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Scotty Mac said..
I was fortunate to have a go on the max up the river and just had received my code foils so I had to see how small a foil I could use. So I am 94kg, board was an Amos sultan wing 5'5" x 17" at 50 litres and the code 720S, gen2 max with a Cedrus mast. Well yes took a couple of attempts but I got it going. That's just flat start no wave. Chewed some power but yes these units have some grunt!

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Scotty Mac said..
I was fortunate to have a go on the max up the river and just had received my code foils so I had to see how small a foil I could use. So I am 94kg, board was an Amos sultan wing 5'5" x 17" at 50 litres and the code 720S, gen2 max with a Cedrus mast. Well yes took a couple of attempts but I got it going. That's just flat start no wave. Chewed some power but yes these units have some grunt!

That Amos is 75l no?

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Piros said..

drc13 said..
Also if you're super bored and want to see some low quality beginner foiling here's a clip I made the other day. It was a day where without FD you probably wouldn't have gone out (small straight shore breakers essentially) any time I'm on the wave or pumping my motor is off. The 2nd wave gives you an idea of paddling with the motor on and popping up on a 29L prone board.

Thats a great video , what foil were you on .

Thanks mate appreciate that! For that particular session I was on my larger wing a Unifoil Progression 170 on a JS Mister Bennetts 29L
If there's a bit more swell I swap over to the Progression 125 which I can still paddle up with the FDA+ but it does take a bit more workLoved your early podcasts on the progression project time for an update ep!

Thanks for that , my FD Max got sent today . I'm one week into a broken hand but have a waterproof cast so I'm hoping to do one hand pop ups on my Code 980s with the FDM which by all reports should be no worries . I'll do a video as soon as i get it . I always keep in contact with Erik at the Progression report so will do above session hopefully in the not too distant future.

I don't think the world is ready for an Electrified Piros in the lineup??

Look out world

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Piros said..
Thanks for that , my FD Max got sent today . I'm one week into a broken hand but have a waterproof cast so I'm hoping to do one hand pop ups on my Code 980s with the FDM which by all reports should be no worries . I'll do a video as soon as i get it . I always keep in contact with Erik at the Progression report so will do above session hopefully in the not too distant future.

Hey Rob just ordered mine and am hearing quite a wait...
Seeing your hand is broken would you mind forwarding yours up to me & you can get mine in 6 weeks when your hand is better

I have a waterproof cast so I'm straight there on it

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Piros said..
I have a waterproof cast so I'm straight there on it

Bugger, I was just thinking about your hand....

?si=25V_7Ur4pXFhf7z5
Damn! I have been trying not to think about getting into the foil drive thing but this is just getting too good to ignore

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Piros said..
Look out world

Looking forward to your review.

I've been devouring info and trying figure out if this is a new sport or an enhancement to what I already like. I get the old Assist as an enhancement to sup foiling. I get the Assist Max as a prone board "e-foil". What I hate about sup foil is the heavy gear. Nothing beats the long walk to my spot with a lightweight prone set up and the surfing experience that I've grow accustumed to over the last 40 years. Nothing sucks more than the long paddle out on a small prone board. Once the swell picks up, prone is difficult as at my 200 pounds wet, I need a big foil to pump back out, but controlling the drop is tough even using a high aspect foil. Looking at a longer "midlenth" like the Amos Sultan that could also be used light winging to help get in before the wave pitches.
-or-
Would the Assit Slim get me into the wave sooner on the smaller foil and board I want to ride, but still allow for the prone experience? How do you paddle with the controller if you don't need the assist? When you stop pumping, how far on foil (assuming an equal size foil as without Assist) can you motor on the Slim Endurance or Performance?

I watched the round table discussion and based on my age, weight, and poor pumping, the Assist Max is probably the correct product, but I'm worried it would end up in the garage like the sup foil as something that even though it easily gets more waves than prone, isn't as rewarding to me?

This video of J. Casey riding a lumpy point/reef break opened my eyes on some real possibilities and this is on the older Assist Plus that I think is similar to the Assist Slim Endurance? So I could use this on the Amos Sultan 5'5" type board?
www.google.com/search?q=james+casey+foil+drive&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS804US804&oq=james+casey+foil+drive&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIKCAMQIRgWGB0YHjIKCAQQIRgWGB0YHjIKCAUQIRgWGB0YHjIKCAYQIRgWGB0YHjIKCAcQIRgWGB0YHjIKCAgQIRgWGB0YHjIKCAkQIRgWGB0YHtIBCDQ4NDVqMGo5qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:16e854e1,vid:igg3m44276Q,st:0

-or- stop over thinking it and get the Max!


