Nakk
Jet Boat Addict
- Messages
- 158
- Reaction score
- 213
- Points
- 122
- Location
- Camas, WA
- Boat Make
- Yamaha
- Year
- 2017
- Boat Model
- AR
- Boat Length
- 24
For a good eFoil you're looking at about the same cost as a Waverunner. It's a lot more fun though! What's cool is you can "pirate" wakes off of passing wake boats, big cruisers, barges, etc. You use the power to get on a wake, wave or swell and then power off and ride just like a standard hydrofoil. To do this, you need one of the top two brands, as only those eFoils have a means to reduce drag after killing your power along with the wings and low weight needed to enjoy riding wakes. (Lift and Fliteboard.)
Other brands are fine for cruising around, but TBH that gets boring pretty quickly. Also watch out for eFoil boards that try and suck you in with "cool looking" boards. Opting for a modern looking--but hydrodynamically worthless--shape can be exceptionally dangerous. If you ride one of these boards, eventually it's going to hit you--that is a fact. Decide before you buy if you want a 70 pound vessel with a pointed nose hitting you in the head.
There's a few differences between Lift and Fliteboard--each has pros and cons. Both are outstanding though and you'll be thrilled with either one. For wake riding, you'll find that the Fliteboard is easier to learn to power the board on and off while on the wake, while the Lift takes more time to learn the required skills. OTH, once you learn how, the Lift will give a better ride on the wake as it has much less drag when un-powered. The difference is in the prop. Lift uses a folding prop; Flite uses a free spinning prop. As any racing sailor and many engineering studies will tell you, a folding prop has about half the drag as a free spinning prop. So the Lift will feel more like a normal foil board on a wake, but the power comes on and off more abruptly. The Flite is easier to feather the power on and off, but once off you will still feel the drag back there. On a steep wave that's not as big a deal, more of an annoyance. On smaller waves it can be just a bit too much drag to ride. The design of the Lift also allows you to use custom fuselages that allow the use of other brands of wings. (Armstrong, Moses, Slingshot, etc...) This can save you thousands of dollars if you do other foil sports besides eFoiling. Additionally, you can use Lift wings with a standard Lift mast on regular foil boards which can also save a ton of money for multi foil sport enthusiasts. The Flite eFoil can only use Flite wings, and you can not use those wings on anything but a Flite eFoil.
Lift eFoils start at just under $10K, Flite starts at just $12.5K
DO NOT buy an eFoil longer than 5'4"; you'll outgrow it quickly. 5'4" is a good length if you'll be having people new to the sport try it, or have people who only will ride occasionally. If everyone that uses it will be regular riders, get a 4'9" or shorter board. The 4'2"--the shortest available-- will be the most fun on a wave but is harder to get up on, especially for heavier riders or conditions other than smooth water. The 4'9" is still fun on a wave, and is much easier to get up on in chop or for heavier riders. The 4'9" will also float you better, so it's more fun to just hang out on.
BTW, full disclosure, I am a Lift affiliate. I had a choice between Lift and Flite last year, after much research I chose Lift for the advantages I list in this post along with a few others. Fliteboards are also excellent boards though, you can't go wrong with either.
BTW again, Yamaha boats make outstanding carriers for eFoils. It's extremely easy to do deep water launch and recoveries of of the swim platform. I use a floating pad to help facilitate launch and land. You don't absolutely need one, it just makes things easier, and prevents scuffing and such..
Other brands are fine for cruising around, but TBH that gets boring pretty quickly. Also watch out for eFoil boards that try and suck you in with "cool looking" boards. Opting for a modern looking--but hydrodynamically worthless--shape can be exceptionally dangerous. If you ride one of these boards, eventually it's going to hit you--that is a fact. Decide before you buy if you want a 70 pound vessel with a pointed nose hitting you in the head.
There's a few differences between Lift and Fliteboard--each has pros and cons. Both are outstanding though and you'll be thrilled with either one. For wake riding, you'll find that the Fliteboard is easier to learn to power the board on and off while on the wake, while the Lift takes more time to learn the required skills. OTH, once you learn how, the Lift will give a better ride on the wake as it has much less drag when un-powered. The difference is in the prop. Lift uses a folding prop; Flite uses a free spinning prop. As any racing sailor and many engineering studies will tell you, a folding prop has about half the drag as a free spinning prop. So the Lift will feel more like a normal foil board on a wake, but the power comes on and off more abruptly. The Flite is easier to feather the power on and off, but once off you will still feel the drag back there. On a steep wave that's not as big a deal, more of an annoyance. On smaller waves it can be just a bit too much drag to ride. The design of the Lift also allows you to use custom fuselages that allow the use of other brands of wings. (Armstrong, Moses, Slingshot, etc...) This can save you thousands of dollars if you do other foil sports besides eFoiling. Additionally, you can use Lift wings with a standard Lift mast on regular foil boards which can also save a ton of money for multi foil sport enthusiasts. The Flite eFoil can only use Flite wings, and you can not use those wings on anything but a Flite eFoil.
Lift eFoils start at just under $10K, Flite starts at just $12.5K
DO NOT buy an eFoil longer than 5'4"; you'll outgrow it quickly. 5'4" is a good length if you'll be having people new to the sport try it, or have people who only will ride occasionally. If everyone that uses it will be regular riders, get a 4'9" or shorter board. The 4'2"--the shortest available-- will be the most fun on a wave but is harder to get up on, especially for heavier riders or conditions other than smooth water. The 4'9" is still fun on a wave, and is much easier to get up on in chop or for heavier riders. The 4'9" will also float you better, so it's more fun to just hang out on.
BTW, full disclosure, I am a Lift affiliate. I had a choice between Lift and Flite last year, after much research I chose Lift for the advantages I list in this post along with a few others. Fliteboards are also excellent boards though, you can't go wrong with either.
BTW again, Yamaha boats make outstanding carriers for eFoils. It's extremely easy to do deep water launch and recoveries of of the swim platform. I use a floating pad to help facilitate launch and land. You don't absolutely need one, it just makes things easier, and prevents scuffing and such..
I've never been bothered by LE, they don't seem to care so far. Since I ride on the Columbia River--the border between the states--they probably assume I'm from Oregon and don't need numbers. Once I get a ticket I'll probably remember to attach the numbers. My issue is that even though I live in WA, I'm right across the river from Portland, Oregon--which would be by far my biggest market if I sell a board. WA numbers would cut the resale value.
