Most watercraft spend their lives having to battle with the water beneath them. Engines roar, hulls push aside spray, and speed comes at the expense of drag, noise, and turbulence. Hydrofoiling flips this dynamic on its head. Instead of plowing through the water’s surface, a submerged foil generates lift, raising the hull clear of the water and dramatically reducing the resistance it needs to overcome.
This is the core of the idea behind NAVI, Awake’s newly unveiled electric foiler. Once it’s up on its foil, the craft glides above the waves rather than pushing through the chops, combining instant electric torque with near-silent motion. Less drag, less noise, and a smoother, more controlled glide.
It’s an elegant promise, but raises a familiar question: is electric foiling finally becoming more practical, or does it still belong firmly in the category of exotic, expensive toys?
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As the NAVI gathers speed, its submerged hydrofoil begins to take over. Water flowing across the foil generates lift, raising the craft’s body clear of the surface, and dramatically reducing its drag. Once it’s foiling, the craft barely touches the water at all – effectively, it “hovers” over it. Friction drops, spray all but disappears, and motion becomes far more efficient.
Electric propulsion is perfectly suited for this: instant torque allows the NAVI to rise smoothly onto the foil, while its near-silent operation removes the vibration, turbulence, and noise that we’ve come to expect of conventional jetskis and speedboats.
Now, I haven’t experienced a ride on the NAVI myself, so I can’t comment on how it feels. But it certainly looks like it offers a smooth ride, floating above the water rather than powering across it. It’s driven by efficient, modern engineering rather than brute force.
Compared to Awake’s eFoil, where riders stand directly over the board, the NAVI offers a more relaxed, seated experience – trading some agility for stability, comfort, and longer rides. NAVI’s design choices reflect these priorities. Developed alongside the Mannerfelt Design Team, Awake’s electric foiler uses a lightweight, rigid carbon composite hull to maintain stability while foiling. A retractable flex mast makes it easy to transport and handle in shallow water, and glide wings offer predictable lift.
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The controls are simple and familiar: a motorcycle-style twist throttle, reverse gear, kill switch, and a built-in display running Awake’s own interface. All in all, the manufacturer has made a real effort to make foiling feel approachable, not exclusive – and it shows.
The NAVI is built to be flexible rather than single-purpose. With its detachable inflatable float tubes, it can carry up to two riders. Get rid of the tubes, and it becomes a leaner, solo foiler focused on simplicity and glide.
Awake quotes a riding time of up to three hours using two XR4 batteries, or around 1.5 hours with the lighter LR4 packs. Load capacity reaches up to 250 kg (around 550 lb) with the tubes attached. For a foiler, this is an impressive feat of endurance. Clearly, though, it wasn’t made for all-day cruising, and its price puts it firmly in premium territory.
NAVI comes with a price tag of €39,990 (roughly $46,800), before taxes and shipping, with deliveries expected to begin from August 2026. It’s not a toy, and it’s certainly not for everyone. But as electric foiling becomes quieter, smoother, and more refined, the NAVI feels like a sign that this once-experimental tech is maturing – and carving out a more practical niche for itself on the water.
Source: Awake Boards
