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Kelowna company lighting the way in e-foil safety

MSLR Electric E-Foil has designed the world’s first light-up hydrofoil board

Kelowna’s MSLR Electric has designed an electric hydrofoil board that allows you to ride the waves into the sunset, safely.

The Kelowna-owned and operated company is the world’s first to integrate marine safety lights into its boards.

The starboard and port lights prevent collisions with other watercraft in low light (MSLR Electric/Submitted)
The starboard and port lights prevent collisions with other watercraft in low light (MSLR Electric/Submitted)

MSLR e-foil boards are the first of their kind to implement the same lighting regulations that larger vessels are subject to. The red and green lights on the sides of the board allow riders to stay safe and visible to other watercraft in low light conditions.

Taylor Coulthard, vice president of operations, says they want to promote a culture of hydrofoil safety with the company’s illuminated e-foil boards and hope that others follow suit.

Coulthard and founder Carey Missler have been friends since the early 1990s and were water sport enthusiasts even before that. They both grew up in Kelowna, spending their summers boating on Okanagan Lake.

MSLR hopes that illuminated boards becomes industry-standard (MSLR Electric/Submitted)
MSLR hopes that illuminated boards becomes industry-standard (MSLR Electric/Submitted)

The idea to incorporate marine-safe LED lighting into the board came while on a business trip in Arizona. Missler and Coulthard were stopped by a watercraft sheriff who had never seen the technology before. According to the state’s law, all watercraft must be equipped with port, starboard, and stern lights after dark. Since hydrofoils are a new water sport they were not regulated in Arizona.

After discussing the sport with the sheriff, the two decided that e-foils should be subject to the same Transport Canada regulations as a water vessel.

Missler and Coulthard hope that Transport Canada will regulate e-foil boards and that all hydrofoil boards are required to be illuminated in low light conditions.

People hoping to learn more, book a lesson or purchase a board can do so on the MSLR company website mslrelectric.com.



Jacqueline Gelineau

About the Author: Jacqueline Gelineau

I'm a reporter in the beginning stages of my career. I joined the team at Capital News in November 2021...
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