The definitive comparison of every tow boogie option on the market — commercial products, emerging players, and DIY builds. No sponsorships, no BS. Written by the guy who open-sourced the eFoil.
An electric-powered unmanned watercraft that tows a foil surfer up to speed. You release the rope, catch a wave or swell, and ride pure — no motor weight on your board. The boogie idles or returns on its own. Think of it as a jet ski replacement that fits in your car.
Why it matters: Unlike eFoils (motor on your board) or Foil Drives (motor on your foil), a tow boogie gives you a naked board feel. One device can tow multiple riders per session. The market is young, growing fast, and wide open.
Four paths to getting towed. Here's how they stack up.
Where every option falls on the price spectrum.
Prices in USD. Zero Tow includes shipping to US. Foil Fusion estimated — pricing not public.
Honest, detailed reviews of every option. No affiliate links, no sponsorships.
The Zero Tow V3 is the gold standard in tow boogies. Founded by Mark (Kiwi in Australia), it's a fully inflatable PVC craft with the most advanced remote on the market — GPS-guided autosteer, summon mode, and data logging. The V3 (launched Feb 2026) brings a refined anti-nosedive hull, larger motor with positive-pressure housing (industry first — reduces seal maintenance), and an upgraded 58V / 3.0kWh battery good for 2+ hours and 20km of range.
The catch? At $10,999 AUD + $1,000 AUD international shipping + import duties, you're looking at $8,300–$9,100 USD all-in. That's serious money for a waterproof RC boat with a tow rope. And you'll wait 12 weeks.
Foil Fusion is the new US-based player, likely operating out of Southern California. They offer a complete tow boogie kit plus a modular motor mount system. Their big selling point is US availability — domestic shipping, local dealer partnerships (The Foil Shop, LA Foil Club, Just Foil LA), and tool-free part swaps for ocean repairs.
The frustrating part: they don't publish pricing or detailed specs. You need a discount code ("stoked20") to even see their catalog properly. Limited warranty (6mo motor, 12mo everything else) suggests they're still finding their feet. No GPS follow mode or smart features — it's a simpler, more affordable proposition than Zero Tow.
Wave Escort promises the most technically ambitious tow boogie ever: GPS follow-me mode, automatic pickup, cameraman mode, self-righting, and multi-remote support for group sessions. On paper, it's everything you'd want. In practice? No confirmed deliveries, no published specs, no pricing.
Founded by a software engineer (hence the feature ambition), Wave Escort holds a relevant US patent (US 12,208,866 B2) and offers licensing on their website. They've been "pre-production" for a while. Worth watching, but not worth waiting for.
Takuma (France) built a beast of a tow device — a large rigid V-hull with dual jet drives. At 75 kg, it was a logistical nightmare. Two meters long, barely fits in a truck bed, needed two people to carry. They exited the eFoil market entirely in 2024.
Used units still circulate. The V-hull was extremely stable in big swell, so if you find one cheap and have a boat trailer, it might work. But parts and support are effectively dead.
The DIY tow boogie scene is exploding. Dozens of proven builds on FOIL.zone, shared 3D-printable parts on MakerWorld, and open-source electronics from the eFoil ecosystem. A typical build uses a bodyboard or foam hull, a Flipsky 65161 motor, 12S LiPo pack, waterproof ESC, and an eFoil remote.
The game-changer: BRemote by Ludwig at openfoil.com enables differential steering with dual motors — no rudder, no servo, just vary motor speeds. This opened a "new era of easy builds" according to the FOIL.zone community. With our Build Configurator and Build Guide, a technically-inclined person can build one in a long weekend.
Side-by-side feature comparison across all options.
| Feature | Zero Tow V3 | Foil Fusion | Wave Escort | DIY Build |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 💰 Price (USD) | $8,300+ | ~$3–5K (est.) | TBD | $750–$1,500 |
| 📍 Availability | Australia (ships intl.) | USA (domestic) | Not shipping | Global (source parts) |
| ⏳ Lead Time | ~12 weeks | Days (in stock) | N/A | 4-day build |
| 🎯 GPS Autosteer | ✓ Yes | ✗ No | Claimed | Possible (ArduPilot) |
| 📡 Summon / Return | ✓ Yes | ✗ No | Claimed | ✗ Not standard |
| 🔋 Battery Life | 2+ hrs / 20 km | Unknown | Unknown | 1–2 hrs (configurable) |
| ⚡ Power | 6 kW | Unknown | Unknown | 3–10 kW (your choice) |
| ⚖️ Weight | 29 kg total | Unknown | Unknown | 15–25 kg (varies) |
| 🛞 Portability | Inflatable (packs in bag) | Rigid (fits in car) | Fits in trunk (claimed) | Varies by hull choice |
| 🔧 Repairability | Parts from AU (slow) | Tool-free swaps | Unknown | Full DIY — fix anything |
| 🛡️ Warranty | Manufacturer (AU) | 6-12 months | N/A | None (you're the warranty) |
| 👥 Multi-Rider | ✓ (group sessions) | ✓ | ✓ (multi-remote claimed) | ✓ |
| 🏫 Training School Ready | ✓ (proven) | Possible | Unknown | With modifications |
| 🎨 Customization | Limited | Modular | Unknown | Unlimited |
Different riders, different needs. Here's our recommendation by use case.
You foil a few times a week, want something reliable that just works. Don't mind paying for convenience.
You enjoy building things as much as riding. Want to understand every component and optimize endlessly.
You want to get towed but $8K for a motorized surfboard shuttle is absurd. You have basic skills.
You need reliability, durability, and minimal maintenance. Teaching students, not debugging electronics.
You're running 20+ km downwinds and need range, stability, and GPS tracking to find the boogie at the end.
You're in the US, don't want to wait 12 weeks and deal with international shipping and duties.
In March 2026, the tow boogie market is still young and surprisingly thin. There's really only one proven commercial product (Zero Tow), one promising newcomer (Foil Fusion), one that might never ship (Wave Escort), and a thriving DIY community that's doing incredible things for a fraction of the cost.
At $750–$1,500, nothing comes close. With 100+ community builds to learn from and our free tools (Configurator, Build Guide, Calculator), the barrier to entry has never been lower.
If money is no object and you want the best turnkey solution, the V3 is it. GPS autosteer, inflatable portability, proven through multiple iterations. Just bring your wallet.
US-based, modular, more affordable. If they publish specs and build a track record, they could own the mid-market. Too new to fully recommend, but promising.
The biggest gap in the market is a $3–5K smart tow boogie with GPS follow, US availability, and good support. That product doesn't exist yet. Until it does, DIY is the best value and Zero Tow is the safest bet for those who can afford it.
Common questions from the FOIL.zone community.