Two rulebooks decide where you can ride
Germany has two sets of water law, and an eFoil is legal under one of them far more often than under the other. The big rivers and canals are federal waterways (Bundeswasserstraßen), listed in Annex 1 of the Federal Waterways Act (WaStrG). On these waters one federal rulebook applies from end to end: the Inland Waterways Regulation (BinSchStrO) on rivers and canals, the Rhine Police Regulation (RheinSchPV) on the Rhine. At sea, within 3 nautical miles of the coast, the Maritime Waterways Regulation (SeeSchStrO) takes over.
Most lakes sit outside that system. They belong to the Länder, and each state writes its own rules, sometimes one lake at a time. Bavaria is the plainest case. Its palace administration runs 17 lakes, Starnberger See, Chiemsee, Tegernsee and Ammersee among them, and bans electric surfboards with and without a foil on every one of them.
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| Water | Rules | What it means for an eFoil |
|---|---|---|
| Rhine | RheinSchPV (federal) | Mostly allowed with a plate, says eFoil Adventure; never in lock areas |
| Main from Hallstadt | BinSchStrO (federal) | No general speed limit; local limits at harbors and locks |
| Baltic, within 3 nautical miles | SeeSchStrO (federal) | 8 km/h within 500 m of bathing beaches; protected zones closed |
| Müritz, Plauer See and the other Oberseen | BinSchStrO chapter 24 (federal) | 25 km/h beyond the 100 m shore strip; national park closed |
| 17 Bavarian state lakes | Bavarian palace administration | Banned without exception |
| Other Bavarian waters, not federal | BayWG Art. 18 and Art. 28 | Only with a personal permit from the district authority |
| Störmthaler See, Leipzig | SächsSchiffVO § 7 Abs. 3 | Allowed on designated sections |
| Ruhr, km 12.21 to 41.40 (Baldeneysee) | RuhrSchVO § 17 | Hydrofoil craft banned |
| Steinhuder Meer | DStMVO § 3(1) | Battery motors up to 7.35 kW count as common use |
License, plate and age on federal water
The federal small craft table (Kleinfahrzeugtabelle KFT-G, version 8.0 of 1 September 2024) puts an eFoil in the small craft class (Kleinfahrzeug). It does not count as a jet ski.
Under the Sport Boat License Regulation (SpFV § 5 Abs. 1 Nr. 1 a and b), no license is needed on federal inland or maritime waterways for a sport boat whose electric motor has a maximum continuous output, the S1 rating, of 7.5 kW or less. As we read it, that covers an eFoil whose motor is rated at or under 7.5 kW continuous.
The plate is separate. A small craft with more than 2.21 kW needs an official mark on federal inland waterways (KlFzKV-BinSch § 1 Nr. 2 f), and a rented craft always carries one under the rental rules. School and rental boards carry the operator's plate; your own board needs one of its own.
The minimum age to steer a motor craft on a federal waterway is 16 (BinSchStrO § 1.09, RheinSchPV § 1.09), and the blood alcohol limit is 0.5 per mille. Riding after dark would need navigation lights under the BinSchStrO. An eFoil carries none, which we take to keep it to daylight.
For a particular stretch of river, the binding answer comes from the local waterways and shipping office (WSA). The license, plate and age lines fall elsewhere once you cross a border; our eFoil rules page goes through them country by country.
Seventeen Bavarian lakes, no exceptions
The Bavarian palace administration bans motorized watersports devices “such as electric surfboards with and without foil technology” on all the lakes it manages. Its list has 17 names: Alpsee, Ammersee, the Bavarian part of Lake Constance, Chiemsee, Großer Alpsee, Hintersee, Kochelsee, Königssee, Leitgeringer See, Schliersee, Schwansee, Soinsee, Spitzingsee, Staffelsee, Starnberger See, Tegernsee and Waginger See.
Walchensee and Forggensee are missing from it. That does not make them open water for a board. Under the Bavarian Water Act, common use of a water excludes motor craft (BayWG Art. 18), and any other motorized use needs a permit from the district authority (Kreisverwaltungsbehörde) under Art. 28. Such a permit is personal, so a private rider, as we read the Act, needs the district permit on any Bavarian lake outside the palace list.
