James Casey? His board looks pretty huge, but he's looking pretty good.
Lying on the board is no big deal with battery mounted next to your front foot , you're on your forearms and activating the trigger, but paddling is pretty difficult. Search the Facebook FoilDrive group for 'Victor Harris' and you'll see him getting up on tiny boards by paddling/kicking but his battery is on the front of the board.

Thanks for that above. Big ass board hes on. Might be the only way to distribute weight enough to minimise swing weight changes. Still looks awkward.



.. The reason im asking is Antman and I are testing a Stoke Foil Boost over here in the west. Antman has now dialed it in and i was hoping to get some decent turning footage next session - but alas we have had THE WORST autumn (now winter) swell in my living memory.

He is turning this thing really well hey ... looks almost similar to not having it on. Not 100 percent - but a lot bloody closer than all the FD stuff ive seen..
Still testing though . we will see.

Like anything there are pros and cons.

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eppo said..
Thanks for that above. Big ass board hes on. Might be the only way to distribute weight enough to minimise swing weight changes. Still looks awkward.



.. The reason im asking is Antman and I are testing a Stoke Foil Boost over here in the west. Antman has now dialed it in and i was hoping to get some decent turning footage next session - but alas we have had THE WORST autumn (now winter) swell in my living memory.

He is turning this thing really well hey ... looks almost similar to not having it on. Not 100 percent - but a lot bloody closer than all the FD stuff ive seen..
Still testing though . we will see.

Like anything there are pros and cons.

Getting a tiny, fit, young skilled human to dial it in is totally different to a more normal sized human. How are you going on it?
what is the run time like with an 80kg person on it? Or god forbid my 105kg

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eppo said..
Thanks for that above. Big ass board hes on. Might be the only way to distribute weight enough to minimise swing weight changes. Still looks awkward.

weeeell.I'm pretty new to prone boards but I'm loving my 42 litre 4'10" KT at 90kg and I certainly wouldn't ride a monster board like that beyond the beginner stage. I mentioned tiny boards earlier. There are guys using Axis Trays at 18 litres and 25 litre kite foil boards on the FoilDrive Facebook page.

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eppo said..
Thanks for that above. Big ass board hes on. Might be the only way to distribute weight enough to minimise swing weight changes. Still looks awkward.



.. The reason im asking is Antman and I are testing a Stoke Foil Boost over here in the west. Antman has now dialed it in and i was hoping to get some decent turning footage next session - but alas we have had THE WORST autumn (now winter) swell in my living memory.

He is turning this thing really well hey ... looks almost similar to not having it on. Not 100 percent - but a lot bloody closer than all the FD stuff ive seen..
Still testing though . we will see.

Like anything there are pros and cons.

Eppo, what are the battery specs? wH / AH etc

They don't state it on their website, besides this fluffy description "The battery capacity, paired with the intelligent Battery Management System has been sized to provide over 50 launches whilst remaining sleek and light in its design."

I'll probs be heading down to Avalon on Monday for a survival session, would be keen to check it out

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paularity said..

eppo said..
Thanks for that above. Big ass board hes on. Might be the only way to distribute weight enough to minimise swing weight changes. Still looks awkward.



.. The reason im asking is Antman and I are testing a Stoke Foil Boost over here in the west. Antman has now dialed it in and i was hoping to get some decent turning footage next session - but alas we have had THE WORST autumn (now winter) swell in my living memory.

He is turning this thing really well hey ... looks almost similar to not having it on. Not 100 percent - but a lot bloody closer than all the FD stuff ive seen..
Still testing though . we will see.

Like anything there are pros and cons.

Eppo, what are the battery specs? wH / AH etc

They don't state it on their website, besides this fluffy description "The battery capacity, paired with the intelligent Battery Management System has been sized to provide over 50 launches whilst remaining sleek and light in its design."

I'll probs be heading down to Avalon on Monday for a survival session, would be keen to check it out

I honestly dont know. Will try and find out.

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For hilly said..

eppo said..
Thanks for that above. Big ass board hes on. Might be the only way to distribute weight enough to minimise swing weight changes. Still looks awkward.



.. The reason im asking is Antman and I are testing a Stoke Foil Boost over here in the west. Antman has now dialed it in and i was hoping to get some decent turning footage next session - but alas we have had THE WORST autumn (now winter) swell in my living memory.

He is turning this thing really well hey ... looks almost similar to not having it on. Not 100 percent - but a lot bloody closer than all the FD stuff ive seen..
Still testing though . we will see.

Like anything there are pros and cons.

Getting a tiny, fit, young skilled human to dial it in is totally different to a more normal sized human. How are you going on it?
what is the run time like with an 80kg person on it? Or god forbid my 105kg

All true.
Not sure - antman has been on it mostly. I know they are developing a bigger battery than can be efoiled. Early days. Will report back once i know everything. For supping right now a FD would make more sense to me. Swing weight etc not as comprimised. But i could be wrong on that to.

Ok, you pricked my interest in Stoke, I'm a FD+ prone foiler and wanted to see the price comparison. Stoke looks well thought out, a really polished product but the Stoke assist only battery is over AUD$1300 with no delivery, double the cost of the standard FD battery.

Check out this battery waist harness setup: www.instagram.com/reel/CtDWwnxNHly/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

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foilthegreats said..
Check out this battery waist harness setup: www.instagram.com/reel/CtDWwnxNHly/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Yeh spoke to sky yesterday. Hes really positive about the setup. Uses a 4m comp leash on board with wire just long enough. Interesting hey!

