Ravik S Is the Electric Surfboard That Lets You Ride Without Waves

Back in 2018, the company introduced the Ravik, the first successful electric surfboard that allowed surfers to get their adrenaline fix without waves. In early 2020, it introduced the second-generation of e-board, which promises to do more of the same, but with a sleeker design and more possibilities of fun.

The Ravik won an IF Design Award and a Red Dot Design Award upon introduction, and helped Awake Boards secure a partnership with the Rolls-Royce Hydrodynamic Research Center to test it in a water tunnel. The Ravik S represents the culmination of all this hard work, research and investments, and promises to elevate the experience of wave-less surfing manifoldly.

“The original Ravik is a great product that caters to everyone who is looking for a great time on the water, no matter previous experience. What we are doing with the Ravik S is to offer a more playful attribute to this experience, with higher responsiveness and tighter carving,” Awake CEO Daniel Aronsson said at the launch.

Ravik S is lighter and sleeker, but boasts of being just as reliable as its predecessor. It’s also more easily controlled and offers more options, which makes it a suitable choice for all riders, regardless of experience. More importantly, it comes with a swappable battery that will extend your time on the water without having to break for 80 minutes for a full charge.

The Ravik S also costs the equivalent of $19,000 at today’s exchange rate. It’s €16,900 before VAT and other fees that may apply to your location, so yes, it’s not cheap. It’s a luxury water toy, but one that promises to be worth this kind of money.

So what do you get for the price of a decent new car?

The Ravik S is a “high-performance carving machine that provides the adrenaline hungry water sports athletes with the next level of electric propulsion, carving and agility,” the official description says. Not an e-board, a “carving machine.”

The Awake Direct Drive system from the Ravik is still present, but the hull has been extensively reworked. It’s now made of lighter but durable carbon fiber, which brings the total weight to 35 kg (77 pounds). Improvements include decreased buoyancy (by 30 percent compared to the older model), softer edges and narrowed tail, which allow for more stability at high speeds, both at turns or when traveling in a straight line.

The Ravik S is able to make carves harder, tighter and faster, while straights remain comfortable thanks to the twin-fin system. It can reach top speeds of 30 knots (56 kph / 35 mph), with an estimated ride time between 20 and 45 minutes on a single charge, depending on the rider style and use. As noted above, a swappable lithium-ion battery option is available (but not included in the price), so as to not cut the ride short. Or to make the cut as short as possible.

All sensitive components are protected by watertight seals. Awake Boards doesn’t mention anything about warranty for any of them in the official description, or how many charges the battery is rated for.

The Ravik S comes with four different power settings controllable through a wireless power throttle (included), which allows each rider to choose the speed they’re most comfortable with. The 11-kW motor takes the Ravik S from standstill to 50 kph (0-31 mph) in as little as four seconds.

A €1,000 ($1,200) deposit is needed when placing an order, with Awake Boards promising to deliver all units in spring this year. After the late January launch, several beta models were shipped to select customers. More details and testing units are available at authorized partners across Europe, in case you need to try this e-baby out before laying down this kind of cash.