Nautique electric wakeboard boat shown in Seattle
The president of the world’s premier wakeboard and ski boat manufacturer shows off a Nautique electric wakeboard boat while visiting the booth of dealer Pacific Nautiques at the Seattle Boat Show on January 28.
Greg Melloon says “This is a Nautique 210, it’s been one of our famous models over the years, and this one in particular is 100% electric. It represents a prototype of technology that we’ve been developing over several years, in order to make electric boats a possibility. So, we’re happy to show it off today, it’s one of the first viewings of this boat in public, we’re excited about the future.”
This is really exciting news for electric boating in general. Nautique is one of the companies that the entire recreational boating industry looks to for hints on where things are headed. When (and it appears to be a ‘when’, not an ‘if’) Nautique comes out with an electric model it will be a sign that electric boats are ‘coming of age’ and ready to enter the mainstream.
Nautique electric wakeboard boat would great for electric boating
Nautique is one of 11 brands owned by Correct Craft, which was founded in 1925 by Walt C. Meloon and has been involved in every aspect of boating and dozens of innovations over the past 95 years. Speaking of which, included among the other 10 brands is Watershed Innovation, which won ‘the most innovative marine company’ award in September from Soundings Trade Only, the leading B2B news and information provider for the US recreational boat industry. (BTW, Nautique is no stranger to awards itself. In December 2019 the readers of Wakeboarding voted it their ‘favourite boat brand‘.)
One of the reasons Watershed Innovation was recognized is because of the work of the companies under its umbrella: Osmosis, Merritt Precision, and Ingenity.
Osmosis is focused on Internet of Things technology for boating, Meritt Precision works on the cutting edge of the new Artificial Intelligence, robotics and other technologies being used to build precision boat hulls and Ingenity is the electric boat drive system Correct Craft acquired from Austria’s Ortner Boot company in 2018. The purchase was made to “help prepare Correct Craft’s Pleasurecraft Engine Group and the company’s boat brands for the inevitable future beyond internal combustion engines“.
Largest Northwest dealer part of electric ‘sneak peek’
Pacific Nautiques was a natural choice to help with Nautique electric wakeboard boat sneak peek. They are the company’s largest dealer in the US Northwest and won the 2019 award for ‘Best Dealership Website’.
The Seattle Boat Show is also a good choice, being one of the earliest shows in the US boat show calendar. While North America isn’t yet seeing the number of electric boats and motors that were premiered and exhibited at BOOT Düsseldorf 2020, electric interest is growing among both consumers and dealers. Seattle isn’t without its e-boats, another notable electric debut is the Highfield RIBs with Pure Watercraft outboards locally developed and manufactured and tested in Puget Sound. The Seattle Boat Show is on until Saturday, February 1.
We wrote about Correct Craft and Watershed Innovation almost a year ago, when they were working with graduating students from the University of Central Florida to create a super quiet fishing boat in conjunction with SeaArk Boats, another Correct Craft companies.
Nautique electric wakeboard boat research goes back to 2011
This isn’t the first time Nautique has dipped a toe into the electric boat field. Their interest goes back as fas as 2011, when the YouTube video below appeared and “introduces the industry’s first 100% electric ski boat, the Ski Nautique E.”
It’s no wonder, electric propulsion is a natural for wakeboarding and waterskiing. The people being towed don’t have to contend with any exhaust fumes, the wake from an electric is less disruptive, it is quiet enough for easy communication between everyone involved…and of course the torque for getting the wakeboarder/skier up on the water is unmatched.
So it just may be that Nautique has been working on electric propulsion for the past 9 years (or longer) and may feel that the time is right to get it out to the public and onto the lakes. It would be a giant shot in the arm for every aspect of electric boats and boating, so, let’s say that ‘we’re pulling for them’ 🙂
Things are changing in electric boats and boating every day.
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