eFoil riders make waves, but not wakes, on Pennsylvania waterways

PITTSBURGH ― The next time you're at a lake or large stream, don’t be surprised if you see people cruising above the surface of the water.

Electric foil, or EFoil, boards look like surfboards but have an electric motor and two hydrofoil wings that can lift the rider out of the water. The rider manages speed and direction with a hand-held control.

The eFoil experience is best described as flying on water.

You'll sometimes see people riding them on larger waterways, and now businesses are offering lessons for those who want to try this experience.

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One of those places is Adam Solar Rides of Bridgeville, near Pittsburgh. The company, owned by Adam Rossi, 40, offers lessons at Lake Arthur in Moraine State Park in Butler County, downtown Pittsburgh on the three rivers or any reasonable place where a customer wants to learn.

“We’re teaching them how to fly,” Rossi said about the new activity in which riders can go 20 mph to 30 mph without creating wakes.

The Lift company Rossi works through offers models ranging from just over 4 feet to 5 feet 9 inches.

The mast between the board and the motor can be 28 inches or 32 inches long.

Rossi's company purchased several Lift3 eFoils this past fall and this year started to offer lessons with instructor Jeff Blood.

“There’s lots and lots of interest,” Rossi said. “A lot of people do (a lesson) before they buy a board. They’re interested, but they’re not sure.”

At the end of the lesson, he said, customers are excited and want to own one.

The entry-level Lift model package starts out at $10,000 and can go up to $13,000 depending on accessory packages. Additional batteries are one option; batteries offer up to 15 miles of travel and a 2-hour run time, depending on how the operator drives it.

It’s a quieter alternative to a personal watercraft, which has a noisy gasoline motor that creates wakes.

Lift eFoils also are able to be transported in the back of most cars and easily stored. Rossi arrived at the water with two Lift foils in the back of his Tesla.

With the battery pack, he said they average about 60 pounds.

When comparing gas motorized vehicles to something like an electronic board, he said there are some cost savings. He said it only costs about 25 cents to recharge the batteries.

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Rossi said he’d wanted one ever since he watched a black-and-white YouTube video about someone riding one at the ocean.

"It’s more akin to flying than riding on top of the water. It’s a surreal experience, Zen-like, meditative, really good exercise," Rossi said. "You can ride as gentle or hard as you want. You can stand there and cruise very mellow, or you can be using all your muscles and carving hard and getting a full workout.”

Most people should be able to ride at least on their knees. “Being able to be comfortable standing, it usually takes by the end of the first lesson, sometimes it takes a second lesson to be comfortable.”

Blood, who enjoys a variety of outdoor activities including motocross, said customers usually are people who enjoy surfing behind a boat, or using snowboards, skateboards and wakeboards.

“They’re typically pretty adventurous people,” he said, but pointed out novices do well, too.

The equipment is easy to care for. They mainly only need to be cleaned and have their batteries recharged, Blood said.

Rossi has a passion for solar technology, and his company offers a variety of electric products including the Lift eFoils, ebikes and one wheels. In the past he has worked with solar panels and in renting Teslas.

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“It’s quiet, the torque, the range, the simplicity, the ability to charge all your vehicles from solar panels,” Rossi said about his enthusiasm for going all electric.

The 2-hour lessons are available for $350 to those 16 years and older. Everyone wears a personal flotation device. Helmets are available, too.

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If you buy one to use in Pennsylvania, they should be registered with the Fish and Boat Commission under the agency’s small boat regulations.

Rossi enjoys helping people experience lift foils as it’s a positive experience for them. “They’re so happy after doing it, I say it’s a buzz that lasts all day. You ride in the morning, you’ll still be feeling good in the evening from that ride.”

Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@gannett.com and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on your website's homepage under your login name. Follow him on social media @whipkeyoutdoors.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: eFoil boards lift PA riders above water, into 'buzz that lasts all day'