We tested the EPP version of the Flyer One+ and experienced going from being cautious and critical about the product to being super stoked. The EPP covering–like soft top surfboards–makes it very forgiving when learning the ropes. It also protects your car and house when moving or storing it.

As far as performance goes, there’s plenty of power with a 6000W motor. You’ll get anywhere between 45 and 70 minutes of ride time off a single charge depending on your level and body weight. Charge time is around 2 hours from around 10% we found.

Starting to Efoil

With the Explorer wing set, and the board floating on its head with the mast up, the Flyer One+ isn’t all that fun to tow out to depth. On account of having a remote controller in one hand and the other on the board, towing any board isn’t all that fun.

Most riders won’t be able to lie prone and kick when the mast is finally turned downward at 4 feet or so. That’s because the size of the board doesn’t provide enough buoyancy for riders over 175 lbs to lie prone on it without it submerging. Heavier ladies and gents like the 3 from Divein that tested the Flyer One+ had to swim slowly out.

The good news is that once in deep enough water everything gets easier.

Getting Up

The controller is intuitive and smart–setting a power limit and adjusting using “+” and “-” rather than knobs. The design of the controller is one of the best of all electric surfboards and efoils. Other models will have a throttle that’s spring-loaded. Squeezing at constant pressure is the way to maintain speed on those models. And the hand can get a bit tired of that. Beginners especially.

Once set to 7-9 out of 20, grab on to the nose handle and pull the trigger. There’s good power and once some speed is achieved, the experience on this Waydoo is like an electric boogie board. It’ll be necessary to increase the power on the controller for heavier set folk, in order to have enough thrust to get to the next stage of standing.

If you’re not familiar with efoiling, you’ll start by getting on your knees while motoring. From a kneeling position, it’s possible to get a feel for directional control. It’s even very possible to get enough speed and, with a centered balance, get the Flyer One+ to generate lift and start to foil. For absolute newbies, it’s better to try to stand while skipping across the surface.

Beginners will find this board fun while they seek to find their balance like this.

The surface area of the board has just enough room to find where your footing should be. One foot forward and carrying a little more of your weight and the other just beyond the halfway mark toward the back.

Once you manage to make it up, that familiar flying sensation is amazing! If it’s your first time, doubly so.

The Waydoo Flyer One+ will carve through chop and provide a smooth, serene experience for the rider. The sound of the motor is a wee bit noisier than Lift’s and Fliteboard’s, but not really by much. Not really enough to ruin the experience. In glass water coves, where sound echoes, it may be more of an issue, but that’s nothing we experienced in open bays and canals where sound from other boats or people wasn’t far.

Efoils have longer ride times than electric surfboards and the Flyer One+ proved to have as much battery action as any we’ve tried. More, in fact.

The more you ride upon the hydrofoils, the more time you have too. In other words, beginners might find that their ride time is on the lower end of the promised 40-60 minutes. But, for those that can immediately get up, ride time will flirt with an hour.

Where The Flyer One+ Compares to Other Efoils

As noted, our experience with the foam-covered EPP Waydoo started with skepticism and quickly turned to glee. The soft material is quite a pleasant experience compared to the epoxy boards we’ve tried. Since there’s no drag when this efoil is lifted up on the hydrofoils, there’s no downside here. It’s only in the beginning, when starting off in the water, that the EPP will be slower than epoxy surfaces.

As far as power goes, the Flyer One+ will seem plenty powerful. with 6000W of power generated by the jet, the 25 mph speed is amazing when sailing over the surface of the water.

In short, the expereience is awesome. Awesome like the Flite, like the Fliteboard. Just cheaper.

Portablility

It’s heavy but has a smart suitcase, also made of EPP, and the plug-and-play battery system cuts down on wires and makes maintenance easier than many other models as well.

Our Overall Review

Things we like:

• Most affordable eFoil in its class

• Beginner friendly

• Easy assembly and maintenance

• Quick charge time

• Good ride time

• Fun, fun, fun

• Foam coating is forgiving

• Storage box can be convenient for yachts

Things we don't like:

• Perhaps a little noisier than Lift and Fliteboards

View original content: https://www.divein.com/boating/waydoo-flyer-one-epp/