Not only is he the board shaper for Sunova - creating the weapon(s) of choice for the likes of James Casey and his signature range of SUP foil downwinding boards, but Marcus Tardrew is also part of the team setting up as a new player in the booming hydrofoil market with their upcoming launch of Code Foils

As you can see, he also rips on a foil - exemplifying the the last (best) quarter of the 25km Perth Metro run in moderate 18kn winds all while dodging pesky ribbon weed like a boss!

Marcus certainly tested my range anxiety by cutting 1km offshore and it very nearly cost me a drone, but yet again the robot - my Skydio 2+ does what it says on the box and caught all the SUP foiling action

Unfortuntately I inadvertently flicked my drone to auto (instead of manual), so the exposure isn't my best work, but it's still such a solid raw run that I had to upload it regardless of the occasionally blown out rider!

If you want a taste of the secret sauce, well you'll just have to hit them up on Instagram @codefoils to find out all the details of their new range!

Enjoy 7 minutes of downwind bliss!

Awesome vid.. Thanks

To bad he only knows how to go left. I see why you were getting worried about your drone. :) Great video. I know you follow along on the eskateboard. What happens when the drone auto comes home? Does it go back to where it launches from? Or does it get close enough to be in your range and you can take over again?

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Hdip said..
To bad he only knows how to go left. I see why you were getting worried about your drone. :) Great video. I know you follow along on the eskateboard. What happens when the drone auto comes home? Does it go back to where it launches from? Or does it get close enough to be in your range and you can take over again?

bumps are better out there and less weed haha!

Yeah so I am pacing him down the coast and if a kiter comes too close or the battery gets low I just stop tracking and commandeer the robot and fly over to where I am on the coastal path to land it

Usually cover 4-5km in a 20 min flight so there is no other way to do it

I'm hoping to do a few other sections of coast where I can launch with the Fliteboard on the beach - cut out to them while they are waiting at the wind line - do a Beacon handover so the robot follows them instead of me and then I can take it back to shore when it's running low - stash in a dry bag and head back out to continue the downwinder

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The Wizard of the West.
Great riding and filming.
Looking forward to checking out and testing some Cheat Code Foils in the future.

Any informations about those foils ? Only protopypes at this point I guess ?

Hey FrenchFoiler. I think there are only two proto Code foils currently in Oz. They are full carbon and the front wing is around 850cm2 and high aspect. The tail is a super efficient design. Production run happening later this year according to Marcus T. The protos look great. I haven't ridden one but to me it looks like a Lift 120 and and Armie 925 had a good night out and made a Baby.

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baldy123 said..
Hey FrenchFoiler. I think there are only two proto Code foils currently in Oz. They are full carbon and the front wing is around 850cm2 and high aspect. The tail is a super efficient design. Production run happening later this year according to Marcus T. The protos look great. I haven't ridden one but to me it looks like a Lift 120 and and Armie 925 had a good night out and made a Baby.

Perfect designer child then. I have also heard they have based their mast design on the new armstrong ideas as well. Another tick.

Man that is the best video , well done .....Wow

Hey guys. First of all Paul is a legend for doing this clip for us.
Much appreciated.
I don't follow forums but someone told me this was up here and maybe I can offer some more insight into what's going on. We are hoping to have them released around June in the shops. At this stage we have one wing that's 850cm2 and one tail. More sizes of wings and fuses are being tested and will be released shortly after the initial release. We are all passionate foilers, not business men and we are having a crack and putting all out heart and money into this so bare with us. We will have exact release dates soon. However we really feel this size wing will fit quite a lot of prone, wing and dw foilers at an intermediate to advanced rider so give it a go when there's a demo in your local shop. The design for this foil set started at least a year ago. The mast isn't based on anything out there at all. All foil sections and designs were created in WA on our cnc machine before we commit to production in the factory. Mast was designed and molds cut way before I knew about any new Armstrong mast coming out. I'm sure any brand understands how long it takes to design and release something into the wild.
The set up will ride forward in the boxes like a lot of foils do, including lift, Armstrong and axis with advanced fuses etc.
Stiffness Surfabilty and efficiency have been a big priority with the first range and we are over the moon with the results. Anyway I hope this takes away some of the mystery behind the foils and I hope every gets to have a crack on them soon when demos are around. Cheers Marcus.
Ps. I can go right. Ive done it at least twice

