Electric Surfboard Types: eFoil vs Jetboard vs e-SUP Compared

Key Takeaways

• An electric surfboard is a board you stand or lie on that a motor drives or assists. The main types are the eFoil, the jetboard and the e-SUP.
• An eFoil flies on an underwater wing above the water (our models lift off at around 20 km/h (12 mph)). A jetboard glides fast on the surface. An e-SUP is a paddleboard with a small helper motor.
• Flyboards, underwater scooters and jet skis are often mixed up with electric surfboards, but they are different machines.
• Choose by water first and feel second. An eFoil needs enough depth, a jetboard or e-SUP works in shallower water.
• Where you may ride depends on the lake, river or coast. Ask the responsible authority before your first ride.

Short answer: an electric surfboard is a board with a motor that moves you across the water or helps you along, with no wind or waves needed. The three main types are the eFoil, the jetboard and the e-SUP. The eFoil flies above the surface on an underwater wing, the jetboard glides fast on top of it, and the e-SUP is a paddleboard with a small motor as support. Your water and the ride feel you want decide which one fits.

Maybe you have seen a video of someone floating silently across a lake. Or a board shot past you on the beach in a cloud of spray. Both are called "motorized surfboard" in everyday speech. Technically they are two very different things.

We build eFoils and get asked about the difference all the time: eFoil, jetboard, e-SUP or flyboard? This guide sorts all the types, compares them in one table and shows which board fits your water.

What Is an Electric Surfboard?

An electric surfboard is a board you stand or lie on that a motor drives or assists while you ride. Most models today run on a battery, a rechargeable power pack, and you control the speed with a handheld remote or a handlebar.

Online, these boards go by many names: motorized surfboard, electric surfboard, surfboard with motor, e-surfboard. The basic idea is the same. The motor replaces what the wave does in surfing, the wind in kiting and the paddle in stand-up paddling.

That lets you ride on a glassy lake where no surfer would ever paddle out. The real differences lie in where the board travels: slowly in the water, fast on the water or above it.

What Types of Electric Surfboards Are There?

There are five common types: eFoil, jetboard, e-SUP, foil assist drive and e-bodyboard. The eFoil flies on an underwater wing and the jetboard glides on the surface. With the e-SUP and the foil assist drive, the motor only supports you. On the e-bodyboard you lie down. Ride feel, speed and use differ a lot.

1. eFoil: a board with a motor and an underwater wing on a mast below it. Above a certain speed, it lifts out of the water.
2. Jetboard: a motorized surfboard without an underwater wing. A water jet drives it, and it travels on the surface.
3. e-SUP: a stand-up paddleboard with a small electric motor, often built into the fin under the tail.
4. Foil assist drive: a separate motor unit that you fit to a foilboard, which is a board with an underwater wing but no motor of its own.
5. E-bodyboard: a short board with a motor that you lie on instead of standing.

The key difference is ride height. An eFoil and a foilboard with a foil assist drive both fly above the water on an underwater wing. Jetboard, e-SUP and e-bodyboard stay in or on the water. That decides how quiet the board is, how it reacts to waves and how much water depth you need.

eFoil: How Does a Surfboard Ride Above the Water?

An eFoil flies on a hydrofoil, an underwater wing on a mast below the board. An electric motor accelerates the board, and above a certain speed the wing lifts it out of the water, with our eFoils at around 20 km/h (12 mph). Then only the mast and wing stay in the water, and you float calmly over small waves.

The mast is the vertical strut that reaches down from the board into the water. The wings sit at its lower end. They work like an aircraft wing, only underwater. Hold your flat hand out of a car window and tilt it slightly upward: it gets lifted.

That is exactly what the front wing does, the large wing at the front. The stabilizer, a small rear wing, keeps the board steady. Together with the mast they form the hydrofoil.

Once the board flies, it no longer pushes water ahead of it. Drag drops, and the ride becomes quiet and smooth, even over chop, which means short, choppy waves. You steer height and direction with your body: weight forward goes lower, weight back goes higher, and you lean sideways to turn. You set the speed with the remote.

The mast carries the drive and the wings below the water. Photo: Aerofoils, Mallorca.

On our eFoils, motor and jet sit in the mast. A jet consists of an impeller, a small bladed wheel, and a stator, a set of guide vanes. Both sit in a tube shaped as a flow channel. The front wing and the stabilizer bolt directly onto the drive.

Despite the jet, an eFoil is not a jetboard. On a jetboard the drive sits at the back of the board, and the board glides on the water. On our eFoils the jet sits underwater at the mast, and the wing lifts the board out of the water. Our Aerofoils Adventure (formerly Audi e-tron foil Adventure) works exactly this way.

Other eFoils use an open propeller or a propeller with a protective cover. When you compare, check whether a rotating part sits freely in the water or inside a housing. We explain what separates the three designs in our comparison of jet and open propeller.

