Episode #46 - Gunnar Biniasch

Gunnar Biniasch joins us from his home in Fuerteventura to talk about:

- His intro into wind sports
- His role at Indiana Paddle Surf
- His board design
- The early days in foiling and how its progressed
- Kite foiling and Wing Foil racing

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About the Episode:

Chapter 1 (0:00 - 9:35)
Introduction. Gunnar discusses where he lives on Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands and wind conditions for kiting, winging and windsurfing.

Chapter 2 (9:36 - 17:18)
Early career in kiteboarding, wing foiling development. How Gunnar got into kiteboarding and wing foiling, starting the brand Magma, developing early hydrofoils.

Chapter 3 (17:19 - 27:16)
Kitefoil and wing foil racing. Details on race speeds from the past to now, how hydrofoiling developed and changed the sport.

Chapter 4 (27:17 - 35:26)
Design process and building foils. How Gunnar designs foils, builds prototypes, testing methodology, using software and 3D printing molds.

Chapter 5 (35:27 - 43:16)
Indiana brand overview. How Gunnar started working with Indiana, brand headquarters, whole product range from boards to foils to paddles.

Chapter 6 (43:17 - 51:23)
Pump foiling design challenges. Key aspects to designing a good pump foil - durability, glide efficiency, fun factor. Differences from racing foils.

Chapter 7 (51:24 - 1:01:06)
Racing vs recreation. Breakdown of percentages interested in different disciplines, racing gear limitations. Freestyle progression and injuries.

Chapter 8 (1:01:07 - 1:09:01)
Favourite conditions and discipline. Changes over the years and enjoyment of different wind sports depending on conditions. Flat water paddling benefits.

Chapter 9 (1:09:02 - 1:16:53)
Future developments and direct to consumer. New foil and board designs, moving towards direct sales model to improve margins.