CORRECT CRAFT ACQUIRES ELECTRIC BOAT DRIVE SYSTEM

[ROBOT]

ORLANDO, FL (July 25, 2018) — Today, Correct Craft announced its newest acquisition, an electric boat drive system, Ingenity P220, that originated in Austria. The acquisition is a result of Correct Craft’s Watershed Innovations initiative and will help prepare Correct Craft’s Pleasurecraft Engine Group and the company’s boat brands for the inevitable future beyond internal combustion engines.

Previously built by Ortner Electric in Villach, Austria, the Ingenity P220 is the highest performing electric towboat propulsion system in the world. The significant demand in Austria for the Ingenity P220 positions the system well for substantial international growth.

The Ingenity P220 is available in the Super Air Nautique 210 and GS20 models in Austria and will soon be available in these models worldwide. Additionally, the Ingenity P220 will eventually be available in more Nautique models and other Correct Craft boat building brands.

Pleasurecraft Engine Group engineers have been involved in the evaluation of the system and will continue to provide insight and support as they work toward its future development with the team from Correct Craft’s Watershed Innovations.

Bill Yeargin, President and CEO of Correct Craft stated, “The world is quickly transitioning to electric power and the acquisition of the Ingenity P220 system will help position Correct Craft, Pleasurecraft Engine Group, and our boat companies for a successful transition to the future. I am thrilled we could complete this important acquisition.”

Yeargin added, “A few months ago, when Correct Craft kicked off our Watershed Innovations initiative, electric propulsion was one of many items on our list to address. The Watershed Innovations team is taking on all these projects to help prepare Correct Craft and our companies for the future. The future is bright but will undoubtedly be a lot different than today, so we are working hard to prepare our Correct Craft companies for these inevitable changes.”

About Correct Craft: Celebrating 93 years of excellence in the marine industry, Correct Craft is a Florida-based company with global operations. The Correct Craft family includes Nautique, Centurion, Supreme, Bass Cat, Yar-Craft, SeaArk, and Bryant boat companies, Pleasurecraft Marine Engine Group, Watershed Innovations, and Aktion Parks. For more information please visit www.correctcraft.com.

About Pleasurecraft Engine Group: Pleasurecraft Engine Group, owned by Correct Craft, manufactures four engine brands, PCM, Crusader, Challenger, and Levitator, from its headquarters in Little Mountain, South Carolina. For over forty years Pleasurecraft has led the industry in providing the highest quality, most innovative inboard engines, backed with exceptional service. For more information please visit www.pcmengines.com.

About Watershed Innovations: Founded in 2018, Watershed Innovations is focused on identifying, researching, developing and integrating exponential technologies to benefit Correct Craft, its subsidiaries and the marine industry. These ideas will strategically align with our businesses, our culture and our focus of “Making Life Better.” For more information please visit www.watershedinnovations.com.

[j2nh]

Heavy, requires a high amperage power source to recharge, limited battery life.

 

[addkerr]

Dont you just wish someone at Tesla was a skier.

[Chef23]

Tesla can't make a 35K car they certainly aren't going to make an affordable electric water ski boat. If Tesla was going to come out with a boat it would cost 170K

[ALPJr]

Savvy move.

[j2nh]

Savvy move?

 

How so?

The batteries are heavy. 1600 lbs in a Tesla and then the weight of the motors vs less than a 1000 lbs for an H6 and another 150 for 25 gallons of fuel. This would make for a very heavy three event boat and with the energy required to move water the range would be severely limited. Maybe the weight would be okay in a wakeboard boat but the range would be a joke. Not something for a day on the water.

 

Safety with that kind of electrical power on the water?

 

Cost of charging stations at your dock or the marina?

 

Propane or LNG makes far more sense.

[ozski]

As they scale back production of V8 blocks and ICE's in general what do you think will happen to costs? Its the way of the future like it or not so I think its a very smart play.

[j2nh]

"As they scale back production of V8 blocks and ICE's in general what do you think will happen to costs?"

 

LOL, not in the immediate future nor the longterm. The limiting factor remains battery technology where quantum leaps are always just around the corner, except they never come and if they ever do it will be with exotic materials and exotic costs.

[ozski]

Pretty sure GM announced they are killing off the small block a while back. I still think its a smart move from CC and imagine if they can deliver slalom skiers a better pull out of an electric power plant which is entirely possible. Guess I'm just an optimist when it comes to tech.

[addkerr]

@j2nh tesla motor (360hp)and 85kw batteries come in at 1270lbs. Evenly distributed batteries I recon it would only be a small wake difference. Far outweighed by the much better torque and near identical boat weight at full vs empty.not to mention the possibility of speed control integration with electric vs ICE.