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marcus said..
Hey guys. First of all Paul is a legend for doing this clip for us.
Much appreciated.
I don't follow forums but someone told me this was up here and maybe I can offer some more insight into what's going on. We are hoping to have them released around June in the shops. At this stage we have one wing that's 850cm2 and one tail. More sizes of wings and fuses are being tested and will be released shortly after the initial release. We are all passionate foilers, not business men and we are having a crack and putting all out heart and money into this so bare with us. We will have exact release dates soon. However we really feel this size wing will fit quite a lot of prone, wing and dw foilers at an intermediate to advanced rider so give it a go when there's a demo in your local shop. The design for this foil set started at least a year ago. The mast isn't based on anything out there at all. All foil sections and designs were created in WA on our cnc machine before we commit to production in the factory. Mast was designed and molds cut way before I knew about any new Armstrong mast coming out. I'm sure any brand understands how long it takes to design and release something into the wild.
The set up will ride forward in the boxes like a lot of foils do, including lift, Armstrong and axis with advanced fuses etc.
Stiffness Surfabilty and efficiency have been a big priority with the first range and we are over the moon with the results. Anyway I hope this takes away some of the mystery behind the foils and I hope every gets to have a crack on them soon when demos are around. Cheers Marcus.
Ps. I can go right. Ive done it at least twice

Sound Awesome any more details you can release, mast length,aspect ratio of foil,span,tail size,fuse length, prices.

Nice to hear about the Code foils direct from Marcus.
I often finish my downwinders where Marcus and the crew testing these foils finish and whenever I have seen anyone come in after testing one, they have a silly grin on their face and nothing but positive things to say.

I am probably about one of the oldest and heaviest downwinders foilers around, at least on this side of the country and I can't see myself ever being able to paddle up an 850cm2 foil so I hope you can work your magic on a couple of bigger sizes eventually.
I know where you can find a test pilot.

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tightlines said..
Nice to hear about the Code foils direct from Marcus.
I often finish my downwinders where Marcus and the crew testing these foils finish and whenever I have seen anyone come in after testing one, they have a silly grin on their face and nothing but positive things to say.

I am probably about one of the oldest and heaviest downwinders foilers around, at least on this side of the country and I can't see myself ever being able to paddle up an 850cm2 foil so I hope you can work your magic on a couple of bigger sizes eventually.
I know where you can find a test pilot.

How much do you wiegh?

I think he gives his weight in here. Casey catchup with Marcus tardrew all about code foils

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martyman said..

tightlines said..
Nice to hear about the Code foils direct from Marcus.
I often finish my downwinders where Marcus and the crew testing these foils finish and whenever I have seen anyone come in after testing one, they have a silly grin on their face and nothing but positive things to say.

I am probably about one of the oldest and heaviest downwinders foilers around, at least on this side of the country and I can't see myself ever being able to paddle up an 850cm2 foil so I hope you can work your magic on a couple of bigger sizes eventually.
I know where you can find a test pilot.

How much do you wiegh?

I'm only just over 90kg but I don't see many other folks around that weight downwind foiling.
Jeremy Wilmotte is obviously one but most of the local crew are in the 70 - 80/85 bracket.

I am trying to encourage a couple of mates that are 100+ though, very doable just need the right gear.
I'm not that far into the downwind journey so still using big Axis wings like the 1300 and 1050, which are roughly 1700cm2 and 1500cm2
I love the strong but sleek looking construction of the Code foils, so hope they add some larger sizes eventually, for now I need to improve my skills, get fitter and loose some weight.

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tightlines said..

martyman said..

tightlines said..
Nice to hear about the Code foils direct from Marcus.
I often finish my downwinders where Marcus and the crew testing these foils finish and whenever I have seen anyone come in after testing one, they have a silly grin on their face and nothing but positive things to say.

I am probably about one of the oldest and heaviest downwinders foilers around, at least on this side of the country and I can't see myself ever being able to paddle up an 850cm2 foil so I hope you can work your magic on a couple of bigger sizes eventually.
I know where you can find a test pilot.

How much do you wiegh?

