When we first saw The Hydoflyer skimming the shores of Mallorca, we knew we had to find out more. CRISP. caught up with Jerry McArthur. CEO and the man behind one of the coolest products hitting waves worldwide.
For those unfamiliar, what is the Hydroflyer — and how does it redefine the water sports experience?
The Hydroflyer is an electric hydrofoil personal watercraft that I often explain as being a cross between an efoil and a jet ski.
It uses an electric motor and a hydrofoil wing to lift out of the water and fly smoothly above the surface. When a look of confusion comes over their face, I usually pull up thehydroflyer.com and show them, as a picture or video does a much better job than I can.
Where did the original idea for the Hydroflyer come from, and what problem were you aiming to solve in the market?
The original idea for Hydroflyer started as a passion project of mine. I saw someone foiling in a magazine and immediately knew I needed to do this, and started building my own foils and later electric foiling surfboards.
I kept trying to make these boards smaller and lighter, but I found that the weight of the batteries, motors, and computers made them feel heavy for something I was controlling with just my feet.
I grew up on dirt bikes, snowmobiles and used to race mountain bikes competitively, so the idea of a switch to a “handlebar-based set-up” for more control made a lot of sense to me, and I built the original prototype from an old bike frame. The first day I got it working, I immediately new this was a whole new sport and to me it was better in every way.
Hydrofoiling is a rapidly growing category — what makes the Hydroflyer stand out from traditional e-foils or boards?
Unlike other eFoils on the market, the Hydroflyer was built from the ground up to be ridden like a bike or motorcycle.
The internal structure of the board needed to be much stronger to handle the extra force that could be applied. The board shape was refined to give a seamless transition of coming on and off foil, and a dual antenna system was developed to keep the rider in control at all times.
How did you approach designing a product that feels both futuristic and intuitive for new users?
I always start with designing something for myself first and go by the principle that if I like it, then others will too.Jerry McArthur, CEO, The Hydroflyer
From there, the next step was to make it adjustable and user-friendly so everyone could set it up to their liking. Coming from a mountain biking background, I knew how important handlebar setup was and how different some people like it.
People also like to ride in different styles, so it was crucial to have a craft that could be adjusted to the rider’s preferences with an upper mast that moves forward and back, adjustable shims and multiple power levels that allow you to ride in a casual way or a very sporty way.
What were some of the biggest technical or engineering challenges in developing the Hydroflyer, and how did your team overcome them?
Salt water is probably one of the most challenging environments to make a device for, so this was always at the forefront of design challenges.
Having something that both heats up and cools down in the water accentuates this problem, so the first principle was triple redundancy on all waterproofing solutions. Take, for instance, the computer on the Hydroflyer. This starts off as a water-resistant piece, is then potted in a waterproof material hidden inside a waterproof compartment with double layers of waterproof gaskets, and then sealed again from the outside.
From a business standpoint, what has been your go-to-market strategy — and how has the market responded so far?
Our original go-to-market strategy was to follow the Tesla model of releasing a high-end premium product to early adopters while we work towards a mass market model. Hydroflyer 1.0 is full carbon fiber and titanium – a top-of-the-line craft that people love but definitely isn’t in everyone’s budget.
Innovation is often about timing — why do you think now is the right time for a product like the Hydroflyer to take off?
I totally agree with the timing part, and to be honest, I think people were not ready for the Hydroflyer when we launched, and lots of people saw the handlebar-focused craft as a learning tool and not the performance machine it was.
It’s only after a couple of years of media and press that people are now seeing the advantages of the Hydroflyer.
How do you see the Hydroflyer changing the landscape of leisure, luxury, and marine tourism industries globally?
Hydroflyer 1.0 enables everyone to learn to foil safely without the fear of injury. It’s an excellent device for rental centres or anyone who enjoys spending time on the water. Our guiding principle, however, is to become the personal watercraft of the future.
Future Hydroflyers will allow someone with zero experience to hop on and glide across the water for the first time without ever getting wet. This will introduce a micromobility aspect to all waterways, just as electric scooters have transformed city transportation.
What types of customers or communities have most embraced the Hydroflyer, and were there any surprises there?
Resorts like Club Med have been a great place to explore the Hydroflyer, as it lets guests experience learning to foil without the typical dangers associated with a regular eFoil.
As a CEO, what’s your long-term vision for the brand — is the Hydroflyer the start of a broader lifestyle or product ecosystem?
The plan is to build Hydroflyer into an ecosystem of products. We will always have the high-performance, recreational product as part of it, but future products will be micromobility solutions for people to navigate waterways, autonomous last-mile delivery devices and tools that parties like the Coast Guard can use to explore the coast.
Sustainability is a growing priority for consumers. How does the Hydroflyer align with that shift in values?
Sustainability has always been foundational to Hydroflyer, and we see it as a clean, quiet and green alternative to the traditional jet ski.
Lastly, if you could sum up the Hydroflyer experience in one sentence, what would it be — and why should our readers try it for themselves?
Riding a Hydroflyer is my favourite thing in the world, it’s exciting and rewarding whether you’re getting on it for the first time or the thousandth time!
The Hydroflyer is undoubtedly going places, and you’ll likely see one on a beach near you very soon and maybe even in a future James Bond flick one day. You can keep up with all of their news and updates by following their social channels below.
