Paddling has always been the buzzkill of surfing. For every minute spent on your feet, you put in far more with belly to the board and arms windmilling. But the WaveJet can upend that equation. It works “much like a Jet Ski”: While the rider stands tall atop the board, two battery-powered motors hum underfoot to propel the board forward at up to 12 mph. Dreamed up by a San Diego mortgage broker, WaveJet boards for now are all being produced by longboard pioneer Steve Walden, of Ventura, Calif. Even so, buyers shouldn’t expect to be welcomed on every beach: “Surfers can be a harsh lot when it comes to new toys in the water.”
$4,500 (est.), wavejet.com
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