A Swedish builder of all-electric boats is finding success with superyacht captains and owners. So far X Shore has sold a handful of its Eelex 8000 powerboats as tenders, a counterpart to its original focus on primary craft. Principally, large-yacht clients like the silent and cleaner operation, the modularity of the design, and some high-tech safety features.
Patrick DeSocio, who heads North American sales for X Shore in Newport, Rhode Island, says the 5,700-pound Eelex 8000 easily fits in a garage or lifts to sit on deck. At least one captain expressed interest in towing the boat, too, DeSocio adds. Furthermore, since it’s all electric, regulatory issues governing gasoline- or diesel-powered craft don’t apply. The 225-kW electric motor and lithium-ion batteries reportedly charge in five to eight hours with three-phase power plus and one to two hours with superchargers. Regardless, once charged, the boat—whose name comes from a South American electric eel—has a range of 100 miles. Additionally, X Shore builds each boat with software capturing 150 data points every second, allowing the head office to monitor and diagnose battery and engine performance in real time.

Besides running nearly silently, the X Shore Eelex 8000 employs more sustainable construction materials, too. Specifically, the builder uses cork and recycled plastic, plus flax fiber is available instead of fiberglass and carbon fiber. (Flax fiber offers better vibration damping and is further renewable, among other advantages.)
Since X Shore knows customers like flexibility, the Eelex 8000 has a modular design. You can add settees and a dining table in the cockpit, for instance, for a party of 10. High freeboard keeps passengers dry. Or, request removable benchseats so your crew can load and transport kayaks and other watertoys for a day’s adventures.
Finally, for safe and secure operations, the Eelex 8000 offers several advantages. Connect a Garmin watch to the onboard system, and the boat automatically stops within 10 seconds of the watch wearer being more than about 33 feet (10 meters) away or beneath the surface. Use the Bluetooth connection on a mobile phone to turn the boat on or off as well, within a similar range. You can check the charging status, pumps, and even the position of the boat remotely as well. Similarly, you can set a geofence and kill switch with mobile alerts.
Pricing starts at $329,000.
X Shore xshore.com
Leave a Reply