Is this foiling jetski the future of personal watercraft?
Toby Hodges gets a spin on a new personal electric watercraft or foiling jetski. No emissions, noise or wake. Will this finally dethrone the jetski?! It certainly has lots of potential for the rental, hospitality and event markets
Foiling has been the latest buzzword in the sailing and motorboat world for the last decade or so. Of course the history of hyrofoiling is far longer than that with the first hydrofoil being built in 1898! But this latest foiling jetski takes advantage of modern technology and materials to provide an efficient battery-powered foiling personal watercraft that is a lot of fun to drive.
Although it is now new technology, it is the advancement in technology that has slowly made hydrofoiling a more attractive option for sailing boats and motor powered vessels alike. Principally the ability to create ever lighter watercraft has meant that the hydrofoils can be smaller and therefore more efficient.
One of the latest companies to take advantage of hydrofoiling is Overboat, with the Overboat 150F, which also takes advantage of recent advances in electification so that the 11ft foiling jetski fitted with an 8kW electric motor foils efficiently and almost silently when in use.
As you accelerate using the easy to use controls the foiling jetski will lift up onto three auto-regulated ‘T-foils’ once above 10 knots and will do up to a maximum speed of 20 knots with a 15 knot cruise setting.
The battery will last up to two hours in cruise mode – though this drops at top speed – and there’s a two seater and a smaller, slower Overboat 100F version also available (3.1m LOA, 15-knot top speed).
Overboat 150F foiling jetski specifications
LOA: 11’0” / 3.35m
Motor: 8kW
Top speed: 20 knots
Take-off speed: 10 knots
Range: 34nm at 15 knots
Starting price: €13,500
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