After catching the “red eye” out of Gibralter,  we were pretty lucky to be put up in the Dos Mares Hotel, Tarifa – right on the beach – 35m from the waters edge, ideal for a test trip!

Tarifa is renowned for its Levante and Polienta winds –Polienta from the west // Levante from the east – the Levante being when the super strong winds come in and the coastline gets hammered!  The westerly winds generally there are a few more waves – we were lucky to have both over the 5 days we were there.

The Goya/Quatro/KT group are like a massive family – it was great to see all the same staff as when I had visited Tarifa in the early days, when Lalo had just opened up (and was living in) the European HQ in Tarifa – Alex, Matteo, Sylvia and Guillaume were all present at the meeting together with the Maui Division – Keith, Adam, Franciso, Lalo, Levi, Marcillio; Jason the sail designer from Oregon and the foil crew Kane De Wilde, Ryan Arzy and George the new wing designer.    Daida Moreno was there who had recently signed with Goya. The A Listers!

Over the dealer meeting week we would sit through some tech talks in the mornings – going through the R & D involved in the new product line up – new sails, boards, harnesses, foilboards and foils – a lot of hard work!   When purchasing a product like this you know every detail has been analised!  They even are launching a new deckplate which is going to be lightweight, better for your feet and easy to adjust.

The afternoons were mainly water time – testing the new gear and watching the Team out on the water!

During the week we also visited  the Goya/Quatro/KT warehouse in Tarifa town to see the gear, how its stored and organised ready to be shipped out to the whole of Europeand the UK.

GOYA ONE 13:

This board hasn’t changed in shape for 2026 but there have been some major tweaks – first there are two versions of the board – the all new Haiku Package – which is a new superlight, more carbon content model which is going to have more responsive and feel to it – because of the carbon content of it and the stiffer blank you can really feel it under your feet.  Earlier planing and a feel that the board carries the rig better – it’s based on the custom finish that Goya use in their Maui workshop – a great tune up!

The new ceramic finish makes the board less scratch resistant and the Haiku also comes complete with an MFC Board bag – you are paying extra for the construction and lightness of the board but also getting a bag within the price.

The One 13 feels great on the water – it’s a really popular board at 2XS, I have a 95 One myself, we have demo boards in sizes 95, 105 & 115.

The standard One 13 Pro Carbon is still one of the lightest boards on the market – in my view it defines what a freestyle wave board is – it’s been so many years in the development and is a proven board shape.  Goya tends to not change their shapes drastically everytime a new range is launched, but they do tend to tune the boards – the constant R & D gives us the riders, the buyers an amazing feel – the sutle long term development of this board is pretty outstanding – it works fantastically in flatwater even though it has 3 fins, you can definitely in the bigger sizes use it as a single fin board if you so choose to.  There are plenty of foostrap positions so you can get them correct – I personally prefer it in the centre strap positions, so setting it up as a waveboard – great in onshore conditions and if you get moderate sideshore conditions the One also performs really well.

The One 13  is slightly wider in the tail than the thruster and the quad – the One does have a real energy about it and it’s really fast.  Quite a lot of the local guys have bought the One as their onshore waveboard and are doing pretty radical manouvers on it.

The One 13 has a lot of performance in its shape – if you are starting out with a freeride/freestyle wave board it fits into cross onshore conditions and you can also ride it well in good size swell.

GOYA THRUSTER 5 PRO CARBON:

We nicknamed this board while we where on test, the Red Rocket – this board is fast!

The Goya Thruster 5 is quite different from the previous version – it has a completely new shape, it has the bottom of the One, the outline of the new Quad and it feels when you ride it there is a subtleness in the new rocker line that has been influenced by Adam Lewis and Keith Teboul from their Maui shaping room – this board is exceptional!

When testing the new Thruster I thought it was amazing, testing it in really choppy overpowered conditions with small waves – got up on it straight away – I tested the 92 and the 86 size boards and thought it was great!

