Here’s something that you haven’t seen in, or under, your favorite cruising grounds yet: The new French-built 40-foot Platypus Swordfish, a 50-knot planing boat with a submersible pod that holds up to eight passengers.
The new concept boat is a creation of Francois-Alexandre Bertrand, founder of Platypus Yachts, and L2 Concepts. It will be built at a subsidiary of L2 Concepts in Antibes, with construction scheduled to start early next year and the first hull in the water next summer.
In its planing mode, the Platypus Swordfish functions as a stable trimaran with a 12-foot beam. In the submerged mode, the mothership becomes a displacement catamaran, which can deploy the pod in just a few seconds. The pod is lowered by hydraulic arms. Air will be pumped in so that occupants don’t have to wear masks.
The boat will be built with composite construction, aluminum framing, and fiberglass and carbon-fiber laminates. The pod is water-ballasted and air-sealed.
The Swordfish can be ordered as a full-electric boat or as a hybrid. The electric version has two 500kW motors and 400-Wh batteries, producing a top speed of 40 knots, a cruise speed of 18 knots, and a range of 115 nm at 7 knots on a single charge.
The hybrid version has two 450-hp gas V-8 engines and two 80kW electric motors, with a top speed of 50 knots and a much longer range than the electric version.
The company says the boat can run at 12 knots when the pod is submerged. Read more:
https://newatlas.com/marine/swordfish-tender-platypus-l2-concepts-above-below-water
