North Boost Foil Drive Board

One of the hottest new items to hit the foiling industry in the last few years has been the Foil Drive. What started as a retrofit system to bring e-foil power to any traditional foil setup is now being adapted by manufacturers with dedicated, integrated mast and board systems. Earlier versions still created significant drag, particularly from the exposed pod and battery pack. This has led to the design of “trench” Foil Drive boards, recessing the battery cavity into the board itself, reducing the exposed area of the battery/receiver pack.

With Foil Drive expanding beyond the flat water “e-foil” style and gaining popularity into “performance” wave and downwind foiling, there has been an increase in demand for these essential Foil Drive components to be slimmer, sleeker, more efficient, and less impactful for performance riding. North is diving headfirst into the high-performance Foil Drive specific products with the all new Foil Drive Boost board, and the accompanying North Sonar UHM80 FDA 18 mast that we were able to test it with.

The Boost board features a trench-style bottom shape, essentially a large recess in the foil track area allowing the Foil Drive battery and receiver to sit flush with the surface. Mounting and removing the Foil Drive pack is simple thanks to the dual track system: you can simply drop the assembled bolts and T nuts into the tracks, instead of having to try and line up the bolts through the Foil Drive receiver. A wider outline with parallel rails and a flatter rocker makes this board get up on plane early, providing quick take off. With a full PVC and S glass construction, there are no connection dropouts common with full carbon boards.

One of the most noticeable features of the FDA 18 mast is the fully integrated, no-nosecone motor mount. The stator is mounted directly into the mast, and with an integrated cabling system, offers one of the cleanest Foil Drive systems on the market. The Ultra High Modulus carbon and thin profile really leans into supporting high performance foiling. This mast also comes with a very high-quality one-piece bag that fully encapsulates an assembled prop to keep your gear protected when on the move.

In the water the efficiency of the recessed battery, and integrated motor is immediately noticeable, getting on plane and flatwater starts are quick and easy. Motoring around has a very smooth feeling, and there is a sensation of balance and speed that is quickly found. The highlight of the North Foil Drive system is wave riding. With the high-performance mast design, coupled with the fully integrated stator and recessed battery, touching the pod into the water is barely noticeable, and full board touchdowns are easily recoverable without the jerking sensation of the board stopping or quickly decelerating. The 80cm mast length is an excellent balance between length and control, and the UHM construction is sufficiently stiff to support even the hardest turns in critical sections. This efficiency is also noticeable in the battery life, during testing compared to a comparable setup that does not have a recessed board and integrated stator, there was roughly a 25-30% increase in runtime. There are many more variables to battery life so individual results may vary, however it is absolute that the overall reduced drag and improved efficiency of this latest system from North will extend sessions.

The S glass and PVC board construction provided excellent communication with the receiver, and no dropouts were experienced except for extreme submerges such as duck dives and falling in breaking waves. The remote reconnected quickly without requiring rider input. The arch bars built into the deck pad provide a comfortable supportive feel and allow for quick and easy indexing after popping up.

Overall, the North Boost Foil Drive Board and Sonar FDA18 mast are top tier options for riders who want a solid, high performance Foil Drive system that is an evolution in the sport.