Marine

Sea-Doo jumps into the electric hydrofoil board market, with the Rise

Sea-Doo jumps into the electric hydrofoil board market, with the Rise
The Sea-Doo Rise should be commercially available next year
The Sea-Doo Rise should be commercially available next year
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The Sea-Doo Rise should be commercially available next year
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The Sea-Doo Rise should be commercially available next year
The foiling wing can be retracted, partially deployed or fully deployed, as the user wishes
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The foiling wing can be retracted, partially deployed or fully deployed, as the user wishes
The Sea-Doo Rise's speed is controlled via a handheld remote
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The Sea-Doo Rise's speed is controlled via a handheld remote
View gallery - 3 images

With new consumer technologies, it's often the case that big corporations will join the party once smaller startups have tested the waters. Such is the case with major Canadian manufacturer Sea-Doo, which has just announced its upcoming Rise electric hydrofoil board.

Regular readers of New Atlas will know that electric hydrofoil boards (or eFoils) have been around for a few years now. They're offered by a variety of small-ish companies, such as Awake Boards, Lift Foils, Level HydroFoils, UniFoil, Fliteboard, Waydoo, eFoilFly and XFoil.

In pretty much all cases, they take the form of what is basically a surfboard with a streamlined mast extending down from the underside, in the rear. At the bottom of that mast is a foiling wing and a motor/propeller module.

The board starts out floating flush with the water's surface, but rises up out of the water as it gains speed. It ultimately ends up zipping along with the wing at the surface, the board itself completely free and clear of the water. Such a hydrodynamic setup allows for some pretty fast speeds, along with a generally exciting ride.

The foiling wing can be retracted, partially deployed or fully deployed, as the user wishes
The foiling wing can be retracted, partially deployed or fully deployed, as the user wishes

The Sea-Doo Rise is similar to its existing competitors, although the watercraft does offer a couple of features that cater to riders of varying skill levels.

For instance, unlike most eFoils, it has a fold-down retractable handlebar. Newbies can raise, extend and use that bar for added stability, while seasoned pros can leave it lying flat in its recessed compartment in the deck.

Additionally, if riders aren't comfortable with standing up and foiling, they can kneel or even lie down on the board, retracting the mast/wing and using the Rise as a non-foiling electric surfboard until they get their sea legs.

The Sea-Doo Rise's speed is controlled via a handheld remote
The Sea-Doo Rise's speed is controlled via a handheld remote

Sea-Doo is best known for its jet skis, and more recently for a jet-ski-inspired line of pontoon boats. The company has stated that full specs and pricing for the Rise should be announced later this month, with availability expected for next summer (Northern Hemisphere).

In the meantime, it can be seen in action in the video below.

Introducing the Sea-Doo RISE

Source: Sea-Doo

View gallery - 3 images
2 comments
2 comments
guzmanchinky
I used to have one, and the really hard part is the weight of the battery. The board I had was 100 pounds and very difficult to get into and out of the water...
christopher
Biggest wake I've seen on any foil ever - this must be *incredibly* inefficient!!!