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Fitzsup said..

radair said..
I started wake foiling on a local lake last summer. 1 to 4 sessions per week yields decent results, so I expanded to take up wing foiling. While on vacation in Florida and impatiently waiting for wind I decided to do an efoil demo. They look lame in most videos but I found it to be quite fun. I found it very beneficial for working on my switch stance side and for getting used to higher speeds like winging. We were using the Lift 5'-6" boards, I believe.

That being said, I doubt I'll put one in my garage. I felt like it would be great for learning sharper carves and such but I would probably get bored with it. I already own a boat and having friends along for learning is really fun. That being said, it can be tough to find a driver and spotter on any given day so an efoil would be awesome for solo missions.

Thx for the reply,

A lot of people are finding the same,want to foil,but no observer or driver.

Our Maritime officials are getting nasty around here,busted the boys for no observer,doing tow in $500 fine.

Heard a rumor Tom Carroll,was caught by the same official,same offense,same fine.????

Thats why efoils interest me,I will not need to rely on anyone but me.

Wednesday 24th Fliteboard Ultra and series 2 upgrades / wings are announced... Might be selling my Pro shortly hahaha!

Thx mate,

I received the email.

Between this and a foil you can control with a smart phone,and it's intuitive.

Fliteboard Ultra - Flow 900 wing / 245 stab - Sport Flitecell - Pro Tail Cover

8kn wind riding downwind on level 1 - 19kph average speed

Back-to-back riding my Series 1 Pro the thing handles like a truck compared to this new board! Pretty much everything I could criticise has been addressed, except the battery tech and weight being the same

The high aspect flow wings are awesome and in a few weeks I'll have the true glide propeller to test too!

My son and I had a go on a flite e foil. It was fun. Could I justify the current price tag , no. But if you can I say why not. I did find it very heavy and clunky but as you get more used to it this would improve. My intention was to see if it would be possible hit swell when winds were light and offshore. I don't think it's ready for that yet.

But like all things it will improve as we can see even in this thread. So I am not saying never.

to those into it I say awesome keep going and grow with the tech.


Anyone remember how bad the kites were in 1999? Won't take 20 years to get these things humming.

I had a lesson on an E Flite with a friend a few weeks ago. This E foil is the only one I have any familiarity with. When I saw the ads for this at $250 a lesson for around one and a half hours I thought no way am I going to pay that much to try this. I have no foiling experience. A friend of mine said come, we are going foiling together. For two it was $195 each. ( By the way they have just had some specials for $149 per person) I was still reluctant but then I changed my mind and we booked. I was apprehensive, nervous, as I did not want to blow the chance of getting up on the foil. I did a J.O.B. (Jamie O'Brien ) before the 9:00 am lesson, drank a can of Red Bull to psyche me out for this. I never drank the stuff, it is disgustingly sweet. I weigh less than 70 kg and my friend is 100 kg. He had the Air board, the semi inflatable model and I had the standard board. I got to say this is the most fun PWT (personal water toy) I have ever had the pleasure of using. I had so much fun on this E foil the hour went much too quick. All I could say when I had to come back was, ("I want one"!)
What surprised me how powerful this board is. I asked the instructor how high the power goes, he said something like 20 or 22 but I would never get that high. I read somewhere that once up on the foil with the right wings, speeds approaching 60km ph.is possible on the higher power settings. On power setting three I was on my knees skurfing actually planning along and enjoying just that for a while getting the feel of steering, like being behind a boat but there is no boat. Power setting 4 getting up on the foil . What a thrilling feeling! After that I got to stand up mode. Yes the price tag is high at the moment. I do feel that the new model with the free spinning prop is a very important improvement in order to ride swells without the motor running. I did not like the fact that if you let go of the trigger it full stops so if you are scarfing along and accidentally let the trigger go, over the handlebars is not a good situation to be in with an axe behind you. I also like the fact that this is an Australian design in Byron Bay. A local company to deal with I feel is more practical than overseas.