Here's a battery comparison that's quite helpfull.

I have a couple of FD+'s, great addition which enables me to surf the wind swell on Moreton Bay, no more driving up the coast in crappy traffic.
Toyed with the idea of the Max, but the cost has held me back. Email from Foildrive yesterday said all batch 1 is fully sold out, well done Foildrive, very impressive from an Australian company.

@Hwy1North in my opinion the FD is at it's best when it's not in use (pod out of the water motor off), I look at it as a tool to give me the most possible "chip ins" and "on foil time" as possible in which I can then clock up as much muscle memory and "learning to foil" as possible. People that use them as a toy or efoil may be having fun but the progression tends to stagnate there. I started foiling about 6 months ago and even as a long time surfer I sucked during my initial tow sessions it got frustrating. I didn't want to buy a FD I considered it the easy way out and cheating. But having said that I eventually got one (again only looking at it as a temporary learning tool) The FD allowed me to put in the time on foil without needing to rely on a jetski or maybe catching 1 wave per session.Here's a few clips from the past couple of weeks (nothing amazing it's tiny shore break conditions and my first flat water session but it's real world I guess) I'm still not near good enough to ditch it yet, but I will continue to work on on my surf technique, my turns and my pump which should all hopefully transfer over to "real foiling" when I make that move.?si=Izrh084dJxvjM7ME?si=SpJjvxACFVqiUz-t?si=3B-DXmnZXN2e1zuT

DRC13,
it looks like you have to battery pack on your waist in the flatwater video. Would you mind posting a pic or 2 of the setup. I assume you are using some sort of leash setup that does not stretch.

Question for Max owners. Connectivity. How good is it? I have the V2 controller on FD assist plus that drove me insane today. Kept disconnecting when using cruise to get back to the take off, caused by the box going underwater due to me being on a tiny sup. Does the Max solve this issue or do you still need a floater board to get the signal to the box??

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ninjatuna said..
DRC13,
it looks like you have to battery pack on your waist in the flatwater video. Would you mind posting a pic or 2 of the setup. I assume you are using some sort of leash setup that does not stretch.

correct I am but it's important to note it's not at all supported by FD and it does void your warranty (fair enough as it is possible to get it wrong and damage things) Yep one method is to use a leash that is shorter (when fully stretched) than your power cable running to your waist you also really should anchor it at a bunch of different points before it reaches the terminating points. But a couple of us are actually working on a neater/better method now involving dyneema but I want to test it out first

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hilly said..
Question for Max owners. Connectivity. How good is it? I have the V2 controller on FD assist plus that drove me insane today. Kept disconnecting when using cruise to get back to the take off, caused by the box going underwater due to me being on a tiny sup. Does the Max solve this issue or do you still need a floater board to get the signal to the box??

I've not tested one at all but isn't it now effectively making the entire board "the antenna" so from what I've read as long as at least some portion of the board isn't submerged you should get reception.

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hilly said..
Question for Max owners. Connectivity. How good is it? I have the V2 controller on FD assist plus that drove me insane today. Kept disconnecting when using cruise to get back to the take off, caused by the box going underwater due to me being on a tiny sup. Does the Max solve this issue or do you still need a floater board to get the signal to the box??

I heard if you're on a sinker prone board you can touch the controller to your board and it will transfer through your board. That's 3rd hand of course. I've not used or seen it in person.

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drc13 said..

ninjatuna said..
DRC13,
it looks like you have to battery pack on your waist in the flatwater video. Would you mind posting a pic or 2 of the setup. I assume you are using some sort of leash setup that does not stretch.

correct I am but it's important to note it's not at all supported by FD and it does void your warranty (fair enough as it is possible to get it wrong and damage things) Yep one method is to use a leash that is shorter (when fully stretched) than your power cable running to your waist you also really should anchor it at a bunch of different points before it reaches the terminating points. But a couple of us are actually working on a neater/better method now involving dyneema but I want to test it out first

Thanks for that info. I understand to warranty isssue. But like your video, I want to get one to help with the pumping aspect on a prone board.

