Chat with Chris | FLITELab AMPJet FAQs

At MACkite, we love anything that will help us get up on foil. You've probably seen us gush about Foil Drive's mast-mounted propeller. Now there's an exciting new take on the foil assist concept: the FLITELab AMPJet. As you can probably guess, it uses a jet instead of a propeller, and it's lodged right inside the board for a completely clean and drag-free foil. Jeff caught up with creator Chris Reynolds at AWSI to chat about what the AMPJet is, who it's for, and what went into developing a jet for the foil community.

What is the AMPJet?

The AMPJet is a foil assist powered by a water jet mounted inside the board. It's powerful yet stealthy, and your mast is completely clear of any drag. The AMPJet is hands-free with its Launch Pad, a puck-sized controller mounted in the nose of the board. It's got presets that let you get right out on the water, and then you can tweak the settings later as you get more familiar with the system.

While FLITELab offers a line of foils, you can use your existing foil because the jet was carefully designed to fit between the rails of a standard track box. You do need to use an AMPJet board, but both the jet and Launch Pad can be transferred between boards, keeping the cost to add another board as low as possible. The board also includes a foam blank that you can use in place of the jet when you want to go out unpowered. Chris built this system from the perspective of a rider, and we love that about him.

Where Did the Idea Come From, and How Did It Come to Life?

Chris is a surfer through and through. Windsurfing, kitesurfing, and prone are all passions of his, but he struggles with crowds and wanted to ride the waves no one else could. Adding a foil helped a lot, but there was still a fat low tide break he just couldn't get on at his local spot near Victoria, Australia. No one could. If he could just figure out a way to ride that wave, he'd have it all to himself! So he started looking to see what was out there.

This was in 2019. Chris' research only came up with the Lift eFoil, but a motor on a mast wasn't quite what he was after. It was heavy, too. Chris wanted something lightweight and clean, and he began to wonder if a jet would work. But no one had made a jet, so he began work on his own.

The first one was ready to try after a year of prototyping, but it was underpowered. Chris went back to the drawing board, learning more about water jets and the programming required to control them along the way. Another four months went by before he had a jet he estimated was three times more powerful. He'd been keeping the project literally under wraps, only sharing it with a handful of close friends, and now they headed out to the deserted beach to catch that elusive fat wave.

As the wave approached, Chris powered up the jet. It shot up his chest and popped out of the water. He didn't catch the wave, but at least he knew he had the power he needed! He spent the next 24 hours editing the control software, went out, and finally caught the second wave he went for. With a working prototype, he spent the next 18 months refining it and getting patents approved.

Chris kept improving the jet, board, and foils, not wanting to release something that would be outdated in a year. Finally, the project was nearly ready and Chris could start to ride when other surfers were out. They took notice of how well he was catching waves 50m away from the lineup, and Chris finally revealed that he had a jet inside his board. Their excitement confirmed that he was on the right track.

Who Is the AMPJet For?

The AMPJet isn't just for prone surfers. Wing foilers, parawingers, and downwinders will reap the benefits of the system as well. The hands-free controller is a big plus for riders with something already in their hands, and it will make light wind days fun.

If you want a boost while on foil, the AMPJet isn't for you since you do need to have the board in the water for the jet to work. FLITELab has a model with a motor on the mast in development, and there are mast-mounted options currently on the market as well. But if you want a completely clean foil and only need the assist when you're not on foil, then the AMPJet will work great for you. If you want a hands-free controller, the AMPJet has that.

Wingers can have fun in light wind without light wind gear. Chris likes smaller boards and foils, and he never goes out with a wing over 5m. The AMPJet lets him get on foil with his preferred setup even when there normally wouldn't be enough wind. And if the wind picks up while you're out, you're already on the right gear. If it picks up so much that you don't need the assist anymore, it takes seconds to come in, pull out the jet, and pop in the foam blank with no need to re-rig.

How Does the AMPJet Work?

The Launch Pad is designed to be so easy to use that you don't need to look down at it while you're tracking your next wave. Hitting the circle button gives you 60 seconds of paddle assist. It's just an assist and you'll still need to paddle, but you'll feel like Superman as you speed out to your spot. You can be on a little 4'2 board, and it will paddle like an 8'0 mid-length. And it makes duck dives incredibly fun.

The triangle button is your boost to get on the wave. It ramps up over a few seconds so that the board doesn't shoot up your chest like it did on Chris' first time out with his prototype, so you'll need to time your wave so that you're at 100 percent boost when it arrives. If you nail the timing, you can ride almost any bump. Unless it's dead calm, you're going to be able to ride.

As soon as you pop up, the jet will sense that and cut power. Now you're gliding silently, with nothing in the water to slow you down. It's amazing feeling, and you'll experience it over and over with the AMPJet's help. You'll stay out of the crowded lineup and catch waves you never could before.

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