I vote, "Clever, but Boring"..

I think it would be fun as hell to see one explode as its sent off a waterfall onto rocks.

Similar to the fun of taking a computer keyboard by the cable and smashing it on the ground. Keys go everywhere. Its awesome. Try it.

-red

I'll just leave this here... I mean it IS Keahi, but I'll have my hands on the new True Glide propellor any day now, with drone footage to follow!

Soooooo good..

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paularity said..

I'll just leave this here... I mean it IS Keahi, but I'll have my hands on the new True Glide propellor any day now, with drone footage to follow!

Keahi and maybe antMan in a few years could ride it like that lol. When ya coming down again Paul!

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eppo said..

paularity said..

I'll just leave this here... I mean it IS Keahi, but I'll have my hands on the new True Glide propellor any day now, with drone footage to follow!

Keahi and maybe antMan in a few years could ride it like that lol. When ya coming down again Paul!

I reckon Antman would be doing it first attempt

When I'm back next break in a few weeks I should venture down again for sure man

Hopefully we can arrange some waves for you to try out your new prop!!

Hi All,
Great information and I'm hoping to tap into some of your knowledge. I've stumbled across e foiling after a 5 year lay off of surfing, kiting. Long story, got really sick and the extend of my recovery means I'll never be able to swing the arms over in anger like I used to and I'm desperate to get back in the water and considering selling my first born to get an e foil.

Fitness wise, I can SUP flat water and I can kite on occasion, but its mowing the grass, nothing extreme, just glad to be out. I take full responsibility for my own safety and the risks associated. My family and mates support me getting in the ocean, we're all on the same page with the risk and I'm stoked that I have their support and commitment to get me out there. I get that some may see this as irresponsible, but we only hit the green light if everything lines up and we have a plan, plus it's what keeps my head in the right place.

Seeing the e foil in surf has got me frothing and has given me a boost that I could experience surfing again and that was something I never dreamed possible. I get that the e foils are heavy and may not give the same sensation as a light board, but any wave experience for me is better than none and its all about feeling the stoke again.

I'm 50 yo, 70Kg, 6f thinking of a flite board pro. I'm planning on getting a few lessons on the river (perth) before I buy. My days of getting barrelled and boat trips a thing of the past. That said, if I got a 2 out of 10 surf experience or better on an e foil, well I reckon that would change my life for the better and those around me.

Would be great to get your insight, so here are the specifics I'm after:

1. Assuming I can get the hang of it in the lessons, I'm intending to buy a Pro model, which will hopefully give me scope to improve over time. Is this a good choice of board for what will be mainly either river / ocean cruising / riding swell in the perth metro predominately? (with the odd up north and down south mission);
2. From all the vision I've seen, they can handle surf, but is it achievable for an average joe to get to a level to ride swells like the Fliteboard vids? or is that only for the mega talented? (BTW I've never foiled so cant appreciate the sensation)
3. For those that have surfed swell on them, whats your honest score out of 10 for the surf experience? and are there specific aspects of the experience you can put your finger on that is lacking from paddle surfing (engine aside! )?


Cheers

Friend at Swansea Heads yesterday, Flightboard pro.

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Murdy said..
Hi All,
Great information and I'm hoping to tap into some of your knowledge. I've stumbled across e foiling after a 5 year lay off of surfing, kiting. Long story, got really sick and the extend of my recovery means I'll never be able to swing the arms over in anger like I used to and I'm desperate to get back in the water and considering selling my first born to get an e foil.

Fitness wise, I can SUP flat water and I can kite on occasion, but its mowing the grass, nothing extreme, just glad to be out. I take full responsibility for my own safety and the risks associated. My family and mates support me getting in the ocean, we're all on the same page with the risk and I'm stoked that I have their support and commitment to get me out there. I get that some may see this as irresponsible, but we only hit the green light if everything lines up and we have a plan, plus it's what keeps my head in the right place.