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ninjatuna said..

drc13 said..

ninjatuna said..
DRC13,
it looks like you have to battery pack on your waist in the flatwater video. Would you mind posting a pic or 2 of the setup. I assume you are using some sort of leash setup that does not stretch.

correct I am but it's important to note it's not at all supported by FD and it does void your warranty (fair enough as it is possible to get it wrong and damage things) Yep one method is to use a leash that is shorter (when fully stretched) than your power cable running to your waist you also really should anchor it at a bunch of different points before it reaches the terminating points. But a couple of us are actually working on a neater/better method now involving dyneema but I want to test it out first

Thanks for that info. I understand to warranty isssue. But like your video, I want to get one to help with the pumping aspect on a prone board.

Yeah well with the warranty blurb out of the way having a completely clean deck and no additional weight or drag on the board (other than the motor/pod) has helped with general proning and pump. I've only ever chucked in a few pumps in between waves, that flatwater vid was my first go at doing it intentionally with the FD and it's a lot easier than dockstarting I'd imagine. Unfortunately I got distracted by the tiny wakes coming off the boat and did more chasing them than actually pump practice ??

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hilly said..
Question for Max owners. Connectivity. How good is it? I have the V2 controller on FD assist plus that drove me insane today. Kept disconnecting when using cruise to get back to the take off, caused by the box going underwater due to me being on a tiny sup. Does the Max solve this issue or do you still need a floater board to get the signal to the box??

I have the FD Max on a non carbon 5-5 x 55 litre prone board . The connectivity is insanely good , I've done 3 full battery cycles and never disconnected once. At one stage I stalled the board and sunk knee deep and just pulled the trigger and up it pops . You can actually gas it under water when you duck dive and come flying out the other side of the wave (blew my mind) I've got 100's of hours on efoils and no brand can even come close to this. Punching through white water , sinking the nose it just stays connected. So you just lay on your board and punch through the waves non stop , it's the fastest you'll ever get out Paul won't let on how this actually works , he is one smart guy.

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drc13 said..

hilly said..
Question for Max owners. Connectivity. How good is it? I have the V2 controller on FD assist plus that drove me insane today. Kept disconnecting when using cruise to get back to the take off, caused by the box going underwater due to me being on a tiny sup. Does the Max solve this issue or do you still need a floater board to get the signal to the box??

I've not tested one at all but isn't it now effectively making the entire board "the antenna" so from what I've read as long as at least some portion of the board isn't submerged you should get reception.

A bit of nose only. Hopefully enough

What mount height are you guys using? Looking at both 15 and 20 cm. Prefer to keep the pod out of the water whenever I'm on foil (which would steer me towards 15cm), but I also want to be able to use the motor to get me out to the swell. Haven't used one of these so I don't really know how much I'm sacrificing going with the 15cm mount.

How much real-time usage are people getting out of the Max battery? Wondering whether its overkill and whether I can get away with the sport or not.

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drc13 said..
@Hwy1North in my opinion the FD is at it's best when it's not in use (pod out of the water motor off), I look at it as a tool to give me the most possible "chip ins" and "on foil time" as possible in which I can then clock up as much muscle memory and "learning to foil" as possible. People that use them as a toy or efoil may be having fun but the progression tends to stagnate there. I started foiling about 6 months ago and even as a long time surfer I sucked during my initial tow sessions it got frustrating. I didn't want to buy a FD I considered it the easy way out and cheating. But having said that I eventually got one (again only looking at it as a temporary learning tool) The FD allowed me to put in the time on foil without needing to rely on a jetski or maybe catching 1 wave per session.Here's a few clips from the past couple of weeks (nothing amazing it's tiny shore break conditions and my first flat water session but it's real world I guess) I'm still not near good enough to ditch it yet, but I will continue to work on on my surf technique, my turns and my pump which should all hopefully transfer over to "real foiling" when I make that move.

?si=Izrh084dJxvjM7ME

?si=SpJjvxACFVqiUz-t

?si=3B-DXmnZXN2e1zuT

Drc13,
Great Vids, especially the flatwater that shows the part I don't quite get and am looking for answers to: looks like you hold onto the controller and use as a paddle of sorts (the Max wouldn't require any paddling) and then smash it into the board to pop up? No issues connectivity wise if the controller is under water during paddle? The controller and board can take this kind of beating? With your set up, Assist Plus, could you do 15 or ? assists and short motors back?

