Liftfoils.com / mediadrumworld.com

By Mark McConville

INCREDIBLE images and video footage have captured an electric FLYING surfboard in action that can reach speeds of up to 25 miles per hour.

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The thrilling footage shows a guy surfing above the surface of the sparkling blue water and the board gives off the impression of floating in the air.

The board is kept above the water by a foil and powered by an electric motor attached the foil under the water.

The unique design is the work of Lift, which is a hydrofoil brand that builds flying toys.

Liftfoils.com / mediadrumworld.com

“For the past 10 years we’ve been obsessed with creating user-friendly hydrofoils for everyone,” said Nick Leason, Co-founder/Head Engineer.

“It’s a mix of everything we love: surfing, flying and deep powder snowboarding. The feeling it evokes holds a category of its own and we set out on a mission to bring it to the world.

“To harness the power of a wave and surf like a bird, although extremely rewarding, is difficult. Not because riding a foil is hard, but controlling the source -flying a kite or surfing a wave- takes skill.

“To harness that type of power and gain excellent control is something that may take years to master. So, I set out to make it easy.”

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Mr Leason explained how the company made the product that exists today after building a prototype that could ride for around 50 feet.

“The first few years were a chase,” he explained.

“We had to convince the best minds in their field to work with us to build a flying surfboard. And yes, pitching a flying surfboard is no easy task. But where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Liftfoils.com / mediadrumworld.com

“The battery alone was half the battle. It’s the energy source that propels the eFoil over water for many miles in rugged conditions.

“So even though we paid a premium price, our lithium batteries were custom built by the best in the USA to keep cars on the road and airplanes in the sky.

“The next challenge was the hand controller. I was surprised to find out a bluetooth, wireless, waterproof, buoyant hand controller didn’t already exist. We had to design, build and test it for the application.

Liftfoils.com / mediadrumworld.com

“Integrating, among others, magnetic actuators, sensors and screens. It was quite the challenge, but well worth it because our hand controller was successfully designed to be an extension of the rider.

“It works reflexively meaning you have complete control over your ride. By simply pressing the lever on the hand controller the motor responds instantaneously to your command adjusting the speed. It also throttles you back in the event of low battery so you can get back to shore safely.”

Liftfoils.com / mediadrumworld.com

For more information see www.liftfoils.com