Boulogne-Billancourt (AFP)
The body a little shaky, feet firmly anchored, a little acceleration and go! The hydra-foil electric can surf or even "fly" on the waves, even without wave, as on the Seine in the Paris suburbs.
The board rises above the water to spin at full speed and offer the feeling of flying: this is the new trend of sliding sports in flat environment.
It is obviously not allowed to + fly + on the waters of the Seine but the French company Takuma was able to use the river, on a dedicated part Boulogne-Billancourt side (Hauts-de-Seine), as an ephemeral playground for present his "e-foil", a board equipped with a foil (a rigid wing placed under the board) and a small electric motor.
The idea of foil is not new. The legend of the American surf Laird Hamilton thought about it first a few years ago, just to go for big waves. Today, the board has become electric to address lambda sportsmen seeking sensations on the water when there is no wave.
"The idea is not to go pollute the surf spots and mess with the surfers, but to allow people to have the same feeling but in other places. bodies of water become playgrounds where we have this sensation of surfing, or rather to fly, "says Thomas Bevilacqua, one of the founders of Takuma with the former kitesurfer Cyril Coste.
The e-foil, which operates with a remote control, has a range of 1:30 and offers speeds of up to 35 km / h. The product costs 6.499 euros, "about half as much", as the models presented by two major competing companies, says Bevilacqua.
"Put a small electric motor allows us to foil everywhere, on a lake, in all conditions.This is what is pretty incredible.These are quite crazy sensations for a product accessible to all," said Cyril Coste, who + flies + with his 4 year old son.
The tandem, which aims primarily at the summer rental market, hopes to deliver 3,500 boards this year.
"We are at zero stage, and in our wildest dreams, we can imagine that tomorrow we can see people on the canals of Amsterdam go to work in e-foil," breathed Bevilacqua.
? 2019 AFP