The Thruster 5 is fast to turn, turns differently to the Quad not such a fast rail to rail board, but if you are good enough you can still get massive top turn hacks; it bottom turns really well and it’s a jumping machine!

The Thruster 5 grips and feels good on the water and really comfortable in the chop and just flies!

If you are looking for a bit of an onshore weapon then the Thruster 5 is the board – especially on the south coast of the UK its going to be a real winner.  The Thruster 5 wave rides but is quick too.

The detail on the Thruster 5 is good – MFC carbon fins, lighter deckpads, MFC straps and is in the lighter carbon construction.  The Thruster 5 is on demo at 2XS – we will have the 86 in the boardrack waiting for you to try!

GOYA QUAD 9:

Available in two constructions – the standard Pro Carbon and the new Haiku Package.

The Haiku Package is between 250-500 grams lighter (depending on board size) – its primary difference is you get more carbon and less S Glass – you are looking at probably 75% carbon and 25% S Glass – it also includes an MFC board bag – and the mast track is slighter shorter and the ceramic finish.  From a handling point of view, this makes the Quad HP more responsive – when you up the construction you get more response out of the board – when you push the board out on the water you will get a better reaction out of the HP construction.

This is something that Goya, Quatro and KT have been working on – they can adjust the performance of a shape by simply changing the construction.

In the custom manufacturing world this is something you can do by the lay-up of the board so to have this in the production range it is quite a unique offering – they are pioneering their custom board production into the mass market!

The Pro Carbon Quad 9 is still ultralight and super strong – lighter than the previous model, new shape again – still based on the same concept but with a better balance on the board, the nose has been pulled in slightly and there is a bit more rocker and the volume has been spread around, a bit more volume under your feet.  Higher compression foam makes the Pro Carbon feel stiffer and lighter than the Quad 8 – lighter deckpads, MFC straps, new tougher paint finish – a great allround tune up.

Compared to the Quad 8 this model is going to be a harder carve on the wave, it will roll from side to side differently and the pulled in nose gives a better balance overall on the board – a lot of R & D – we will have the 84, 88 and 94 on demo at 2XS, West Wittering

QUATRO POLAKOW:

Obviously,  Jason Polakow has worked with KT for the past 20 years – since he has left JP he has now decided to work with Keith, Adam and the Team a bit more on this line up.

The Polakow is a thruster design – the wings on the design pay “homage” to the Session Strapper – the original no nose boards that Jason and Michael Desagio brought to windsurfing about 25-30 years ago – I remember having them in the shop in the mid 90’s – it was a big design shape change then.

The Quatro Polakow is constructed in the same way as the Haiku Package Goya boards – super light and strong – all slightly different custom spray job to them – the Polakow is fast, rocker line is different from the centre line to the rails, hard turning, lots of feedback – low end is good.

KT has really stepped up the game in foiling  – initially MFC were designing the foils with Kai Lenny and others in Maui – now KT has expanded the design Team to bring out a range of foiling products – boards, foils and wings that are cutting edge.

The influence that Kane De Wilde has had on the product range is immense – we were listening to him chat about foiling, his skill is next level – he has an intimate understanding how foils work – he knows about the trim, shimming; the shapes the minor adjustments that you can make on your back wings and the subtle changes to make on the front wings to help improve your foiling time.

The KT Nomad and Atlas front wings carry on for 2026: – their higher camber wings which have been really popular – are easy to use and don’t stall in low winds.  You can match these wings with the new Atom rear wings which will give you improved performance.

KT INSTINCT 2200 FRONT WING:

The KT Design Team, along with Kane, have been excited about producing an entry level front wing that is unbreachable and has the stability, easy lift and control that you need when you are learning and teaching foiling.  We are pretty excited about this product and will have one in the school.  The rest of the KT Instinct range will remain the same for 2026.

