During an off day between the Vans World Cup and Billabong Pipemasters, we stopped by the WaveJet house at the secluded Kalewa bay to check out this new and widely talked about technology. Equipped with a Cannon 7d and Gopro Surf Hero, we asked WaveJet CEO Mike Railey to give us the run down of his motorized surfboard design. Afterwards we took some boards out for a spin and snagged some exclusive POV for you all to check out.
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About the boards:
With the idea spawning from tow-in sessions years ago, Mike designed the WaveJet as a lightweight propulsion system that can fit securely into a variety of boards and virtually eliminate the need for a PWC in XXL surf. Much like a ski, the WaveJet uses brushless motors that safely suck in water from the front and expel it out the back.
Two rechargeable lithium ion batteries power the device for up to an hour and provide about 20lbs of forward thrust. A standard wall socket re-charges the batteries in 3.5 hrs.
In perspective, this board will travel faster than you can paddle over a distance, but it’s not quite fast enough to outrun waves. A small watch like device powers the 1 speed motor on and off and automatically shuts the motor off after a 10 yard radius.
At the time of our demo, the WaveJet quiver included an SUP, a big wave gun, rescue boards, longboards, shortboards, and even a little body board. We took out the longboard/SUP for filming sake, but the shortboards looked fun and ripable.The same week the local lifeguards also demoed the boards and immediately saw the lifesaving benefits of such a device. Also, days after filming this, Jamie O’Brien supposedly demoed a board and caught several 2nd reef Pipe bombs in a row. People saw him catch set after set, make otherwise unmakeable sections, and then come in frothing on his rides.
We figured this pic would cause a stir. This ones for all the haters.. and for our own amusement!
Love it or hate it, it’s here and if GMAC, Corey Lopez, and the boys on the North Shore are backing it then it’s here to stay.
What are your thoughts on the WaveJet?
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