foil drive assist plus reviews from users

hi all
I saw the zero wind thread

anyone else got comments, I'm 85kg very much in the learner stage but the wind in WA has gone!

looking at using it as an e-foil initially, and help some mates learn

looks fun, website looks well sorted and helpful

but interested in real world use

cheers

on I'm on axis, front wing suggestions?

I have a foil drive plus. At 115kg it's borderline but usable as an efoil but great as a boost when winging in marginal conditions.

My misses is 65kg and efoils at less than half throttle, so you'd be much the same.

Up here the only protected water is inhabited by crocs, so being able to take this out when the ocean is glassy and wind is marginal or non-existant is a joy.

It has less grunt than a proper efoil and battery management isn't as good, but it weighs so much less.

Does exactly what it says on the box.

Foildrive Plus is a brilliant product for foilers. I use mine for winging, prone and efoil, and the grandkids love it.
If you're winging but on the heavier side it will get you onto the foil without pumping, great for those conditions when the light weight are up and foiling but you're struggling. I'm 80kgs, and with foil drive I can wing in 7knots on a 5mtr, no pumping. But, I'm relatively light and can pump onto the foil in not much more wind, I have absolutely no interest in using a wing bigger than 5mtr.


Prone is where Foildrive shines, mount it high on the mast, use a big wing, I'm on the PNG1300 and it picks up the smallest swells. If there is no swell it's a pump machine, the Foildrive gets you foiling and then the pump takes over after the prop leaves the water, no need to learn the dock start or need a dock.


For full efoil you need to be light or have a big board, say 120ltr plus. At 80kgs I get about 40 minutes from a battery running at about 70% on a 32ltr board. If I'm doing a pump session 1 battery is definitely enough as you're stuffed before the battery expires. I do have a second battery but it is really for the grandkids so they can have a battery each. They probably only get 30mins out of a battery but go everywhere at 100%.


I wouldn't be without my Foildrive, and keep finding new uses for it, next it downwinding, using the Foildrive and a wing to get way upwind, then downwind back. The wing will be very small hence needing the Foildrive to get up on the foil.

Anyone attached a Foildrive controller to a duotone boom or how have they attached the controller to the boom for winging???

Thx mate,brilliant idea,I'd thought about zippy ties,but that looks easier
,I like the wrist strap I assume it's an old leggie you modified???IVe seen guys carrying the controller,but that looked clumsy and awkward.

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bolgo said..
hi all
I saw the zero wind thread

anyone else got comments, I'm 85kg very much in the learner stage but the wind in WA has gone!

looking at using it as an e-foil initially, and help some mates learn

looks fun, website looks well sorted and helpful

but interested in real world use

cheers

on I'm on axis, front wing suggestions?

Hi,
I do love the foildrive. It makes you a better winger. You can pump on foil without using the system, when littel gust is coming. Is there is no gust, you use foildrive for boost. My battery was after the last session of 4,5 hours at 45%. Just using it for boosting. I was 80kg on duotone 5,5 and Armstrong HA1525. Others had no foildrive, fone cwc8 with low aspect foil 2000cm2. I was most of the time on foil, the others only, when gust occured.
I have fone cwc8 and axis png1310. With that combination I can even stay longer on foil with efoil. Without efoil I still the first one on foil and the last how comes down. But I still need a gust to get on foil and can stay on it with maybe 4-5knots (without foildrive). I even can stay without wind maybe 50m on foil. At our lake you always have 0-8 knots. On Good days longer periods of 3min with 15-20 knots, but always periods of 0-4knots. If you have a bad day, an you get a gust every hour once, it is very frustrating. But with foildrive you have the "gust" when you need it.
So foildrive makes you faster a better foiler: with no with you just go out and train pumping. Go on foil - pump until you stop, and do it again. For me a battery last 1-2hours. I can do on an PNG1310 with 30literboard Kiteraceboard alot of starts: I think 30 should be possible.
For prone or subfoiling in bad waves - there is no question: your up one the wave even with poor technic. You can concentrate to get on foil with enregy of wave.
Winging: If you like you can take a wing much smaller, which would not work for you in the given conditions. You learn to master these condtions with the small gear. Later you handle without foildrive.
best Boris

I'm around 75kg, 75L Fanatic board, 1440/1095/980 Kujira foils, Unit 3 6.5 D-lab, and FD+. The FD is overpriced, but it's worth every dime to me. I put it around 8" down from the board and use it for pump practice and winging on a lake in OKC, Oklahoma, USA. I'm a decent winger who can jump and ride lake "waves" holding the nose handle. Learning to FD with the wing in almost no wind is a new skill that takes time to master (like learning to wing). It's not E-foiling and it's not winging. It's a hybrid that requires practice. Even in literally 0mph, you can use the wing as it builds apparent wind and work on pumping and gliding the FD in and out of the water. Tacking is the best way to turn because the wing will backwind because it only has apparent wind. I've also found doing wingtip 1080s is fun and not possible with the wing only. Holding the wing by the handle and going straight into the wind when waiting on a gust is also fun. It's definitely a skill-building tool when used properly. In our 5-15 light, gusty winds, it eliminates all the waiting on a gust and pumping and jumping to get going, especially with the smaller foils. Today was one of those days--worth every hard-earned dime I paid for the overpriced FD+.

It's not an E-foil. If you want to just pull the trigger and ride around like a wave runner, the FD will probably be no fun for you. I've ridden several E-foils and one in the waves. For me, the FD+ is so much more fun! I can't wait to get it to the waves. :-)

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dejavu said..
Below is a video about the FD.

[I would think that one of the wing board manufacturers would make a FD specific board -- it would be so much lighter than an e-foil and everything could be self-contained -- no lose wires, etc. A mast (you chose the length) that comes with adapters so that several different fuses could be used. I'd buy one!]

Konrad and Carbon Co have made boards for customers to accommodate the foil drive unit.

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DavidJohn said..
Dwight in the US has done this..

That looks very cool. Bluetooth connectivity will be an issue when the cut out fills with water.

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Dick Tatta said..
Not with the new v2 controller

I have a V2 and it still cuts out with water over it. Granted it is better than the V1 but the simple fact is that Bluetooth will not go through water.

The signal will go through the board but not water. All BT devices use 2.4GHz radio frequency-which does not work well in water. This is due to laws of physics, as water molecules attenuate the signal. When any Bluetooth device is put underwater, the range is just few inches. Also, Bluetooth is a low-power system and the range in air is about 30ft/10m.

My buddy is 60 Kg and sets his to 90%. At 80 Kg I need 100% to start and then can drop to 80-85% depending on foil.