Hi everyone,
First post here — I’ve been reading the forum for a while and I’m impressed by how much knowledge is shared,
I’m working on an electric assist surfboard. The idea is simple: a normal-ish board that propels the rider out to the line-up and gives a boost to catch the wave, without paddling — then you surf the wave naturally. Think along the lines of the Kahe Nautic, but with more power. It is NOT an efoil: the board stays in the water, I just want it to plane, not fly. Logically, I should resign myself to giving up surfing, but I can’t do it right now
My rough plan so far:
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Mid-length board (~7 ft), motor embedded in the tail with a short shaft and a ducted prop
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Target ~2 Kw/ 2.5Kw (I don’t need efoil-level power), 10S / 36 V
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Two modes: a slow cruise to reach the line-up, and a short higher-power burst for take-off (~16-18 km/h board speed on the water)
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Rider ~65 kg, saltwater use, so waterproofing and no overheating are big concerns
My questions to anyone who’s been down this road:
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Has anyone built an assist board like this? How did it go?
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Biggest pitfalls — especially around motor waterproofing, shaft sealing, and overheating?
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Any builders or shapers you’d recommend who are comfortable with this kind of integration?
I’m at the design stage and trying to learn from people who’ve actually built these things rather than reinventing the wheel. Any experience, photos, mistakes-to-avoid, or links to your build threads would be hugely appreciated.
Thanks a lot in advance!