WaVeS #25 electric boat and boating news, January 28, 2025
Plugboats WAVES (Watts, Amps, Volts, Electrons) is a regular collection of electric boat and boating news items that we have written about before and are updating, or items we are going to write about but are waiting for more information / developments – or items that are just tidbits you might find interesting.
Here is WaVeS #25, with electric boat and boating news about:
- Electric jet / outboard manufacturer ZeroJet merges with amphibious boat specialist
- Irish National Sailing School Adopts ePropulsion for training boat
- RAD Propulsion and Savvy Navvy introduce smart range technology
- Another battery powered tug ordered by Svitzer towing and marine services
- H2Ocean hydrogen RIB undergoing sea trials in New Zealand
- Zin Boats and Raymarine partner on electric superyacht tender
ZeroJet and Tectrax merge outboard and amphibious boat companies
Electric jet and outboard manufacturer ZeroJet has merged with fellow New Zealand firm Tectrax, which specializes in systems for amphibious boats. They have already work in partnership with several boat builders and OEMs both in New Zealand and internationally, New Zealand’s position as a global leader in sustainable marine technology. The merger will bring together their complementary expertise while allowing both brands to continue to grow in their respective sectors.
ZeroJet is a pioneer and leader in low voltage (48V) electric jet boat propulsion systems, integrating their systems in the 2025 product lines of Highfield, the world’s largest maker of RIBS (Rigid Inflatable Boats), New Zealand’s OC Tenders, Latvia’s Spark Boats and Agilis Jet Tenders of Germany. Tectrax has their full electric amphibious technology on boats from 6 different builders attracted by the company’s high torque and power for tough coastal environments of soft sand and hill climbs.
“There’s so much development in electric marine” says Neil Mans, Co-Founder of ZeroJet. “We’re showing how a company in New Zealand can lead the way. We’ve seen it before with companies like Rimac Automobili in Croatia—they’re amazing, completely redefining electric performance in vehicles. I see the same drive, the same level of engineering and innovation in this new company as I do in Rimac’s workshop, except we’re doing it all in marine.
Irish National Sailing School dumps diesel for ePropulsion
The Irish National Sailing and Powerboat School has decided that electric is the future as it has taken out the original Yanmar 3GM30 on its Elan 36 teaching yacht and replaced it with an ePropulsion i20 inboard.
The Elan racked up considerable hours throughout the year while teaching everything from Competent Crew to Yachtmaster courses. It was no surprise to anyone, including the school’s MarineServices.ie commercial division, that a new motor would be necessary at some point, so a lot of research had been done in the past couple of years on what the best solution would be.
Marine Services (MS) has a lot of experience with electric motors – ePropulsion in particular – for boats they have outfitted for TV and Film productions, where the silence and lack of vibrations is a big advantage over combustion units. ePropulsion has a strong corporate infrastructure in the UK, so Kenneth Rumball and Lorcan Tighe of MS have been trained as certified installers and maintenance experts.
One of the attractions of an electric motor for a boat constantly in use is direct drive. A teaching boat in particular seems to always be stopping, starting or reversing, which leads to considerable wear on both the engine and gearbox. Driect drive means no gears and no gear maintenance, which can be tricky and time consuming.
The final decision to go with the i20 was made in December and the diesel to electric conversion was made in one day, including hoisting out the Yanmar, a through cleaning of the engine box and replacement of engine mounts.
The i20 is powered by two G100 batteries (2 kWh energy storage), mounted where the original water tanks were. The water tanks were moved forward and the vessel still retains the original capacity of water and no change to the overall weight of the vessel.
First runs show the boat is hitting 6 knots, using only 5 kiloWatts of power – about 25% of what is available. On the old fossil fuel burner that required 2,800 RPM and a lot of noise, shaking and smoke compared to the silence and instant delivery of torque from the ePropulsion unit.
The i20 can use hydrogeneration to recharge the battery when the boat is above 3 knots under wind propulsion, there is an AC charger on board that uses the standard sockets found in most marinas. and solar panels will be installed later this year.
As the commercial arm of the Irish National Sailing School, MarineServices.ie is available to do electric conversions for anyone interested. They have solutions for shaft-driven and sail-driven sailing vessels as well as for outboard-powered craft. You can contact Kenneth or Lorcan through the MS website.
RAD Propulsion and Savvy Navvy introduce smart range technology
RAD Propulsion, UK developer of the RAD 40 electric outboard, has teamed up with Savvy Navvy, who has had more than 2 million users download their app – “like Google Maps for boats: charts, weather, tides and more…. Everything you need in one place.”
Weather, tides, winds…those can have a significant impact on electric boat range and the Savvy Navvy integration will enable RAD Propulsion users to take advantage of Savvy Navvy’s vast real time information library and the app’s intuitive charts.
“By integrating RAD’s innovative propulsion systems with our Savvy Navvy smart routing technology, we’re giving e-boaters confidence and peace of mind,” says David Cusworth, head of partnership and innovation at Savvy Navvy. “Together, we’re delivering safer, smarter, and more comfortable journeys.”
