There are a lot of goofy contraptions out there. We’re not here to yuck anyone’s yum — fun is fun is fun, after all — but the HydroFlyer might be considered one of them. Hydrofoiling has taken a small percentage of the already small surfing world by storm in recent years. Laird Hamilton introduced the surf world to it at Jaws in the film Step Into Liquid, and before that there were the Air Chairs that whipped around behind boats. A few years later, surfers like Kai Lenny and John John Florence jumped on board and proved to the world that, if you’re incredibly talented, you too can surf giant waves or pump around through lineups.
Since humans are always looking for a way to make things easier, it wasn’t long before someone put a motor on a foil. It can’t really be denied that e-foiling looks objectively pretty freaking fun, but it also can’t be denied that a large portion of the surfing world looks down on them.
E-foils aren’t new by any means, but the HydroFlyer has a few things that someone might be interested in. Since learning to foil is notoriously hard (Twiggy once said foiling makes him feel like a kook), the HydroFoil folks decided they’d throw a set of detachable handlebars on to help the learner on their way. With a top speed of about 35 mph and 120 minutes of ride time, the thing takes about three hours to reach a full charge.
Like we said, though, we’re not here to yuck yums. If you think it’s fun, you do you. Ride whatever you want to ride. Ride a mid-length, ride a longboard, ride a sponge, or ride a HydroFlyer. If you’re having fun, you’re doing it right.