The cause of electric power for recreational boats got a big boost from one of America’s most famous boat companies at the Miami Show. Chris-Craft, which calls itself “America’s boatbuilder” and which has been in business since 1874, announced that it’s making an electric-powered 25-foot prototype as a test platform for a fleet of electric boats in the future.
The new boat, called the Launch 25 GTe, will be powered by a 420-hp EVOA electric motor, paired to a sterndrive. The boat is projected to have a 43-knot top speed and a two-hour running time. It works with a 133-kWh battery bank.
“The Chris-Craft brand has always been synonymous with the finest quality and craftsmanship in the industry,” said Stephen Heese, the Chris-Craft president, “and today we unveil an all-electric concept boat that meets those same standards. The Launch 25 GTe is our exploration into the burgeoning electric boat space and our next step on a continuous journey of bringing innovation to the marine industry.”
Chris-Craft is building the prototype in partnership with its parent company, Winnebago Industries. Winnebago bought Chris-Craft in 2018. Winnebago’s Advanced Technology Group is developing new technologies for boating and the RV industry.
“This is our first manifestation of an electric marine product under the Winnebago Industries portfolio,” said ATG vice president Shailendra Singh, “and we look forward to making future advancements within our marine segment.”
Winnebago is working on an electric-powered camper van, but it has not announced a timetable for that project. The major obstacle, for RVs as well as for boats, is that today’s batteries do not provide enough power to keep them going for more than a few hours.
Chris-Craft did not announce any more details about the Launch 25 GTe, except that it’s 25’ 8” long and weighs 7,755 pounds. Stay tuned; we’ll be following this project. Read more at http://chriscraft.com/electric and see the video below:
https://www.chriscraft.com/electric