Bavaria also has federal water, the Main below Hallstadt and the Danube below Kelheim among it, and there the federal rules apply. Würzburg lies on that stretch of the Main, and eFoil Riders teaches there.
Near Munich, EFOIL BASE teaches at the Olympia-Regattastrecke in Oberschleißheim, just outside the city: €145 for 70 to 90 minutes, and nobody may ride the course outside lesson times. eFoil Riders sells Munich lessons at €99, and its Ingolstadt site is at Am Lorenzisee 1 in Geisenfeld, at the same price. Shar-e-foil in Mering, near Augsburg, hires boards for self pickup from €180 for 12 hours. A hired board is barred from the 17 state lakes like any other.
The nearest open water to the big cities
Berlin keeps three schools on its own water. eFoil Riders rides at Gatow on the Havel, from the school that used to trade as eFoil Berlin. eFoilution runs two stations, on the Müggelsee and at Wannsee, and charges €250 for a course on your own, €200 each for two and €150 for a rental. The Müggelsee station is open all year, Wannsee from mid May to mid October. Sealectric, a Fliteboard school, also keeps a base in the city.
Hamburg rides at Oortkaten, where eFoilution and Sealectric (at Oortkatenufer) both teach. If you want salt water, the Baltic schools on the Kiel Fjord and Fehmarn are nearest, or the North Sea, where eFoil Riders lists Cuxhaven-Sahlenburg, Bremerhaven and Wangerland-Hooksiel.
From Munich you drive out to Oberschleißheim or Ingolstadt, or book eFoil Riders' Munich lessons, because the state lakes south of the city are closed. Frankfurt has a school on the Main in Sachsenhausen, and Cologne and Düsseldorf ride at the Dürener Badesee. Stuttgart is on eFoil Riders' location list, and eFoil Adventure teaches at Mundelsheim on the Neckar.
The Baltic coast from Flensburg to Usedom
The sea is federal water, and the speed rule you will meet on every German beach comes from the Maritime Waterways Regulation: 8 km/h within 500 m of a bathing beach (SeeSchStrO § 26 Abs. 4). Protected areas add their own limits. Along the Schleswig-Holstein coast the regulation for its protected areas (OstseeSHNSGBefV) closes zones to traffic. In the Mecklenburg Western Pomerania national park waters, craft keep to 12 knots in the fairways and 8 knots outside them in protection zones I and II (NPBefVMVK).
The Kiel Fjord has two schools. Sealectric teaches in Kiel on Fliteboards, with a beginner voucher at €189 for about 90 minutes. At Laboe, Surfers Paradise uses SiFly boards and charges €200 for one hour with a briefing, for up to three people.
Fehmarn's school is Kitemonkey on the Fehmarnsund: €119 for an hour and €238 for two, open from 1 April to 31 October. It hires boards only to riders who have done a course with it. Further east, Lets-Foil teaches at Rerik on the Salzhaff side, with a course at €149.90.
The federal hydrographic agency (BSH) gives mean water temperatures of 18.1 °C in July and 18.8 °C in August at Kiel, and 20.0 °C in August at Sassnitz on Rügen.
Rügen and Usedom
eFoilution runs its Rügen station at Binz from June to September. A taster costs €100, the beginner course €250, and riders can start at 12. The beach falls under the municipality's own bylaw (Strandsatzung Binzer Bucht, § 13), which bans motor craft in the bathing area, and any commercial use of the beach needs the municipality's permission.
North of Binz, the Jasmund National Park keeps a closed water strip of about 500 m along the chalk coast, so the water below the cliffs is closed to boards.
On Usedom, Kiteschool Usedom teaches inside the harbor basin at Peenemünde. The course lasts two hours and costs €229.
The rental platform Gadgets4Rent lists Rügen too, from €199, but its own pages warn that several of its listed waters are not allowed or legally unclear.
