Fliteboard 3 - Review 2023

The Fliteboard 3 – Initial Impressions

The Fliteboard 3 is available in Fiberglass, Carbon Classic and Carbon finishes. Aesthetically, the Carbon finish impresses with its smooth, silky sheen. It will cost an additional sum for this, but the Fiberglass finish is elegant enough to satisfy those that care more about the ride than the look.

With either a Sport or Explore battery, the Fliteboard 3 will get anywhere between an hour to more than two hours depending on the propulsion system, the weight of the rider and how they ride.

3 different types of wings will also define how stable or maneuverable the eFoil is. More advanced riders will really enjoy the smaller Flyer 800 for sharp turns and speed. Beginners will appreciate the solid stability of the larger wings.

With the bigger battery and larger wing, the Fliteboard is an expression of elegance and relatively easy to get up on for riders with just a bit of experience. The Flite Controller makes it easy to set a speed and go rather than trying to maintain a measured and tiring grip.

The ride is smooth with the Flite Jet and one of the most silent eFoils (if not the most). Compared to other premium electric hydrofoils, the Fliteboard 3 impresses with its ride and deserves a top spot as an all rounder suitable for a wide range of riders.

It’s fast with the prop and guard–unfortunately, no True Glide is available on this model–and the power is immediate yet intuitive enough to prevent jerking. The battery power with the Explore is also longer than the competitors, making it ideal for longer rides or for sharing it with others on a single charge.

Other Fliteboard Series 3 eFoils

Fliteboard has been in the electric hydrofoil game since 2018 and has been a leading premium brand since. Popular with yachters, we’ve also seen a lot of beach-based rental shops going with Fliteboards because of the ease of use–which provides quicker satisfaction for their customers and word of mouth value.

There are 5 different board models in Series 3. That includes the standard Fliteboard, the Pro, Ultra, Ultra L and the Air. The Air is an inflatable model intended to save the polish on a yacht and for beginners looking for a more forgiving surface. The other models are for more performance-minded riders.

There are different mast sizes and battery options available, all with their pros and cons and a correlating price that reflects their respective performance profiles.

The modular design of the propulsion system is as slick as it is easy to use. By screwing the propulsion modular on or off in seconds, the Fliteboard 3 can cater to larger riders looking for more performance and speed with the more powerful and efficient prop or to beginners requiring a less intimidating and safer ride with the jet.

What Fliteboard is calling Flite Jet, a smaller, enclosed propulsion system, will probably be a component other leading electric hydrofoil boards are going to adopt in the future. The jet has less drag, makes less noise and provides a sense of comfort for nervous beginners.

Similar to electric surfboards, batteries are really heavy. Loading and getting into the water isn’t easy. The Flitecell Nano battery addresses this. A nano battery in the lighter Ultra L model weighs in at a slank 22 kilos or so. That’s almost half of what a lot of other eFoils will weigh!

It’s important to know that the three different batteries Fliteboard makes for the Series 3 don’t fit the Fliteboard 3 board. Specifically, the Pro and both Ultra models are the only 3 compatible boards with the Nano battery.

The Hydrofoil Wings

Like all foil boards, the wing system lifts you into the air and out of the energy-consuming drag of the water below.  When you order your Fliteboard, you will be able to select the wing system that best suits your needs.

There is the Flyer 800 for a nimble ride, and the Cruiser 1100 and 1800 wings for more stability.

Ordering multiple wing sets will allow you to adjust your board based on your needs (such as the rider’s weight, skill level, and riding style) while bringing a minimal amount of equipment to the water’s edge.

Battery Life

Another area where the new Series 3 Fliteboards shine is in their battery life. While the Sport battery promises ride times of up to 90 minutes, the updated Flitecell Explore battery nearly doubles that to an impressive 150 minutes of riding on a single charge!

Fliteboard claims that a Series 3 board with an Explore battery is capable of traveling up to 30 miles on a full charge.  For riders who consider themselves to be true explorers, the larger battery is surely the way to go.

You can also select a Nano battery, which only allows for 45 minutes of flight time, but is extremely light and can make an Ultra L board a pleasure to cart around compared to what we’re used to from most other eFoils.

More advanced riders will also find the lighter battery in a lighter board makes for a more nimble eFoil too.

Modular Design/Dual Propulsion

The classic propulsion system uses a simple propeller enclosed in a protective housing or a prop guard. This system is the most efficient and powerful option, with quicker starts and higher speeds. But it does have some downsides. Despite the protective housing that surrounds the propeller, any exposed, spinning blade presents the possibility of injury, with prop strikes being one of the most common and serious causes of injury among boaters.

Fliteboard’s new Flite Jet propulsion system cuts around most of these issues with a completely enclosed propulsion system. Like a jet ski, the Flite Jet has no exposed moving parts, thus offering a smoother ride than traditional systems and less noise. The minimized drag also makes for smoother turning.

This is similar to what Awake has designed on their Vinga 3 eFoil, a close competitor to a Fliteboard Pro or Ultra model.

No prop means no prop strikes, making the Flite Jet the safest option (by far) and a clear choice for beginners or those who want to share their board with new riders. These benefits come with a lower efficiency, meaning the Flite Jet won’t take you as far or as fast as the basic prop.

While users can balance these pros and cons, perhaps the best choice is to have both systems on hand. Since the two options can be swapped out with no tools required, you can easily make the change in a matter of seconds based on a rider’s preference.

More advanced riders that will also be surfing are going to want the True Glide propeller. It’ll spin freely when wave riding. In other words, when using power to catch a wave, you can stop the engine and ride until you reengage the motor again and ride out to catch the next one. Pretty cool.

Bang for Your Buck

The Fliteboard Series 3 lineup currently starts at $9,995 for the standard board alone. This gets you the basic fiberglass model complete with wings, battery, charger, and propulsion. This all rounder is going to be good for all types of riders and provides as good an experience as any similar board on the market.

The more expensive models all cater to more specific kinds of riding and succeed in doing it with a quality that is only matched by a few other companies (thinking Lift and Awake).

Considering the quality and the aesthetics of the Series 3 eFoils from Fliteboard, the value can’t be questioned compared to the other alternatives. In fact, we’d suggest that if you have the means to spring for one of these, you’ll be getting good bang for your buck.

With over 9,000 boards sold since 2016 and expected growth for the segment in the next ten years, the Series 3 Fliteboard strikes a pretty strong path to maintaining leadership in the premium portion of the market.