Hi,
Just spent 10 days over easter in Byron riding all the yet to be released Flite.lab gear before Chris & Adam left for the US trip.
Happy to respond to questions about the gear. I can't respond to question about when they come out or how much they cost other than saying in a few months & worth it.
I rode:
- Raw boards (no jet) 4'0"
- Amp boards with the jet 4'2", 4'6", 5'0". Plus I rode the 4'2" & 4'6" with the blank cartridge in instead of the jet (really light piece of foam)
- Front wings 707, 808, 1010 multiple versions of each
- Rear stab 125, 140, 160
Rode lots of different combinations in both point breaks and beach breaks from 1ft to almost double overhead beachies.
So let me know what questions you've got
Would love to hear a not overly hyped evaluation sharing the pros/cons you noticed vs other surf foils you've been on. Also just a stand alone 3 things you loved and three things you'd tweak.
Thanks for sharing!!!
Interested in the foils/stabs and like BWalnut a comparison between any other decent surf foils you have ridden i.e code, afs etc with notable pros/cons
Also unfortunately have to ask due to the current state of the foil industry but are you affiliated or planning to be in any way affiliated with FL or somehow just lucked yourself into 10 days of riding pre release gear? Fine either way but helps to adjust expectations on gear reviews.
Lots of camber? Concave? Whatever you want to call it on the bottom? Wing spans for the foils?
compared to fone sk8?
what width and volume are these boards and how'd they ride without battery etc as a naked prone board.stack up ?
How long it take you to dial in the use of the jet? and related .
You ever used a FD on a prone - if so whats your comparison - ease of use, battery power etc
Select to expand quotehilly said..
Comparison to FoilDrive. Power, how long the batteries last and weight.
Flite.lab have two types of board. The amp board has two different cartridges which i explain in points 2 & 3 below. in 10 days of riding 2-3 times a day i never ran out of battery. batteries charged in less than an hour (I didn't have a timer on). there is also the launch pad (the bit with the buttons on it) and we had to charge that once or twice during the 10 days.
1. raw boards which have no motor, so no comparison can be done to foildrive as it is a prone board. i will say the lightest and strongest board i have ever ridden.
2. amp boards with jet. This board you can mount any foil you want. There are two main buttons on the launch pad (control system) one gives you a boost for a few seconds (all adjustable while you are out foiling) to catch a wave & once you are up the boost cuts out. The second button is paddle assist & helpe you paddle out the back quicker. Inside the board is an impeller so there is no external propeller. I had a 3.5 hour session at a point break and had 47% battery left at the end. I really only used the boost button & no paddle assist as we were riding to the end of the point, walking back, so no paddling. This version can't really be compared to foil drive as it is more focussed on surfing with option for assisted paddling rather then constantly being on foil & motoring out the back. The amp cartridge has two batteries. Much lighter than foidrive
3. the amp board has an amp mast. this is an in-built system rather than foildrive attach later. The amp jet cartridge slides out and a cartridge with more batteries is inserted to give more run time. i didn't ride this. I believe it will be lighter than foildrive & the motor in the mast will be slimmer. As for run time, you can use 2 or 3 or 4 batteries. each additional battery gives more run time & more weight. So for a lighter ride two batteries. Good to have options
Select to expand quoteBWalnut said..
Would love to hear a not overly hyped evaluation sharing the pros/cons you noticed vs other surf foils you've been on. Also just a stand alone 3 things you loved and three things you'd tweak.
Thanks for sharing!!!
Ok 3 things i loved in no particular order
1. The boards are so light, strong and stiff. first time i rode the 4'0" raw board was 2-3ft pitching beachbreaks. First time ever board and foil felt like one thing rather than two separate things. the deck grip goes right to the rails which are done really well. Rails are super nice to hold, not like some of the really round full railed boards that are harder to hold during duckdives. I normally ride a custom 4'0" eps prone board. The raw board was better in every way, paddle, comfort, wave catching, weight and feel. so #1 is the boards.
2. the foils. i rode the production 707, plus a number of the 808 & 1010's. The 1010 I could outpump compared to the unifoil 190 hyper2 (1226cm) i have been riding for years and really like to wing on. my first was was a 4-for-1, was very stable, intuitive and easy to turn. does it turn like the 707 no, but that's why there's different foils for different things. i could ride all of these foils on the amp boards. I was worried the weight would make the smaller foils unrideable, I was wrong.
3. surfing a point break with 200+ people out and feeling like Chris from Flite.lab & i were having a session all to ourselves has to be in the top 3. we sat well wide of everyone where a little finger of reef would cap over or peak up then going too flat to surf yet good enough to foil. We sat there on our our boosting into waves session after session.
Main differences to other foils are the ease of use from first ride, stiffest mast i've ever ridden. apart from two waves riding a bombie in the middle of a bay that was double overhead i never had that locked in feel where the foil is going really fast and before you can do the turn you want you have to wash off a whole lot of speed. That just didn't happen. They roll over and turn at will rather than having to forecast turns. You can push the foils really hard through carves without that loading up feeling and pressure coming back to hard. There were a few waves as i was gliding across they bay where I got the giggles, just having so much fun with such ease and confidence.