Müritz and the Mecklenburg lakes
The Müritz, Kölpinsee, Fleesensee and Plauer See, the Mecklenburg Oberseen, belong to the Müritz-Elde-Wasserstraße, a federal waterway regulated in chapter 24 of the BinSchStrO. Its § 24.04 sets 25 km/h for sport craft outside the 100 m shore strip.
Two limits cut into that. The Müritz National Park regulation bans motor craft inside the park, and on the Müritz the park boundary runs about 500 m off the east shore. Away from the federal lakes, the Mecklenburg Lakes district's general rulings (Allgemeinverfügungen) on motor use leave out hydrofoil craft (Tragflügelboote), which on our reading keeps eFoils off the district's smaller lakes.
On the Plauer See, FLY & SAIL teaches at Plau am See on SiFly boards, in sessions of about one hour.
Cologne, Düsseldorf and the Ruhr
eFoil Riders serves both cities from the Dürener Badesee in Düren, a private bathing lake between Cologne and Aachen. A beginner lesson costs €99 and a rental €89. Lessons run in German and English, rain or shine, with no more than three riders on the water.
The Ruhr lakes are mostly off the map. The Ruhr shipping regulation (RuhrSchVO § 17) bans hydrofoil craft on the river from km 12.21 to 41.40, the stretch that includes the Baldeneysee. The Ruhrverband's leisure rules for its reservoirs state that eFoils are not permitted, and on the Kemnader See, Hengsteysee and Harkortsee no electric motor is allowed at all. On other Land waters, the NRW Water Act (LWG NRW § 19) places motor craft outside common use.
eFOIL NRW in Lünen rides on the Datteln-Hamm-Kanal for €200. SurferSchmiede in Xanten charges €169 for 60 minutes. The efoilwaterclub teaches at the Alberssee in Lippstadt and at Wachtendonk from March to October, from €199 plus VAT.
Where the Rhine itself is open
The Rhine Police Regulation sets no general speed limit for small craft. Limits apply locally, at harbors, at locks and in marked zones. eFoil Adventure, which teaches on both the Rhine and the Neckar, says eFoiling is allowed at most places on the two rivers if the board has a registration number, and always forbidden in lock areas. It helps its riders apply for the plate.
Its Rhine sites are Iffezheim, Karlsruhe/Wörth and Kehl/Strasbourg. Further south, eFoil Emotions works on the Rhine at Breisach and on the Tunisee near Freiburg, with courses and rentals between €119 and €159. Near Breisach the old river bed is a different water. The Restrhein there is closed to motorboats, and at Kehl it takes electric craft only, at 10 km/h.
Downstream, Rhein Riders teach out of the harbor at Wiesbaden-Schierstein, and their FAQ says no license is needed. At Mannheim, eFoil Riders rides on the Rheinauer See, a lake by the river, not the Rhine itself.
Frankfurt and the Main valley
From Hallstadt near Bamberg down to the Rhine, the Main is a federal waterway with a school right in Frankfurt. eFoil Riders Frankfurt is at Mainwasenweg 32, 60599 Frankfurt am Main, in Sachsenhausen on the south bank, just below the Offenbach lock. A beginner lesson costs €99, a rental €89 and a group event €360.
Upstream, eFoil Riders teaches at Kalte Quelle in Würzburg, at €99 for a lesson and €89 for a rental, in German and English. The Würzburg season runs from about April to mid October. eFoilers Bamberg is based in Bischberg, where the Regnitz meets the Main.
Heilbronn to Heidelberg on the Neckar
eFoil Adventure covers the Neckar from three bases, Mundelsheim, Heilbronn and Lauffen. The 90-minute taster course costs €188 (€158 each for two), the 120-minute intensive course €228 (€198 each for two). Rentals run €158 for 90 minutes and €188 for 120 minutes, less per head for two. Riders must be 16.
Heidelberg has an eFoil Riders base on the river. Lessons cost €99, rentals €89, a group event €360, in German or English and from 16.
Near Mannheim, efoilmasters teaches at Ilvesheim, where the Neckar runs past the village. Its courses come in three tiers at €99, €199 and €299, an After Work Ride costs €160, and a rental needs a €500 deposit.