Another electric tug for one of the world’s busiest waterways
Svitzer, one of the world’s leading towage and marine services providers, is expanding its fleet of electric tugboats used in the Øresund Strait between Denmark and Sweden. Based on the design of Vancouver naval architect Robert Allan Ltd, the ElectRA 2500-SX model is 25 meters long and has a 70-ton bollard pull. It will have a 1,818 kWh battery, enabling the tug to operate safely and efficiently on electrical power only.
The tug is an ASD (Azimuth Stern Drive) model with two thrusters located under the stern. The thrusters can rotate 360 degrees around a vertical axis, allowing a variety of tasks. It also has two generators for backup, extended endurance, and firefighting operations.
The Øresund is one of four waterways that connect the Baltic Sea to the Atlantic Ocean and North Sea and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. For a company of Svitzer’s size and reputation to continue to build its electric fleet is a testament to the effectiveness of electric power for heavy duty workboats.
Mathias Jonasson, Managing Director, Scandinavia, Svitzer: “In recent years, we have experienced an increasing demand for green towage services in Scandinavia, including the Øresund Strait. At the same time, we have committed to doing our part to significantly reduce CO2 emissions in the industry by 2030. Getting a new battery-powered tug solves both challenges as we can continue to provide reliable and safe services to our customers while reducing the carbon footprint.”
H2Ocean rigid inflatable begins sea trials
New hydrogen-powered RIB beginning sea trials
RIB builder King Watercraft and Fabrum, a hydrogen and zero-emission technologies company that worked on the America’s Cup hydrogen chase boats, have collaborated on the design and build of the H2Ocean, an H2O-powered RIB now undergoing sea trials in New Zealand.
Both companies are based in Christchurch. King is known for its classic and and bespoke luxury RIBS while Fabrum is at the leading edge of technologies that include cryogenics and boil-off-gas management (BOGM) systems for liquid natural gas (LNG) and liquid hydrogen (LH2).
On Fabrum’s boating front, a company called AFCryo worked with the Emirates Team New Zealand America’s Cup engineers to supply the hydrogen for their prototype ‘Chase Zero’ boat. AFCryo later merged with Farbum and its Founder, Christopher Boyle, is now Managing Director of Fabrum.
Read: Emirates Team New Zealand Team designing hydrogen chase boat
As with Chase Zero, the H2Ocean supplies hydrogen to a fuel cell, which in turn maintains charging to a battery bank that is used to power twin electric motors. The RIB carries 18kg of 350 bar hydrogen gas.
“It’s exciting to be enabling another world-leading zero-emissions hydrogen project with our high-performance hydrogen-powered RIB boat,” says Boyle. “In collaboration with King Watercraft, we are bringing our expertise in hydrogen propulsion systems to this project, which showcases how hydrogen can support a new future pathway for the marine industry to decarbonise.”
Will King, founder and MD of King Watercraft, says “What makes us unique is our ability to push design boundaries to stand out from the crowd, always striving to be one step ahead,” says King. “With a focus on being at the forefront of sustainable propulsion, the shared values of King Watercraft and Fabrum brought this idea to life and together, this project offers a lighter footprint for the marine industry here and around the world.””
Raymarine partners with Zin Boats on electric superyacht tender
Marine electronics leader Raymarine is working with Seattle electric boatyard Zin Boats to develop what it is calling the world’s most advanced superyacht electric tender, the Z11. The development is a part of Feadship’s Project 821, a multi-faceted, zero-diesel superyacht designed to cruise between harbours and to operate the yacht’s hotel load and amenities with emission-free power from green hydrogen.
The 711 tender will complement and add to the overall project by combining marine navigation and vessel automation. It has all of Raymarine’s unique support systems found on modern yachts, including comprehensive navigation and full communication packages to ensure safety and connectivity on every voyage.
The experience is powered by Raymarine Axiom 2 XL 19-inch and Axiom+ 9-inch chartplotter displays with YachtSense digital switching and vessel monitoring. The Axiom displays offer intuitive touch screen control and Raymarine’s remote keypads, the RMK-6 and RMK-10, give the operator tactile command of the Z11’s navigation and digital switching functions. A Ray90 modular VHF radio system and CP100 CHIRP DownVision sonar round out the system with communications and echo sounding functionality.
“Collaborating with Zin Boats allowed us to push the boundaries of marine interface design, creating a custom software experience that perfectly complements the Z11’s innovative approach to electric boating,” said Jamie Dery, Vice President of Raymarine Americas. “This collaboration exemplifies Raymarine’s unique ability to work hand-in-hand with visionary builders, delivering tailored solutions that set the standard in marine-electronics innovation.”
“We have been heads down working on the world’s most advanced electric tender and electric propulsion technology, which will scale across multiple boat platforms,” said David Donovick, President & COO of Zin Boats. According to Piotr Zin, Founder & CEO of Zin Boats, “The mission of our company has always been and will always be to push the needle of the growing electric vessel space, and we are confident we have done just that with the Z11. We can’t wait to continue innovating and growing with our amazing partners and this industry.”
