The creative people at Stephens Waring Design in Belfast, Maine, just came up with an all-electric 26-foot commuter boat with lines inspired by the iconic and glamorous Italian-made Rivas of the 1950s.
Stephens Waring developed the boat for a long-time (five boats over 20 years) client who wanted a boat to reach her vacation home on a remote island in Maine. She also wanted the boat to reflect the quiet and serenity of the lake itself, while having enough performance to reach a 25-mph speed for water sports. And the boat had to be big enough to carry passengers and supplies for the two miles from the mainland to the island.
The result: Isobel, now under construction at the Belmont Boatworks yard just up the road from Belfast. Isobel is 26’ 6” long with a 7’ 11” beam. For electric power, the key is to produce a lightweight boat. Isobel has composite construction for performance and range. Cedar strips sheathed in fiberglass make up the hull, and plywood/foam/plywood sandwich are used for the deck and cockpit sole. The boat has a displacement of just 2,750 pounds.
Isobel also has a low sheer for comfortable boarding amidships and a swim platform for water access. Its shallow draft of just 2’ 3” will make launching easy from a trailer even on a rudimentary ramp.
The all-electric power uses a 40kW (54-hp) motor from RAD Propulsion in the UK. The outboard is concealed under a lifting cowl at the stern to keep the boat’s low profile. Only the lower unit swivels for steering.
Energy storage comes from Fellten, a UK company that usually repowers classic cars. The 55kWh battery pack produces a nominal 350 volts and a peak output of 30kW. A fast-charging system can jump from a 20 percent charge to an 80 percent charge in less than an hour.
At full power, Isobel has a range of 25 miles, or one hour, equal to half a dozen trips back and forth to the island. At 12- to 15-mph, that range is doubled.
Read more at http://stephenswaring.com
