Both of these devices FDv2 & Fliteboard AMP look epic wondering if anyone has thought on either pluses or minuses for Surf and DW applications. Also any advice about getting over “Sunk Cost Fallacy” as so many of us have put hundreds of hours into SUPfoil and pronefoil skills🤙.
[Adam Bennetts on Instagram: "🔈 VOLUME UP FOR COMMENTARY 🔈 While all the hype is on down winding with @flite.lab ‘s new AMP board (from my last post), I wanted to highlight how amazing it is for tiny unbroken prone waves. One of its best features is that it’s hands free (no remote at all). Just hit the button on the board and then you can just focus on getting that extra bit of paddle power to ride the impossible (see my second wave here). Once you’re on the wave, you then can use both hands to pop up, instead of an awkward elbow to knee motion if you had a remote in your hand… I can’t wait to see what the wider foiling community gets up to on this thing! 🚁 @bentayler1 #fliteboard #pronefoil #foiling #fiji #namotu #getamped #ridetheimpossible"]
What ‘awkward elbow to knee’ business is that? I’ve been FoilDriving for a year and a half and never done this, getting up has always been pretty easy.
Am I missing out?
I’ve only been on my plus for 12 months and getting to standing is never an issue. And with the box off to one rail between my legs it’s out of the way.
I need to foil back upwind so prop only for me, a jet just wouldn’t work.
I think he means riding a sinker board and having to hold the remote to the deck to get going since the board is mainly underwater. Adam rides very low volume boards.
To be fair when FD themself release a video entitled “technique masterclass” which includes double arm paddling and a lot of time spent on the knees during the pop up process, add to that the need for some gen2 users to hold the remote to the board ruling out paddling at all, we’ve ended up with some pretty slow and horrible looking popups which won’t translate well at all to real world foiling in waves.
I agree.
While I don’t own a foil drive, I have ridden one a few times. I like the hands free idea for a prone assistant. But, the ability to pop up flat water is probably lost for most foilers on the Amp.
I wonder if a foil drive could be programmed to run for a specific amount of time. Could hit a switch on the remote, drop the remote to hang from its lanyard, then pop up.
I tried, and very quickly abandoned the foildrive due to the pod on the mast. I’d never consider another unit like that again.
The amp looks sick partially because of the no remote, but mostly because of the lack of a pod on the mast.
Currently the big question has to be $$$. The cheapest flitelab product is their inflatable at 7k if I’m viewing their website correctly? Most products in their lineup are 10k+ That’s a STIFF buy in if the pricing lands in those realms.
As far as sunk cost fallacy: I was lucky to learn supfoil pretty quick but prone foil did seem ridiculously hard.
the media aspect of these is pretty tiring tbh - kudos to them I guess the exchange of a foildrive for promos is too compelling, but it is a bit dull. Match that with Adam Bennets punting the jet-drive and it is something to mute if ever there was.
People go to their knees before standing, it looks like a giraffe standing up 
I think the jet looks awkward too because you are trying to keep the jet in the water for as long as possible and you have a jerky transition onto foil.
I’ve been using Low power zero boost and my pop-up onto a wave is pretty normal while holding the handset.
Today I tried the High power/full boost option again on the flats between waves after avoiding it since the Gen2 arrived as it’s too destabilising dealing with all the extra horsepower while getting into a wave.
That’s where the giraffe comes from. There’s so much thrust from the motor that you’re focused more on holding down the front of the board than popping up.
I went back to the Low power/zero boost after that.
I’m for an easy life!
The answer to the awkward takeoffs is to do the surf style one leg at a time popup, which is pretty tricky to learn but also the reason surfers do this is because it is more stable when doing it in a critical takeoff. Does require some hip flexibility
I have always encouraged the surf style paddle and quick popup. It’s even easier on the face of a wave due to gravity of the nose being lower than the tail.
The double arm paddle is less effective than single arm and just rocks the board backwards and forwards rather than building consistent speed and momentum and being on your knees for any amount of time is a terribly out of control place to be.
This is just one of my random popups but it’s on a 29L board with a small 720s foil and a now antique underpowered Gen1
Hi Dave, I agree that developing a pop-up is the big thing but Those of Less Tender Years May face a few challenges developing one, or remembering where they left it from days gone by.
Sticking with the flat water start with the Gen2 is the problem and as you say, it just teaches bad habits.
I hadn’t popped up in a long time and bought a mal to get back to it. That helped.
Practicing on the lounge floor was just discouraging because at 64 I struggled to swing my front leg through.
the flat water start on the Gen2 just encourages that attitude that it’s just too hard but it all becomes easier when winding the power down so that there’s no surge from the boost and just getting used to the drop-in (but nothing hollow or steep, please).
Theres more space for your front leg as the nose of the board drops as well. This is a big deal for me.
My pop-up continues to improve and I agree with you.
Sometimes ‘harden up’ is actually the right idea.
Love it Geoff, well done! Foiling is hard, FD makes it easier but I don’t think it means we should shortcut the slightly harder bits which will come back to bite in the future.
Again my opinion on it probably also stems a lot from the fact that I only look at my FD as a training tool not a forever thing so as a result I’ve always approached it with the mindset of learning and ingraining habits that carry over to “real foiling”
There’s a reason over many decades surfers paddle and popup in a particular way (it works best) and other than holding the nose down more on the foil as it begins to lift it works the same.
Admittedly the FD video entitled “technique masterclass” that learners are directed to constantly, which I believe is filled with bad habits, didn’t sit well with me.
Efoils/Foil Assists are already the kooks of the sea we don’t need to further that image with a bunch of people transitioning into the lineup and getting completely launched as they try to navigate a wave face on their knees.
Keep at it mate looking forward to the video of you carving up the waves when you’ve got it dialled 
Interesting topic… I had a prone surf today using my Gen 1 foil drive. Been using it for 18+ months. Really choppy crap conditions but great fun. I’ve always pulled off the back of a wave to pop up and efoil onto the wave behind. I’ve gradually been moving the prop closer to the board, I’m around 15cm now. Problem today was there were so many bumps and chop around by the time I went from knees to feet I smashed into chop that unbalanced me and fell. In clean conditions I would make every pop up. I then decided to pop up “normally” no knees and on the wave, I realised this has to be the way forward. Less battery used and as soon as the wave gives you a push you can get to your feet quick and give a little throttle if needed. I’m going to work on this as I reckon I can use 2/3 less battery on a pop up and it gets closer to the authentic experience which is what us “cheaters” are after. My goal is to use FD as little as possible.
I have to say the level I’m at now I think would have taken me 5 yrs to get to rather than 18 months. I now need to start being less dependent!!!
Yay well done! Glad you didn’t have any issues undoing the muscle memory of the lazy and limiting pop up style.
With practice your chip ins will get even better, you’ll angle your board slightly down the line as you’re paddling and the popup becomes a pretty seamless transition between prone to feet to bottom turn.
Don’t get me wrong if I see a set approaching on my way back out you bet I’ll paddle up in the flats to zoom out to meet it but for the sake of battery conservation, using smaller foil sizes and learning technique that will carry over to “analogue foiling” it’s good to throw some of these wave face chip ins into the mix.
As for being less dependent on it, the best thing you can possibly do is as soon as you are on the wave let go of the trigger fully and don’t re-engage it. Trust in the glide of your foil and keep that pod out of the water. Kick off the wave earlier than you think you need to making sure you exit high on the mast and at speed, glide a bit then pump as far back out as you can only re-engaging motor as you start to come off foil, rinse and repeat.