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eppo said..

foilthegreats said..
Check out this battery waist harness setup: www.instagram.com/reel/CtDWwnxNHly/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Yeh spoke to sky yesterday. Hes really positive about the setup. Uses a 4m comp leash on board with wire just long enough. Interesting hey!

Getting the battery weight off the board really intrigues me. FD are dead against it as so much could go wrong so there will never be a 'official' option.
RE prone FD - I did the semi prone thing with my wing board and it was a fun novelty session. Showed me I could use a smaller sup for sure. The advantage a sup has is I can easily cruise out and use the paddle to save power so can get over 90 mins even with a bit of efoiling in there. My semi prone efforts taxed the battery and when up did not feel amazingly good compared to my sup foiling. A compromise of a very small sup might be where I go, fun times

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hilly said..

eppo said..

foilthegreats said..
Check out this battery waist harness setup: www.instagram.com/reel/CtDWwnxNHly/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Yeh spoke to sky yesterday. Hes really positive about the setup. Uses a 4m comp leash on board with wire just long enough. Interesting hey!

Getting the battery weight off the board really intrigues me. FD are dead against it as so much could go wrong so there will never be a 'official' option.
RE prone FD - I did the semi prone thing with my wing board and it was a fun novelty session. Showed me I could use a smaller sup for sure. The advantage a sup has is I can easily cruise out and use the paddle to save power so can get over 90 mins even with a bit of efoiling in there. My semi prone efforts taxed the battery and when up did not feel amazingly good compared to my sup foiling. A compromise of a very small sup might be where I go, fun times

Even with the small SUp . surely better to have that battery off the board. But yeh - imagine getting pummelled through big boat ramps with that chord and battery...

Apparently on the facebook foildrive group you can search "backpack" and see an injury from wearing the battery. I'm not a member. Looked like a burn and stitches though.

Here you go re a comparison. Regarding injuries and stitches, I'm on the group, searched on 'backpack' and only found a post from a guy who sliced his knee on the prop who commented on this YouTube clip by Giampaolo on Maui.

This just popped up on the Foildrive Facebook group

Sick actually is prone surfing. Not E foiling. Nice!!!

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tangogeoff said..
Here you go re a comparison. Regarding injuries and stitches, I'm on the group, searched on 'backpack' and only found a post from a guy who sliced his knee on the prop who commented on this YouTube clip by Giampaolo on Maui.

Lithium ion batteries occasionally combust very violently. I would prefer the battery on mast option. That said don't have the spare cash for bolt on foil kit anyway.

IMHO It will only be a matter of time before all motorized craft will be banned from surf zones. No one appreciates a wave hog weather or not they are on a shortboard, longboard, or a motorized board.

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SupMaui said..
IMHO It will only be a matter of time before all motorized craft will be banned from surf zones. No one appreciates a wave hog weather or not they are on a shortboard, longboard, or a motorized board.

That is the beauty of sup foil drive it takes me away from the crowds. Only have jet ski foilers for company

Safety wise the pump jet looks better especially for beginners and feels safer for others in the water.

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foilthegreats said..
Safety wise the pump jet looks better especially for beginners and feels safer for others in the water.

This might be nice for pure efoil, but with that fuse/motor thing you can forget about free foiling.Drag must be crazy high.

Apparently they claim no drag. My thinking is that it must always be powering some sort of thrust to compensate. We'll see as more details come out. It looks pretty hydrodynamic. www.instagram.com/p/CsEb3prIGry/

I'm starting to loose all faith in the industry. No Drag. Supper Stiff, Better range... yeah yeah yeah! I would have more faith and be more incline to support cie that would be honest...

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foilthegreats said..
Safety wise the pump jet looks better especially for beginners and feels safer for others in the water.

I have the Takuma e-foil with the jet instead of the prop since it is legal in Canada -- works fine. Takuma's foil assist looks interesting but why not offer a similar propulsion system mounted on the mast like the other foil assists on the market? Is the battery and motor all contained in the fuse? Here's hoping this is on the market soon so I can give it a try.

I know from experience that when the pod/motor touches the water the drag is large. The board just starts to slow and settle onto the water rather than gliding across it. It is possible to pump back up so the pod clears the water but it takes plenty of effort. I can't imagine the Takuma being much good for unpowered foiling.

no drag. as we say over in australia - yeh nah.

Here's a different take on the drag:

Personally I hate to see the sport going in this direction. Sure it's easier but the beauty of foiling to me is having light, simple gear. Mountain biking is going the same way, with 50 lb powered bikes to bring you uphill. Meh. Call me a retrogrouch but I hope to never need it.

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radair said..
Personally I hate to see the sport going in this direction. Sure it's easier but the beauty of foiling to me is having light, simple gear. Mountain biking is going the same way, with 50 lb powered bikes to bring you uphill. Meh. Call me a retrogrouch but I hope to never need it.

We are in our wind off season, so just flat water with no docks. The wind will be back in 4 months so until then Foildrive is the go for pump practice, others are sitting on the beach watching.

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airsail said..

radair said..
Personally I hate to see the sport going in this direction. Sure it's easier but the beauty of foiling to me is having light, simple gear. Mountain biking is going the same way, with 50 lb powered bikes to bring you uphill. Meh. Call me a retrogrouch but I hope to never need it.

We are in our wind off season, so just flat water with no docks. The wind will be back in 4 months so until then Foildrive is the go for pump practice, others are sitting on the beach watching.

It would be far cheaper to get a $100 scaffold ladder and learn to dock start off it. Better pumping without lugging a battery around too. But whatever works for you is fine