The energy is stored in the battery. Its capacity is given in kilowatt hours (kWh), the amount of energy it holds. Our Light battery has 1.13 kWh and lasts up to 60 minutes or 20 km (12 mi). The Endurance battery has 2.23 kWh and lasts up to 120 minutes or 40 km (25 mi).

Both are manufacturer maximums. Rider weight, wind and speed shorten them in everyday use. For more on construction and ride feel, read our basics article What Is an eFoil?.

Jetboard: How Does a Water-Jet Surfboard Ride on the Water?

A jetboard is a motorized surfboard without an underwater wing. A water jet at the back sucks in water and pushes it out behind the board. The board glides fast across the surface, with spray and noticeable knocks in waves, a bit like a small jet ski.

Gliding means the board lies flat on the water, like a motorboat at full speed. It stays in constant contact with the surface. You feel waves and the wakes of other boats directly in your legs.

For many riders, that is the appeal. You feel speed, spray and pressure in the turn. If you come from wakeboarding, water skiing or jet skiing, this feel will be familiar.

Besides electric jetboards, there are models with a combustion engine. On waters where combustion engines are banned, they are not an option.

Look closely at product names. Not every board with "jet" in its name has a true water-jet drive with impeller and stator. Some makers also call a propeller with a protective cover a jet.

e-SUP and Foil Assist: When Is the Motor Only a Helper?

With the e-SUP and the foil assist drive, the motor only supports you instead of defining the ride. The e-SUP stays a paddleboard that a small motor pushes along gently. The foil assist drive helps foilers get going, people who otherwise ride a foilboard on wind, wave or their own power.

An e-SUP is a stand-up paddleboard with an electric motor. The motor often sits in the fin, the blade under the tail, which is why it is also called an e-fin. Many paddlers fit one to get back more easily against the wind or to go on longer tours.

An e-SUP is usually not built for speed. It stays a relaxed paddleboard with a tailwind at the push of a button.

A foil assist drive is a motor unit with a battery for a foilboard. It is used in wingfoiling, where a hand-held wing pulls you, and in surf foiling on waves. It also helps in pump foiling, where you otherwise keep the board moving by pumping rhythmically. How these sports relate is shown in our overview Which Foil Sport Fits You?.

Flyboard, Flightboard, Underwater Scooter: What Is Not an Electric Surfboard?

A flyboard has no motor of its own. It is connected by a hose to a jet ski, whose water jet pushes you into the air. Underwater scooters pull you through the water without a board under your feet. "Flightboard" is not a technical term and usually means an eFoil.

These terms keep showing up together, yet they describe very different devices:

If you are looking for the "surfboard that floats above the water", you almost always mean an eFoil. A flyboard rises higher, but it is tied to the jet ski and does not travel freely across a lake.

eFoil, Jetboard and e-SUP Compared Side by Side

Side by side, the eFoil flies the quietest and smoothest, the jetboard offers the sportiest feel on the surface, and the e-SUP is the most relaxed option. The table shows the differences that matter for your decision. We give numbers only for our own eFoils.

After lift-off, an eFoil feels calm and even. A jetboard feels more direct and sportier. Both have their charm. It depends on what you want to experience on the water.

An eFoil in flight: only mast and wing stay in the water. Photo: Aerofoils, Mallorca.

Which brands build eFoils and how they differ is covered in our overview of eFoil brands. This article answers the question before that: which type of board suits you at all.

From our experience: videos only show half of the ride feel. If you can, test ride before you buy, ideally on exactly the board type you are interested in.

Which Electric Surfboard Suits Your Water?

Choose by water first and ride feel second. On lakes and bays that are deep enough, the eFoil plays to its strengths. On very shallow shores, a jetboard or e-SUP is more practical. On waters with strict rules, permission often decides, not preference.

These five questions help you choose:

1. How deep is your water? For eFoils we recommend at least 1.5 m (4.9 ft) of depth across the whole area where you ride. Sandbars further out count too.
2. How rough is the water? On chop, an eFoil flies over it. On a jetboard you feel the knocks.
3. How sensitive are the surroundings? Electric boards ride without exhaust. For jetboards, check the data sheet, because combustion models exist too.
4. How do you get to the water? A complete eFoil set such as our Adventure eFoil set weighs around 29 to 33 kg (64 to 73 lb) with battery, split across several parts. Inflatable boards pack small.
5. How heavy are you? Every board has a maximum rider weight. For our eFoils it is between 100 and 120 kg (220 and 265 lb), depending on the model.

A worked example: you want to ride with a friend on the weekend, about 30 minutes each. The Light battery lasts 60 minutes at best, which gets tight. With the Endurance battery you have up to 120 minutes and a reserve for headwind and breaks.

