Pegasus Personal Watercraft May Just Be the Biggest Millionaire Craze To Hit 2025

Ladies and gents, before us stands the one and only Pegasus from foil.one, a rather new crew that's hitting the personal watercraft scene and who has its eyes set on a slightly different prize than all the other brands out there. That's because foil.one builds a distinct vehicle, one that's somewhere between a personal kayak and a nearly frictionless glider. But, it is by all means a boat.

Now, to get an idea of what Pegasus is and how it works, a little video below shows it in action. But, there are very few details in the flick, so join us as we dive deeper into what could be one of the most attractive millionaire toys of the year. I use the phrase "millionaire toys" to describe this one as it comes with one hell of a price tag: With a charger, two batteries from Torqeedo, and the boat itself, we're to expect a price tag of over €150K ($157.5K at current exchange rates). Quite a bit, but there are clear reasons as to why.

For starters, the Pegasus is completed from nothing other than carbon fiber, resulting in a machine that weighs as much as 200 kg (441 lbs) with its batteries in place. Without the batteries, just 128 kg (282 lbs) is all you'll be lugging around. But, there is a load limit of just 100 kg (220 lbs), making it suitable for most folks out there.

As for the inspiration for the design, foil.one aimed to recreate and imbue the Pegasus with aesthetics known to F1 cars of the 1950s. That's clearly visible in the width of the Pegasus, the driver's positioning, and even the front of the boat. The manufacturer also mentions WWI aircraft, stating that the Pegasus is a "fusion of historic elegance and contemporary boldness." Personally, I think the designers really hit the nail on the head with this craft's looks and a sure attraction point for many a deep pockets.

Then there's the mechanics behind the magic, where all the dynamics of a hydrofoil come in. Now, to best describe the feeling of riding a hydrofoil, picture yourself riding your own personal Aladdin's carpet. Since this sort of vehicle is built to function on principles of lift similar to that of an airplane's wing and operates below the surface of choppy waters, the result is a frictionless and floating feeling that you just need to try. I'll admit, it's so surprising that you may very well panic, as I did my first time while breaking away from the water's surface on a foil.

Benefit number two of foils is a massively reduced energy consumption, mainly because there's a whole lot less friction being produced by the hull's contact with the waters below. As a result, less energy is needed to get you moving, which is a major reason why we're seeing such a focus on this tech. Some hydrofoils are even being built to ferry people across channels, lakes, and coastlines all around the world.

What does all this mean for the Pegasus? Well, the first is a top speed of up to 30 knots (34.5 mph), made possible by an 18.8 kW (25.2 hp) motor, and, with the presence of just 10 kWh of battery power, you can cruise around for over two hours; impressive. Oh, and from a recharging perspective, in under two hours, you'll be back in the waters, just long enough of a wait to have lunch, enjoy a mimosa, and digest; think about the sunsets as you're cruising around in a Pegasus. These batteries are also swappable, so you can always grab another pair and ride as the other set recharges.

From a handling perspective, it's extremely hard to picture what the Pegasus may feel like, but foil.one does mention that this boat has been designed in such a way as to give the passenger the impression of riding a motorcycle. This is made possible by a proprietary front steering setup.

What I can say about controlling something like this is that it can be rather tricky to find the right level of throttle to keep moving at a steady speed, at least at first; you need to learn to keep the nose pushed down while the motor causes the foil to push up; it's a balancing act and one that the Pegasus seems to have mastered.

At least, the video below shows the steady pace of this foil, but at lower speeds, we can see the driver struggle a tad to keep it as stable as possible. Sometimes, we can see him raise the tip too far, then having to correct it, only for the foil to dip a bit right or left, with the corrections that follow. If I may add, it looks like one hell of a dynamic ride, and it will take some getting used to.

Last but not least, I'm curious to see how this EV behaves in an emergency setting, like tipping it over and falling into the waters below as you're moving around at 30 knots. Does it self-correct? Do I have to worry about getting certain components wet? Am I going to be all right? That kind of stuff. Better yet, check out the short Instagram post precisely on that matter. Other than that, foil.one and their Pegasus are definitely onto something here and are sure to attract the attention of several clients if they haven't done so already.