eFoils have exploded in popularity since they were first introduced in the market in 2016 by Lift Foils. But how does an efoil actually work?
The battery accelerates the propeller on the back of the foil. So once the rider pulls the trigger to accelerate the board, when the board has enough speed the mast begins to lift out of the waters surface. Once the board hovers above the water, the drag is significantly reduced and allows the foil to accelerate faster speeds.
The lithium ion battery in the efoil board is wired to a propeller near the bottom of the mast of the foil but just a little above the wing (seen above).
When the rider pulls the trigger it increases the motor’s speed by increasing the turnover of the propeller spinning around. This pushes the wing forward allowing the foil to lift out of the water reducing drag and increasing speed.
eFoils brought water sports to the 21st century to give surfing a new face lift in the modern era.
Introducing the New Age of Surfing
eFoil makers have opened Pandora’s box and it’s impossible to close now.
Traditional surfboards have long left beginners frustrated with the time needed to learn how to surf. It can take a lifetime to learn how to surf but now with eFoiling it can be learned uin as little as an hour if you have the drive to learn.
eFoils are capable of sharper turns, more lift, higher speeds, and longer rides at greater speeds than surfboards, all without the need for actual waves.
Duke Khanamoku would be blown away at the new funky surfboard designs but the dawn of these electric surfing machines would have his jaw in the sand.
Who helped Popularize the Hydrofoil board?
Laird Hamilton helped the hydrofoil surfboard board go viral when he first did it. Laird was catching waves that a regular surfboard could never even dream of catching because the wave didn’t actually break.
That’s the beauty of hydrofoil boards, they can catch smaller waves and unbroken waves that a surfboard could never drop into. Then hopping back out to the lineup without paddling and caught another freaking wave!
Suddenly, spots that were once thought to be too crumbly and mushy were able to be pillaged by foil surfing fanatics. All thanks to hydrofoils.
Although today Kai Lenny is riding hydrofoils preforming crazy tricks, Laird Hamilton ultimately responsible for putting these water sports on the map.
How Do You Learn to Hydrofoil?
As always, we strongly recommend you hire a professional to show you how to ride a hydrofoil board. There are plenty of eFoil demo locations where you can fly before you buy.
It’s important to learn how to get started with foil boards and hydrofoiling safely. Understand the foil board setup, difference in mast lengths, the stance, the riding techniques, and the underwater wings work.
At a high level it’s important to keep this in the back of your head when you’re looking at hydrofoils:
- The shorter the mast length the more stable the hydrofoil will be slower speeds
- The longer masts on a foil will be less stable but faster
- Smaller wing foils will be more reactive and turn faster (Advanced riders)
- Larger wing foils will be less reactive but more stable (Beginner riders)
Liam taught himself to hydrofoil but Liam is a bit of an outlier to this rule because he grew up surfing, sailing, and kite surfing. Even our friend Liam had difficulty learning how to hydrofoil at first, which is totally normal even for experienced riders.
If you want to learn more about how hydrofoiling works, check out team rider Liam McCarthy’s beginners guide on that.
The Stance for Riding
The stance is similar to surfing you want to have good posture, bend in the knees, have your shoulder stacked over your hips and knees.
Where riding a hydrofoil is different it’s because the rider needs to have more weight on their front foot compared to surfing. In surfing, majority of your weight is on your back foot.
When you foil on a wave its quite similar to surfing. Where you’re looking will decide where the foil board goes. It’s key to look where you’re going and maintain a a strong stance.
Note: Where your eyes are looking will determine where the rest of the board will follow. If you at the bottom of the wave, you will fall. If you look down the line, your body and the rest of the board will follow.
Hydrofoil boards vs eFoil Boards
Hydrofoil surfboards rely on the rider to generate power manually whether that is from riding waves or from getting towed behind a boat or other watercraft.
Hydrofoils work because the rider is pushing down on the front causing a low pressure pocket below foil surface area the wing. To ride waves on a hydrofoil, the rider must maintain more speed than a surfboard by “pumping”. Pumping is the act of pushing weight up and down on the front of the board.