Leipzig's lake district
The lakes around Leipzig are Saxon water. Motor use on Land waters is governed by § 7 Abs. 3 of the Saxon shipping regulation (SächsSchiffVO). Guidance from the Saxon economy ministry (SMWA) of 28 March 2024 keeps eFoiling under that paragraph and allows it on designated sections. For the Störmthaler See the ministry wrote that the lake offers suitable areas for eFoilers.
VINETA Störmthal is the place to book. The first session costs €149 and each later one €99, about an hour each time, for riders up to about 110 kg. Bookings go by email.
Hanover rides the Steinhuder Meer
The Maschsee, Hanover's city lake, bans motor craft, so the city's riders head west to the Steinhuder Meer. Its regulation, shared with the Dümmer (DStMVO § 3(1)), counts battery electric motors up to 7.35 kW as common use. Its season rules, as we read them, open the water from 20 March to 31 October.
Surfers Paradise teaches at Mardorf. A course costs €250 for one person or two riding together, €300 for three and €400 for four. A rental hour is €150, the second hour €100. Elektrosurfer offers test rides around Hanover and Steinhude at €169.
What a first lesson costs, north to south
eFoil Riders asks €99 for a beginner lesson in Cologne, Frankfurt, Würzburg, Heidelberg, Munich and Ingolstadt. A €99 lesson and a €200 hour are different products, so look at the minutes behind each price. What a lesson, a guided ride and a plain hire each include is on our eFoil rental guide.
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| Region | School and water | First session |
|---|---|---|
| Kiel Fjord | Surfers Paradise, Laboe | €200 for one hour, up to three people |
| Kiel, Hamburg, Berlin | Sealectric (Fliteboard) | €189, about 90 minutes |
| Fehmarn | Kitemonkey, Fehmarnsund | €119 for one hour |
| Rerik, Baltic | Lets-Foil, Salzhaff | €149.90 |
| Rügen | eFoilution, Binz | €100 taster, €250 course |
| Usedom | Kiteschool Usedom, Peenemünde | €229 for two hours |
| Berlin | eFoilution, Müggelsee or Wannsee | €250 (€200 each for two) |
| Ruhr area | eFOIL NRW, Lünen | €200 |
| Lower Rhine | SurferSchmiede, Xanten | €169 for 60 minutes |
| Lippstadt, Wachtendonk | efoilwaterclub | from €199 plus VAT |
| Cologne, Frankfurt, Würzburg, Heidelberg, Munich, Ingolstadt | eFoil Riders | €99 |
| Neckar | eFoil Adventure | €188 for 90 minutes |
| Mannheim | efoilmasters, Ilvesheim | from €99 |
| Freiburg, Breisach | eFoil Emotions | €119 to €159 |
| Munich | EFOIL BASE, Oberschleißheim | €145 for 70 to 90 minutes |
| Leipzig | VINETA, Störmthaler See | €149, then €99 |
| Steinhuder Meer | Surfers Paradise, Mardorf | €250 for one or two |
| Hanover | Elektrosurfer | €169 test ride |
Age, weight and the plate on the board
A lesson asks little of you on paper. The school's board carries the operator's plate, and Rhein Riders say in their FAQ that a session needs no license. Age, weight and sobriety are what the schools check. eFoil Riders and eFoil Adventure start at 16, eFoilution at Binz at 12. eFoil Riders wants to hear in advance from anyone over 120 kg and holds riders to 0.0 per mille; VINETA takes riders up to about 110 kg.
Hiring without a lesson is harder. Kitemonkey hires boards only after a course, Gadgets4Rent asks for proof of skill, and efoilmasters takes a €500 deposit. A rental on federal water comes with the operator's plate.
Your own board, on federal water, needs an official mark once the motor exceeds 2.21 kW, and in our reading no license up to 7.5 kW continuous output. On a Land lake the Land rule decides, which in Bavaria means a personal permit from the district authority.
None of this carries over the border. The Netherlands and Austria write their own rules from scratch. For the boards themselves, from SiFly to Fliteboard, start with our eFoil guide.
