Inbound: SiFly Quick Mount System

Some fresh new tech from the team at SiFly which is going to save you precious time spent on dry land and give you more time gliding over the fishes. Bravo to that. Team SiFly filled us in…

First up, please give us an overview of the Quick Mount system, and what immediate benefits this offers a SiFly eFoiler? 

The Sifly Quick Mount system is the first modular system in the eFoiling industry that lets you detach both the hydrofoil’s mast profile from the board, fuselage and motor propulsion system from the mast without any tools in seconds. It is a breakthrough innovation that changes the user experience massively. 

Previously, eFoilers would have to spend around 10 minutes rigging up their gear, looking for the correct screw and hex key while cooking in their wetsuit under the scorching sun or rocking on the back of the yacht in the rolling sea. With the new Quick Mount system, they can assemble the set in seconds.

What’s more, the ability to detach the hydrofoil in three separate pieces allows you to store it in a much smaller space. We all know hydrofoils are a bit tricky for storage due to the L-shaped form factor. With the QM system that is no longer an issue. Plus the compact packaging design makes shipping it around the world eco-friendlier. 

Finally, the new modular design opens the door for performance upgrades without big investments. You can quickly change from a short beginner-friendly mast to a longer one for advanced riders, as well as upgrade the fuselage propulsion system to a more powerful one. It's the perfect choice for newcomers to the eFoiling sport as it will help progress along the way.

What were the biggest engineering challenges you faced while designing this system?

Traditional wing and kite foils have always had dismantlable fuselages and mast plates that separate from the mast profiles with the help of screws and a small fin-box-like structure. The challenge with eFoils however is that there are cables running from the board through the mast into the motor which do not allow you to simply disassemble the hydrofoil in its constituting parts.

In order to solve the issue with “cutting” the cables, we use off the shelf connectors; however these are all difficult to connect properly and would make the assembly and disassembly process exceedingly difficult. A lot of times these can break if not coupled from the correct angle. This is why we set out to develop our custom pin-based contactor, that can both withstand the high-power requirements of the system and is at the same time as easy to couple as snapping an Apple Pencil on the side of an iPad.

Another challenge that we had to deal with was how to make the mechanical coupling strong and withstanding the forces and torques exerted by the foil. We had to incorporate principles used in the ski and surfing industry to design a system that is both quite easy to operate and at the same time very stable.

The Quick Mount system involves a tool free assembly process. How did you ensure the locking mechanisms remain secure during use?

One of the main objectives of the Quick Mount system was to eliminate all tools in the assembly process. We had to design the mechanics in a way that is both easy to operate and secure during riding. We settled for an elegant mechanism that resembles the fitting of a ski boot in the binding paired with a locking lever that blocks the movement of the system.

How did you decide which components to modularize to break down easily?

When we conceptualized the new Quick Mount system we sat down and analyzed the feedback of our customers that we have gathered over the past five years. We knew we had to make the assembly of the eFoil much easier and quicker. This led us to detach the hydrofoil from the board at the mast plate.

What’s more, we knew people always struggled with the choice of the correct mast length. We wanted to make it possible to easily switch from one size to another without having to buy two hydrofoils. This led us to detach the fuselage from the mast and enable individual part upgrades as well as reducing the dimensions of the unassembled system considerably.

And what materials are the various components made from?

Most of the mechanical components in the Quick Mount system are made of aluminum and stainless steel, to withstand the load and stress of the hydrofoil. The electrical part of the system uses the highest-grade cables and contactors with silver coating for the best conductivity and minimal energy loss and disturbances.

This is a patent-pending system. Do you think there will be others keen to adopt this system?

We believe that the Quick Mount system sets new standards in the industry. Once you have tried it, there is no going back. EFoiling and all foiling sports in general are pushed in the direction of easier use, assembly and maintenance. Eliminating the screws and allowing people to adjust the performance of their eFoil by exchanging individual parts will be a must-have feature very soon and we believe that this approach has to be adopted by everyone in the industry. 

We know you’re not ones to sit back and take a break over there. Are there any plans to introduce further innovations to this modular system?

At the outset we are releasing the Quick Mount Hydrofoil with the option to change the mast length between 60cm and 75cm. We are working on different propulsion modules with upgraded performance that will be introduced at a later stage.