Takoon Slide parawing board 44:46 Board width, mast length and upwind performance 46:49 Stash belts and essential parawing accessories 51:37 Accessories for freeride, waves, downwind and racing 54:40 The future of parawings: wider wind range and bigger sizes 59:18 Why every foiler should try parawinging 01:03:29 Takoon’s lightweight hollow-board technology __ Episode links: Takoon Parawing range:https://takoon.com/en-int/pages/parawing Takoon Slide parawing board:https://takoon.com/en-int/products/slide Takoon on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/takoon/ __ Visit https://www.labratfoiler.com to learn more about the Online Parawing Course.Use code LABRAT10 for 10% off :) __ Don’t forget to subscribe for more foiling tutorials, downwinding tips and parawing techniques to elevate your water-sports skills. __ Sponsors: @ozone.wing @codefoils @foilrat on Instagram #Parawing #Parawinging #Foiling #DownwindFoiling #Takoon