Nicely done. I am on Lift v3 folding prop, loving playing in waves of all sorts, downwind included. I haven't done any shuttle dw's yet, have just done sections, then zipped back upwind (which is doable but not all that pleasant). On really nice swell days, best I've had is probably 20 second off-power zips. I can still get longer glides with my wing, with no motor drag and lighter board, but the efoil brings other advantages. There's a spot locally where the best swell funnels down in the end of the bay, where it's wind shadowed, can't really wing it, but the efoil allows playing in those waves.
Do you wing or sup/surf foil downwind too? Curious to know your experiences in comparison. I find winging DW'rs are fun, just have to be pretty confident how windy it is as the end zone. I haven't got into sup/surf dw ... everyone is super stoked on this, but I am not yet feeling confident enough in glide and pump for long distances, so I rely on the wing / motor crutch. :-)
Select to expand quotejuandesooka said..
Nicely done. I am on Lift v3 folding prop, loving playing in waves of all sorts, downwind included. I haven't done any shuttle dw's yet, have just done sections, then zipped back upwind (which is doable but not all that pleasant). On really nice swell days, best I've had is probably 20 second off-power zips. I can still get longer glides with my wing, with no motor drag and lighter board, but the efoil brings other advantages. There's a spot locally where the best swell funnels down in the end of the bay, where it's wind shadowed, can't really wing it, but the efoil allows playing in those waves.
Do you wing or sup/surf foil downwind too? Curious to know your experiences in comparison. I find winging DW'rs are fun, just have to be pretty confident how windy it is as the end zone. I haven't got into sup/surf dw ... everyone is super stoked on this, but I am not yet feeling confident enough in glide and pump for long distances, so I rely on the wing / motor crutch. :-)
Yeah leg burner tacking directly into the wind that's for sure
Mat McKinnon got 1.33km unpowered at South West Rocks a week or so ago on his Ultra L which is a 'record' for an eFoil and the wave was about 3 mins! The lighter battery makes quite the difference
Like I mentioned in the video I'm all in on the eFoil - SUP appeals to me, but the learning curve is steep and I'm not really interested in the struggle
Ding downwinders don't actually look that enjoyable to me as it seems you're just kinda trying to avoid using the wing anyways and have it flapping around while you focus on swell riding
I'll take the one off cost for the autonomy and the disadvantages of the weight and the drag just to get out riding wherever and whenever I feel
Plus I often Uber foil it for solo sends - fun fact a packed down Ultra fits in the boot of most small cars like Corollas etc haha!
I am at least half convinced. I am still focused on surf foil as purest pursuit, but winging has taken a hit, particularly light wind, as the efoil is pretty close in feel and so much more efficient and easy....get where you need to be in an instant, upwind work and limitations are non existent.
I suffered over the cost of this toy for a long time before pulling the trigger -- but I have had no buyer's remorse after. I see it as equivalent to a jetski or motorcycle in price, and it affords similar play opportunities.
The efoil has exceeded my expectations for fun factor. 1) chasing bigger waves, a personal tow in, get riding so early that it's doable and way less scary or intimidating. 2) maximized wave riding in short strike missions...half hour before work or lunch break, can get 20-30 waves, makes putting on the wetsuit worthwhile, 3) playing in tiny waves and boat wakes, loads of fun in off season. 4) wind swell riding, especially in off-setting tidal currents -- opening up spots otherwise not possible. It is one more toy in the toybox, but in the honeymoon period is getting a lot more play than anything else.
I haven't done much downwinding yet....but that'll happen. What I have done is shore runners with no wind, 10-15km of endless wave riding, drop in, get a few turns, kick out, get the one behind, over and over. The cool kids can do this on surf foil, with indefinite pumping in between....sadly I am not all that cool, so the e makes this dream a reality. 
