Integrated at the back, in the thickness of the board, the electric assistance is perfectly invisible, as is the battery, accessible via a flap on the top of the board. To activate the assistance, a simple press of a button is enough. The very first electrically assisted surfboard, designed by the teams of the start-up Kahe Surf, based in Lacanau (Gironde), aims to be as simple as possible to use.
“The purpose of the assistance is above all to help the surfer to carry out his “take-off” [passage de la position couchée à debout] gently, explains Nicolas Quendez, engineer and co-founder of Kahe Surf. Thanks to an on-board intelligence system, the assistance stops as soon as it detects that the surfer is standing on a wave, to let him surf naturally. On the other hand, if the wave is too soft, the assistance also detects it and remains on, which makes it possible to surf a wave which normally would not be. » In the event of a fall in the water, the electric assistance stops automatically.
The fully equipped board at 845 euros, 395 euros for the pod
It took five years of research and development at Kahe Surf to develop this innovation. The board was designed by the shaper Rod’s, based not far from there, in Carcans (Gironde). It has been on the market since April, at a price of 845 euros, fully equipped. A second electric assistance device has been designed by the Gironde start-up. This is the Kahe pod, a plug and play aid that attaches to any single-seater or two-seater, inflatable or rigid boat, such as a stand-up paddle, a kayak, a float tube or a small boat.
“This independent assistance is attached to the machine and can be remote-controlled,” explains Nicolas Quendez. You can choose between three speeds, and this allows you to propel stand-up paddles between 4 and 7 km / hour, with two hours of autonomy. “On the other hand, it is not recommended to connect the Kahe pod to a surfboard, “because the performance will be worse than with the board with integrated assistance, which generates very little drag for surfing. The Kahe pod is marketed at 395 euros.
“It brings security”
GOOD. But by the way, why equip these machines, which are supposed to work with the force of waves, wind or arms, with electric assistance? Isn’t this distorting their primary function? “There is a real need in surfing, because it is a very difficult sport, and it can meet the expectations of all types of surfers, beginners for learning as well as experienced, underlines Nicolas Quendez. The electric assistance will, for example, make it possible to surf waves that are not normally surfable, which opens up the possibility of taking new spots, and thus deviating from a place that is too crowded. It also allows people with disabilities to practice their sport. »
In paddle and canoe, “it brings security, especially when you get caught by a headwind when it’s time to get back”, underlines Christian Ollier, second co-founder of Kahe Surf, and who spent thirty years in management positions at Decathlon. Safety is at the heart of the thinking of the two partners, since they have at the same time equipped lifeguards from the SNSM (National Society for Sea Rescue) in Bayonne, Montalivet, and Lacanau, with a Kahe pod for their “rescue board” or their “paddle board”.
First positive feedback from the Bayonne SNSM side
For the moment, rescuers are not yet authorized to use the device in the operational phase. “We have been in the test phase since the beginning of the summer, only for our training,” specifies Sébastien Giboudeaux, from the Bayonne SNSM, who has equipped a “paddle board”. “The first feedback is good, because it puts power at the start and it saves time. A good lifeguard is not necessarily a good paddle board rower, so this will help some to have better propulsion. On arrival, ten or fifteen seconds gained to come into contact with a victim, it is precious for his care. Finally, it will also be very useful to bring the victims to the edge, since they are sometimes twice our weight, which can be difficult especially when they are unconscious. »
Before taking the device into operation, the SNSM will return to Kahe so that the start-up can improve certain details. “For example, it would be nice to have a button on the wrist to start or stop the assistance. We also realize that the pod weighs down the board a bit, so we have to continue training in different conditions, to see what happens. But overall, it bodes very well. »
The challenge of decarbonizing sea gear
The idea of getting into electric assistance for activities at sea was born seven years ago with Christian Ollier and Nicolas Quendez, who crossed paths at Decathlon. “From 2016, we were convinced that electric assistance would migrate from land sports, such as electric mountain biking, to water sports, a sector where it was then totally absent,” says Christian Ollier.
But this is only a starting point. After having started with surfing, “the smallest but the most restrictive”, taking up the challenges of the power of the assistance and the sealing of the device, the two partners are now tackling electric assistance systems of larger in size, “by dividing development times by five. »
“Eventually, surfing will represent only 5% of our market”, anticipates Christian Ollier, who is now targeting the boat market, “with the challenge of decarbonizing a sector equipped with 99% thermal energy”. Necessary and urgent decarbonization, warns the co-founder of Kahe, because “in water it is a triple penalty: petroleum derivatives pollute the seas, then the air via gas fumes, and to this we must add the noise which is noise pollution. In short, the start-up still has its work cut out for it.