The new Armstrong Mid-Length boards are being touted at excelling in light air. I don't doubt it. However, one interesting design element on them is the pronounce tail kick, or tail/exit rocker after the flat foil area. Do you think this reduces a board's light wind ability?

It's possible it does reduce it, but given the board's extra length, it might be making up for it? I see why its shaped like this, the board fits better in a wave with that tail rocker. I think it looks better too. However, most light wind board tend to have a flat wide, or flat point, exit.

The tail kick or pinned out Barracuda type bottom are there to reduce transom drag at sub-planing speeds and also to make the board squat a bit in transition to make it easier to engage the foil. The secret sauce is to balance these features out so that drag is minimal at different pitch angles. Too much kick will cause drag at transition speeds, too little might be draggy at low speeds and won't pitch up without big inputs from the rider. Straight barracuda type tails can also catch in whitewater and drag a bit longer on takeoff