Born from a desire to ride farther and faster, we created lightweight, high-performance foil-assist systems.
Foil Drive began as a personal project for our CEO and chief designer, Paul Martin. Facing a shoulder injury and a limited window for catching waves, Paul wanted to access more waves from farther out, where most remained unridden. With a rich background that includes founding Australia's first commercial drone operation and over 20 years of experience designing RC aircraft, electric skateboards, scooters, and mountain bikes, Paul’s passion naturally extended to jetboards and electric surfboards.
His initial electric foils were powerful but too heavy for surfing. This challenge sparked the idea for a super-lightweight retrofit motor kit designed to provide just enough boost to get on the foil while keeping weight low and performance high.
From Friendship to Foil Innovation
Ben Jamieson, our co-founder, has known Paul for over a decade. They met through their shared interest in RC aircraft and later collaborated in the drone industry. Their mutual love for outdoor sports quickly evolved into a shared enthusiasm for foiling with this retro-fit motor front and centre.
The local crew soon all wanted to get their hands on this new invention, that's when Paul and Ben decided there was something to explore.
The concept of "Hybrid Foiling" was officially launched to the world in 2021. It quickly spread and very soon riders from all over the world were asking how they could join in on the fun with this new toy we've all come to know as the "Foil Assist".
The passion
At Foil Drive, our passion drives everything we do. We're dedicated to delivering top-quality, high-performance gear with a focus on refined engineering and development.
We dive deep into the technical side of things to ensure we create the best products possible. Our goal is to enhance the pure, exhilarating experience of foiling while pushing the limits of innovation.
We’re committed to crafting equipment that not only performs at its best but also celebrates the feeling of foiling we all long for. We are stoked to have you along for the ride, growing and exploring new opportunities.
FOIL DRIVE | FIRST WAVE DOCUMENTARY | 2025
The foil drive family
We know you'll read this on every brand page but we mean it when we say we have the best team. The crew here at Foil Drive are family, every single person is incredibly dedicated, passionate and hard working all to keep people in the water! While you get the pleasure of meeting some of us in person or online, Foil Drive simply wouldn't exist without the whole family.
Our family proudly extends to our dealers, our Ambassadors and the Foil Drive community. If you've not followed our ambassadors our joined the Facebook Groups we highly recommend!