Hinckley Yachts unveiled its first electric boat at the opening day of the Newport, Rhode Island, boat show, another breakthrough for the iconic Maine builder. The 28.5-foot open boat is named Dasher, after the first Hinckley Picnic Boat that started a worldwide trend when it was launched in 1994. “There is nothing else like it,” said Scott Bryant, Hinckley’s director of new product planning. “This is just as innovative as the original Dasher Picnic Boat.”
The new electric boat is powered by two 80-hp Torquedo motors and can run for 4 1/2 hours at 10 mph. Top speed is about 25 knots. The windshield is retractable, and a custom screen at the helm shows the boat surrounded by a circle; the outer edge of the circle shows how much farther the boat can go before recharging. Charging is made easy by dual 50 amp dock fixtures. The boat also has BMW i3 waterproof ion batteries.
The hull, with 14 degrees of deadrise at the transom, was designed by Mike Peters. At 6,500 pounds, the boat is the lightest Hinckley ever built. It has carbon fiber throughout, with a carbon epoxy hull. What it does not have is wood. Hinckley’s traditional teak has been replaced with Artisanal Teak, the company’s trademark name for a composite that’s hand-painted to look like teak.
And it’s quiet underway, since the electric motors make no noise. “It’s a sailor’s powerboat,” Bryant said. But it will be a treat for powerboaters, too. Bryant said the acceleration is “amazing – smooth and fast.” The new Dasher will be available next summer.
The cost, for what is the first fully electric luxury boat, is about $500,000. And company officials say there probably will be more electric Hinckleys in the future.
For more: http://hinckleyyachts.com