I'm only just over 90kg but I don't see many other folks around that weight downwind foiling.
Jeremy Wilmotte is obviously one but most of the local crew are in the 70 - 80/85 bracket.

I am trying to encourage a couple of mates that are 100+ though, very doable just need the right gear.
I'm not that far into the downwind journey so still using big Axis wings like the 1300 and 1050, which are roughly 1700cm2 and 1500cm2
I love the strong but sleek looking construction of the Code foils, so hope they add some larger sizes eventually, for now I need to improve my skills, get fitter and loose some weight.

Here in Cape Town the downwind crew is very small and although we have a lot of wind, our bumps are not the easiest, as they are generally quite weak on the Milnerton (Table Bay) side so guys visiting with 1000's jumping in on 20-25kn days either have to work like crazy or simply can't do it. No doubt the more skilfull riders can manage on smaller foils but I'd think the general downwind market is in the 1100 - 2000 sqcm range - at least if it were in our conditions. We do have a few heavies (James and Turbo 90-95kg) doing very well on foils down to 1000 (on +25kn days) but they are strong and younger than the rest of us. I think only Nate van Vuuren has ever ventured out with a sub-1000 here (600's and 800's).....and he of course nailed it going faster than anyone by miles and coming off only to wait for the rest of us.

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PeterP said..

tightlines said..

martyman said..

tightlines said..
Nice to hear about the Code foils direct from Marcus.
I often finish my downwinders where Marcus and the crew testing these foils finish and whenever I have seen anyone come in after testing one, they have a silly grin on their face and nothing but positive things to say.

I am probably about one of the oldest and heaviest downwinders foilers around, at least on this side of the country and I can't see myself ever being able to paddle up an 850cm2 foil so I hope you can work your magic on a couple of bigger sizes eventually.
I know where you can find a test pilot.

How much do you wiegh?

I'm only just over 90kg but I don't see many other folks around that weight downwind foiling.
Jeremy Wilmotte is obviously one but most of the local crew are in the 70 - 80/85 bracket.

I am trying to encourage a couple of mates that are 100+ though, very doable just need the right gear.
I'm not that far into the downwind journey so still using big Axis wings like the 1300 and 1050, which are roughly 1700cm2 and 1500cm2
I love the strong but sleek looking construction of the Code foils, so hope they add some larger sizes eventually, for now I need to improve my skills, get fitter and loose some weight.

Here in Cape Town the downwind crew is very small and although we have a lot of wind, our bumps are not the easiest, as they are generally quite weak on the Milnerton (Table Bay) side so guys visiting with 1000's jumping in on 20-25kn days either have to work like crazy or simply can't do it. No doubt the more skilfull riders can manage on smaller foils but I'd think the general downwind market is in the 1100 - 2000 sqcm range - at least if it were in our conditions. We do have a few heavies (James and Turbo 90-95kg) doing very well on foils down to 1000 (on +25kn days) but they are strong and younger than the rest of us. I think only Nate van Vuuren has ever ventured out with a sub-1000 here (600's and 800's).....and he of course nailed it going faster than anyone by miles and coming off only to wait for the rest of us.

Has anyone done a Millers run yet? I imagine there you may have the opposite problem from the looks of things.

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cornwallis said..

PeterP said..

tightlines said..

martyman said..

tightlines said..
Nice to hear about the Code foils direct from Marcus.
I often finish my downwinders where Marcus and the crew testing these foils finish and whenever I have seen anyone come in after testing one, they have a silly grin on their face and nothing but positive things to say.

I am probably about one of the oldest and heaviest downwinders foilers around, at least on this side of the country and I can't see myself ever being able to paddle up an 850cm2 foil so I hope you can work your magic on a couple of bigger sizes eventually.
I know where you can find a test pilot.

How much do you wiegh?

I'm only just over 90kg but I don't see many other folks around that weight downwind foiling.
Jeremy Wilmotte is obviously one but most of the local crew are in the 70 - 80/85 bracket.

I am trying to encourage a couple of mates that are 100+ though, very doable just need the right gear.
I'm not that far into the downwind journey so still using big Axis wings like the 1300 and 1050, which are roughly 1700cm2 and 1500cm2
I love the strong but sleek looking construction of the Code foils, so hope they add some larger sizes eventually, for now I need to improve my skills, get fitter and loose some weight.

