I was lying on my stomach, floating on the Ashley River on what appeared to be a surfboard until I pressed a couple of buttons on the remote-control unit strapped to my wrist. I started to glide across the water’s surface, and then I pushed myself up into a standing position. After getting used to controlling the movement of the board by shifting weight between my front and back foot, I pressed down slightly with my back foot, and suddenly I was flying.
Foiling is the next big thing in water toys, and Fliteboard is leading the way with its series of e-foils—battery-powered hydrofoils that, once you work through a small learning curve, literally let you fly through the air as the foil underneath knifes through the water and lifts you above the surface. It’s like surfing without a good swell or wakesurfing without a boat, but the foil underneath adds that extra dynamic that makes it so exciting to play with.
David Trewern, Fliteboard’s founder, first started conceptualizing the idea for an e-foil in Australia in 2016, and first brought the unit to the US in 2019. I got to test one at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in the fall of that year, and instantly thought it was one of the coolest experiences I’ve had. There was one catch: The price tag for it was around $20,000, keeping it out of reach for most watersports enthusiasts, save for wealthy yacht owners looking to add to their toy collection. Brunswick bought Fliteboard in 2023, realizing its potential appeal, and set out to make it more accessible. Soon after, Fliteboard introduced the Flite Air, a beginner-friendly model with a board made from a soft but rigid foam board, as opposed to the more advanced carbon-fiber boards, that starts at $6,995. It’s similar to the original model I tested in 2019, and offers greater stability for first-time users.
In Charleston, South Carolina, I rode a demo with the new 100L EVA Soft Top, which has a fiberglass core with a forgiving foam top that adds to its stability and is also great for beginners. The board houses a lithium battery inside. (Our unit had an Explore battery that provides two and a half hours of run time and takes two hours to charge.) The battery is connected to a computer module that regulates the propeller on the bottom of the foil. Our test model had the Cruiser 1100 Wing foil unit, paired with the EVO Soft Top to provide predictable handling for beginner riders or those who just want to cruise. The foil shafts can be made of aluminum or carbon fiber and range in length from 2 to 3 feet. At the bottom of the shaft, there is a large forward wing, a small tail wing, and a propeller with a circular encasement to protect riders from contact with it. The wings act like airplane wings to provide lift to the board, and also to lower it back down, depending on how you shift your weight. Everything works through the handheld Flite Controller unit that attaches to your wrist. The Flite Controller is like a video-game controller and controls the board’s starting, stopping, and speed through a trigger and two intuitive buttons. With it you can control and monitor your speed as well as the board’s battery level.
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The Fliteboard proved surprisingly easy to learn. We had a crew of about eight first-timers, and all of them got up on the board within an hour. From there, you can up your game as much as you want, from mastering speed runs to performing crazy tricks. Or you can take it easy and just glide above the water, taking it all in and having a blast. The only two caveats are that when you fall, you have to try to fall away from the board to avoid hitting the board itself or getting nicked by the foil. And a Fliteboard doesn’t circle back to you like a PWC would, so you have to swim to retrieve it.
Fliteboard offers several models as well as the option to mix boards, shafts and foil wings to your preference. Prices of the complete models range from the $6,995 starting point to around $17,500, and prices go up from there depending on customization.
All I know is that if you decide to take flight, you’ll have a blast.