 

I run my TXI on propane. To be honest its a PIA. Even harder to get a solid ZO pull.

 

As for pricing of tesla as you stated. I can buy a brand new model S inc upgrades for less than a ski Nautique. Tesla is cutting edge high market products and the charge for it.

 

Electric is the future. I personally cannot wait for the ICE to die.

 

We all have our opinions which is what drives innovation.

[OldboyII]

Have you thied to start on the traffic light behind a sity tram?

If tram driver is in a good mood he may surprise you - the torque of its relatively weak electrical motor in such heavy machine is ehough to make you press gas pedal to floor.

Surely internal combustion engines are closing to their limits due to simlpe phisical factors.

Not good news for global employment market - much much less labour power will be needed to make cars/boats moving.

[AdamCord]

@j2nh

 

Savvy move?

 

How so?

The engines are heavy. 1000 lbs for an engine and transmission plus 150 in fuel vs much less for a mast and sail. This would make for a very heavy boat and with the energy required to move water the range would be severely limited. The wind never stops blowing and a sail never runs out of fuel. Maybe the weight would be okay in a schooner but the range would be a joke. Not something for a day on the water.

 

Safety with a tank full of flammable liquid on the water?

 

Cost of finding oil buried underground, pumping it out, refining it, building fueling stations, and delivering the fuel to them at your dock or the marina?

 

A good strong mast and sail makes more sense.

[Moffattra]

especially when towed to the water with a couple good horses...

[The_MS]

Where does the power to charge the boat up come from? I guess you just plug it in and waala, power comes out of nowhere and it charges up.

[BraceMaker]

@AdamCord

 

Mast and sail? we ski on canals, you need a mule track.

[Jmoski]

I love the idea of the all electric ski boat, but agree the charging infrastructure is the biggest barrier to adoption for a ski boat.

 

It will be interesting to see how much runtime the Tesla & (coming soon) Porsche batteries could provide.

 

Porsche’s all electric will put out over 600hp, go 0-60 in 3.5 seconds, and provide 300 miles in range.

 

Porsche claims their charging system can recover 80% charge in 15 minutes. Of course that’s an 800 volt dc charging set up, so not a simple extension cord from the house...

[Texas6]

And not exactly a plug and play solution with that voltage on your dock

[Than_Bogan]

@MS If one is counting on "saving the environment," then the source of that electricity is enormously important, and thankfully that infrastructure is also continuing to improve.

 

But hardcore slalom skiing represents approximately 0% of carbon emissions, so I think the focus should be much more on whether the technology will actually improve our experience.

 

I believe it will. My boat is inactive nearly all of the time, and stored outside, so there is enormous opportunity to recharge with solar, perhaps supplemented with a plug. In exchange for that, I don't have to waste my time and energy hauling gasoline around. I never use it for more than 2 hours at a time, so I don't require enormous range.

 

Meanwhile, I get something much quieter, especially from the perspective of someone on shore. Quieter means people don't complain and that I can keep skiing. That is extremely valuable.

 

There are some technical design advantages, too, like way faster response for speed control.

 

All in all, probably not a miracle, but VERY much worth continuing to explore.

[The_MS]

Here is what will happen.

2020 nationals will be pulled with Elec boat and about .002% will have had a ride behind one.

[Than_Bogan]

@MS Agree that is a valid concern.

[vtmecheng]

There are lakes where gas engines are not permitted to keep exhaust, oil, and gas from hurting wildlife. I wonder if an electronic boat would open those areas up to watersports again?

[buski]

I always wanted to show up on all of the nearby smaller but great skiing sized electric-only lakes with an electric ski boat. Would probably be at least an hour before they add HP restrictions too.

[j2nh]

I don't have anything against electric powered anything but from a practical standpoint the electric application for a ski boat, in an already minuscule market, is minimal at best. It isn't much better for the V8 powered truck that will pull the boat to the lake to ski.

 

Not a boat for a tournament. They won't run that long and no one is going to have a Level 3 or even Level 2 charger handy at the dock. A Level 1 charger can take 3 days to charge a Tesla S that is run down. So if you own one you won't be skiing in a tournament behind one. I can hear the whining now.

 

Maybe someday if there is a quantum breakthrough in battery storage but not in the foreseeable future.

[escmanaze]

The cool part about this is that we don't have to speculate anymore. We can just simply look at the boats that are out next year, see what the MSRP is, see what the performance is, see how they charge etc. And then for those for whom that works - great, buy one. Doesn't work for you - fine, buy a gas one. No problem.

