Today we’re giving you the scoop on on eFoils, jet boards, hydrofoils, and all things foils.
We’re diving into the top five best eFoils for 2023 we’ll be looking at some of the major brands in the eFoil board-making space. We’re looking at the Waydoo flyer, Jetsurf DFI, Lift 4, FoilX, and the FliteBoard giving you an entire board guide on all the important specs.
If you’re just getting your feet wet in this exciting new sport, we suggest you try the Waydoo brand. If you’ve been riding for a while and price is not a concern you can’t go wrong with a Lift 4 or Fliteboard.
Most e foil board makers typically offer Buy Now Pay Later financing too making it a little less stressful to browse these electric hydrofoils.
For those of you who are new to this exciting sport they’re incredibly fun, you can start at the basics here. For the more advanced riders, let’s get into our buying guide for 2023.
What are the 5 best eFoils for 2024?
From inflatables in a bag to electric surfboards, these eFoils are creating a fun, new niche in watersports, with a board for every skill level.
After Lift Foils came out with their first ever flagship eFoil board. The new exciting sport, much like the big bang, became a catalyst for other board makers to create their own eFoils.
This is good and bad because on one hand, competition drives innovation. However, this led to many shitty e-Foil boards flooding the market with mass produced rubbish so it’s important to keep a keen eye on the integrity of the build.
Which is why we created this guide, to help you find the best e-foil boards on the market without getting the rug pulled out from under you.
Criteria for Choosing Which eFoil Board to Buy
At Epic Foils, we look at a few different items for buying criteria for motorized surfboards. We want to ensure you don’t just get the best efoil but get the right eFoil for your skill level.
Many riders opt for a lightweight design to reach high speeds quickly but it’s important to note that if you’re a beginner you might want the board size to be a little bigger and heavier. It’s important to note that the more volume a board has it offers more stability as well.
Some of the criteria we consider when looking for new motorized boards are:
- Price
- Battery life
- Ride time
- Board quality
- Foil quality
- Max speed
- Warranty/Financing
We’d also like to point out that the cheapest eFoil board doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good foil.
If it’s on the secondhand market it absolutely could be. Also if you never heard of the brand and see it’s significantly cheaper than the more well known brands, that should be a red flag.
Waydoo Flyer One
The Waydoo Flyer One Plus is an excellent board, it’s one of the more affordable eFoil boards on the market. Waydoo comes from humble beginnings and began with a Kickstarter campaign back in 2020, roughly 502 riders ponied up $2.5m collectively to each get their own board.
It provides riders with a stable ride on the water’s surface which is perfect for new riders. What’s nice about this eFoil it is also at a lower price point compared to other electric surfboards.
Top speed: 29mph
Price
In our opinion, the Waydoo eFoil is reasonably priced and is the most affordable out of all eFoils on the market today compared to other brands.
Retail: $7,567.24
Used: Anywhere from $3,000-$5,000, they hold their value well depending on condition of course.
Is financing available?
Yes. You can use Klarna to finance your eFoil board from Waydoo.
Battery life
The lithium ion battery has roughly two hours of ride time which is pretty standard.
Wireless remote control
The remote control goes around your hand with a loop from preventing you from losing it.
What’s unique?
The most innovative part about the Waydoo is the way the battery and mast connect, it’s plug and play. Only three pieces total make the Waydoo quite portable and easy for travel.
The other models of eFoils have a more antiquated way of installation for the water proofing and wiring.
Our Verdict
The Waydoo is great for starting out how to e-foil but is limited in what it can do. It’s limited because there isn’t much room to customize their efoil boards
However, as time goes on we would imagine the team will be able to offer riders more customized builds with more thrust and top speed over 30mph an hour.
JETSURF Cruiser DFI
Unlike the other electric surfboards, the Jet board relies on jet propulsion instead of a motorized propeller.
JETSurf’s secret weapon is Martin Šula, a racing engine designer with a wealth of experience from F1, MotoGP, and Red Bull Air race. Great to have an engineer who dove all the way into this exciting new water sport.
Unfortunately, this board is still on pre-order. However, they a previous model called the Jetsurf Adventure DFI, but we’ll save that for a separate article!
Top speed: 34mph
Price
JETSURF’s jet board is more expensive than other electric surfboards because
Brand new: $15,490
Used (older models): $5,800-$12,750, depending on condition and year of model
Break open the checkbook because JETSURF electric surfboards ain’t cheap!
Does JETSURF offer financing?
JETSURF offers financing through Light Stream.
