The watersports of the future – Water powered jet board

Introduction

I remember when I was a child I used to watch a show called beyond 2000. It showed us what technology was being developed for the future. I like to think here at Electric Micromobillity that we introduce the world to new technologies for transport but also for recreational purposes as well. You are probably thinking to yourself “what is a water-powered jet board?” Right? I will get there in a second.

With the world changing due to the pandemic, we need to look at the fun things in life! And that for me is water sports. If you have ever have surfed, wakeboarded, or water-skied you will know the thrill of skimming off the water surface at an incredible speed, but there has always been a problem for water sports. And that’s the ability to power the water ski itself.

Traditionally you would need a combustion engine boat to power these thrills but something was missing from all of this. It almost feels unnatural in a way to be pulled by a motorboat. So why not combine a boat, jet ski, and surfboard together?? You are probably thinking that’s the impossible. Well, ladies and gentlemen, that is about to change with the topic I am going to discuss with you today. With the water-powered jet board!

What is a Jetboard and where did the idea come from?

Jetboards are nothing new in terms of the idea behind them. There have been many inventions over the years designing water-powered boards. We have been fascinated with powered water sports for a very long time.

The idea was conceived by Alfred Bloomingdale the heir to the Bloomingdale Department Store. Alfred loved to surf but hated to paddle. It was decided to come up with a motorised concept board. The first prototype was made of wood but it wasn’t adequate. The final marketed version was constructed out of airplane aluminum and made like the wing of an airplane.

The early jetboard was a petrol-powered longboard surfboard.  This was the first jet propulsion system surfboard. It was named the Bloomingdale Motorized JB100 JETBOARD and it was produced from 1965 to 1968.  The inventor of this board was an engineer from Boeing Aircraft.  It had an aircraft trim tab roller control with your foot for acceleration.  There was a safety switch on board to switch it off using a magnet that connected two electrical terminals across a point, located close to the engine’s surface watertight hatch.  Riders are connected via strap via the ankle. It’s a flexible wireline to the magnet,  when the rider fell off the board the engine would stop. 

The engine was a Tecumseh 4.7kw combustion engine with a phelon ignition.  Originally designed from a single-cylinder chainsaw engine with a custom water-cooled jacket designed, fed by the venturi effect of the enclosed jet prop that also bailed engine compartment water out through the jet drives stern nozzle.  This also carried exhaust gases out the rear nozzle with a preventive flap to keep the water out of the engine, when it wasn’t running. 

The board was designed to be a surfboard and not a jet ski.  The main principle for this board was to aid a surfer in getting out through the waves, instead of paddling.  The powered board aided in times of smaller ocean waves to push them along in order to catch a wave faster.  Steering the board was similar to a standard surfboard.

Marketed for elite surfers and the wealthy it was priced at $1000 at the time.  This was a very expensive board for the 1960s.  This was because of the thick gauge form fabricated, marine-grade alloy and modified aircraft aluminum. The board was mainly made from custom parts and was very expensive to build. Only 600-700 were ever made so they are extremely rare these days.

Jetboards today

A modern water-powered jetboard is a motorised surfboard where the rider controls the speed using a handheld remote control and uses weight transfer to maneuver the board.  Since the introduction of Jetboards however, a new water sport has emerged called jetsurfing.

With the popularity, and exceptional growth in recent years in electric-powered surfboards this fantastic sport has gained world ride recognition.  This new type of surfing has become so popular that a lot of manufacturers are producing good quality products.  This leads me to the Raddin board. 

Radinn Jetboards

Introducing the Radinn Jetboard which is one of its kind for a motorised board. This is a surfboard that also has an electric motor attached to it. It is a Swedish brand and the company has existed since 2013. The brand knew at the time how to evolve over time by integrating into its electric surfboards what was best in the world of Jetboards. The freeride is suitable for both novice and experienced surfers. The handling is superb as it can make sharp turns like any normal board out there. This board is able to hand lake, river, calm sea, or rough surfing waves. The Jetboards are called the Carve, Freeride, and Explore! The carve is the smaller board out of the 3.

You are probably thinking “why would I get one of these boards when I have perfect waves where I am from?” There are many surfers from Europe. Unfortunately, if you don’t live on the west coast of Europe then your best bet is the Mediterranean ocean, lake, or river. The Mediterranean ocean is not big enough to traditionally surf in. A lake you need a boat or Jet Ski and a river you can river surf with the tidal bores or upstream waves. A Raddin Jetboard however, would be a perfect solution if you love surfing and watersports in general. Especially if you are from central Europe or southern Europe.

About the Raddin Jetboard

With the right point of view you can find an adventure in your own backyard.  See your neighbourhood with new eyes and see planet earth in new ways.  With the right point of view every road becomes the road less travelled and every corner of the world becomes yours to explore.  You don’t have stop at the shoreline or let the current decide where you are to go.  With the right point of view you can explore uncharted waters.  Make waves and create a ripple effect for the entire world to see.      

Introducing the Raddin Jetboard, which says it can give you the right point of view.  We know it is immersed with future tech, and “It is a board that is not limited to the bounds of physics.”  Well, so they say.  I would like to explore this earth with a new point of view in the water!  And what better way to do it than with the Raddin Jetboard. 

