Waydoo is a Chinese manufacturer of electric hydrofoils (also known as eFoil). In 2019, the team around CEO Denis Zhu presented the e-foil for the first time at the CES in Las Vegas. E-SURFER was there live. In the photo below you can see Denis (Waydoo) and Andreas (E-SURFER) in front of the first prototype.
The company, which previously developed drones for agriculture, now also makes water toys such as eFoils and diving scooters. DJI is said to be an investor.
We have met the company, which previously developed drones for agriculture and now also produces water toys such as eFoils and diving scooters, every year since then.
Of course, we didn't miss out on testing the Waydoo eFoils over and over again. They got better with each generation, but to this day we remain loyal to our premium brands like Aerofoils and Fliteboard. Why? More on that later.
In 2022, Waydoo decided to sell 1,000 eFoils via Kickstarter (a crowd funding portal) to finance the Waydoo Flyer One. Unfortunately, there were many technical problems with the model and now 1,000 eFoils were scattered across the planet. Thus, unfortunately, there were many disappointed customers.
We tested the model ourselves in Cannes. That's where this video for the E-SURFER Youtube channel was made:
Many industry insiders thought at the time that Waydoo would never recover. But they really did turn things around and every year they show new models that we have thoroughly reviewed.
Every year we rethink our decision to include Waydoo in our program, but so far we haven't been able to bring ourselves to do so. First there were the negative user reports in the forum and then there was the Kickstarter dilemma.
As an eFoil dealer, we don't want to get caught between dissatisfied customers and Waydoo. It's just the way it is: if an eFoil costs only half as much as a premium eFoil, then the price savings have to come from somewhere. Right?
Cheaper materials fail faster. This means more support cases with less profit. As a result, the quality of the support will most likely suffer, as customers have reported.
The battery is even more important. The battery management software (BMS for short) decides when a battery is empty and when it is full. You can save a lot of money by putting more stress on the battery cells, but this comes at the expense of longevity and safety. We do not want to claim that this is the case with Waydoo. But nobody can look inside the battery.
Some may say that you pay for the name when you buy a premium brand. This may be partly true, but premium brands invest this margin in good support and higher-quality materials. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a premium brand.
In 2024, after the announcement of the Waydoo EVO, we were very close to adding Waydoo to our portfolio. In the end, we didn't because Fliteboard now also has an affordable eFoil in its program with the Flite Air.
The Waydoo Flyer Evo models were released very late and many customers had to wait until the second half of summer for their eFoil. This doesn't only happen to Waydoo, but we were glad that we didn't experience it.
At boot 2025, we will take a close look at the Waydoo eFoils as always. We'll see if it makes sense for us in 2025.
The Waydoo Flyer eFoil costs between 7,000 and 9,000 EUR including 19% VAT.
Yes: Basically yes. eFoils are classified as small craft or "other" by the Wasserstraßenschifffahrtsamt in Germany and must carry a license plate as soon as they have more than 2.21 kW (3 hp) of power. Other rules may apply to local waters.
No, with one exception. eFoils are licensed as recreational boats and therefore may be driven by persons 16 years of age and older without a driver's license as long as the power is less than 15 hp (11.03 kW). Waydoo eFoils have a power output of less than 5 kW. An exception to this is a few bodies of water where the power limit is 5 hp (3.68 kW), for example on parts of the Rhine.
Actually, anywhere where motorized boats (especially electric boats) are allowed. However, eSurfboards are not allowed on Bavarian lakes and Lake Constance. In Austria, the rules are not clear and in Switzerland, motorized surfboards are not allowed at all.
The Waydoo can reach speeds of up to 50 km/h and more. However, special wings are needed for this. The normal cruising speed is around 25 km/h.
A Waydoo eFoil has a mast on the underside of the surfboard, with an underwater wing and an electric motor attached to it. Using a remote control, the driver accelerates until the lift makes the wings float.
Between 45 and 140 minutes depending on battery size. The rider's weight and speed also affect the range.
The manufacturer states the maximum weight of the rider as 120 kg.
There are now hundreds of eFoils configurations. The E-SURFER team will be happy to help you find the right model.
