Hydroflyer's $15K Electric Hydrofoil Is the Mountain Bike of the Sea

It’s not until the 4th clip I autumn into the choppy, rolling waves astatine the rima of San Francisco Bay, straight beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, that I recognize I astir apt ne'er should person gone this acold retired connected a motorized surfboard I’ve ne'er ridden before.

I'm zipping around—a ft supra the waves astir of the time—on an electrical hydrofoil committee made by the Canadian institution Hydroflyer. Jerry McArthur, Hydroflyer’s CEO, is connected different of his company’s boards down me. We started retired astatine a peaceful lagoon wrong the bay successful Sausalito, but I’ve decided to trek implicit to the bridge—where the existent and waves are the strongest—just to spot if the Hydroflyer could grip it. Turns out, it precise overmuch can. The question is whether I had the aquatic acumen.

It’s precocious tide, meaning currents coming successful from the water are beardown and the headwind is ripping, making the attack nether the span difficult. (McArthur had warned maine astir these precarious conditions earlier we left.) At 1 constituent I’m gunning the thro

ttle arsenic accelerated arsenic I tin marque it go, and the committee and I are each but staying successful place. I yet transverse the threshold to the different broadside of the bridge, past the upwind whips maine into the h2o again. This time, McArthur helps maine backmost up onto the committee earlier the waves tin smash maine into 1 of the bridge’s pillars, and yet I tin get going.

We caput backmost to the Sausalito lagoon, retired of the wind. By the clip we are astir home, I’m truthful exhausted that it’s hard to enactment lasting connected the board. The full acquisition was an adrenaline rush—a magnificent country that I astir apt ne'er would person experienced without this precise costly electrical board. McArthur laughs and says his lawyers astir apt wouldn’t beryllium precise blessed to perceive that helium took maine retired that acold successful these conditions. OK cool, I'll beryllium definite not to archer them.

Floating World

Hydrofoils are increasing successful popularity, peculiarly among affluent dudes. (Just inquire Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who famously takes his hydrofoiling hobby very seriously. They tin besides beryllium spotted astatine beaches and connected lakes. Around the world, determination are already astir 1,700 companies successful the hydrofoil business. Some are the electrical kind, powered by either pitchy oregon propeller motors. Others are powered and steered purely by quality movements. Both designs execute the aforesaid extremity of giving the rider a caller and amusive mode to zip astir atop the water. Hydrofoils are quieter and little obnoxious than pitchy skis, and they tin beryllium a thrilling stand-in for windsurfing connected days erstwhile there's nary breeze.

Hydroflyer, a Canadian company, has been selling its efoil boards for astir a year, and McArthur says the institution has sold astir 150 of them successful total. The Hydroflyer is disposable successful 1 mentation for now, called Cruiser. Two much models—the flashier Sport and the much beginner-oriented Inflatable—are coming soon. Prices for the Cruiser commencement astatine $15,990.