Coming out of this new excitement of water fun comes Radinn Jetboards.  The Radinn Carve is the newest board in this new clique. It is the baby version of its big brother the Freeride.  The early edition of these boards is the Explore. We are only going to focus on the Carve & Freeride in this article.   Both these boards are things of beauty and elegance but are a hell of a lot of fun!

Radinn Carve

Firstly, the Raddin Carve is a modular board where the jet pack is placed at the rear of the board and the battery is placed in the front of the board. The battery pack is on top of the board towards the nose.  Secondly, the weight of the board is 9 kilos without the battery or jetpack.  Thirdly, the board has handles on the side.  There are 2 models from the Carve lineup. The Phantom and Tarifa.

The Phantom Carve board has a dark mat finish. This design appeals to the surfing community. The Tarifa Carve has a white and blue shell which appeals to the yachting market. The board looks like a yacht so we understand why they have marketed the board this way. The Carve is the first Radinn that uses foot straps to lock into place. The smallest Carve model looks very cool and stylish. The dimensions are 178 x 63 x 16 cm and the total weight is 44kg. The Board itself is 7kg. The battery is 25kg and the jetpack is 12kg.

Radinn Freeride

The Freeride board is slightly bigger than the Carve board but it is similar in design to the Carve.  The Freeride is slightly faster than the Carve board.  The Crave board has more moveability compared to the Freeride because of its shorter scale and that is something a lot of surfers would like.  There are 2 models from the Freeride lineup. One is called the Element and the other is called Urban Rebel. The element is the black model and the Urban rebel is the grey model. The dimensions are 190 x 77 x 17cm and the weight for this board is 11kg. The battery is 20kg and can carry a max load of 100kg. The jetpack is 12kg. Radinn has completely overhauled its various propulsion system in 2020 to improve top speed and acceleration.

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The battery comes in 3 sizes.  They have the standard range, long-range & extended range.  The battery is the same battery but is upgradeable on the air.  What this means is you can pay more for an extended battery and this will be upgraded through the software of the battery itself.  When the company first started, a lot of customers wanted to change the battery size after purchasing the board. Battery packs had to be sent to Radinn to get replaced.  Incorporating the same battery throughout all of Radinns products saved money and time with logistics.

The motor is an electric-powered jet motor which gives tonnes of performance in such a small machine.   The Element with JETPACK G3 give you whopping 75 KW of power and a top speed of 44km and Element with JETPACK G3 PRO gives you up to 9kw of power and a top speed of 56km/h. 

How does it ride? 

Now this board is not for the faint-hearted.  It is hard to get used to at first. However, after an hour you are riding it with no problems.  Radinn Jetoards is built for the whole family to enjoy. There is no question that people will love this board.  That’s if they can afford it?

This board is very quick and the thrill of it is very exciting.  For example, you can achieve similar speeds to a jet ski or a speed boat.  Users prefer the maximum amount of range with the maximum amount of power. 

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Some customers might not be able to get the full range product so they get the budget package and upgrade the software later down the track. 

The carve board gives you more control and sharper turns.  This would appeal to someone who is more experienced with water sports. This board comes with foot straps to give the user more control.     

The freeride board feels a little free when riding the board as you can lean into the turns with no problems.  The great thing about both the freeride and carve board is that it doesn’t have any bindings compared to the older models.  If you are a longboard surfer then you will like the free ride board a little more as you can dance up and down the board as it is bigger in size.   

What is the cost?

Boards

The business model of Radinn seems complex to understand.  We will try to explain the pricing in the simplest terms.  Each board model is priced at different rates. 

Powerpacks

Technically the battery packs are all the same from a technical standpoint.  For example, customers pay for a battery package.  Firstly, the battery products are standard, long-range, and extended-range packages.  Secondly, the battery pack packages get activated remotely.  They did it this way to save the logistical aspect of getting the board to and from their customers.

Jetpacks

There are 2 jetpacks that are available. Priced at 2 different price points. 

We will explain all of the pricing structure below,

Pricing Structure

Conclusion

In conclusion, we think the Radinn Jetboard is the future of electric motor water sports.  Firstly, the great thing about this board is that it will go as fast as a jet ski or speed boat.  Secondly, these boards are fun, quick, and exhilarating!  It is a fun way to enjoy water sports. 

I can see that any surfer or wake boarder would love to try one of these beauties out.  They sure are a water sport for the future! 

Radinn Jetboards hold a very hefty price tag and it is no surprise.  There are many companies out there that produce electric jetboards but Radinn is one of the best jetboard companies out there.  When more boards come out on the market by other suppliers & companies then we will see the price drive down for these electric water boards. For now, we will have to deal with the hefty price tag.

In conclusion, we think this type of water sport is for people in the elite class.  Firstly, Radinn has marketed some of the boards to look like yachts.  Secondly, this was to appeal to the elite class who own yachts. However, they have also marketed this board to surfers. However, I can’t see many surfers forking out the money needed to buy one of these beauties. We will have to see.

For now we can only dream. 

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