Seeing the e foil in surf has got me frothing and has given me a boost that I could experience surfing again and that was something I never dreamed possible. I get that the e foils are heavy and may not give the same sensation as a light board, but any wave experience for me is better than none and its all about feeling the stoke again.

I'm 50 yo, 70Kg, 6f thinking of a flite board pro. I'm planning on getting a few lessons on the river (perth) before I buy. My days of getting barrelled and boat trips a thing of the past. That said, if I got a 2 out of 10 surf experience or better on an e foil, well I reckon that would change my life for the better and those around me.

Would be great to get your insight, so here are the specifics I'm after:

1. Assuming I can get the hang of it in the lessons, I'm intending to buy a Pro model, which will hopefully give me scope to improve over time. Is this a good choice of board for what will be mainly either river / ocean cruising / riding swell in the perth metro predominately? (with the odd up north and down south mission);
2. From all the vision I've seen, they can handle surf, but is it achievable for an average joe to get to a level to ride swells like the Fliteboard vids? or is that only for the mega talented? (BTW I've never foiled so cant appreciate the sensation)
3. For those that have surfed swell on them, whats your honest score out of 10 for the surf experience? and are there specific aspects of the experience you can put your finger on that is lacking from paddle surfing (engine aside! )?


Cheers

Have you had a look at "Foil Drive" Paddle assist system which maybe what you are looking for (also heaps less weight & a 1/4 of the price of an efioil, just less power but more surfablity and more user friendly :-)

You're on the right track with lessons. I'm over in CA, USA, couple guys here ride them "in the surf" meaning about 100 yards outside the breaking waves and surfers, but on legitimate swell lines. They make it look real fun. Then you have a lot of guys who just go out and cruise around. Within 2 hours you should know if you like it or not, and if you can do it or not. Efoil should be one of the better ways to learn how to foil. Very steep learning curve at first that ramps way up quickly.

I've never efoiled. I prone surf foil, but I've heard it compared to riding a dirt bike. You are always on the throttle and you can use that to torque through carves. At least one guy gave up on surfing and only efoils in the surf now.

Fliteboard seems like a good option. Lift is the main one I see. There's also cheaper options like waydoo (debate over the build quality of this one) Or the DIY option. Foil.zone has all the info you need to build one yourself. Could be a fun project.

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Murdy said..
Hi All,
Great information and I'm hoping to tap into some of your knowledge. I've stumbled across e foiling after a 5 year lay off of surfing, kiting. Long story, got really sick and the extend of my recovery means I'll never be able to swing the arms over in anger like I used to and I'm desperate to get back in the water and considering selling my first born to get an e foil.

Fitness wise, I can SUP flat water and I can kite on occasion, but its mowing the grass, nothing extreme, just glad to be out. I take full responsibility for my own safety and the risks associated. My family and mates support me getting in the ocean, we're all on the same page with the risk and I'm stoked that I have their support and commitment to get me out there. I get that some may see this as irresponsible, but we only hit the green light if everything lines up and we have a plan, plus it's what keeps my head in the right place.

Seeing the e foil in surf has got me frothing and has given me a boost that I could experience surfing again and that was something I never dreamed possible. I get that the e foils are heavy and may not give the same sensation as a light board, but any wave experience for me is better than none and its all about feeling the stoke again.

I'm 50 yo, 70Kg, 6f thinking of a flite board pro. I'm planning on getting a few lessons on the river (perth) before I buy. My days of getting barrelled and boat trips a thing of the past. That said, if I got a 2 out of 10 surf experience or better on an e foil, well I reckon that would change my life for the better and those around me.

Would be great to get your insight, so here are the specifics I'm after:

1. Assuming I can get the hang of it in the lessons, I'm intending to buy a Pro model, which will hopefully give me scope to improve over time. Is this a good choice of board for what will be mainly either river / ocean cruising / riding swell in the perth metro predominately? (with the odd up north and down south mission);
2. From all the vision I've seen, they can handle surf, but is it achievable for an average joe to get to a level to ride swells like the Fliteboard vids? or is that only for the mega talented? (BTW I've never foiled so cant appreciate the sensation)
3. For those that have surfed swell on them, whats your honest score out of 10 for the surf experience? and are there specific aspects of the experience you can put your finger on that is lacking from paddle surfing (engine aside! )?


