Stand-up paddleboards (SUPs), powered surfboards and even hydrofoiling surfboards are all becoming increasingly popular, but buying one of each could get expensive. That's where the modular XFoil comes in, as it can serve as all three – if you opt for enough extras.
Designed by Silicon Valley-based PLX Devices, the Xfoil is currently the subject of an Indiegogo campaign, where it's being offered in Standard and Sport packages.
Included in both are the foam-core/carbon-fiber-shell board itself, a brushless 6,000-watt motor, a removable lithium battery that sits beneath a hatch inside the deck, a waterproof OLED wireless handheld remote, and a hydrofoiling module – the latter unit has a 75-mm-long aircraft aluminum main body, along with fiberglass (Standard) or carbon fiber (Sport) wings.
While the XFoil could presumably be used as an SUP simply by not mounting anything on its underside, PLX suggests utilizing an optional SUP-hydrofoiling module in which the motor is at the top and the wings are at the bottom – by contrast, the regular hydrofoiling module puts both at the bottom. According to the company, the SUP-specific unit lets the motor help users initially catch waves, after which the motor rises out of the water for a non-motorized "pure foiling" experience while riding those waves.
People who are OK with an impure foiling experience can stick with the regular hydrofoiling module, in which the motor takes them up to a top speed of over 30 mph (48 km/h). One charge of the included battery should reportedly be good for a runtime of 75 minutes in this mode, or 120 if an optional higher-capacity battery is purchased.
Finally, an attachment which is included in the Sport package allows the motor to be mounted directly to the underside of the board. This arrangement, along with a Sport-package set of surf fins, turns the XFoil into an easier-to-ride non-hydrofoiling electric surfboard.
Assuming everything goes according to plan, a pledge of US$3,799 will get you the Standard package, while $4,699 is required for the Sport – their considerably higher planned retail prices are $10,000 and $14,000, respectively.
You can see the XFoil in action, in the video below.
