electric surfboards

Sweden's Awake Boards launched its 35 mph Rävik premium electric surfboard in 2018, and has now announced the second generation ride at Boot Düsseldorf last week – the Rävik S.

Surfers use up a lot of energy, both paddling out to the lineups where the waves roll in, and then paddling even harder to catch one of those waves. The Boost Surfing Fin is designed to help, by giving users … well, an electric boost.

The latest electric hydrofoil board comes from a rather unexpected source: Audi. The company's e-tron program makes a move off land, spawning a vehicle that floats riders through air as it zips across water at speeds up to 27 mph (43 km/h).

​Hear that? Nope? Me neither, but the silent, high-speed electric surfboard is now most definitely a thing, coming soon to a reasonably smooth set of swells near you. The latest to hit the waves is the Awake Rävik, a 35-mph, full carbon stand-up beast with a wireless hand-held throttle.

​If an ongoing crowdfunding campaign is successful, the likes of Lampuga, Radinn and Aquila could be in for some competition. Blea Surf recently hit Kickstarter, with its relatively low-priced Blea Shark electric surfboard.

One company to make a few waves when it comes to powered surfboards is Germany's Lampuga. A new-look Lampugna has just launched a refreshed line of jet-driven boards, which offer faster carving through the water and a handy battery swapping system to keep riders on the move. ​

We traveled to ISPO Munich to see the latest in European outdoor, action sports and fitness gear and innovation. As usual, the "world's largest sports trade fair" didn't disappoint. Beyond the Swedish electric dirt bikes and Land Rover smartphones, the show had dozens of interesting innovations.

A memorable year, 2017 saw high-flying hydrofoils make a step down from boats to boards and bikes and new water toy debuts ranging from personal submarines fit for James Bond to underwater propulsion systems slapped on like a smartwatch. Here are our favorite water toys of the year.

Puerto Rican-based Lift Foils is set to launch a 25 mph electric hydrofoil surfboard in September. The US$12,000 eFoil can be recharged from a household power outlet in 2.5 hours, or the $3,000 Lithium Ion battery can be swapped for continuous usage.

​The same brain behind the airborne wind turbine that was acquired by Google has set his sights on a more down-to-earth goal: making just about any body of water surfable. Former professional windsurfer and inventor Don Montague recently tried out his "Jetfoiler" on the canals of Amsterdam.

Now that 2016's jetting toward a close, we've gone back through our coverage to bring you our very favorite water toys in a list that includes multifunctional jet drives, floating multi-person lounges, folding and inflatable watercraft, deep-diving personal submarines and more.

Lampuga, the maker of one of the world's fastest electric surfboards, now makes it easier to get out onto the water and motor your way to fast-paced thrills. Its Air board is an inflatable jet-drive surfboard designed to pack small and ride fast.