The Zapata Flyboard
Discussion
Trying to find something which hasn't been done before on PH is difficult, it's often the same old, same old, every day. Apart from some guys incoherent post asking for parts a few years ago (and no-one understanding what he was on about) nobody seems to have mentioned these things:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM8kEHjQz9U
They look like hard work, not for fat people and possibly a bit dangerous, anyone had any first hand experience?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM8kEHjQz9U
They look like hard work, not for fat people and possibly a bit dangerous, anyone had any first hand experience?
B3Svert said:
I will be trying it out next week, and am widely (pun intended) acknowledged as being fat. Will report back unless I die.
It would certainly need putting on the highest setting to even think of picking me up 
every pic I saw of it was of some super fit adonis with a 6 pack. It would be good to hear how you went on.226bhp said:
It would certainly need putting on the highest setting to even think of picking me up every pic I saw of it was of some super fit adonis with a 6 pack. It would be good to hear how you went on.
At a guess, my experience will look something like the last photo you posted above, albeit very briefly. There will then be a large splash, a stunned silence on the beach followed by some wild shrieking from my wife and then an insurance claim. every pic I saw of it was of some super fit adonis with a 6 pack. It would be good to hear how you went on.However, in my ever-optimistic mind I will soar like an eagle, do a few tricks, win some award for being cool and be the envy of everyone else on the beach. Thankfully I am not a betting man.
B3Svert said:
However, in my ever-optimistic mind I will soar like an eagle, do a few tricks, win some award for being cool and be the envy of everyone else on the beach. Thankfully I am not a betting man.
I imagined the same when I tried waterskiing. Unfortunately, being dragged on your face for a couple of hundred metres does not, in many peoples eyes, make you look "cool".On that basis, I'll give the rocket thing a miss.
I had a crack at this last month...
It looks fantastic in the brochures, a buddy of mine had given it a go last year and nailed it with a bleedin' excellent video to prove it, so I thought I'd have to give it a go.
The unit you strap to your feet weighs an absolute ton and is connected (in my case) to a jet ski - two problems here, once you're in the water your primary method for not drowning is flapping your feet around, which obviously you cannot if they're connected together with what feels like concrete, secondly, and if like me you like to be in control, you have a guy you've never met controlling the throttle from 15-20 metres away, so there's a lag between you gaining the correct balance and then the water jet giving you lift.
I got it after about 3 mins enough to get maybe 3m height and be able to sustain it with a slight turn to the left and right.
After doing this a few times I swapped over to one of my buddies who did about the same as me and then a third buddy who had a panic attack - I was offered another go and turned it down, I've ticked the box but wouldn't do it again under time constraints.
The consensus was that if you had a boat and could use it at will and under no pressure to nail it in 15-20 minutes it could be a fun addition, but otherwise it's a bit like I image getting tortured by the mafia.
HTH
It looks fantastic in the brochures, a buddy of mine had given it a go last year and nailed it with a bleedin' excellent video to prove it, so I thought I'd have to give it a go.
The unit you strap to your feet weighs an absolute ton and is connected (in my case) to a jet ski - two problems here, once you're in the water your primary method for not drowning is flapping your feet around, which obviously you cannot if they're connected together with what feels like concrete, secondly, and if like me you like to be in control, you have a guy you've never met controlling the throttle from 15-20 metres away, so there's a lag between you gaining the correct balance and then the water jet giving you lift.
I got it after about 3 mins enough to get maybe 3m height and be able to sustain it with a slight turn to the left and right.
After doing this a few times I swapped over to one of my buddies who did about the same as me and then a third buddy who had a panic attack - I was offered another go and turned it down, I've ticked the box but wouldn't do it again under time constraints.
The consensus was that if you had a boat and could use it at will and under no pressure to nail it in 15-20 minutes it could be a fun addition, but otherwise it's a bit like I image getting tortured by the mafia.
HTH
You can add on the pack so that you control your own throttle, you don't need to have it controlled by the bloke on the jet ski.