Cheers

Murdy

A couple of points to consider

Firstly the weight. You're looking at 25kg with the sport flitecell, which I would recommend over the explore anyway. Lugging it to and from the water is definitely something to consider, whatever your condition is

You can save money and hunt around for a series 1 pro second hand which should be around $12k there is a fliteboard owners group on FB. The new wings are backwards compatible and the changes in the board are not major enough to warrant recommending a series 2, unless you were to go for the ultra

speak to Marcus when you go do your lessons as I think he will becoming a reseller and might be able to get you a discount on new (maybe)

pro model is a good choice, the others are really too big and the ultra is a bit of a leap again from the pro

define surf? if you've never even foiled to begin with, the whole point (arguably) is to open up a new realm of previously unsurfable conditions.

the true glide propellor is coming out soon which should be able to do unpowered foiling, riding swells on low power is definitely doable now, but you want the flow wings for that.

what is lacking would be determined by the swing weight, you can't snap a hard turn as a lighter board, but like Hdip said the comparison to dirt bikes / electric skateboards is accurate so make use of the power!

I bought mine basically to be able to ride all the time regardless of the conditions and that is really what it's all about

I would say more than anyone else I have come across am more interested in pushing the conditions you can ride an eFoil in, and I'm not exceptional talented by any means. it's more a matter of perspective

check out some of my drone shots on instagram.com/paularityfromabove to see where I've been riding in WA

PM for more details

Cheers fellas for all your input, food for thought.

I've been in touch with Marcus so hopefully I'll be getting a lesson in the next week or two.

Paularity, You hit the nail on the head, I want access to a new surf experience that doesn't have another 100 guys on the peak and I want to do it as often as I can. I've got 5 years to make up for! Your drone footage is amazing and just the flat water cruising looks epic in itself. Thanks for the tip on the FB group.

Murdy

Canal cruise on my Waydoo . Grab a drink and relax .

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Piros said..
Canal cruise on my Waydoo . Grab a drink and relax .

Magic
No puppy this time?

I was pretty keen to get one..
and then saw this pic..

Flite True Glide Propellor - Initial Impressions

So 16 weeks after the arrival of my Ultra and me constantly pestering Flite about it, I finally received the True Glide propellor a few days ago

Now with Perth / WA arguably being the wind sports capital of the country my primary use case is open ocean windswell, but as my Ultra arrived at the tail end of the Summer season late March, I haven't had too many days above 20kn to test some decent downwinders

I've been obsessed with Flite for about 15 months now, have 200+ hours of board time and have even practically retired kiteboarding as my primary activity. Just hunting to find the limit of eFoiling amongst all the naysayers while getting cool drone shots!

Winter here has been particularly rainy, but an angry cold front presented itself this morning so I went out for a survival session to 'test' out the free-spinning prop and here are my thoughts. Unfortunately it was a touch nasty for the Skydio, so no drone footage yet

The set-up today as is my usual go-to was - Ultra / Footstraps / Sport FliteCell / Flow 1100/245 wings

I'm 173cm / 5'8" and 75kg / 165lb wet

The conditions were intense to put it mildly. Absolute washing machine shorebreak to get through initially with a solid 25KN onshore wind and some big head height troughs to deal with finding the right AoA without punching out the top of the wave and being ejected at speed!

I've had a bit of a chat to Keahi about stance and technique for the True Glide so I was mindful of his tips, but generally for the most part I ride my Ultra in cruise control on L1, letting the wing glide and bumping up to 2/3 when you need to punch back upwind. I find it's just one less thing to think about feathering the throttle while you're dealing with holding on by your toes to a 25kg carbon fibre axe as a big bomb spits you out down the troughs!

