Tkb Review: 2022 AK Tracer 850

Sizes Available: 850, 1000, 1300, 1600, 1900cm2
Sizes Tested: 850cm2

AK Says:

For riders looking for the perfect balance between performance, ease of use, and the ultimate maneuverability, the Tracer Foil Series will have you carving the cleanest lines with intuitive ease. The Tracer comes in a medium aspect ratio for ease of use & maneuverability with a moustache tail wing for directional stability & ease of use.

The unique Stealth Fuselage absolutely minimizes drag while maximizing stiffness, while the flow dynamics minimize any oscillation you would find in a round fuselage, resulting in increased stability. The rear wing allows the trim angle to be quickly adjusted to compensate for the lift requirements for different rider levels, personal preference, and when using different wing configurations.

Visit for more info: https://www.akdurablesupplyco.com/product/foils/tracer-foil-series/

TKB Says:

The Tracer line of hydrofoils sits in the middle of the AK line with the high aspect Plasma on one side and the lower aspect Trek on the other. The Tracer line of foils plots a middle road which values user-friendly handling with enough maneuverability to offer fun carving while remaining solidly stable.

Our 850 Tracer setup came with a 71cm aluminum fuselage, the 260 Mustache rear stabilizer and a 80cm carbon mast. The wings feature a clean carbon construction, and when combined with the carbon mast, the weight felt really good on this package. The AK system has a ton of modular options to choose from, which allows you to customize every bit of the setup to your liking. The parts assemble together with titanium Allen head bolts and the tail wing offers a simple shim adjustment to dial in the amount of lift/front foot pressure to your liking. It’s worth noting that the carbon mast plate has flat rather than countersunk holes, so if you have to replace some hardware at your local hardware store you’ll be looking for pan head bolts or washers to meet the mast’s flat surface.

The 850 foils up at reasonable fast board speed which is fitting for the smallest wing in the Tracer line of foils. The Tracer felt pretty smooth on foil-up with a little extra positive lift at the initial stages of take-off, but overall it felt very user-friendly for a smaller 850cm sized foil wing. The Tracer’s wings combined with the carbon mast make this setup feel fairly lightweight but also solidly crisp in the water. While the Tracer line is geared to mix stability and maneuverability, we’d recommend entry-level kiters steer towards the larger/slower wings in the line. For intermediate/advanced riders, the 850cm size seems like a great match for those who prize higher top-end speeds while retaining both stability and maneuverability.

We found the Tracer to be extremely well balanced with the roll and yaw axis both feeling fairly active. Typically, when you see a winglet on the stabilizer, you expect it to have a much slower yaw response, but the subtle mustache on the 260 does a great job of blending active steering with smooth and intuitive control. In terms of front foot pressure and lift, the stabilizer angle has the ability to be adjusted, and we found that we could add front foot pressure by changing the cant setting of the stabilizer or revert to the neutral setting if we wanted even foot pressure at any speed. As kitefoilers progress in the learning curve and develop a specific preference for lift, this adjustment is a nice feature to have, although it’s probably a set it and forget it type setting for most riders.

In terms of carving, we had a ton of fun on the 850 because despite its longer 71cm fuselage, it was still quite nimble and fun for doing both high-speed giant carves and tight high G-force turns on a dime. The Tracer felt like you could drive it as hard and aggressively as you like and it never felt unsteady; just nimble and ready for your next move.

Even though the 850 is the smallest wing in the Tracer line, it holds true to the goal of offering both ease of use and higher-speed performance and maneuverability. If faster kitefoiling wings can sometimes be more challenging, the Tracer makes going fast a bit more intuitive and controlled while leaving enough performance on the table for those who want to push boundaries.