E-foil or jetboard: what to choose?

Both devices - electric foils and jetboards give you the opportunity to ride anywhere, even without waves. If you are in doubt which device suits you best - this article is especially for you. We compared electric foils and jetboards in all main parameters.  

If you are fond of long rides an e-foil may be a great option for you, as the ride time on it is about 1.5 hours, while on an electric board it is only 35 minutes (Ewave or Jetsurf models, for example). Petrol boards usually provide longer rides than electric - approximately 1.20 minutes when it comes to boards like JetSurf and so on.

Petrol boards are faster and they can reach a speed of 65 km/h. Electric foils are slightly slower, although their maximum speed is also high - 55 km/h. But according to experienced surfers, the speed on them feels faster because you are hovering, gliding above the surface of the water.

Jetboards are safer because they do not have pointed parts and details. E-foils have a mast, foils and a propeller (some people even remove the propeller guard). Of course, if you are doing stunts, then, as with any extreme sport, there will be risks. But, the creators of the boards are making them as safe as possible.

When it comes to jetboard, there will be a big difference in weight if you choose an electric or a petrol board. An electric one will weigh about 30-40 kg, while petrol boards are much lighter, their weight does not exceed 20 kg. E-foils usually weigh around 28-35 kg.

In general it is considered that it is easier to learn how to ride a jetboard first. An electrofoil is more difficult to master, because it is sensitive to weight shift during the lifting process, so it is important to have a good sense of balance. If you walk on the surface without taking off, the wing provides additional stability. An e-foil is a little more difficult, but it can be mastered within an hour if you have experience in water sports.

But there are e-foils, which will be easy for beginners to ride. For example, the Fliteboard Air model has a cruiser wing, with this wing it is easier to get on the board at the start and stay on big waves, in addition, the board itself is large and inflatable, it will be easy to ride even for beginners. But keep in mind that if there are waves, then it is difficult both on the jetboard and on the e-foil.  

If you like motosurfing at all, we would recommend having both boards.

If you transport your boards by car, then a jet board is super convenient for you - after riding, you can simply put it in the trunk of the car. It will be a bit more complicated with an e-foil, because first you will need to disassemble it and then transport.

If you want to transport your surf by plane, then it’s different here. There are no restrictions for the petrol boards - they can be easily transported by plane. As for the electric boards/e-foils it is more difficult. Big batteries, such as the ones of electric jetboards, cannot be carried in passenger planes. In order to transport an electric board with batteries by plane, we could recommend doing it in a cargo plane - there are lots of companies specializing in shipping this kind of stuff. Or you can transport batteries separately using DHL or FeDex.

Petrol boards are noisy and they smell. Electric boards are more silent, but still not as quiet as e-foils, because when you ride an e-foil, you slide on the water, and of course it is even more silent.

Small problems with the jet boards you could solve yourself, while this will not work with the e-foils. It is like a black box, only a specialist can fix your e-foil.

Experienced surfers say that the riding styles on these boards are completely different.

E-foils are ideal for long trips, riding an e-foil can be like yoga on the water (for amateurs, the pros do some tricks). Jetboards are perfectly suitable for fast riding, turns, maneuvers etc. 

Petrol boards are allowed to ride on oceans and rivers, but not on the lakes. All the gasoline engines are noisy. If you want to ride on a small lake surrounded by private houses, be aware that you will not be welcome. E-foils and electric boards can be used almost everywhere except some regions in Switzerland and southern Germany.

What is better to choose? Try to figure out which parameters are the most essential for you, what riding style you prefer, which one is closer to you.