Photo: Spencer Higgins

Motors may not have much to do with traditional surfing, but then neither does the arm-flailing that beginners do right before they miss another set. WaveJet boards have a pair of battery-powered water jets that can propel surfers at up to 12 mph in the fastest configuration. Paddling out, catching waves, even maneuvering once you’re up just got a whole lot easier. We tested a 9-foot carbon-fiber model over two weeks at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, in waves ranging from shoulder-high junk to t...