KT SOLUS & PULSE WINGS:

The KT Solus front wing is the new High Modulus carbon downwind wing, surf, foil assist and lightwind front wing – it is a AR14 High Aspect model that has a feeling more of a 12 in stability – its very pitch stable, loads of glide, very smooth and it will pump very early onto the plane.  The KT Solus, designed by Kane De Wilde, has been proven in races worldwide – its a balance between glide, control and its surf friendly.  The KT Pulse rear wing is the ideal pairing with the KT Solus – new shape, again in High Modulus carbon and as you will see it has a narrow, high aspect profile.

KT HALO & ATOM WINGS: 

The KT Halo front wing is a slightly different wing to the Nomad – more powered up foil and lets say if you are currently using a Nomad 700 – you would ride in a 800 Halo.  It has less camber and its a perfect wing for powered freeride, freestyle when the surf is more powerful (above waist height) this wing will definately provide the performance that you will need. The KT Halo is also being used in downwinding for control and speed.

The new KT Atom rear wing is a wing that will match up with any of the KT existing front wings but there is a shift from G10 to carbon here which increases the stiffness and the control of the rear wing (less flex) – slightly more convex shape and you can downsize on this rear wing without loosing lift or pitch control.

KT APEX ULTRA HIGH MODULUS CARBON MAST:

This is a mast for all types of foiling – its a fast mast designed to take your foiling to the next level – to efficiency, stiffness and control.  It has unique shaping to reduce drag on the area in contact with the water so there is effectively a “sweet spot” that is in a different position on each size mast – 77, 85 & 90.  The Apex mast will ride a little higher out of the water but its very easy to handle.  The new profile of the Apex will give you up to 30% less drag than the standard carbon construction.

KT DRIFTER 5 (available in Carbon & Pro Carbon models):

The KT Drifter 5 is another step forward in the KT Foiling line up – this board has had influences from the Super K, the downwind boards, the previous Drifter models and for 2026 its length has been increased by just under 1 inch and its width reduced by 1 inch per size.  In simple terms its a wide midlength!  There is new construction in both models – the Carbon and the Pro Carbon – both benefitting from new internal foam – the shape itself is a more streamlined nose, a flatter hull shape for stability and bevelled rails to help reduce the wetted surface area.  This is a 2XS Favourite and we have demo boards available.

KT ARC PRO CARBON:

The KT Arc is a new board – modelled on the Super K – the Super K being the most popular foilboard from KT – the Super K is a winging, surf foiling, midlength and is also being used for parawinging.

The new KT Arc has a wider platform, flatter bottom, modified tail rocker to allow more clearance off the water in downwinding and in waves – it also has a new V shaped deck  which you can ride strapless or with straps, which gives you more stability and grip.  The nose profile is different to the Super K and there is more volume, forward of the front foot position to assist with take off for parawinging.  The KT Arc has different dimensions – slightly longer and wider to assist with powering up.

There are two models a strapped version that is available, and a strapless model (about 400 grams lighter) both in the Pro Carbon construction which has a dual density sandwich foam and an integrated fibreglass window within the construction to support foil assist connectivity.

KT VORTEX:

KT’s full freestyle, freeride, big air power riding board – based around a guy from Tarifa, Nathan,  who we watched out on the water – amazing freestyler and riding waves his skill level is something else.  The Vortex is a boxy, square shape, similar to a windsurf freestyle board is – good for pop, hard landing, sliding around – the Vortex only comes in a couple of sizes – built to within some action!  If you are a freestyler check out the Vortex!

A huge thanks to Lalo & Franciso Goya, Keith Teboul, Adam Lewis, Levi Siver, Marcilio Brown, Kane De Wilde, Ryan Arzy, Casey Hauser, George, Andy “Bubble” Chambers, Alex, Mateo, Guillaume, Silvia, Ana and Bjorn for a great week!

Want to hear more about the new line up then give us a call 01243 512552!