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airsail said..noepoxy said..
I'd really like to see a good prone surfer use one, to see what it's really like, a full session, no edits, carving and linking multiple waves. Maybe one of the usual suspects can show us how it's done (casey, ku etc). Everything I've seen is just efoiling and going in a straight line which is very pedestrian IMO and has little appeal whatsoever to me or to the younger demographics.
Off course Foildrive has its limitations, anytime you add 4 kgs to a board and a motor pod to the mast it will hinder full on surf type sessions that include radical cutbacks, off the lips etc. But, if your not gifted with perfect surf or your totally sick of crowded breaks it opens up a world of benefits and unridden waves.
For me it saves about 3 hours of driving each surf session, I can walk to the bay when the wind is up and catch the wrap from one of the points, no chance without a Foildrive.
Besides the rear puckering entry fee of $6k USD which is the reason I don't have one yet, my thoughts have been how important is assist vs. efoil? Most reviews have been using the Max and love the long distance e-foil aspect for the seemingly impossible concept of staying on foil for a very long time. With the extra power a smaller board and smaller foil can be used...
Yesterday I opted to surf as I just can't handle foiling in powerful (ish) waves. One guy was out prone foiling who could pump very well and link enough rides to make my choice to surf questionable. Had I an FD Max, I could've motored way out and riden unbroken waves and potentially had the day of the year on foil.
Video review shows the rider in small waves close to shore and he's a good pump foiler, so he prefers the Slim and a bigger front wing which makes sense for the wave conditions I usually prone foil in, however, I'm much further out. And so there is the dilema. Focus on wave riding and maybe use the Slim to just taxi back out to an outer break, or get the Max and modify technique a bit more to the efoil like Rob's vid.
Or be happy with the DW board I got to wing and ride unbroken waves that is already a compromise over a small prone board and foil...