What I'd tweak..... Should have brought some home! Pretty hard to fault them including the little things like cases, bolts, the tool has a handle that's narrow enough it doesn't hit your mast when you are doing bolts up. ooh the bolts all use the one single tool which is great. there are different size threads on the bolts however the head is the same size.
another tweak, the jet cartridge has one bolt to secure it in place, so it's very easy and not an issue. But if you must have a tweak the lazyness in me, would be to have a latch. A latch would come with issues of moving parts, less certainty, adding weight, having something attached to both the board and cartridge, so the bolt is the right way to go
Select to expand quoteJJFoil said..hilly said..
Comparison to FoilDrive. Power, how long the batteries last and weight.
Flite.lab have two types of board. The amp board has two different cartridges which i explain in points 2 & 3 below. in 10 days of riding 2-3 times a day i never ran out of battery. batteries charged in less than an hour (I didn't have a timer on). there is also the launch pad (the bit with the buttons on it) and we had to charge that once or twice during the 10 days.
1. raw boards which have no motor, so no comparison can be done to foildrive as it is a prone board. i will say the lightest and strongest board i have ever ridden.
2. amp boards with jet. This board you can mount any foil you want. There are two main buttons on the launch pad (control system) one gives you a boost for a few seconds (all adjustable while you are out foiling) to catch a wave & once you are up the boost cuts out. The second button is paddle assist & helpe you paddle out the back quicker. Inside the board is an impeller so there is no external propeller. I had a 3.5 hour session at a point break and had 47% battery left at the end. I really only used the boost button & no paddle assist as we were riding to the end of the point, walking back, so no paddling. This version can't really be compared to foil drive as it is more focussed on surfing with option for assisted paddling rather then constantly being on foil & motoring out the back. The amp cartridge has two batteries. Much lighter than foidrive
3. the amp board has an amp mast. this is an in-built system rather than foildrive attach later. The amp jet cartridge slides out and a cartridge with more batteries is inserted to give more run time. i didn't ride this. I believe it will be lighter than foildrive & the motor in the mast will be slimmer. As for run time, you can use 2 or 3 or 4 batteries. each additional battery gives more run time & more weight. So for a lighter ride two batteries. Good to have options
Thanks for the info .
Select to expand quotedrc13 said..
Interested in the foils/stabs and like BWalnut a comparison between any other decent surf foils you have ridden i.e code, afs etc with notable pros/cons
Also unfortunately have to ask due to the current state of the foil industry but are you affiliated or planning to be in any way affiliated with FL or somehow just lucked yourself into 10 days of riding pre release gear? Fine either way but helps to adjust expectations on gear reviews.
I wish I got free stuff from Flite/lab!
I run my own service based business that has nothing to do with foiling or selling things. I like my fun to stay fun and not have ties to work.
I know Chris from when he lived near me, we met when we both started foiling down here & stayed friends after he moved north. I rode his initial prototype that he made in his garage.
So there is no affiliation, just a good friend who invented something pretty rad & invited me up for some pre-release fun. Special time.
i'll be queueing online to buy one like everyone else come release day
Select to expand quoteeppo said..
what width and volume are these boards and how'd they ride without battery etc as a naked prone board.stack up ?
How long it take you to dial in the use of the jet? and related .
You ever used a FD on a prone - if so whats your comparison - ease of use, battery power etc
The amp (jet) board can be ridden without the jet. There is a super light weight foam block that clicks in place of the cartridge. no screws just clicks in. literally push it in until you feel it click.
Dialling in the jet happens pretty quick. I messed up a few times in the first session. knowing when to push the button is the key. I had it pretty sorted after one session. by session 3 I was just doing it and not thinking about it. Becomes intuitive pretty quick. The 4'6" & 5'0" are easier than the 4'2" as they have more length, volume & bottom shape on the 5'0" is different to the 4'2" & 4'6". Like riding a shorted board more time and skill is needed. I easily rode the 4'2". If i wasn't paying attention sometimes the board would slip a little under my chest, in the first few days, had stopped doing that/my body was doing what was needed without me thinking about it after a few days.
key things are:
- knowing when to hit the boost button
- this isn't necessary but it helped sinking the board vertically and then releasing it up using the buoyancy of the board (like you would on a surfboard) gave a nice little bit of speed to get planing and up earlier. not necessary, just helpful especially for late decisions to go a wave
- for the first few sessions probably lying a bit further forward than you normally would on the board to help control the thrust and lift. this is a subtle not overt thing
On the launch pad (control disc in front of the board that twists out for charging) you can adjust everything while you are in the water, you can adjust the seconds of a) how long between pushing the button and the boost kicking in starts b) how quickly the boost goes from nothing to the boost setting you have chosen c) the amount of boost/thrust you have d) how long the boost/thrust lasts. (think I got this right...)
Yet to ride foildrive so can't do a comparison. And I didn't ride the amp mast. The amp mast & foildrive are comparable. i really think the amp jet is something different.
I don't have volumes & widths of boards. i'll try get them and come back to you. At a guess the Raw 4'0" is 18" wide, has a really nice concave deck
Thanks awesome info. 
