AccessoriesFoilboard - balance is the key to success

Jan-Ole Puls

 · 12.07.2024

Flying can initially be practised on your knees
Photo: Malte Stolley
Balance and precise weight shifting are crucial: the foilboard is a further development of the e-foilboard. A board with a hydrofoil underneath allows riders to glide weightlessly over the surface of the water at speed

A foilboard is similar to the e-foilboard. It has revolutionised surfing and other water sports. It also consists of a board and a hydrofoil underneath. When the board reaches a certain speed, the hydrofoil lifts the board out of the water and allows the rider to float seemingly weightlessly over the surface.

The foilboard is used in various water sports, including surfing, kitesurfing and windsurfing - but can also be towed behind. The key to foilboarding is balance. When starting off, the rider initially lies on their stomach on the board, similar to surfing. As soon as the board has reached sufficient speed, the rider shifts their weight backwards to lift the hydrofoil out of the water. This requires practice and good body control, as the board on the foil reacts sensitively to weight shifts. Small waves on the water don't bother you, you fly over them anyway.

Valuation

  • Fun factor: 8/10
  • Difficulty: 8/10
  • Stowage size: 3/10
  • Speed for foiling: 6 knots
  • Price: 1500 €

Conclusion

The foilboard is particularly recommended for slow boats. A speed of six knots is completely sufficient. Even a small inflatable boat can manage this in the anchor bay


To the other test reports: Wakeboard, water ski & Co.


Jan-Ole Puls

Jan-Ole Puls

Editor Test & Technology

Ole Puls was born in Schleswig in 1999. He quickly swapped the football pitch for the Schlei and grew up sailing a wide variety of dinghies and tall ships. From his grandfather's self-built wooden opti and a Europe to a 49er and an X362 Sport, there was a lot to choose from. After leaving school, Puls decided to train as a boat builder at the high-tech shipyard Knierim Yachtbau in Kiel in 2016. He successfully completed his training in 2020 and stayed at the shipyard as a bachelor. In 2022, he decided not only to build boats, but also to test them. Since then, he has been working for Delius Klasing Verlag in the Test & Technology section of BOOTE magazine. The training he received and the eye for detail and quality of workmanship he acquired help him immensely today. Even though he is a regatta sailor with heart and soul, he feels right at home on motorboats and enjoys separating his professional and private lives and yet combining them. Because we all know one thing: there is simply no better place to be than on the water.

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