As mentioned before, eFoils rely on motor speed and kinetic energy to propel the hydrofoil surfboard forward. eFoils are easier to learn how to use compared to hydrofoils because it’s a more manual and skilled process.
The skills are barriers to entry from anyone trying a hydrofoil because it involves practice and understanding ocean conditions. That’s not to say riding an efoil doesn’t involve skill too but it’s much easier to learn. The rider only needs to master the pop up in order to ride an eFoil because once you’re up and moving it can be a breeze on the open water.
If you’re interested in learning more on how to efoil, check out Lift efoil demo locations here.
What Are the Necessary Safety Precautions While Hydrofoiling?
It’s best for surf foiling neophytes to avoid windy days and elect for calm seas when hydrofoiling for the first time.
Both hydrofoil and efoil riders must avoid foiling in shallow water like the plague. If the foil hits shallow water it can damage the front wing and buck the rider off the foil board. You can seriously injure yourself if the mast hits you full contact.
There are plenty of things that can go wrong when riding a foil board. To reduce the risk of injury it’s better to avoid flats and other people while practicing hydrofoiling and efoiling.
Is Foil Surfing Easier than Traditional Surfing?
No way harder actually. With a hydrofoil and kite foiling, skill level matters quite a bit.
Foil surfing is difficult because the foil on the board almost wants to lift out of the water. That makes it particularly difficult to learn if you never surfed before. Traditional surfing is still much different than hydrofoiling but it
For example, regular surfing when towed behind a boat you want to keep the majority of your weight on your back foot. When your hydrofoil surfing behind a boat, you want the bulk of your weight on the front foot since the foil is producing so much upward force.
When riding a hydrofoil it’s much easier to catch smaller waves because the foils mast “catches” more of the power of the waves compared to traditional surfboard fins.
Is it impossible to foil without surfing before? Of course not but it is going to be considerably more difficult with no surfing background.
Can I Foil Surf Behind a Boat or Jet ski?
Of course you can tow your foil behind a personal watercraft.
It’s critical to follow the proper precautions like flying a red flag to signal to other watercraft you’re actively towing someone. It’s also a good idea to have a spotter in addition to the drive. The spotter is critical to get directions from the rider asking to increase or decrease speed. This way the captain can focus on maneuvering the boat and not looking back at the rider.
You can imagine a couple of reasons why it’s not a good idea for the captain to take his eyes off what’s going on in front of the bow, right?
Entering the Water and Paddling Out
As we said earlier, wait until you’re in deep water to deploy your eFoil. You want to enter and exit the water with caution to avoid damaging your foil wing.
Shallower bottoms can wreck your mast, back wing, damage carbon fiber, and the front wing if you’re not careful.
There are truly some horror stories out there. So when you enter the water, avoid any rocks or obstructions at the bottom of the water. Remember to return the same way you enter (or at least try).
How Much Speed Do You Need to Lift a Hydrofoil?
Riders need to generate speeds of 8-12mph to hit the sweet spot of breaking the water’s surface. This assumes they’re an experienced rider, fit, and an average weight.
If the hydrofoil is at low speeds the mast will not lift or breach the surface. Riding a wave without having enough speed will be difficult to maneuver.
A solid wave can give your foil a boost in speed but you must have enough speed to get up and moving before hopping on and riding one.
How Much Does a Foil Surfboard Cost?
To give you an idea brand new regular surfboard can run you $700-$1,200 these days. Longboards are typically more expensive because the surfboard requires more materials to construct. However, an older surfboard made by a well-renowned shaper can be worth its weight in gold. Board making is expensive, whether there is a foil or not!
A complete setup of a hydrofoil board can cost anywhere from $3,000-$5,000. It’s also better to get a beginners hydrofoil board to learn on and will save you a lot of time (but maybe not money). It may not be cheap but we think the ride is worth it if you learn the right way.
We strongly advise not taking shortcuts when you begin your foil journey because it will just make things more frustrating for you.
Concluding thoughts
e Foil surfing works because the shape and angle of their wings cut through the water because of the propeller strapped behind it.
As the rider increases speed on the remote controller, the propeller pushes the foil. As the board speeds through the water and begins to hover out of the water.
If you’re a surfer looking for a new way to ride a wave, ride an efoil!