Foil assist in the market currently and soon to come

efoils – Electric Hydrofoil Surfboards
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Any suggestions and opinions on the best option out there.
I have listed a few systems that I have researched so far:

-Foil Drive - original brand, seems most common and reliable. Max version seems to fit me
-Waydoo - reliable brand coming from efoil and great value. Run time appears to be average
-Flow Customs - small brand but seems to have good quality and feedback. Concerned about the after service.
-Duotone - seems more for Duotone fans as they come from wind sports. Pricey for what it offers as expected from a big brand.
-Manta - doesn’t appear to be very popular
-Foil Dash - just seen on social media. not sure if/when they will start selling and if its reliable. curious about the price as it seems like a china brand but I see the guy endorsing it been doing the battery belt long before other brands
-Loco surfing - seem budget good value version of the Foil Drive

battery onboard: Foil Drive, Waydoo, Loco
backpack/harness options: Flow Customs, Duotone, Manta, Foil Dash

I am not set on having the battery on the board or on a harness.
Appreciate any thoughts, suggestions and on the best quality and value out there.

aloha

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If you have the money go with FoilDrive I am out in the water with people on Duotone and Manta and hands down FD is the better option.

Are you in the UK as you have mentioned Loco ?

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Which Manta version?

Their Insta has a bunch of photos with the Duotone logo which is strange. They are also going to launch a crowdfund.

How much after sales support do you require and what type of support?
This forum could arguably give far more support than anyone at FD other than giving you free parts.

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The one with the integrated battery, more run time nice unit of a quality but once its flat the fun stops. Also no option to put in a small battery and pump foil around, I carry 1 allen key in my wet suit and can be back in the water after 10 mins.

Its each to ones own but the FD style seems the best option, best spare network etc if you have a fully FD compatible unit i can get part most places in the world and hire batteries.

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The EVO is the more interesting one, but I dont think many in the UK have it.

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No i’m in Lisbon, just heard about Loco from forums. Thanks I’m also leaning on FD, there are enough users to know its reliable. but also very curious about the battery on waist or back pack. If only FD will provide that option as well…

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After service in case things breakdown not really tech support. Its an expensive toy

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If your location is good, check out the tow boogie as well. Similar price to a foil drive, lot more power and a bit more run time. I make them in Australia but can ship internationally.

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They have been very good with warranty but if the base unit fails it is fixable there are several treads on here I have rebuilt a broken unit i picked up.

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Every foil drive breaks down :rofl:
Deep down they just sub-par components which never had enough head room.
Just take their latest problem with their new props not unfolding on integrated setups. Simply put its bad prop design! I have assist props that unfold regardless of integrated or not! Every design they have is like using their user base to test and solve their problems.

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that’s scary to know as they sound like the leader.
Does that mean the other brands are even worst? Wonder if Duotone is more reliable since its a German brand at a premium price point and is it real German engineering or like the Audi Aerofoils which seems to be on the way out?

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Aloha! / Hi! :call_me_hand: Thomas from Manta Foils.
Usually it’s my colleague Renaud who chimes in here on the technical/R&D topics, and I’m happy to jump in directly to give a broader view of where Manta sits today, since you’ve got us on the list.

Totally fair point that we don’t look very visible online. That’s our communication catching up with our actual footprint — based on units out there, we believe we’re up there as the number-two player today, with our team and dealer network having roughly tripled over the last year. We’ve been heads-down on product more than loud on marketing, and that’s changing now.

The reason it’s changing is the new TakeOff Evo, delivering mainly since April, which is a completely new chapter for us in 2026. It’s a clean break from the Air and Flow generations, built around the feedback we got from riders since those launches:

  • Air-travel batteries — multiple packs, no airline approval needed
  • Slim, lightweight, no-maintenance
  • In-house performance motor: powerful, quiet
  • Safer battery tech — each pack has its own BMS, no Li-Po
  • Multi-function remote
  • Backpack-compatible (with both the Foil Drive harness and ours — June launch)
  • One main unit, 2x batteries, 5x configurations from 194 Wh up to 1036 Wh

A couple of things we were first to bring to the Foil Assist market — air-travel batteries and the new motor architecture — are fully developed in-house, and we haven’t seen anything match them yet on the water. We’re in Foil Assist because we ride, not as a side bet, and there are a few more Evo add-ons in dev that I think you’ll like.

On the “not very popular” point — fair from what’s online. The real test is on the water. From what I can read you’re based in Portugal? We’re actually working on our local setup there right now — onboarding a partner who’ll be able to organise a free demo for you on the Evo. Drop Anthonys a line at sales@mantafoils.com and we’ll connect you as soon as it’s live (should be soon). :blush::call_me_hand:

On a broader note — this kind of conversation is exactly what keeps us moving. Every generation of the system has come out of rider feedback, and the Evo is no exception. If you (or anyone reading this) have ideas or features you’d love to see on the next Foil Assist, please send them our way (email above). That’s what fuels us, and we’re always happy to connect.

Aloha / Boas ondas :blush:
Thomas

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This is a little cheeky to come to an open source build forum and redirect guys to email their ideas in.

I’m going to go ahead and say to anyone here, absolutely do not give your ideas to commercial entities unless they are offering you payment for your ideas. Rather put them here in an open source format and savvy manufacturers/resellers can pick them up here.

Foil Drive did exactly this and then put a patent on their under board gen2. Realistically their was prior art online before they ever started development on their gen2.

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Hey Jezza — fair point, and thanks for calling it out.

