As an original Kickstarter backer of Waydoo, I have been a fan of their efoils since before they were commercially available. As Waydoo has evolved their design and offered new products, I have had the opportunity to try a number of upgrades. In most cases these are parts that I bought myself but more recently Waydoo offered me the opportunity to try some new accessories as well.
When I first got my Waydoo Flyer One I had concerns about safety having cut myself on a non powered foil wing while foiling behind the boat, I was scared about the propeller. My original Waydoo came with a large three blade aluminum propeller that was protected by a large cage. The first modification I made once I became fully proficient in riding was to remove the back grill on the cage. This improved water flow and added slightly to the efficiency. My next bolder move was to remove the entire cage and to ride with the original propeller fully exposed. This offered significant improvement in performance. While safety was a concern, I found that the weight of the fuselage kept the propeller away from me even in the worst falls. This was a big difference between riding an efoil and a non-powered foil.
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What follows is my upgrade journey as I tried new accessories a they have been released.
Waydoo Plastic Propeller
Waydoo soon released a plastic prop that had similar size and pitch to the original aluminum prop. In trying the plastic prop, I found the performance to be degraded compared to the original aluminum prop. It took a higher gear to get going and a higher gear to achieve the same cruising speed. I think the plastic propeller was more flexible than the original aluminum prop. After some use, I reverted back to the original aluminum prop.
Waydoo FP8 High Speed and High Efficiency Propeller
The next improvement came last summer when Waydoo introduced the FP8 high speed and high efficiency propeller. This propeller became my new favorite. Riding this propeller without the prop guard offered the best overall performance. While it took a bit more power to start flying, once flying, this prop allowed me to cruise at a lower gear and offered great range. Because of its overall smaller size, it also felt safer.
Waydoo Folding Propeller
Fast forward to 2023 and new for the season Waydoo released the folding prop. I had been waiting anxiously for a folding propeller from Waydoo and their design is awesome. Included with the prop is a new tail wing mount that is a bit longer and a cone that lowers drag. The folding prop is only a two blade prop versus three blades for the other ones. I was amazed to find that the folding prop offered the best overall performance of any prop thus far. It gets up to speed at a lower gear, has amazing range and has the best top end speed of any of the propellers. While I have not had the opportunity to try it in ocean swells as of yet, it does work great when chasing boat wakes on my local wake. If I catch a wakesurf wake, I can fully depower, let the prop fold and free ride behind a boat. One modification that I needed to make was to go into the remote settings and unlock the remote safety so I can get back on the throttle without having to unlock the remote when gliding on the folding prop.
Waydoo Surfing Tail 322
This summer I purchased Waydoo’s new Surfing Tail 322. The surfing tail provides a bit more lift and makes the board looser for carving than the standard tail. The surfing tail is fully carbon fiber versus plastic for the original tail. It has winged tips on it that help with grab when carving hard and the overall design slices through the water better. Coupling the surf tail with the folding prop yields great results for a more advanced rider.
Waydoo Flyer Jet Drive
Recently I installed the Waydoo Flyer Jet Drive. With safety a concern especially when teaching new riders, I was very pleased to see Waydoo introduce the Flyer Jet. The flyer Jet accessory is compatible with the original Waydoo Flyer One and the newer Waydoo Flyer One+. The jet replaces the exposed propeller with a five blade impeller that is completely shielded so that is close to impossible to get cut by the propeller. The materials and design are top notch. I was concerned about overall performance expecting to lose significant efficiency but I was very pleasantly surprised. While it does take more gear (gear 11 versus 7/8) to get flying, once flying the jet is quite efficient. I was able to log over 10 miles of riding on my original battery coming in with 25% battery and cruising at an average speed of 16.1mph. In testing the Jet Drive I had a top speed of 22.6mph while in gear 21. It is my expectation that with a full battery I can get to a top speed of 25mph with the Jet Drive. So far I have only tested it with the standard tail. I will be very interested to try it with the surf tail to see if that improves the efficiency even more. The Jet Drive instills confidence. Without fear of getting cut by the propeller, I have been riding more aggressively. While still relatively quiet, it is definitely louder than the folding prop. It makes an interesting swishing sound because of the impeller. It is my recommendation to Waydoo to make the Flyer Jet Drive the standard propultion for all new boards. Once riders achieve expertise then can swap the Jet Drive for the folding prop or other performance solutions. The safety gains outweigh the performance losses especially for beginner riders.
Waydoo Glide Wing 1500
As Waydoo continues to innovate, they just released a new Glide 1500 front wing. This wing is substantially larger than the Patroller wind that came standard with my board. I have only had one test opportunity on this wing so far. I rode it with the Jet Drive and was impressed with the fact that it creates much more lift allowing me to fly at a lower gear. I believe that with this wing, the folding prop and the surf tail, I can log my longest ride ever. That would push me past the 12 mile mark on one charge. I look forward to pushing the limits with the new wing. The image is of the glide wing installed with the original patroller wing sitting on top of it. You can see how much more surface area it covers which will provide more lift and more glide.
What Does The Data Say?
Since I first got my Kickstarter Waydoo I have always ridden with my Garmin watch tracking my rides. The Garmin data is much more accurate and detailed that what is available in the Waydoo app. I download the Garmin data into a spreadsheet and after each ride I also note the remaining battery percentage. I always start with a full battery. From this data I have take the distance ridden and divided by the battery consumed to arrive at an efficiency score. It is not all that scientific but it does help me to see how the Waydoo performs at different speeds and with different props and wings. Below is a sample table with similar distances comparing the FP8 Prop, the Folding Prop and the Jet Drive. All sessions were ridden by me on Mountain Island Lake in Charlotte, NC on flat fresh water.
I have found that if I ride for shorter times I can boost my efficiency. There are lots of variables at play, but the chart above does a decent job of showing that the folding prop is the most efficient.
My Conclusions
Waydoo has done an excellent job of continuing to innovate and iterate on their products. The fact that my three year old original Waydoo Flyer One is still going strong and has enabled me to upgrade with new accessories is a great sign of Waydoo’s commitment to their growing community. The foam board and jet drive make for a great learning platform to introduce newcomers to the sport of efoiling. For advanced riders, Waydoo’s folding prop, surf tail and other options provide high performance upgrades.
My hopes for the future include a smaller board that is more nimble for advanced riders, a more efficient battery that can keep me on the water longer and continued improvement in the range of accessories. I can say with confidence that backing Waydoo and becoming an early adopter was a great decision for me.
If you are interested in purchasing a Waydoo Flyer One or Accessories, please use my affiliate link to purchase from WaydooUSA