When would we not recommend an eFoil? If your water is shallower than 1.5 m (4.9 ft) everywhere, if you mainly want spray and speed, or if you only want to paddle gently. Then a jetboard or an e-SUP suits you better.

Rule of thumb: water first, board second. The best electric surfboard is no use if your home water is too shallow or off limits.

How Hard Is It to Get Started on an Electric Surfboard?

On an e-SUP you usually find your feet fastest, because you only stand and give gas. On an eFoil you also have to hold your flying height, and on a jetboard you balance speed and knocks. With a lesson, a large board and calm water, getting started on an eFoil is easy to plan.

On an eFoil you learn in steps:

1. Lie on your stomach and ride slowly.
2. Come up onto your knees.
3. Stand up while the board is still in the water.
4. Only then give enough gas for the board to lift off.

A large board carries you more steadily. Volume, given in liters, tells you how large it is. More liters mean more buoyancy and therefore a calmer board as long as it is not flying yet.

Calm water, a large board and a step-by-step start make the first flight easier. Photo: Aerofoils, Mallorca.

Owners tell us that our boards ride very steadily and suit beginners well. Our Adventure has a carbon board with 103 liters and is rated for riders up to 120 kg (265 lb). Our inflatable Hyperfly has 230 liters and is also rated up to 120 kg (265 lb). It is meant for beginners, heavier riders and eFoil schools.

The Hyperfly comes with the Hyperbar as standard, a handlebar with a color display and a magnetic kill switch. Here you stand and hold on to the Hyperbar. You can also remove it and ride the Hyperfly with the remote alone, like our carbon boards.

Our guide How to eFoil describes the path from the first kneeling to the first flight. Videos on setup and first rides are in the Aerofoils Academy in our app.

If you already ride one of our eFoils and take friends along, let them follow the same order, even if they come from a jetboard. Lie, kneel, stand and only then lift off applies to everyone who steps on an eFoil for the first time.

Can You Ride an Electric Surfboard Anywhere?

No, not everywhere: where you may ride a motorized board differs from water to water. There is no EU-wide rule for using eFoils, because the Recreational Craft Directive leaves navigation rules to the member states. In the US, the Coast Guard classes motorized eFoils as vessels, and Switzerland does not allow them on public waters at present.

In the UK there is no compulsory national registration for recreational craft, according to the RYA, but many inland waterways and lakes require their own registration or licence. In Germany, federal waterways are overseen by the waterways and shipping administration, and you can look up the rules for them in the information service ELWIS.

So ask the responsible authority before your first ride. For US waters, start with the Coast Guard policy letter on eFoils and jetboards and your state's boating agency.

An eFoil, a jetboard and an e-SUP can be classed differently. Always ask for exactly your board type. Keep the drive power ready too, because registration and licence rules can depend on it.

Our eFoils have a maximum drive power of 5 kW. Kilowatt (kW) describes the power of the motor, not the size of the battery in kWh. What we know about the rules in Germany is collected in Regulations for eFoiling in Germany.

Important: permission for one water does not carry over to the next. Check the rules for every new lake or river separately, on holiday too.

What Should You Look For When Buying an Electric Surfboard?

Besides speed and ride feel, look at the drive, the battery capacity in kWh, the maximum rider weight, the transport weight, and warranty and service. Check where the brand's nearest service location is before you buy, because an electric surfboard needs regular maintenance.

Compare these points:

• Drive: look at what moves under the board. An open propeller, a propeller with a protective cover and a jet with impeller and stator are different designs.
• Battery: compare kilowatt hours and run time together. Run times are almost always manufacturer maximums under good conditions.
• Rider weight and volume: if your weight is close to the limit, choose a board with more volume.
• Weight and transport: count the weight of the individual parts, not just the board. Our Adventure board alone weighs 11 kg (24 lb).
• Costs: besides the purchase price, plan for service, accessories and a possible spare battery. What eFoils cost is shown in our overview of eFoil prices and costs.
• Warranty and service: our warranty runs 2 years from the invoice date, and a service is due every 100 operating hours or every 12 months.
• Service location: we have a service center in Bavaria and partner service points, which you can find on our location map. For riders in Europe, a European location is an advantage.

Practical tip: do not only ask the dealer about top speed. Ask how long a battery lasts in practice, where the board is serviced and how quickly spare parts arrive.

Our Conclusion

The eFoil flies quietly above the water, the jetboard rides sportily on it, and the e-SUP makes paddling easier. Your first step is therefore the water: find out the depth at your spot and ask the responsible authority whether you may ride there. If floating appeals to you and you have at least 1.5 m (4.9 ft) of depth, our Board Match Quiz shows you the matching set, and in a consultation with us you can arrange a test ride. If you prefer spray and speed on the surface or relaxed paddling, try a jetboard or an e-SUP first.