My question above about runtime was cruise out boost onto wave. I know lots of variables but how long is the average session using the jet like that before you have to change battery?
Select to expand quoteJJFoil said..
So there is no affiliation, just a good friend who invented something pretty rad & invited me up for some pre-release fun. Special time.
i'll be queueing online to buy one like everyone else come release day
Good stuff, thanks for the feedback mate!
Noticed you compared the foils to the Uni Hyper, have you been on any more recently released surf foils? As a lot of foils have taken a big jump since hyper days. Still they sound great from what you've felt!
Select to expand quoteFor those podcast listeners this came out few days ago.
FLITELab* Exclusive with
Chris Senior Product Manager
The X-Foils
pca.st/episode/98f3f8fe-7a5d-48b3-86a4-ae20ba37891a
Select to expand quotehilly said..
Thanks awesome info.
My question above about runtime was cruise out boost onto wave. I know lots of variables but how long is the average session using the jet like that before you have to change battery?
So I didn't use the amp mast which is the most directly compatible product to foildrive. so i can't do a run time comparison.
Using the amp board i never ran out of battery over 10 days riding 2-3 times a day. sometimes we would do walk arounds, some times I would use paddle assist to get back out the back on the point and more often the beach breaks. Most sessions were 1-2 hours, with a few 3 hour plus sessions.
When boosting onto waves only a little bit of battery is used which is why batteries can be so small & light. They are small enough to fly with.
For me the battery life was long enough to go out for a long session and not worry about running out.
Select to expand quoteJJFoil said..eppo said..
what width and volume are these boards and how'd they ride without battery etc as a naked prone board.stack up ?
How long it take you to dial in the use of the jet? and related .
You ever used a FD on a prone - if so whats your comparison - ease of use, battery power etc
The amp (jet) board can be ridden without the jet. There is a super light weight foam block that clicks in place of the cartridge. no screws just clicks in. literally push it in until you feel it click.
Dialling in the jet happens pretty quick. I messed up a few times in the first session. knowing when to push the button is the key. I had it pretty sorted after one session. by session 3 I was just doing it and not thinking about it. Becomes intuitive pretty quick. The 4'6" & 5'0" are easier than the 4'2" as they have more length, volume & bottom shape on the 5'0" is different to the 4'2" & 4'6". Like riding a shorted board more time and skill is needed. I easily rode the 4'2". If i wasn't paying attention sometimes the board would slip a little under my chest, in the first few days, had stopped doing that/my body was doing what was needed without me thinking about it after a few days.
key things are:
- knowing when to hit the boost button
- this isn't necessary but it helped sinking the board vertically and then releasing it up using the buoyancy of the board (like you would on a surfboard) gave a nice little bit of speed to get planing and up earlier. not necessary, just helpful especially for late decisions to go a wave
- for the first few sessions probably lying a bit further forward than you normally would on the board to help control the thrust and lift. this is a subtle not overt thing
On the launch pad (control disc in front of the board that twists out for charging) you can adjust everything while you are in the water, you can adjust the seconds of a) how long between pushing the button and the boost kicking in starts b) how quickly the boost goes from nothing to the boost setting you have chosen c) the amount of boost/thrust you have d) how long the boost/thrust lasts. (think I got this right...)
Yet to ride foildrive so can't do a comparison. And I didn't ride the amp mast. The amp mast & foildrive are comparable. i really think the amp jet is something different.
I don't have volumes & widths of boards. i'll try get them and come back to you. At a guess the Raw 4'0" is 18" wide, has a really nice concave deck
Cheers mate great info
seems awesome for proners and DWers, but i just wonder how many wingers would spend about $8000 to be able to get up on foil in a knot or two less of wind?
Its substantially less than a knot or two. I have been out on the 5'0 45L with a 808 foil with a 5m when guys with 6m and 100L can't get going.
Also then allows me to rig up the one Board, Foil and wing then when the wind picks up I just cam back and swap the jet out for the blank vs deriging everthing down for my smaller gear.
Select to expand quotebeached57 said..
seems awesome for proners and DWers, but i just wonder how many wingers would spend about $8000 to be able to get up on foil in a knot or two less of wind?
Having used Foildrive with a wing I found it was a bit pointless. If you are proficient at pumping it gave almost no advantage, and then once up your carrying all that extra weight. Might be of some advantage to a beginner who can't pump well.
This is a 4'8 at 40L
www.instagram.com/reel/C4OVpqMvnAK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MWRvb3pmOHhxamRhaw==
Select to expand quoteactivechris said..
This is a 4'8 at 40L
www.instagram.com/reel/C4OVpqMvnAK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MWRvb3pmOHhxamRhaw==
You would have been better dumping the wing and just proning. I get it you want to sell more units but FD has been used for a long time winging and useful in very specific circumstances but a winger who can get up on a 40lts board has little use for a foil assist option.
Select to expand quotemaxpwr said..
Amp board seems cool but who really wants to go winging in 5 knots?
Me, I get a lot of satisfaction doing it 
going 2 to 3 times wind speed.
Posted some feedback from first prone foil on the 4'8" over in the SUP foiling section if y'all interested.
