Armstrong A+ System | One System, All time.
From our friends at Armstrong:
In 2025, Cash Berzolla power slid his way to victory at the GWA Wingfoil World Cup in Ibiraquera, claiming the Wingfoil Wave World Title. Later that year, Annie Reickert crossed the finish line from Maui to Oahu to become Female Downwind SUP Foil World Champion. Not long after, Noah Flegel delivered a flawless wake foil run that secured his own world title.
"Different disciplines. Different conditions. Different styles. Three champions with one thing in common, all riding the Armstrong A+ System."
In a sport evolving as fast as foiling, where equipment is constantly advancing, and performance ceilings keep rising, the connection beneath them has remained the same. To understand why Noah, Cash, and Annie trust the A+ System at the highest level, you have to rewind 13 years to where it all began.
History
Armie grew up in a sailing family in Aotearoa, New Zealand, surrounded by design, engineering, and a deep respect for structure. Watching Team New Zealand foil across the Waitematā Harbour before the 2013 America’s Cup in San Francisco Bay lit the spark. The magic was not just in the speed. It was in the engineering behind it. Offshore, when something breaks, you fix it. And you build it better next time. That mindset would later shape Armstrong’s foundation.
When foiling began to take off, Armie pushed his gear hard. And it broke. Connections loosened, a subtle movement crept in, and trust in the gear slowly disappeared. It was not a catastrophic failure. It was something more frustrating, the feeling that things were moving when they should not be. So he went back to the boatshed.
Working alongside his dad, a sailor and architect, he began rethinking the root problem. The goal was not to redesign everything. It was to perfect the connection.
HEX / A System
From those early fuselage experiments came the HEX interface, a tapered mechanical lock designed to resist twist and eliminate play before it begins. That thinking became the backbone of Armstrong’s modular design. The HEX connection was engineered to lock components both vertically and horizontally, creating a mechanical interface that removed movement at the source rather than compensating for it.
The Evolution - A+ System
But as rider power, wing sizes, and speeds increased, the original single-bolt A System began to reach its structural limits.
"The system was not failing. It was being outgrown."
And so the A System evolved to the A+ System. The primary difference between the original A System and the A+ System lies in how components connect to the fuselage to eliminate movement and handle the higher torque demands of modern wings. The A+ System is a refined evolution of the same modular platform, focused on increased rigidity and longevity, not a reset.
Instead of simply adding weight or overbuilding parts, the design philosophy shifted toward smarter load distribution and greater stiffness per gram. At the heart of A+ is a carbon-wrapped titanium spine running through the fuselage.
Titanium absorbs compression and shear loads while carbon maintains stiffness and aerodynamic shape. Together, they create a structure that behaves like a single beam rather than a set of components bolted together.
Durability was never an afterthought. Growing up sailing around the world taught Armie that saltwater is unforgiving. Carbon acts as an anode in the ocean, and mixed metals can undergo galvanic corrosion over time. The titanium core inside the carbon fuselage was chosen not only for strength and weight, but because titanium remains inert when paired with carbon in saltwater. This prevents long-term corrosion at the structural level. Combined with 316L stainless hardware and T30 Torx fasteners for stronger, more durable engagement, every detail is engineered for repeated assembly, harsh environments, and years of progression.
As foiling has expanded across surfing, wing, prone, downwind, and beyond, the demands on equipment have only increased. Riders are pushing harder, riding faster, and loading their gear in more dynamic ways than ever before. The A+ System was designed to evolve with that progression. It allows different fuselage lengths, cross-discipline mast use, and seamless upgrades as foils evolve, all without breaking compatibility. Riders invest once and build over time.
From early hand-shaped prototypes in a New Zealand boatshed to high-performance foils used around the world, the principle has remained the same. The connection stays the same. The performance keeps evolving.
One System, All time.
If you have questions about the Armstrong A+ System, contact a REAL Pro at 252-987-6000 or email REALpro@realwatersports.com