. ‘I’m a fan,’ says Newson. ‘I became aware of them about four years ago and started using one about three years ago. I then got friendly with David. He knew me and my work, especially the marine projects.’ For Trewern, Newson’s interest sparked an excellent opportunity. ‘Fliteboard combines many advanced technologies that culminate in a magical riding experience,’ he says.
The work with Fliteboard posed more than a few challenges. ‘It was an interesting one, because it’s not just an intellectual interaction but a physical one,’ Newson says. ‘It was also an education I had to give myself. It helps to have done a bit of surfing, windsurfing, snowboarding, even riding a bike,’ he continues, ‘but in many ways [using a Fliteboard] is a very particular discipline – it was an advantage to have that muscle memory.
Riding a Fliteboard is all about balance. ‘Minute movements have a big impact,’ Newson says. ‘It’s a bit like a unicycle, perhaps, in that you’re balanced on a mast that is projecting up out of the water and you have a full 360-degrees of balance to deal with. Also, your eye level is 8ft or so out of the water, which feels quite daunting.’
The silence of the electric propulsion unit makes the experience calm and serene. ‘It feels virtuous, not obnoxious like a JetSki,’ Newson says. The designer’s innovations, which resulted in the Fliteboard x Marc Newson shown here, were developed in close collaboration with Trewern and his team. For a start, the new boards were narrowed, improving performance. Newson also redesigned the removable Flitecell batteries, shaping new orange anodized titanium designs.
For Newson, one of the driving forces behind the project was the current advanced state of composite technology and manufacturing. ‘One could liken this to the Formula 1 version of the eFoil,’ he continues. ‘It’s almost entirely made of carbon fibre, which enables the primary components to be moulded as a single entity.’ The battery itself is contained within the board, easily removable with flush-mounted silicon handles.