We’ve all felt that burning sensation in our arms, knowing that we’re running out of power to paddle into waves. At times like those being able to flick the switch on a battery powered surfboard to propel you while you take a break sounds awesome, doesn’t it? Battery powered surfboards have been around for while, a lot longer than you probably think, and over the past few years companies producing these types of boards having been popping up ever more frequently.
How It All Began
The idea of an electric surfboard must have been floating around in the minds of surfers for decades. The PowerSki JetBoard, a mix between a jet ski and a surfboard, paved the way. The brain child of Bob Montgomery, he began development in 1995, taking 10 years before finally creating a market ready product. This surfboard isn’t strictly electric as it needs gas to run, but others must have been watching closely and working on their own incarnations of a surfboard with an engine.
A Few of The Best Out There
There are now a variety of electric surfboards available to buy, manufactured by companies in the US and Europe. WaveJet is perhaps the best known, a Californian company with a range of different boards, from shortboards to stand up paddleboards, each using an innovative propulsion system that can be interchanged between different boards. Tested by guys like Cory Lopez and Garrett McNamara, WaveJet boards have been around for a few years now and they’re doing well, check them out in action.
Spanish company Aquilla has just piped up with an offering of three electric surfboards, the beginner level Manta, the freestyle Blade, and the high speed Carver. These boards pack some serious power, with the top speed of the Carver being just over 44 miles per hour! They have foot straps similar to a wakeboard to keep you fastened in at these top speeds, take a look at them below.
Over in Sweden a company called Radinn have developed an electric board that they are calling a wakeboard. So this is not strictly a surfboard, but it’s very similar to the Aquilla boards, and it just goes to show that people are out there creating all types of electric powered water craft. Watch the Radinn video next to see how well they perform.
Are They Really Taking Off?
With a variety of companies making the investment to develop electric surfboards there must be a market for them. While some young surfers might scoff at the idea of using one, for the older generation this innovation might just prolong their surfing years. A story reported in Australian newspaper ‘The Age’ tells the story of 66-year-old Daryl Foulds, who is surfing into retirement with his electric board, and knows all too well that it has given his wave riding days an extra lease of life. For injured, disabled and older surfers, electric surfboards could be just the sort of help they need to keep riding waves.