Do you reckon if you had that, and got good at it, it'd just still end up gathering dust in the garage? Or would it actively be used? (assuming you lived 5 minutes from a warm sea)
Do you reckon if you had that, and got good at it, it'd just still end up gathering dust in the garage? Or would it actively be used? (assuming you lived 5 minutes from a warm sea)
I think this explains it all quite well (NSFW - swearing): http://youtu.be/UkgZ0d_F9Xs
KFC said:
You can add on the pack so that you control your own throttle, you don't need to have it controlled by the bloke on the jet ski.
Do you reckon if you had that, and got good at it, it'd just still end up gathering dust in the garage? Or would it actively be used? (assuming you lived 5 minutes from a warm sea)
I'd have to give it another go, but it's not really satisfying enough to be in a great deal of effort.Do you reckon if you had that, and got good at it, it'd just still end up gathering dust in the garage? Or would it actively be used? (assuming you lived 5 minutes from a warm sea)
Google 'Paramotoring' if you fancy something fun without your feet on the ground. (SkySchool Spain / Kester Haynes is the go to place for training).
PHmember said:
I think this explains it all quite well (NSFW - swearing): http://youtu.be/UkgZ0d_F9Xs
Yep, that's about it for buddy number three after the chap on the boat dived in and rescued him - he was a little greyer in the face with massively wide eyes and hyperventilating.Proud chap, but didn't attempt to put a spin on it - he thought he was going to die.
Anyhow, give it a go - you only live once
Reporting back after a (semi) successful Flyboard experience a few weeks back.
To recap: I am a porker with very little balance
The venue: Lamai beach, Koh Samui
Cost: £38 for 20 mins
Amount of seawater swallowed: immeasurable
Format: Quick briefing, emphasis on brief. During which time a considerable crowd gathered. Taken out by jetski a short distance from the beach, strapped into what resembled half a snowboard, told to straighten legs underwater and keep them vertical at all times. Captain Ahab on the jetski then fired up the jets and up I went. Made it out of the water by about 1-2ft on my first attempt, turned round slowly, dipped feet forwards to move forwards and then as he eased off I lowered back into the water.
Next few attempts had varied success, highest I got was about 1-1.5m, staying up for probably 15 seconds at a time.
Once I had finished, he took over and proceeded to do "the dolphin" several times, execute some very impressive front and back-flips and generally look f
king cool.
Verdict: Good fun, glad I did it, swallowed too much seawater though and put me off my beach cocktails for a good half hour afterwards.
Would I do it again? Yes but ideally with a kit that let me control the jets myself and perhaps with more jets than just on the board itself.
So overall, no you do not need to be a sporty Adonis to have a crack at it and enjoy it, but I am sure it would help
To recap: I am a porker with very little balance
The venue: Lamai beach, Koh Samui
Cost: £38 for 20 mins
Amount of seawater swallowed: immeasurable
Format: Quick briefing, emphasis on brief. During which time a considerable crowd gathered. Taken out by jetski a short distance from the beach, strapped into what resembled half a snowboard, told to straighten legs underwater and keep them vertical at all times. Captain Ahab on the jetski then fired up the jets and up I went. Made it out of the water by about 1-2ft on my first attempt, turned round slowly, dipped feet forwards to move forwards and then as he eased off I lowered back into the water.
Next few attempts had varied success, highest I got was about 1-1.5m, staying up for probably 15 seconds at a time.
Once I had finished, he took over and proceeded to do "the dolphin" several times, execute some very impressive front and back-flips and generally look f
king cool.Verdict: Good fun, glad I did it, swallowed too much seawater though and put me off my beach cocktails for a good half hour afterwards.
Would I do it again? Yes but ideally with a kit that let me control the jets myself and perhaps with more jets than just on the board itself.
So overall, no you do not need to be a sporty Adonis to have a crack at it and enjoy it, but I am sure it would help
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