This is some real life battery usage on the Max & Sport . I'm 90 kg riding a DC 5-5 x 20 x 55 litre prone board and a Code 1130s with a broken hand in a waterproof cast so I can't paddle at all or pop up. I would kneel then one foot then another , pretty slow and hard on the battery .Conditions were really bad , I wouldn't normally surf in crap like this but this is a good punter worst senario test . NE 10+ cross on shore with NE swell , great for downwinds absolute crap for surfing . All I had was a small wind swell wave running on an angle down the beach , so the free ride foiling was pretty short and most of the time I was up and riding on the motor and I would have to power foil back up the beach against the wind. The 2 pics below are on foil only not buzzing around .

First one was on the Max I got 46 min and that's beach to beach and the Sport I got 31 min. What was really amazing was I was able to start on both batteries at only 10% , that's impressive. Unpowered pumping I did find really hard but that will improve with time just got to get used to the bigger board and battery weight , no worries on the wave and connecting but pumping back was a struggle but again conditions were terrible. I'm running the motor at 20cm which was great in the choppy conditions. In cleaner conditions and longer waves obviously the battery life will be way longer , this just gives a good starting point for minimum run time.

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Velocicraptor said..
What mount height are you guys using? Looking at both 15 and 20 cm. Prefer to keep the pod out of the water whenever I'm on foil (which would steer me towards 15cm), but I also want to be able to use the motor to get me out to the swell. Haven't used one of these so I don't really know how much I'm sacrificing going with the 15cm mount.

How much real-time usage are people getting out of the Max battery? Wondering whether its overkill and whether I can get away with the sport or not.

I'm on the original FDA+ so it's important to remember my measurement is from base to centreline of the pod as there's no additional length added by the box on the gen2.I generally move my pod around a bit but generally 13-17cm from the board and 99% of my usage is prone surfing on a 29L board. It can be a trickier "efoil" ride between waves if you're not pumping but I much prefer as much naked mast as possible to actually surf the wave or pump because yes you can notice when the pod dips in. I guess in gen2 max would that would be a 8-12cm cable

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Hwy1North said..

drc13 said..
@Hwy1North in my opinion the FD is at it's best when it's not in use (pod out of the water motor off), I look at it as a tool to give me the most possible "chip ins" and "on foil time" as possible in which I can then clock up as much muscle memory and "learning to foil" as possible. People that use them as a toy or efoil may be having fun but the progression tends to stagnate there. I started foiling about 6 months ago and even as a long time surfer I sucked during my initial tow sessions it got frustrating. I didn't want to buy a FD I considered it the easy way out and cheating. But having said that I eventually got one (again only looking at it as a temporary learning tool) The FD allowed me to put in the time on foil without needing to rely on a jetski or maybe catching 1 wave per session.Here's a few clips from the past couple of weeks (nothing amazing it's tiny shore break conditions and my first flat water session but it's real world I guess) I'm still not near good enough to ditch it yet, but I will continue to work on on my surf technique, my turns and my pump which should all hopefully transfer over to "real foiling" when I make that move.

?si=Izrh084dJxvjM7ME

?si=SpJjvxACFVqiUz-t

?si=3B-DXmnZXN2e1zuT

Drc13,
Great Vids, especially the flatwater that shows the part I don't quite get and am looking for answers to: looks like you hold onto the controller and use as a paddle of sorts (the Max wouldn't require any paddling) and then smash it into the board to pop up? No issues connectivity wise if the controller is under water during paddle? The controller and board can take this kind of beating? With your set up, Assist Plus, could you do 15 or ? assists and short motors back?

Thanks mate glad you liked them. I paddle just like you would prone surfing a normal board I just have my thumb tucked in to hold the controller against my palm as I paddle. It's not necessary but I like my board enough to put a thin strip of clear tape on that rail (with a bit of wax on it) where my hand generally lands while popping up.I have the v2 remote and as long as you keep paddling and don't just let your hand dangle under the water I have no reception issues (as you can see it's a pretty quick process) also probably made a bit better by the back mount box as it's generally above the water unless I'm sitting on the board.Our waves we're a bit punchier today so went out on the progression 125 (800cm2 wing) and again was a pretty similar paddle and pop up maybe a few extra strokes but once you get down to around 30% battery I am hunting for a wave to help give me a bit of extra push to get up to speed on foil then kick immediately off and grab the next wave.Oh I'd do way more than 15 I'd say I get a fair bit more time/distance out of my battery than the local crew here probably mostly to do with being lighter body weight and I also probably surf and pump more than them. But I can get up to 8km on foil out of a single battery.

