The Riift Foil Assist system

You've probably seen the name floating around social media over the last month or so — secretive posts, big-name foil riders, a buzz coming out of the AWSI event in Hood River. We were out there earlier this month and got a proper look. Here's what we know.

Riift

A new foil assist system, and the first real competitor to Foildrive — not just on price, but on function. Current systems, even Foildrive, can be heavy and cumbersome, and swapping batteries has always been fiddlier than it needs to be. Riift's answer is to go from bolt-on to clip-in: battery changes go from minutes to seconds, using a beautifully designed box and track system that board builders simply drop into production replacing existing foil tracks.

What are the options?

Batteries come in three sizes: 2P, 3P and 4P.

• Thinner box — ONLY fits the 2P battery. Lighter, slimmer board, less runtime but more of a connected feeling (better riding).
• Thicker box — fits 2P, 3P and 4P with blanking inserts as needed. More runtime, slightly thicker board underfoot.

The two boxes are not interchangeable — as a buyer you're choosing one or the other when you pick your board. For most UK riders we'd predict the thicker box and a 3P or 4P battery will be the sweet spot.

Board Choices

You have to buy a Riift-compatible board — there's no bolt-on option as there's simply nowhere to put the unit otherwise. That's a commitment, but not an unfamiliar one; most dedicated foil assist riders end up on a trench board eventually anyway.

The upside is flexibility in the other direction — fit the blanking insert, bolt on your existing foil setup and the board works perfectly well for winging, prone, parawing or SUP. One board quiver is genuinely possible, though at a more advanced level you'd probably still want a dedicated board for other disciplines.

Worth noting: at Hood River, a striking number of board brands had already built Riift-compatible boards despite the product not being publicly available. The Foildrive story — slow burn for a year or two, then one of the biggest brands in the space — isn't lost on anyone. Brands want in early this time.

What's the Catch?

It's not for sale yet, and there's no confirmed price. We'd expect it to land somewhere around the ~£5,000 mark that Foildrive sits at — anything wildly different would be a strange move. One thing worth considering: on the Riift, much of the power system lives in the battery unit itself, so replacement batteries will likely cost more than-for-like against Foildrive's. Running multiple batteries through a session could add up.

Personal Predictions

Given the choice on the beach, most would pick the Riift — it's cleaner, simpler and has less drag from the start. But is it worth switching from what you already have? Honestly, probably not yet. Power output back-to-back with Foildrive felt very similar. There are early murmurs about better weight placement for wave riding, but we haven't ridden it enough to confirm that.

What this really does is light a fire. Foildrive have had the market to themselves for four years and they're still the leader — but Paul isn't the type to sit still, and clip-in batteries have been on the community's wishlist for a while. Real competition on the shop floor gives every reason to move faster. Whatever comes next from both camps, it's good news for the consumer.