You’re right, that line came out the wrong way. We’re absolutely not here to collect ideas from this community — that’s the opposite of what we want to be doing. The reason we jumped in on this thread was that we got mentioned by name in the original post, and we wanted to give a proper answer rather than stay silent. The feedback line at the end was meant in the spirit of “we’re approachable to riders already using our system,” but reading it back through your lens, I can see exactly how it lands. Happy to retract that part.

For context — Renaud was riding DIY and following the DIY eFoils scene long before Manta existed. I know how much of this gear has come out of people tinkering in garages and sharing openly, and your concern about commercial entities scooping up community work is completely legitimate. There’s a track record of it across the industry, and that’s not lost on us. Full respect for the DIY philosophy here — it’s where a lot of the best ideas have come from, and where a lot still do.

So, apologies if it came across the wrong way. We’re here to answer questions when our brand is mentioned, not to fish for ideas.

Cheers, Thomas

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Hi there, I am the founder of Foildash, my name is Su, I am a Chinese American.

I’ve been working on this project for the last two years. We’ll be launching on Kickstarter in June.

Happy to answer questions here, and you can sign up for our news letter at foildash.com

The target retail price is starting form $3000 dollars (shipping not included) for the base setup. Early adopters on Kickstarter will surely get discounts, probably around $2500/pc.

Our rider Sky is the OG of hybridfoiling who places the assist’s battery on waist first ever. I first saw that around 2yrs ago and was immediately fascinated about the idea, and hence where we are today. His instagram account:
Sky Rama

After two years of development, I can finally say that we have something that exceeds his expection.

Here are some specs and features for the system:

System Nominal Voltage: 43.2-50.4V*
Battery Capacity Range: 389-454Wh
Max Thrust: 34kg
Minimum Install Weight: 3.8kg
Dimensions with Battery: L210 x W160 x H72mm
Battery runtime eFoil mode* (heavy motor use): 35-60mins
Battery runtime assist mode* (light motor use): 45-75mins

*50.4V nominal is efoil voltage, high voltage FOC system provides more efficiency and power as well as drone-grade precision control and responsiveness
**Runtime also depends on user weight, skill level, board and foil size.

Features:
1. Newly upgraded MAINTENANCE FREE motor, no mandatory cleaning after every session;
2. Advanced drone-grade FOC controls allows for consistent power 90% of the time (battery protection kicks in only at the last 10%), no power downgrade due to voltage drop.
3. waterproof and anti-spark batteries, safer and more durable.
4. Tabless battery cell with 60A of discharge current for each cell, lower charging/discharging temperature, 600+ life cycle;
related information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzBL8uy_pvo
5. Motor runs quieter with greater torque, early lift, 15% more power efficient;*
6. easy installation, average installation time takes about 5mins;
7. replaceable harness belt, modular design, all parts can easily be replaced.
8. no signal issues;
9. super light weight, at least 1kg lighter than any underboard design;
10. no “deadweight” on the board, works with almost all boards, no need buy custom boards;
11. natural pumping experience without learning dockstart/beachstart;

*our rider Will at 88kg starts a Armstrong WKT122 9.5L board + UHA 670 front wing + 170surf stab, related link: FoilDash on Instagram: "We are @foildash 🔴 Launching soon through @kickstarter 👀 For early access see our link in bio to join the mailing list 👌🏽 @will.foilsurfer (88kg) flat water starts an @armstrongfoils WKT122 9.5L Board x UHA670 Foil #foildash #efoil #hydrofoiling #foilassist #hydrofoil"

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Also, a 4x3S2P (99Wh each pack) travel battery is in the making as well, which will share the same battery runtime as a standard battery pack of 12S2P, you no longer need to sacrifice performance for carrying a travel battery.

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Theres also breeze.it based in lithuania i believe

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Hi PP Foiler ! Welcome to the rabbitt hole ! I do a lot of coaching and any assist, foil drive or tow / etow / tow boogie all helps the progression. A lot of the guys learning will start with assist and move to tow boogie or wind foiling in all its disciplines fairly quickly. Buy well and you can sell well…For the best value for money and something you’ll keep coming back to the ‘Tow Boogie’ is the best value and polished unit on the market. Unreal gear. Just depends on what your riding and where - but yeah. Etow has the most limitless applications. Good luck ! you can’t go wrong !

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Nice work getting this product where it is mate ! Im about 2 years into an etow / tow boogie developments here in Melbourne, I built our own etow boat for our own coaching requirements …, … This is my website - www.hsfoil.com I have opened up shop as a local shaper and glasser, specialising in Double Bias Carbon fibre foil boards, as well as running ‘1st flight’ foil safety tuition - We get newbies struggling with e tow, efoil, e assist. wing foiling etc… Ive found that a lot of the new start up foilers are frightened to give it a go alone, and many are keen to run around on efoils as a part of their start into the foiling journey… It definatly helps the new starters to gain confidence… I’d love to stay in touch with you and offer your product as a demo - who knows maybe buy some and hold stock for the learners / rentals ? … Can you PM me ? - Legend.

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thanks for the info. sounds promising especially at that price and your battery runs quite long for 45-75mins.
Is you battery same type as the Duotone ones, they say its Lipo and high voltage?
Interesting that you mentioned your rider Sky is the first ever to place battery on the waist. I know Duotone is trying to claim themselves as the innovators but I have also already seen others DIY and Flow Customs doing it way before. I’m not in a hurry to buy immediately and will keep an eye out for your products and what else is coming