The Story Behind Ride Engine PWC Accessories

How Tow Foiling Started It All

With tow foiling becoming increasingly accessible and popular, the personal watercraft is becoming an essential tool for many foil obsessives. Ride Engine has taken note, creating a full range of PWC accessories designed around stability, safety, protection, and modern tow sports.

What PWC Accessories Does Ride Engine Offer?

Ride Engine now offers a full range of PWC accessories designed specifically around modern tow sports, rescue applications, exploration, and daily watercraft use.

Our main products are the PWC Inflatable Collars, performance deck sleds, the Air Box Mini on the go electric inflation device, and a specific PWC Collar Ready Cover.

The collars are available in different constructions depending on the user. We offer our standard Base Collar, the Pro Collar Plus, and a commercial version of the Pro Collar Plus for fleets, rescue operators, and rental companies who need custom branding and heavy duty durability. Our deck sled is designed for tow foiling, rider pickup, rescue agencies, and kite and wing schools.

Why Ride Engine Moved Into the PWC World

Ride Engine has always been deeply rooted in water sports progression, especially in disciplines that rely heavily on innovation. As tow foiling and surf foiling developed, PWCs naturally became a bigger part of the culture.

At the same time, we felt there was a lack of truly premium, purpose built PWC accessories designed from the perspective of people who spend serious time operating these machines in demanding conditions.

The move into the PWC world happened organically. Our designer Julien Fillion has been involved for 20 years in the tow surfing scene in Hawaii and has also been a Sea-Doo Brand Ambassador. We were first exposed to PWC collars five years ago and soon realized how Ride Engine’s approach to innovation could help this product evolve.

Using in house 3D scanning technology, we are able to bring a tailored fit PWC Inflatable Collar to nearly any personal watercraft ever produced.

Designed From Real Time on the Water

A huge amount of the thinking came directly from real usage and countless hours spent on the water. These products were not developed in an office environment disconnected from the sport.

When you spend enough time on a PWC in the lineup doing tow surf, tow foil, and running safety, you start noticing patterns very quickly. You realize where the limitations of a stock PWC are, and you begin thinking about ways to improve comfort, stability, functionality, and rider interaction.

What Does a PWC Collar Actually Do?

At its core, the collar adds flotation, stability, impact protection, and spray deflection around the perimeter of the watercraft.

One of the first things riders notice is the reduction in bow spray and the smoother ride quality. The collar acts almost like a suspension system for the hull. It softens impacts, stabilizes the craft in side chop, and makes the ski feel more planted and predictable in rough conditions.

It also changes the interaction between the rider and the machine. During rider pickup, tow sessions, or rescue situations, the collar provides a soft protective perimeter around the craft, which is a huge advantage compared to hard fiberglass and plastic edges.

Another important aspect is safety and flotation redundancy. In severe hull damage scenarios, the added flotation can help keep the craft afloat even in situations where a traditional bilge system would struggle.

How Ride Engine Designs Gear for a PWC

The starting point is always real world functionality. We are not trying to simply add accessories onto a ski. We are trying to complete the unit.

Fitment is critical. Every Ride Engine collar is designed from dedicated 3D scans of the exact hull. That precision allows the collar to integrate tightly with the lines of the craft instead of feeling bulky or disconnected.

We spend a lot of time balancing durability, flexibility, weight distribution, rider interaction, and water flow. Material selection is also extremely important because these products live in harsh environments involving UV exposure, salt water, impacts, and constant friction.

With the sleds specifically, rider interaction becomes a major focus. The sled has to remain stable at speed, predictable in turns, comfortable for the rider being recovered, and durable enough for repeated heavy use.

Does a Collar Affect Handling?

Maintaining handling was one of the biggest design priorities from day one. A poorly designed collar can make a ski feel oversized or disconnected from the water. That is why precision fitment and overall profile shape matter so much.

The goal was never to build something oversized and bulky. We wanted something that worked with the hull rather than against it. Our collars are some of the more streamlined on the market.

Because the collars are specifically designed around each platform, the watercraft retains its natural handling characteristics surprisingly well. In many conditions, especially rough water, riders actually feel more confident pushing the ski harder because the craft becomes more stable and predictable.

How a Better Equipped Ski Improves Tow Foiling

Tow foiling depends heavily on efficiency, communication, and rider confidence. A properly equipped ski improves all three.

For the driver, added stability and reduced spray make long sessions less fatiguing and improve visibility. The ski becomes a more controlled and comfortable platform, especially during repeated pickups and tight maneuvering around riders.

For the rider, the experience becomes noticeably safer and smoother. The collar creates a more forgiving environment during pickups, water starts, and close interactions around the ski. The sled also improves recovery efficiency and comfort after falls.

Modern tow sports involve constant interaction between riders and PWCs. The more intuitive and rider friendly the craft becomes, the more progression naturally follows.

The Value of Real PWC Experience

Having someone like Julien Fillion involved is extremely valuable because the feedback comes from real world high level usage rather than controlled testing environments.

Julien spends a massive amount of time operating PWCs in demanding ocean conditions while towing, filming, exploring, and producing content. That kind of usage exposes weaknesses very quickly and highlights opportunities for improvement that might never appear during standard recreational riding.

Having someone deeply involved in both the technical side and the lifestyle side of the sport creates a strong feedback loop during development. Small refinements in rider interaction, durability, ergonomics, and water behavior often come directly from those experiences.

A Bigger Part of the Ride Engine Brand

The PWC category aligns very naturally with Ride Engine's philosophy of functional design and progression driven product development.

PWCs are becoming increasingly integrated into modern water sports culture, not only for tow sports, but also for exploration, filming, rescue support, fishing, and offshore adventures. There is still a huge amount of innovation possible in that space.

For us, the exciting part is continuing to rethink how these machines can better support the people using them. We are still in the early stages of what is possible.

The Future of Foiling and PWC Utility

The crossover between foiling culture and PWC utility is only going to grow from here.

Foiling has pushed riders further offshore, into bigger conditions, and into entirely new styles of riding. PWCs naturally became part of that evolution because they expand access, improve safety, and support progression.

What is interesting now is that the relationship between foiling and PWCs is becoming much more integrated. The ski is no longer just a tow vehicle. It is becoming part of the overall experience and part of the equipment ecosystem.

Ride Engine PWC Accessory Lineup

PWC Inflatable Pro Collar Plus
Built to add flotation, stability, impact protection, and spray deflection around the perimeter of the watercraft. A premium collar construction designed for demanding recreational and performance use.

Commercial Pro Collar Plus
Designed for fleets, rescue operators, rental companies, and commercial programs needing heavy duty durability and custom branding.

Pro Collar Plus CutAway
Max durability, full-feature performance + comfort to allow bow trolling motor

Performance Deck Sled
Designed for tow foiling, rider pickup, rescue applications, kite schools, and wing schools.

Air Box Mini
A compact electric inflation device for fast on the go inflation.

PWC Collar Ready Cover
A specific cover solution designed around PWC setups equipped with Ride Engine collars.

Final Takeaway

As riders continue exploring open ocean downwind runs, surf foiling, tow progression, filming, and adventure riding, the demand for purpose built PWC functionality will only continue to grow.

Ride Engine PWC accessories are built for that evolution. They help make the ski safer, more stable, more comfortable, and more useful for the way modern water sports are moving.

Article from the thefoilingmagazine.com