How long does the battery last?
JETSURF’s battery lasts for typically 2 hours.
What’s the difference between a jet board and electric surfboard?
The biggest difference between the two boards is the JETSURF rides through the water’s s,urface, not on top like an e foil. The e foil is also more efficient having far less water resistance than jet propulsion. Once the eFoil is at cruising speeds energy consumption falls by nearly 70%.
What we think
The Jetsurf isn’t necessarily a foil because its fueled by jet propulsion. However, it’s still a sweet board.
We’re a fan of the jetsurf and it’s certainly a great option if you’re living in a country that has forbidden and banned open prop foils.
Lift Foils Lift4
The Lift Foils are both the first and best electric hydrofoils on the market, and the Lift4 is no different than their fleet. Lift e-foils can be fully customizable compared to other models from major brands in the water sport space.
Lift offers their riders full purchasing power over their front wing, back wing, propulsion systems, board size, board color, and battery packages.
Remote control
The control is ergonomic and slips right on your hand perfectly. The wireless bluetooth remote is ahead of the curve of other remotes.
Propulsion system
There are four different propulsion systems for Lift’s boards. The fixed aluminum is the stock prop, the others cost an extra $400
Fixed aluminum: The stock model for no extra charge.
LCS Fixed Black: Quick release and comes with shroud and tail cone for extra thrust.
LCS Folding Black: More efficient and better suited for advanced riders. Designed to have less drag and allows riders to quickly swap the tail, cone, and shroud without tools.
This folding prop can retract when riding a wave, similar to Foil’s folding prop.
LCS Fixed Gold: Same thing as the other two fixed aluminum and fixed black props. Slightly bigger cone and comes in gold.
Battery life
Ride time is up to 2.5 hours.
The battery can be the stock 1.5 hour life or you can upgrade to the full range battery for 2.5 hours but it’s an extra $1,000. Well worth it for the extra ride time in our opinion.
The battery charger can be fully customized to any location so there’s no need for adapters as well.
Customizable
The best thing about Lift is the ability to customize your efoil. All of the other major brands has a one size fits all approach while Lift focuses on offering a personalized experience for their riders.
Board size ranges from a 4’2 Pro model, 4’9 Sport model, to the larger 5’4 Cruiser model. You can get your eFoil in just about any color for free.
The light battery is the stock option and the full range battery is the premium version with more ride time.
Lift Jet
Lift offers a jet prop in lieu of an open prop for $399. If you’re living in Europe or Canada where regulations are strict, this could be used to circumvent regulations against open props.
As always check with your local laws.
Demo locations
Lift has over 350+ partner locations across the globe where you can fly before you buy and get a demo from a certified instructor. This is the largest network out of any e foil maker today.
Our thoughts
You can’t go wrong with the first commercially available eFoil board. Lift efoils has proven time and time again that they’re the best in the industry.
Lift allows their riders to customize their board from soup to nuts which is something not all foil makers can do. Yes it’s expensive but if you’re into foiling, this is a no brainer.
Fliteboard
The fliteboard screams high quality in our opinion. The Aussies know what they’re doing when it comes to building and designing eFoil boards.
The fliteboard comes in an ultra, pro, and even an air model but for our intents and purposes we’re going to stick with the stock Fliteboard model. We’ll cover the other models separately since their is quite a bit to unpack.
Unfortunately, one of the downsides of the Fliteboard being produced in Australia is that it’s difficult for riders in the States to get their hands on them due to shipping time and cost. If you live in Australia or South East Asia this is an absolute steal!
One cool thing about the fliteboard is they even made an e-foil scooter.
Yep an e Foil board and a freakin scooter combined! Naturally, it’s called the Flitescooter.
The Fliteboard is an all-around foil board is suited for all skill levels. Whether you’re a pro or a beginner learning with the family. It’s important to note the fliteboard’s wings and
How much does the Fliteboard cost?
Retail: $9,495 for fiberglass boards and $10,495 for carbon fiber boards
Used: Ranges from $4,000-$8,000 depending on condition and glassing.
Top Speed: The Fliteboard clocks in at 33mph, the fastest eFoil on the market today.
Is financing available? For Australian residents yes, they offer financing through Zip Money Now.
How’s the battery life?
The battery life on the Fliteboard averages over an hour. Typically between 60 – 90 minutes. Which is decent ride time but certainly could be improved.