This is usually averaging about 0.5kw of power and the prop spinning at 2k rpm. One thing I didn't do was check out the info in the remote as I was riding to see the efficiency. Next time!

And after much experimentation, my footstraps are set up in the narrowest stance possible
Well True Glide is kinda different.

I'm back feathering the throttle, but in L1. Initially I would back off incrementally and connect the dots to find lines amongst the chaos, but quickly realised I needed to get this thing dialed in before attempting turns so just went for straight-lining it and hanging on!

The session was 20km / 10 laps - 1km upwind and then 1km downwind run back in to shore. I think my most successful lap netted about 300ish metres of gliding without power before I either ate **** or stalled

Now there was a LOT of water movement so quite often on the 1100 I'd accelerate way too quickly and overtake the lump I was on and end up stalling out and this was mainly because you have to shift your weight distribution mid-ride

Normally the pitch sensitivity of a 25+kg board is quite front foot heavy also due to the thrust coming from the underneath and to the rear, when you power off you need to compensate for this lack of thrust and lean back which changes the dynamic of the ride and the handling of the wing. Not ideal in the washing machine and I came off many times more than usual today. Pretty spectacularly a few times! Shark bait haha!

Also I found you couldn't really just crank back down on the trigger if you were losing lift and stalling as that would buck your balance even in L1, it's more of an incremental feathering to reengage too

And I didn't even attempt to pump the board, I'm not confident you'll be able to keep it going anyway, but will have a go next session

It's bizarre having that comfortable whining background noise of the motor disappear which I guess is what all the 'purists' are very much used to haha!

But for the TLDR crowd, yes, with practice and the right conditions / wings (1100/1300 not S) you will be able to foil without power

I'm excited to nail this new skill and push some records into distance downwinder runs come Summer!

More specifics will come when I get some hours under my belt

DM on IG @paularityfromabove for more details

a 'dronie' compilation of the most hyper-real colours WA has to offer
that could have only been experienced on the new flite ultra
and shot over the last 3 months on skydio 2
looking forward to capturing more electrifying experiences

Yes still fun, not kite , efoil. My watch thinks I only kite, I am not sure how to tell it I have another battery toy.

sometimes braving the cold in winter and waking up early is worth it for some lovely lumps

taking the robot over 1km out to sea with no return to home option as always delivers the goods

i love me a downwinder raw run, cruising on level 1!

shot on skydio

flite ultra 4'2"
flow 1100 wing + 245 stab

Nice. So when you are dropping into those lumps, are you turning the power off so you are just surfing the wave energy? Or down, to lessen it? Or just powering through? From years of kite foiling, I see a distinction between surfing waves and riding amongst waves. But either way, looks super fun.

I got my first go at a buddy's Lift, only a brief try, but I can understand the appeal better now. All the good feelings that come from foiling, without paddles or wings or boat drivers. Power and speed on demand. I could for sure fit one of these into my lifestyle. I still have my doubts about it as a vehicle for e assisted surf foil, given how heavy and clunky it is ... but it's partway there and going to get better. Anyways, not a chance I am spending $13k, so it's all theoretical anyway.

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juandesooka said..
Nice. So when you are dropping into those lumps, are you turning the power off so you are just surfing the wave energy? Or down, to lessen it? Or just powering through? From years of kite foiling, I see a distinction between surfing waves and riding amongst waves. But either way, looks super fun.

I got my first go at a buddy's Lift, only a brief try, but I can understand the appeal better now. All the good feelings that come from foiling, without paddles or wings or boat drivers. Power and speed on demand. I could for sure fit one of these into my lifestyle. I still have my doubts about it as a vehicle for e assisted surf foil, given how heavy and clunky it is ... but it's partway there and going to get better. Anyways, not a chance I am spending $13k, so it's all theoretical anyway.

