Hey everyone! I’ve been lurking here for a while, learning as much about the DIY efoil building as possible with some fantastic examples I’ve seen here. I have been slowly acquiring components for my build:
Flipsky 75300 65161 kit (watercooled version - threaded shaft with pin)
Gong foil kit 75 cm Allvator Alu Mast V2, Foil Allvator XL Front Wing X-Over
140 x Molicel P4200
couple sheets of EPS foam
small 12v pump as used in other builds seen here : https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CMJSWGNJ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
And the reason for the name: A Lift Blowfish! Blowfish
I’m new to efoiling (surfed many years ago and wasn’t too great at it) so having a Blowfish will hopefully ease the learning curve for myself and my family/friends. As well, my less than astounding fiberglass and finishing work will mostly be hidden under the blowfish and only be exposed if I get good enough to remove it. I purchased the 5’4" version.
I really really like Lift efoils but can’t afford 16k CAD for one. I have a ton of experience in EVs including 2 boats so inclined to build one.
Couple questions I’m hoping to get answers to:
Does anyone have any dimensions/ stencils of a 5’4 lift foil?
What voltage does a new Lift foil run at - 48v nominal? I was initially thinking a 20s7p pack but I think Lift and others only run at 48v so 14s10p?
I will try and post as much as I can on my build as I go along. Big thanks for the huge amount of material so far!
Sounds like you already bought a Lift Blowfish? If you like the concept of it I would have considered the Waydoo flyer pod, it’s been around for a while and I think is half the price of the blowfish. The blowfish just got a bunch of attention because it was just released and all the Lift fanboys are talking it up.
You could consider looking for a used 5’4 Lift board and just add your parts to it. A few builds have this sort of thing. Can try contacting Lift affiliates in your area and see if they have any. This would probably a lot cost more than a self built board, just a thought.
I think 14S10P is the way to go. Higher voltages increase the shock risk. I think most efoil builds run 12S or 14S. You can also do two 7S10P packs in series and charge with an RC balance charger. Or…two 14S5P packs in parallel, each one about 1kwh. This would give you the option of running with one pack and significantly less weight. Once you learn how to ride and you’re more efficient you might appreciate having the light weight option.
Thanks for info. I never heard of the waydoo flyer pod as it appears no one in Canada sells them. It is also more expensive to buy from the usa than the blowfish. I wish i could see more lift foils but no one around eastern canada sells them. I bought the blowfish from hhe west coast of Canada that offered free shipping. I think the blowfish would fit almost any board to a certain width but having some dimensions would be handy.
The Blowfish is a much more refined product than the Flyer One pod. It has much better handle positions and no straps across the top of the board. Waydoo did think of it first, but Lift did it better.
A few tracks:
1-Ask on forums: here, esurfer, …
2-Retro-engineering: the black bottom skin width is the board perimeter of each board section so with a free 3D program you can design the optimal board, section by section, including board height and clearance for an easy fit.
You could some junk EPS/XPS pieces and place them along and perpendicuar to the main axis…
3-Trial and error using other boards… Cut an old windsurf board ?
…
Well it’s been a while since I last updated but I’m glad to say I finally foiled for the first time yesterday! So many mistakes in my build but eventually I got them worked out.
I’ll start filling in my picture blog but here are some details.
Board
length - 5’4"
Width - 24"
Thickness - 5"
Carbon fiber over plywood for base plate/battery compartment, carbon fiber for over plywood for cover. Fiberglass for body shell.
The Lift Blowfish fits board fairly well although a bit loose where the a Lift board is wider.
Battery:
Molicel 21700 in a 14s10p configuration
Ant+ bluetooth BMS with separate XT60 connection for charging only.
Mains and charge ports with fuses
Dual 58.8v chargers via XT60 splitter cable- can charge with 1 charger at 10 amps, 20 amps with 2 for a 2 hour charge.
Surloc plus 8.0 mm watertight connectors - overkill but very solid connections
Lexan case, glued together with instant glue- while only 1/4" thick, the glue instantly holds Lexan very solid! I used Permatex adhesive for top cover so I can access if necessary as I would need a strong saw otherwise!
Controller
Flipsky 75300 - kept 5.2 firmware
Cooling- small aquarium pump
10amp DC-DC converter
Alltran AEV250-M contactor with 60 watt pre-charge resister - this part is way overkill again but it’s very small and fits well in my control box
I used a cheap 12v ATV tether with cord to start board. It works well although I am feeling more comfortable that board will not errantly fly away on me the more I use it.
Board comes up to about 36kg with Blowfish attached. I weight about 95kg so not a light load! Despite that, board comes up around 17kmh and so far I’ve seen 38 km/h top speed while hanging on for dear life! LOL I’ve never seen an efoil let alone ride one now till last night so I’m pretty happy with the outcome so far.
I’m sure I’m missing a bunch of details here so please feel free to throw some questions.
I built one out of 1/4" lexan sheet as i could not find a case that fit well for the batteries nor my compartment. I used instant glue to attach sides to a bottom sheet - the instant glue bonds lexan together as fast as skin and is super strong. I dunked it in the lake to find any pinholes and seal. For the top cover I used Permatex adhesive silicone which allows service if needed with a sharp knife. Plus where everything is clear its very easy to see any gaps.
Im in Nova Scotia a little more East.