Different colors
Unfortunately, if you want different colors it will cost extra. Depending on the classic or carbon classic color it could add an extra $500 or $1,000 to your purchase
Open Prop vs Flite Jet propulsion
As we’ve mentioned in a few articles, quite a few countries have banned electric foiling because of environmental concerns.
So a trend amongst foil makers has been to offer jet propulsion instead of open props. The only downside is top speed is not as fast as the open prop because it weighs a little bit more.
The open prop is the typical prop used by efoils. It is faster and more efficient than jet propulsion props.
Our take
Fliteboard is excellent. Just like Lift you’re not going to go wrong with their foils.
However, if you live in the US you may want to avoid the fliteboard because of how much you’ll pay both in shipping fees and in time waiting for it to arrive. If you live in or near Australia, this is a no-brainer.
FoilX
The FoilX is not a beginner foil. This motorized surfboard is not for the neophyte of water sports it’s for the salty veterans who have been foiling for a while and have some experience going at faster speeds and riding a smaller size efoil.
This foil is extra light made out of carbon fiber and has extra long range of ride time because of its lightweight design. The FoilX is 4’8 it’s mini but a mighty board.
This foil board is suited for lighter riders seeking more thrust and
Max speed: 33mph
How much is it?
Retail: $7,999, stock.
Used: $4,000-6,000 depending on condition
Does Foil offer Financing?
Yes Foil offers buy now, pay later with Affirm.
Battery life
Foilx’s battery lasts the longest a whopping 3 hours of ride time. This is largely due to the increased battery size and the larger wings. The 200 High aspect wings are the most efficient wing size for the FoilX. The board can cruise comfortably for quite a while compared to other foils.
The lithium ion battery has a long range compared to most eFoils.
What’s different about FoilX?
The Foil team uses a mavericks direct drive motor. There’s no gearboxes to mess around with just rinse with fresh water and you’re ready for the next trip
What’s up with the folding prop?
The folding prop allows riders to release throttle and ride waves. Our friend Steven explained it was one of his favorite things Foil has come out with since he started riding for them.
How does the FoilX stack up?
The Foil team is fantastic. They don’t quite have the customization that Lift or Fliteboard offers yet but they make a damn good foil.
If you live in the US domestically, this should be your first foil hand’s down.
Bottom Line
In our opinion, the best efoil board is the one that fits your skill levels, budget, and goals as a rider.
If you’ve never surfed or foiled before and don’t want to break the bank, we recommend the Waydoo. It’s the most affordable foil and has a great warranty even if you do break it somehow.
If you’ve been foiling for a while, have heaps of cash lying around, and you’re looking to switch it up we suggest looking at the Lift 4 or the FoilX. You can’t go wrong with those options if you live in America, if you live in mainland US we’d go FoilX because it’s designed and manufactured in Florida.
Say you live in Canada or Europe and there’s strict laws against open props you may want to consider getting a Jetsurf to circumvent those laws. Jet propulsion doesn’t have an open prop and can be used in countries with strict regulations. Or you can check out any of the e-foils jet propulsion packages.
If you live in South East Asia or Australasia, you may want to consider purchasing the Fliteboard since it’s closer for them to ship it to you.
The foil you purchase depends on where you live, your skill level, and what your local regulations are. Hope that didn’t sound like a cop out but it’s true!
FAQ on Electric surfboards
What’s the difference between a smaller wing and larger wing size?
Smaller wings are quicker and more reactive. Riders that use smaller wings can also keep a high speed. If you surf, think like riding a shortboard.
Large wings offer the rider more stability but at a slower speed. Similar to a longboard in surfing and offers a cruiser feel.
Larger wings are better for riders who weigh over 200 lbs and smaller wings are better suited for lighter riders.
What is the fastest Electric Foil?
Technically, it’s the Jetsurf electric surfboard at 34mph but it doesn’t have a foil or open prop.
So the fastest electric surfboard would go to the Fliteboard at 33mph in 2021. However, this could change as time moves on and we’ll keep you up to date.
What are the Best eFoils to Buy?
The best electric surfboards are ones that fit your budget, skill level, and abide by your local laws.
It’s almost like saying who’s the best singer alive, ask 5 different people on the street and you’ll likely get 5 different answers. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and come to their own conclusions when it comes to the best electric surfboards on the market today.
How much are e-foils?
The average e-foil can cost anywhere from $7,300 – $15,000+ depending on upgraded packages on front wing, rear wing, propulsion, and batteries. Most come with warranties.
If you go used market, the warranty will likely be voided but the prices will be a little more affordable compared to newer models.