DIY Hydrofoil Surfboard

September 2020


While being confined at home we decided to take the opportunity to spend a lot of time sanding, playing with epoxy and trying our best to learn the joy of foiling on a surboard.

We built a hydrofoil out of fiberglass, foam and wood. We then retrofitted it on an old surfboard, with some optional underwater propellers and practiced foil boarding, foil pumping and wing foiling on the Charles River. Here is a collection of this adventure, the list of parts we purchased and our best effort at foil pumping.

Contributions

Composite layup
3D part modeling and printing
Waterproof RC controlled motors

Collaborators

Michael Arnold
Joao Seixas de Medeiros
Sahil Shah

List of parts purchased

  • Hydrofoil kit from Clearwaterfoils - 2300 Kit
  • Hydrofoil bolt-on conversion hardware - Binding threaded inserts
  • Hydrofoil rail box - PVC Fin Box
  • Hydrofoil rail box track nuts - M8 Brass T-Nuts
  • Best fiberglass coarse sanding tool - Surform shavers