I'm similarly enthusiastic to drc13 (hi Dave!) except my foildrive+ is deck-mounted by my front foot. I'm 86 kg, a proper Man's Weight, so I'm using bigger foils than Dave. This doesn't mean that he's better than me, or at least. I hope not.
I can flat water-start an Axis PNG1010 on pretty much anything but it's pretty hopeless on a wave, it's more for pump practice. I'm using an 1100 Axis Spitfire anytime that there's a hint of swell, it's needed to get up, and I'm working towards a 900 Spitfire.
Paddling up is via dolphin kick and one-handed paddling, index finger on the trigger, other three fingers being the paddle, generally 2 dolphins to 1 arm-paddle. The paddle is fast enough with either the v1 or v2 controllers that the motor doesn't get a chance to cut out.
If it's flat, which is a lot of the time around here, I'll get about 45 minutes of pump practice, consisting of pumping until I cough up a lung, wait until my heart rate comes down to a level where I can expect to see my wife again, then repeat.
If there's swell and I'm waiting for sets then I can expect to get about 1.5 hours per battery, and you really want 2 batteries.
I am Rich in Years so my recovery is slower than When All These Here Were Fields so I tend to use 1 battery for after work sessions and 2 batteries in the weekend for a morning and afternoon sesh.

EDIT: I forgot some stuff.
I'm running 18cm board to motor-axis on the FoilDrive on a 75cm Axis HiMod mast and 42 litre 4'10" KT Drifter Full and 4'6" Ginxu 39 litre boards.
The 18cm motor height translates to about 8cm on the Ginxu due to the cutaway but it's no big deal as I'm focused on pumping and I'm trying to get above the motor anyway. I have to deal with a lot of chop in Wellington, NZ and I don't feel that the high motor height is a problem.
i'm ordering a Gen 2Max with the 15cm motor connector.

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tangogeoff said..
I'm similarly enthusiastic to drc13 (hi Dave!) except my foildrive+ is deck-mounted by my front foot. I'm 86 kg, a proper Man's Weight, so I'm using bigger foils than Dave. This doesn't mean that he's better than me, or at least. I hope not.
I can flat water-start an Axis PNG1010 on pretty much anything but it's pretty hopeless on a wave, it's more for pump practice. I'm using an 1100 Axis Spitfire anytime that there's a hint of swell, it's needed to get up, and I'm working towards a 900 Spitfire.
Paddling up is via dolphin kick and one-handed paddling, index finger on the trigger, other three fingers being the paddle, generally 2 dolphins to 1 arm-paddle. The paddle is fast enough with either the v1 or v2 controllers that the motor doesn't get a chance to cut out.
If it's flat, which is a lot of the time around here, I'll get about 45 minutes of pump practice, consisting of pumping until I cough up a lung, wait until my heart rate comes down to a level where I can expect to see my wife again, then repeat.
If there's swell and I'm waiting for sets then I can expect to get about 1.5 hours per battery, and you really want 2 batteries.
I am Rich in Years so my recovery is slower than When All These Here Were Fields so I tend to use 1 battery for after work sessions and 2 batteries in the weekend for a morning and afternoon sesh.

EDIT: I forgot some stuff.
I'm running 18cm board to motor-axis on the FoilDrive on a 75cm Axis HiMod mast and 42 litre 4'10" KT Drifter Full and 4'6" Ginxu 39 litre boards.
The 18cm motor height translates to about 8cm on the Ginxu due to the cutaway but it's no big deal as I'm focused on pumping and I'm trying to get above the motor anyway. I have to deal with a lot of chop in Wellington, NZ and I don't feel that the high motor height is a problem.
i'm ordering a Gen 2Max with the 15cm motor connector.

Hahah I enjoyed reading that, I'm going to have to admit a few of you kiwis actually seem like pretty decent blokes albeit not as good at foiling as me :p

You seem like a pretty cool guy, Dave, but there'll always be Australia's Day of Shame getting in the way of our bromance.The 1981 Underarm Bowling Incident. Never forget.