Here in Cape Town the downwind crew is very small and although we have a lot of wind, our bumps are not the easiest, as they are generally quite weak on the Milnerton (Table Bay) side so guys visiting with 1000's jumping in on 20-25kn days either have to work like crazy or simply can't do it. No doubt the more skilfull riders can manage on smaller foils but I'd think the general downwind market is in the 1100 - 2000 sqcm range - at least if it were in our conditions. We do have a few heavies (James and Turbo 90-95kg) doing very well on foils down to 1000 (on +25kn days) but they are strong and younger than the rest of us. I think only Nate van Vuuren has ever ventured out with a sub-1000 here (600's and 800's).....and he of course nailed it going faster than anyone by miles and coming off only to wait for the rest of us.

Has anyone done a Millers run yet? I imagine there you may have the opposite problem from the looks of things.

I was just about to ask the same question! Isn't it supposed to be the GOAT up there with Maliko for downwinders?!

The Milnerton run is essentially a bay run - if it's windy enough (23kn+ ave and up), it's super fun and pretty easy to get up and maintain. Under that wind speed most of us have to pull out bigger foils as bumps are really weak.

Millers is a proper long fetch ocean run which I've personally only attempted once on foil (done heaps on wing and SUP) - it looks and sounds great, but for me it's super technical. It suffers from a fair bit of refraction until about km 6 which makes starting up quite tricky. Maintaining is completely different to the Milnerton run where you can find little pockets of energy everywhere, so turning off is almost always rewarded with something. Millers has bigger messier bumps and somehow finding energy is just a lot harder, I think the key here is to maintain higher speed which requires the skill to ride a smaller foil + the ability to pump your way onto the next piece of energy.

I don't have the technique nor stamina to ride a smaller foil and pump through multiple doldrums so the Millers run is on hold for me until I get better at it. I think only Tom King has completed Milers on foil, I managed ca. 5km out of the 11km on foil and Nate doesn't like the sharks, so I don't think he's ever even tried.

I think your crew with 850 Codes would love the Millers run....

Interesting thanks for the info, do you think easier to set off at say boulders beach to skip the tricky part and just cut right? Sounds very technical. Would not want to have a gear issue or flop around for too long off foil there... apparently the jonathons get annoyed by the foil??

Hoping to be up to scratch to at least try a few Milnerton runs in December.

.. How about those code foils hey ..anyone else tried them?

Sounds like from the interview this foil system is well thought through.


I wonder if i wasnt the only one thinking "this sounds a lot like conversations ive had with crew about things we wished companies would address"..



and "some companies do this and others do that but no one seems to be putting all it all together in one system"..


or variations on that theme.

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eppo said..
.. How about those code foils hey ..anyone else tried them?

Sounds like from the interview this foil system is well thought through.


I wonder if i wasnt the only one thinking "this sounds a lot like conversations ive had with crew about things we wished companies would address"..



and "some companies do this and others do that but no one seems to be putting all it all together in one system"..


or variations on that theme.

I kind of had the opposite reaction. There was very little substance in the interview - particularly for a new brand debut. Agree that a direct connection between wing and mast is critical, but Uni and Lift already do this with m8 hardware and Cabrinha and Fone also do it but with m6 (Axis and Takuma are on the wrong side of this). They just kept talking the bottom mounted hardware (pretty much every brand does this), and a bottom mounted stabilizer (very common and there are adapters for top mounted setups like Lift and Cabrinha).

Don't get me wrong, the foils look good, but I was left wanting more thoughtful discussion around the design. Compare that interview with the Cliffy Progression Project interview and its night and day in terms of substance.

Lift and Cabrinha don't do adjustable tails as standard you need a third party adapter and most also get a cedrus or nolimitz mast as well, Uni are probably the only one that ticks all those boxes with the same type of design, not sure about fone. Code looks like they have tried to address all issues of the past but everything is a compromise,the mast and fuse look very chunky but maybe there is more advantage than disadvantages to that.
Time will tell when lots of crew have ridden them how they perform but if the boys aren't sugar coating it too much they sound pretty good.

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Velocicraptor said..

eppo said..
.. How about those code foils hey ..anyone else tried them?

Sounds like from the interview this foil system is well thought through.


