Brian Trappy
Brian Trappy: Co-Founder of Fin & Foil and Foil Drive Technician
Brian Trappy has spent his entire life on the Treasure Coast and the last several years building one of the most specialized hydrofoil operations in the country. He co-founded Fin & Foil in Fort Pierce with his brother Chris, runs daily operations, leads gear demos, and is certified to perform Foil Drive warranty repairs. If you have bought gear here, ridden with him on the water, or shipped a broken Foil Drive to Fort Pierce, you have already met his work.
Before the Shop, There Was the Water
Brian did not come to water sports through foiling. He surfed for years before a foil ever crossed his mind, spent time fishing and diving this coastline, and developed the kind of water instinct that only comes from putting in decades on the same stretch of ocean. That background — knowing how to read conditions, how to stay composed when things get sketchy, how to move in the water without thinking about it — is what he brings to every lesson and every demo today.
The Work Background Brian Brought to Fin & Foil
Brian spent his career before Fin & Foil as a salesman and account manager. That background did not make him a closer. It taught him what not to do. His words: “Not being pushy. Not being a used car salesman.” That instinct shapes every conversation he has on the floor today — no pressure, no upsell for its own sake, just honest guidance on gear that actually fits the rider in front of him.
The Paddleboard Trip That Changed Everything
Brian and Chris took a road trip to the Middle Keys with Brian's pregnant wife. They paddled way out from Hawk's Cay on a calm morning with fishing poles and no plan. The wind picked up. They barely made it back to shore. Brian got back to the beach, caught his breath, and started thinking about a better way to be on the water. He had already been buying expensive Jimmy Lewis boards from Jupiter Kiteboarding. Not long after, he saw an ad for a wing, drove straight there the same day, and the whole thing started moving.
What the First Six Months of Fin & Foil Actually Looked Like
Brian describes the hardest part of that first period as the gap between what they were telling people and what they actually had. They had a storefront. They had told everyone about it. And they barely had anything to sell. His word for it: embarrassed.
The moment that captures it best is one he tells himself. Brian sold a wing foil lesson before he knew how to wing foil. He showed up, taught it, and figured it out in real time. Fake it until you make it, show up anyway, own every mistake along the way.
What he carried out of that period was not a system or a strategy. It was one thing: “being humble.” That is still how he operates today.
What It Actually Means That Brian Can Fix Your Foil Drive
Foil Drive units break. Bearings wear out, wiring shorts, software glitches. When that happens to most riders in the US, the options are limited — ship it to Australia and wait, or find someone who knows what they are doing. Brian is that person.
That is not a marketing line — it means when your unit starts making a noise it should not be making, or cuts out under throttle, or just stops responding, you can ship it to Fort Pierce and get it back fixed. No international shipping wait. No guesswork. Someone who has taken these systems apart hundreds of times, knows what scoring on a rotor looks like, knows the difference between a phasing issue and a bearing failure by sound alone, and has the relationship with Foil Drive to back it up.
That role did not come out of nowhere. Brian spent time as an apprentice diesel mechanic before Fin & Foil existed — basic hand tools, learning how things go together, developing the instinct to take something apart and get it back together correctly. When Bill Ley, the industry figure who had been handling Foil Drive repairs in the US, moved on, Brian was the one who stepped into that gap. He has been the go-to ever since.
What a Lesson with Brian Looks Like on the Treasure Coast
Brian has a way of describing the first time someone gets on a wing foil that sticks with you. He says it is like trying to tap dance and juggle at the same time — and you have never done either one. That is not discouraging coming from him. It is just honest, and honesty is how he teaches.
His surf background is what separates him in the water with a student. He is not just watching your feet or your wing angle. He is reading the conditions around you at the same time — where the water is moving, when something is about to shift, how to talk a nervous beginner through the moment the foil comes out of the water and everything suddenly feels like it is happening at once. That situational awareness does not come from a lesson plan. It comes from decades of being in the ocean.
He measures a good session simply. Everybody goes home happy, tired, and smiling. Some students get up foiling the first time. Some do not. Either way, the goal is that they leave wanting to come back.
Ready to get on the water?
Where Brian Rides on the Treasure Coast
Ask Brian for his go-to spot and the answer is immediate: Fort Pierce Inlet. On days with a proper ground swell coming in, he is on the North Jetty where the waves break on the outside reef — water that surfers will not paddle out to, which means foilers pretty much have it to themselves. North wind days pull him to the South Jetty. And when he is feeling bold, he rides the inlet itself, which he describes with zero hesitation as “super sketchy and super spicy.”
That local knowledge is not something you find in a gear catalog. It comes from years of showing up to the same coastline in every condition, figuring out what works when the wind is wrong, and knowing which spots reward patience and which ones will humble you fast. It is also exactly what he brings into the water with students.
Book a Lesson or Bring In Your Foil Drive
Whether you are looking to get on the water for the first time or you have a Foil Drive that needs attention, Brian is your guy. Come into the shop, reach out ahead of time, or just show up — the demo gear is ready and so is he.
116 S. U.S. Highway 1, Fort Pierce, FL 34950
772-306-7905
info@finandfoilusa.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Brian teach wing foil lessons?
Yes. Brian leads wing foil lessons out of Stuart Causeway and Jetty Park at the Fort Pierce Inlet. Sessions are built for beginners but open to all skill levels. Full details and pricing are on the lessons page.
How long has Brian been on the water?
Brian grew up in Palm City on the Treasure Coast and has been surfing, fishing, and diving this coastline for over 20 years. That water background is the foundation of how he teaches and how he fits riders with the right gear.
Can Brian fix my Foil Drive if I am not local to Fort Pierce?
Yes. Foil Drive repairs are handled in-house and units can be shipped to the shop from anywhere in the US. Brian diagnoses mechanical and electrical failures and ships repaired units back fast.
What makes Brian's approach to selling gear different?
Brian spent his career before Fin & Foil in sales and account management. His approach is the opposite of high pressure — no upselling for its own sake, no pushing gear that does not fit the rider. He only stocks products he and Chris ride themselves.
How did Brian learn to repair Foil Drive units?
Brian came into it with a background as an apprentice diesel mechanic and learned the Foil Drive system hands-on through his relationship with Foil Drive and the handoff from industry technician Bill Ley.
More from Fin & Foil
The Shop
About Fin & Foil
How two brothers with no foiling experience built the Treasure Coast's dedicated hydrofoil shop and the only Foil Drive warranty and repair center in the United States.
Lessons
Lessons at Fin & Foil
Wing foil, Foil Drive, and e-foil lessons run out of Stuart Causeway and Jetty Park at the Fort Pierce Inlet. Built for beginners, open to all skill levels.