So I'm on an 1100sqcm HA wing and riding downwind on the lowest 'gear' level 1 and punching directly upwind on level 2/3. Just running laps

I do have the True Glide free spinning propellor, but you would need bigger, cleaner waves for it to work efficiently and I have yet to try it on the 1300 wing

Realistically the board weighs 25kg so the redistribution of your weight when you cut the thrust is a handful to get used to and again you need to shift it when reengaging. It is never going to replicate a much lighter foil set-up

I don't really see the problem with riding whilst still using minimal power, thats kinda the whole point of having a motor and the comparison to eSkate is pretty accurate. You'd never be able to bomb a big hill like a downhill race board because of the belt drag on the motors, but cruising absolutely anywhere for 50km rides is where the fun is

With travel kinda still being off the table, this time of year I am almost always the only person out on the water and having a 90min session every single day regardless of the conditions is what fully sold me.

I got rid of my kite quiver and doubled down on just having my Flite Ultra with 3-4 different sized wings

I literally just did a solo 25km downwinder in 30kn insane windswell which was hectic!

Price will likely improve over time as will the improvements on lighter, higher capacity batteries to improve the swing weight

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paularity said..

Realistically the board weighs 25kg so the redistribution of your weight when you cut the thrust is a handful to get used to and again you need to shift it when reengaging. It is never going to replicate a much lighter foil set-up

I don't really see the problem with riding whilst still using minimal power, thats kinda the whole point of having a motor and the comparison to eSkate is pretty accurate. You'd never be able to bomb a big hill like a downhill race board because of the belt drag on the motors, but cruising absolutely anywhere for 50km rides is where the fun is

With travel kinda still being off the table, this time of year I am almost always the only person out on the water and having a 90min session every single day regardless of the conditions is what fully sold me.

I got rid of my kite quiver and doubled down on just having my Flite Ultra with 3-4 different sized wings

I literally just did a solo 25km downwinder in 30kn insane windswell which was hectic!

Price will likely improve over time as will the improvements on lighter, higher capacity batteries to improve the swing weight

That's rad ... as they say, "he who is having the most fun wins" ... and sounds like on any given day, you may well be a contender for the gold.

Good to hear you are able to shift down to gear 1 and feel the waves. It's not quite surfing, but close enough, and who cares really if you are enjoying the waves in your own way.

I am fully immersed in winging and my kite gear is gathering dust, I have wondered if I will return to it once honeymoon wanes or I should sell it. My goal this season is to use the right tool for the day ... if it's low tide surf and 12kt, then kiting is way better than wing foiling. Similarly, if it's head high, glassy, and pumping, then surf!

And should one of the e options fall into my lap, a deal "too good to pass up", well, then I guess the gods will have spoken and that's just meant to be.

Anyone tried efoil and wind wing combos, I'm thinking free ride prop and topping up range with taking my wing along. From reading sounds like weight shifting on powered to un powered with the wing could be tricky. Anyone tried ?? I'm looking at flite board pro efoil with free ride prop with ensis 5.5 wing.

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sealink said..
Anyone tried efoil and wind wing combos, I'm thinking free ride prop and topping up range with taking my wing along. From reading sounds like weight shifting on powered to un powered with the wing could be tricky. Anyone tried ?? I'm looking at flite board pro efoil with free ride prop with ensis 5.5 wing.

as someone who doesn't wing foil due to already having the expense of an eFoil, I'm just curious as to why you would bother?

I can easily get 90 minutes sessions and even though I would regard myself as fitter than most punters out there - I'm pretty well cooked after 25-30km rides!

so how far/long are you thinking of riding?!

I'd imagine holding the remote in one hand would be a hassle dealing with the wing even when foiling downwind. and then when you were using the power of the wing just having it flop around on the wrist lanyard would be annoying too!

plus the board is super heavy compared to a wingfoil board

I don't pretend to be an expert on dings, but isn't a 5.5m on the larger end of the spectrum too? so it would be for lighter wind riding?

Yep don't see the appeal there, why would you
want the wing? The joy of the efoil is not having anything. Having winged and had a few sessions on paularity's efoil i would not combine the two!