Source: The Kiteboarder Magazine – April 16, 2020
F-ONE WTF
Sizes Available: 136cm x 41.5 cm, 138cm x 42cm, 140cm x 42.5cm
Sizes Tested: 140cm x 42.5cm
F-ONE Says:
The WTF?! board features a specific rocker line with a flatter section in the centre of the board to allow for early planing with increased rocker on the tips to keep those landings smooth and easy. The transition between the three stages of the rocker is key to the dynamics of edging and loading for the pop and reaching maximum amplitude.
Every feature of the WTF?! has been built around not only giving the rider the most pop possible but also making it easy to release it and control. The bottom of the board features a lot of shape details including a central V-double concave, step channels in the sides and tip channels to help you with speed and control at all times and break the surface tension of the water, making the landings smoother and more manageable, even at high speed.
The board is available in three sizes: 136 x 41.5, 138 x 42 and a 140 x 42.5cm. All three sizes are quite large on purpose, the increased surface area helping to get you going early, but also providing a great platform to land your tricks. The board is equipped with our Unibox fins in 35 or 55mm, these offer better speed and improved glide with less drag thanks to their thinner profile.
Visit for more info: www.f-one.world/product/wtf-2/
Our Testers Say:
“Easy on the ankles and knees, lots of rocker with smooth chop handling, skatey edge control and great for freestyle.” // Roland Erni
“The WTF?! is a unique blend with skatey fun that still locks in an edge for going upwind; great pop and fun to carve.” // Ray Borg
“Soft footpads with excellent load and pop. Smooth chop handling, locks into an edge and goes upwind really well.” // Brad Poulos
Tkb Says:
This year the WTF?! twin tip is available in a single construction option (Lite Tech is no longer available) which is the same wood core build that the F-One freestyle team uses on the world tour with a new carbon beam integrated into the tips for this year. The WTF?! remains true to its freestyle form with a noticeable rocker, heavier wood core, a rounder template and full tips that are designed to offer the best load/pop and release for maximum amplitude. The WTF?! bottom shape features a double concave bottom with a center spine and channels on the rail and center channel that exits between the fins. Like all the boards designed for maximizing load and pop, you will immediately notice that the WTF?! is significantly skatier than your standard freeride board, with edging requiring a bit more focus and heel pressure to keep the board’s edge locked in. Most testers found the board skatey but also noted its good locked-in feel while edging upwind. Perhaps F-One’s multi-stage rocker really helps the WTF?! go upwind exceptionally well for a dedicated freestyle board. Testers noted the WTF?! handles chop easily with its extra rocker in the nose cutting through the chaos. Advanced riders will find the dense wood core perfect for heavy load and pop where the board stores a ton of energy and cleanly releases for maximum projection into unsent jumps. Landings are dreamlike with the rocker breaking surface tension and the stronger flex pattern staying stable through hard landings. Carving is fun on the WTF?! but it does require attention to your heel pressure to keep the fins engaged through big slashes. The WTF?! has a potato chip skatey-ness and a stiffer load and pop flex pattern that targets tour freestyle-type riding, yet the response from our testers indicates that the WTF?! has enough range that it can be really fun for more aggressive freeride kiters. We recommend beginner and casual freeride kiters take a second look at the more user-friendly WTF?!.
The WTF?! comes with three insert options for adjusting duck stance width that are ducked (not lined up on center) and a plastic handle. We rode the WTF?! with F-One’s Platinum3 bindings which offer a number of different options for dialing in duck stance. The Platinum comes in two sizes, S/M and M/L, with the M/L being the best option for our male test crew. The footbeds feature a smooth rubbery footbed that has a fair amount of cupping around the heel and a substantial amount of contour, with a subtle toe bar that keeps your foot engaged in the strap. The footpad feels fairly dense and the grip isn’t as aggressive as some other strap systems. The strap is a single Velcro overlap strap that offers simple adjustment, while the strap mounting point can be moved forward and back over the footbed to get the perfect fit. Testers commented on the Platinum3 binding’s very straightforward and easy adjustments and generally found them to be comfortable and adequate for keeping their feet planted on the board.
