Foil innovation: Sabfoil presents compact monofoil "Sea Devil" - Three questions for innovator Balz Müller

Balz aka Radiculo was able to put the "Sea Devil", which is reminiscent of the shape of a stealth aeroplane, through its paces in all foil disciplines over the last few days. It was particularly important to him to first try out the new wing under all his boards, which he likes to call "fun boards", before answering a few questions about the new concept. We caught up with the Swiss funboarder yesterday afternoon, just before the wind picked up on his home lake and Balz was ready to get back on the water.

Balz, what is the idea behind the new Sea Devil? What type of surfer/foil is it suitable for?

The idea behind the Sea Devil was to create a large foil with an extremely low end that still feels like a playful, small foil. With the 2-in-1 concept, we have succeeded very well: In "tail mode" with stabiliser (back wing), it's super easy to ride - and if you're ready for more, you can experience a completely new, direct foil feeling in "raw mode" without stabiliser.
The Sea Devil is ideal for wing foiling in light winds, for small waves when surf foiling or for pump foiling. I find the concept particularly exciting in combination with parawing: Taking off is often tricky - and as soon as you're flying, you quickly feel overwhelmed and unable to manoeuvre with classic large foils. Not so with the Sea Devil: It takes off early, remains agile and is simply fun.
For windfoiling: It's also possible - but I've found that the mast has to sit much further forward to equalise the sail pressure. Demanding, and not suitable with conventional boards, but definitely exciting with the modern "mid-length shapes" where everything is positioned more compactly in the centre.
The Sea Devil doesn't get super fast - but it can be turned virtually on the spot and opens up completely new sliding perspectives, which is something I've generally lacked in foil freestyle so far.

If you are ready for more, you can experience a completely new, direct foil feeling in "raw mode" without a stabiliser. (Balz Müller)

What are the advantages of this new outline? Does a foil with such a small wingspan still have enough glide in relation to its surface area?

"Glide" isn't quite right - it's more of a "FloHOOat" float feeling. The Sea Devil absorbs even the smallest waves and lets you float effortlessly on them.
The shape is clearly visually inspired by stealth bombers - but Sabfoil didn't want to go under the radar with it, they wanted to take manoeuvrability to a new level. The compact outline brings with it an incredible manoeuvrability that immediately impressed me - and even in wild "raw mode" the foil remains surprisingly controllable and good-natured.
Another big surprise is how easy the foil is to pump, I can't really say if it's efficient in forward motion but it just feels really cool to pump and opens up a whole new dimension of flat water play.

Your riding style with the new wing is very agile, manoeuvrable and even more playful overall. Have you already learnt new moves with the Sea Devil?

I've been dreaming of a more "compact" foil setup for some time now. Visually, the monofoil right under your feet just makes sense. And so I already felt comfortable on my very first flight - and was able to pull off new tricks straight away. The sliding moves in particular, which I love from windsurfing, can now be discovered in a whole new way. With the Sea Devil you can do a lot - with or without a stabiliser.
I am convinced that monofoil setups with their playful riding feel have a great future. Meanwhile, a "normal" foil almost feels strange/boring to me. And I don't think I'm the only one who wants to fly so crazy over the water!