Ski Nautique - Tesla Edition

Blogs are a LOT of work! My hat's off to all those who blog on a regular basis. Now that I'm back from vacation...

If Correct Craft had been having conversations with Tesla, makers of the Tesla electric powered sports car, for the past 18 to 20 months and perhaps had begun development on an electric powered tow boat, a modified 206 perhaps, what kinds of things might we be hearing?

That despite their desire to fit the motor completely under the floor thus completely eliminating the engine hump in the middle, they had been unable to do so. An 8” hump is almost worse and is more dangerous than the full engine hump. Well, apparently the motor actually does fit but there’s a heat problem. Fortunately nothing a water cooling jacket wasn’t able to fix.

Decisions, decisions… Fewer batteries means a lighter boat and a lighter boat means a better wake for slalom. Even a better wake than any slalom boat ever. But fewer batteries also means less time on the water between charges. OK, this one wasn’t that difficult – let the customer decide. 3 battery compartments on each side with optional ballast tanks for any that aren’t used. Those looking for the absolute best wake only put batteries in one on each side, others can choose to fill 4 compartments or all 6. One major advantage is that this is all easily configured by most dealers so the customer can choose and the dealer can deliver.

OK, the battery thing wasn’t really all that simple because ideally each configuration actually calls for slight modifications to the hull design for optimum performance and this isn’t something that hydro-gates or similar levers can accomplish. But 90% of the benefit can be achieved with 2 small modifications to the hull design and thanks to modern epoxies this can also be done by dealers via inserts that are cemented in place depending on battery configuration.

The final major issue is the fun one. The boat is over-powered. In initial trials drivers had to be very careful not to rip the rope out of people’s hands. Well, nothing that some software changes for a more ‘normal’ torque curve couldn’t solve.

And speaking of software defined torque curves, one unexpected benefit is the ability to make quick micro-adjustments to speed not possible with gas powered engines. Fine tuning with Zero-Off speed control promises the smoothest ride and pull ever. And yes, there is the potential that users will be able to select from a handful of curves on the fly to suit their own personal tastes.

So, when will we see this wonderful boat? Not anytime soon. Firstly, the above is all fiction anyway. Second, Correct Craft have a reputation to uphold and developing this boat to their high quality standards will take a bit more fine-tuning and then getting all of the appropriate approvals will take some time beyond that. BUT, once it does become available expect the best towboat ever for your $110,000.

Why Not An Electric Wakeboard Boat ?

Electric cars are starting to pop up. Everything from minimalist Zaps to sporty Tesla’s to Porsche conversions. With petrol now over $4/gallon in the US and higher elsewhere the number of electric cars is increasing rapidly. While there are many great benefits to electric cars, one major drawback that remains is how far they can go on a charge and what do you do when you run out of juice and need to recharge? Plug in for hours? Swap batteries? They’re starting to work great around town, but we have some work to do before we can reliably use them for highway trips.

Why not electric boats?

I assume one major obstacle is the small issue of electricity and water not mixing so well. This can be worked out though. In fact, the Navy powers many of their boats with electricity without water problems. Of course they also have onboard nuclear reactors to generate electricity and I’m not sure we’re far enough along with that for consumer use. However, battery and motor technology has advanced enough to make this a viable alternative and I’m sure boat builders can design a system to keep the batteries and motor both dry and adequately ventilated.

But oy vey, the advantages…

The batteries and motor are overall lighter than the equivalent power and run-time of 30 gallons of petrol and a marine engine. An electrical drive system is also comprised of many smaller components that can more easily be distributed around a hull for optimal weight distribution. It’d be possible to produce a center weighted slalom tow boat without a mid engine. Everything would be below deck and could even be a bit more forward than venerable towboats such as the Nautique 196 resulting in an even smoother wake. This also leaves room for massive ballasting to change the boats characteristics for wakeboarding or surfing.

Yes, the holy grail of perfect slalom, perfect wakeboard, and perfect surf from one boat is within reach.

Speaking of surfing, there’d be no CO fumes. Teak surfing anyone? This would not only be more environmentally friendly, but more pleasant for everyone when idling. We’d also be able to forego starting/killing the engine every time a skier or rider is down.

Unlike a car on a roadtrip, an electrical boat system would in most cases be able to tow people for an entire day on a single charge. No more trips to the marina or hauling cans when out of petrol. Of course some of us would miss catching up on the latest lake gossip at the marina, but we can still stop in for other purposes. So, plug it in overnight and it’s ready for the next day.

Electric drive is also quiet and smooth. These are both kind of strange in a car, but would be heaven in a boat. Imagine no more vibration. For Malibu fans out there I’m sure a subwoofer and transducer system can add the noise and vibration back in. Ever thought about what the engine vibration does to prop efficiency? And for those concerned about electrics ability to pull them up without dragging forever consider this, the Tesla roadster does 0-60 in 3.7 seconds.

Finally there’s cost. A very quick calculation gives us $90 for a day of petrol or $22 for a day of electricity. That’s nothing to sneeze at. Theoretically maintenance will be less as well, though I’m not sure I’d want to speculate until we’ve seen a ton more real data on battery/motor life.

So there you have it. I’m sure there are negatives that I haven’t thought of, but perhaps there are more positives as well.

Edit 2008.07.01: Boesch is selling this boat