New brand for foil boards: Who is behind Black Cobra Foiling? Three questions for Bertrand Litou

What are the roots of Black Cobra and where is the brand located?

The story begins in my childhood, when my uncle Fred Beauchene put me on a windsurf board at the age of seven in La Baule. In 1998, I opened the jumps during the Indoor World Cup event at the Stade de France. That year, I was racing in slalom and wave using ACE boards shaped by Fred Meunier. When there was no wind, I spent my days in the workshop, where I learned shaping techniques. This is how I discovered my passion for shaping. Despite a professional career that led me in other directions, I never stopped windsurfing. Thanks to my experience and level, I realized that the products on the market were not always of good quality, both in manufacturing and durability. After repeatedly breaking equipment, I decided to build my own boards. So I started shaping again, initially just for myself. Seeing that my boards worked well and were solid, I decided to take the leap and created Black Cobra. Julien Bontemps was the first to test my boards and give me initial feedback to improve my shapes and make them even more high-performing. This is how the Black Cobra brand was born, based in Piriac-sur-Mer, in southern Brittany.

Are you focussing on professional riders or do you also aim at the recreational windsurfers and wingfoilers?

My boards are carefully built to be high-performance, as I am myself a competitive rider. That is why I design boards focused on racing and performance. Antoine Albeau also rode my boards as part of the Zephir project, led by Marc Amérigo. His feedback was that he felt safe and comfortable, which allowed him to push harder than on other boards. The high-end full carbon sandwich construction makes the boards extremely strong, reactive, and durable. I also design wing race boards, on which Pierre Schmitz set the world record in La Palme during the Prince of Speed event in October 2025. These same boards are designed to be accessible to all windsurfers and wingsurfers. The range also includes wing freewave, freeride, midlength boards, and soon surf foils and SUP foils, adapted to all body types and skill levels, except beginners. All boards share the same construction: full carbon sandwich. The idea is to offer high-end boards at a very competitive price thanks to direct distribution without intermediaries!

Antoine Albeau rode my boards as part of the Zephir project!"

What is the idea behind the decision to go into PWA, and what are the goals for the next years?

Entering the PWA is a childhood dream. Not having been able to pursue a professional windsurfing career due to not living by the sea at the time, I wanted to fulfill this dream by bringing Black Cobra into the PWA, which represents the highest global level for me. It is a great honor to bring a board on the starting line with a young talent showing very promising performance. The idea is to prove that a board accessible to everyday riders is capable of competing with the best. The objective for the coming years is to push the brand to the highest level and reach podiums, while demonstrating that a small team can rival the biggest names in the market. Finally, the brand’s motto is to remain accessible and attentive to all riders, to deliver the best of Black Cobra and stay close to the public by sharing the same passion. Thanks to Cyril, we will continue developing the boards to make them even more high-performing.

Thank you very much and good luck!

More info at blackcobra-foiling.com