What's more exciting than paddleboarding and easier than windsurfing? eFoiling

Imagine you're floating above the surface of Lake Harriet, standing up and flying nearly silently across the water.

It's not a dream. It's eFoiling, a new kind of personal watercraft that combines a surfboard with an electric motor and an underwater wing that lifts the board up and allows you to hydrofoil above the surface of the water.

Dave Kornecki started selling eFoils in 2020 as the Midwest representative for Lift, one of the leading eFoil makers. He estimates that there are only a couple hundred eFoils flying around Twin Cities lakes right now, but they have the potential to be the next windsurfer.

The eFoils provide a thrilling ride at speeds up to 30 miles per hour, but they don't kick up a wake, don't require any wind or much muscle power and are practically silent. At 4 to 5 feet long and weighing about 60 pounds, they're mobile: You can fit a fully assembled eFoil in the back of an SUV. If you take one apart, you can fit one in a sedan. They're legal to use in lakes that only allow electric motors.

"This is kind of the future of boating in a small way," said Beth Meyers, a University of Minnesota health informatics assistant professor. Last year, Meyers started a side business, zenwatersports.com, giving eFoil lessons on the St. Croix River.

Meyers recently gave me an eFoil lesson on Lake Harriet. I started riding on my belly on a Lift eFoil, which was easy and surprisingly fun. I just squeezed the trigger on the pistol-grip, remote-control throttle and the board took off. Even at the lowest power level, the carbon fiber hull was planing over the surface of water at 10 miles per hour.

Next, I rode the board on my knees and advanced to standing. Once I was up on the board, I shifted my weight back to let the board rise up off the surface of the water. There's a wing attached to a fin sticking down from the bottom of the board into the water. It looks and acts like an airplane wing. When it's moving through the water, it provides enough lift to push you and the board above the water.

When that happens, the whooshing noise of the board going through the water goes away. There's a distant hum of the electric motor, but it's nearly silent when you hydroplane. It felt like I was floating on air. There's no paddle to push or a sail or tiller to maneuver. You carve turns by leaning your weight to one side or another.

To be sure, I fell a couple of times while learning the subtle weight shifts needed to get the board to steadily hydroplane. But it's easier to learn than windsurfing. In fact, many of the early eFoil adopters are former windsurfers.

Wayzata resident Bill Upjohn said he used to windsurf, but gave up windsurfing because of a shoulder injury. Instead, he bought an eFoil a year ago for his 69th birthday.

"People love it. It's very fun," he said.

Dave Haugen, a 67-year-old retired pilot from Richfield, started windsurfing in 1978. He bought an eFoil two years ago. Haugen said with an eFoil, you don't have to wait for a windy day to go fast.

"This is your wind," said Kornecki of an eFoil throttle. "You squeeze the trigger and you go."

The fun, however, comes at a cost: eFoils cost $9,000 to $12,000, Kornecki said.

But you can give it a try by taking a lesson. Kornecki charges $200 for 90 minutes to three hours of lessons and riding depending on battery life. Contact dave@liftfoils.com, or see progressive-sportz.com.

Beth Meyers of zenwatersports.com gives eFoil lessons on the St. Croix River near Hudson, Wis., for $250 per person for a 90-minute lesson. She can also bring eFoils to your lake home for an all-day event.