I wonder if i wasnt the only one thinking "this sounds a lot like conversations ive had with crew about things we wished companies would address"..



and "some companies do this and others do that but no one seems to be putting all it all together in one system"..


or variations on that theme.

I kind of had the opposite reaction. There was very little substance in the interview - particularly for a new brand debut. Agree that a direct connection between wing and mast is critical, but Uni and Lift already do this with m8 hardware and Cabrinha and Fone also do it but with m6 (Axis and Takuma are on the wrong side of this). They just kept talking the bottom mounted hardware (pretty much every brand does this), and a bottom mounted stabilizer (very common and there are adapters for top mounted setups like Lift and Cabrinha).

Don't get me wrong, the foils look good, but I was left wanting more thoughtful discussion around the design. Compare that interview with the Cliffy Progression Project interview and its night and day in terms of substance.

Yeh there may be an argument for that but as kobo said - i kind of like the relaxed nature - not too much hype.


Adressing the heavier riders : tick



adressing the mast fuse connection: tick



allowing for changing bottom mounted tails (like uni): check



Providing that lift, stall speed of a lift foil - with glide and speed close to the 925 : tick



.. we dont live in maui - for instance over in WA we are always robbed of swell unless you live in margs!!



sometimes i think these foils are tested in optimum conditions with optimum rider skill who are all under 70kg!! I

I know he's a foil lord and a SUP beast, but I have drone footage of James Casey paddling up the 850S in ~10kn refractory slop off North Mole with about 8 strokes

He was pumping pretty hard in those conditions, but was towing a fair few strands of ribbon weed too that day

I was skeptical until I saw it in action

Saw one of these code foils in the flesh today down my way. Impressive build quality lads - well done.

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eppo said..
Saw one of these code foils in the flesh today down my way. Impressive build quality lads - well done.

Foegot to add ..Had my 925 and a lift 120 handy . it really is the love child . looks very promising. Mast fuse - fuse to tail - connections makes sense.

Those foils are gonna be hight performance for sure but I'm curious to see if they are going to be userfriendly or super technical ??

Looking at the wing having used the armie HA for a while - it defintely looks intermediate to advanced riding. and theres a ton of us out there now.

I'm 3 years into my Prone, wing and sup journey 83kg and 43yrs. I have sold my Armstrong quiver to purchase Code 850, 75 mast and 150 tail(without even a demo!). Was considering progression 140 however after demoing wanted something with the crisp ha turning feel I had with the Armstrong. I feel this is it.
Mast is quite thick at the baseplate and tapers down for quite a bit. The baseplate is wide and thick with holes only for m8 hardware and no slots, it also has no foam so there is no give between board and mast giving a super rigid setup. Having owned other masts- axis, and Armstrong hm I much prefer the holes only and I suspect the slots add a bit of flex.
Mast to fuse connection is tapered and seems very precise. Perfect fit straight up and the two m6 bolts seem more than adequate given the quality of fit. Mast to fuse connection is very solid and offers no flex. When you press down on the wing the only flex in the system is mid way down the mast- the foil doesn't flex at all. Fuse feels heavy and I suspect there is quite a bit of carbon used in construction. Fit to front foil and tail is precise and streamlined and with the tail better than uni and Armstrong.
Riding prone in wrist to shoulder high waves feels very balanced out of the box and mast placement is a touch further back than what I was used to with Armstrong. Probably easier than the 925 and 725 which I notice some people struggle with. Feels like similar glide to the 925 and pumps at least as good and feels quicker in the pump too. It seems to be a little easier than ha Armstrong and handles turbulence and whitewater. Immediately I was pretty confident turning and it didn't take long until I was cranking turns like my old army setup. Medium fuse felt like I had a bit more pitch control than the 60 army fuse. Winging was easy too with decent low end in the 15 knot gusty westerly run I had.
cons/ improvements:
-overall weight feels a touch more than Armstrong
-would be nice if it was supplied with titanium hardware (thank god no m7 here.)
-M6 wing, fuse and tail bolts sit a bit recessed and could be more flush for better streamlining but this is pretty minor.
I was a bit wary of backing a new brand with limited reviews and no second hand market however I'm stoked with the purchase and happy to be supporting an Aussie designed product too.

Looking forward to trying the downwind specific wings.

great info above mate .. cheers.