Fliteboard: How to surf without waves

You’ve heard of e-scooters and e-bikes, but how about an e-surfboard? Andy Martin speaks to the man behind Fliteboard

When David Trewern started working on the Fliteboard, it was more of a hobby than a business (Fliteboard)

An old friend of mine described it as “a super-ultimate feeling”. I can’t do better than that (and thank you Rusty Miller) in trying to describe the sensation of riding a Fliteboard. You’ve seen, perhaps tried out, an e-bike, an e-scooter, an e-skateboard: but if you want the super ultimate you’re going to have to try out an e-surfboard, as dreamed up by David Trewern.

In 2016, Trewern went to a kitefoil race in Brisbane. Alas, there was no wind.

The whole contest was becalmed, to the immense frustration of all. Then Trewern had his bright idea. “What about if we put a motor on the back of one of these?” he said. A motorised kiteboard? Fellow kitesurfers laughed at the idea. But Trewern vowed to get the job done that very day and went running around searching for a small motor.