 

I'm not even an electric car guy and i'm pretty excited to see this.

 

[Ilivetoski]

@scotchipman what if that comes with a $170K price tag?

[ozski]

Early adopters pay... but in the long term how many moving parts are we dealing with to manufacture? Answer = not many.

[Ilivetoski]

To switch the engine industry (not just boats, cars too) from gasoline to electric?? Not a lot of moving parts to change that manufacturing process?

[BraceMaker]

@Ilivetoski lots of part elimination not so many new parts to make. Nautique had a prototype 196 with a skiiable electric drive c.2006 so strange this is the next today.

 

 

[ozski]

Tesla has about 17 moving parts in the drive train and its close to maintenance free.

[Intheday]

Thin roll on photovoltaic panels (thought someone had developed solar paint) and the boat will charge while out on the water.

[Ed_Johnson]

This is what I've been waiting for. Our house and dock are totally Solar Powered, so we no longer have a $450 dollar monthly electric bill. The Slalom Course is right in front of the house so I only need a half hour at a time. Just plug and play.

 

 

[Moffattra]

@Ed_Johnson that's awesome! but $450?! you sure someone wasn't growing something illicit in there?...

[Texas6]

You have to run a lot of AC down south...

[j2nh]

Nautique 210.

"The powerful 220 kW electric motor with 700 Nm accelerates the boat to over 75 km / h and lets you glide gently on the water. The energy required for more than one hour of water sports is provided by the latest generation of lithium-ion batteries from Sony."

 

Again, boats are incredibly inefficient and power hungry. 1 hour and a couple of days to charge might work for Scott C. but not for a vast majority. To become mainstream we need to see a quantum breakthrough in energy storage. Companies are spending hundreds of millions on achieving that goal but as of yet there is nothing on the horizon, or should I say that just like fusion it is always just around the corner.

[jcamp]

Anybody with a keyboard can point out all the reasons this won't work, but I'm glad at least one company is actively looking for the ways it will work.

[rayn]

And it would be easier to winterize for those of up north.

 

As with all technology the first couple of iterations aren't for everyone. Just like with cars we will eventually get there for the mass market.

[bigskieridaho]

If Nautique goes electric, I will write them off completely. What is this world coming to? A ski Prius.....awesome.....NOT.

[vtmecheng]

The Prius isn't cool but the Tesla Model S is getting there. Just wait until Porsche and Mercedes come out with their electric cars, those will be cool, fast, and fun.

[DavidN]

I would buy one. Would be perfect for me!

Boat sits on the (ac powered) lift about 23.25 hrs a day and then gets used for two sets. Then back onto the lift.

Would miss the v8 sound tho.

 

[AdamCord]

@bigskieridaho all you need is one ride in a Tesla Model S in Ludicrous Mode to realize that this is the future and the future is f%#king amazing. The feeling of having your brain smashed against the back of your skull while you silently accelerate to 60 in under 3 seconds in a big luxury car is a surprisingly good one.

[BlueSki]

Smart of Nautique to be on the forefront, that way they earn the early high margins instead of pay them.

[BraceMaker]

Our sport when on a private lake with a fixed boat path it could completely have a tether to overhead cables that being if you had an electric boat you would be able to maneuver on house battery to a specific point where you picked up power connect used for the power for the pull and high speed run. Since on a successful pull skier will drop in a given place it wouldn't be that hard to have the power path drop the boat as you exited.

 

In that format you could have unlimited ski time and no onboard fuel. In that capacity unlimited pulls at very reduced power costs = affordable cost per pull for large scale skiing ventures.

 

That said these techs will be coming;

http://achatespower.com/our-formula/opposed-piston/

 

Let's just talk 2.7 liter 3 cylinder 270 kW and 650 nm torque - all from a low rpm.

Illmor 5.7 239 kw. 6.2 321 kW and neither hit those torque figures.

30% less fuel consumption than modern 4 stroke light diesels.

 

An engine like this is what people are asking for - lighter, compact format, low fuel consumption. Lower rpm less noise more complete combustion.

 

[vtmecheng]

@BraceMaker, that is a really old engine design. The submarine they have here at the Pittsburgh Science Center was commissioned in 1945 and has a diesel engine with that design. Maybe with new tech it has advantages.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opposed-piston_engine

[BraceMaker]

Very aware of that. It is the specs of this engine that are appealing and the way modern needs have changed. There have been a wide variety of 2 stroke diesel techs and several engine formats with opposed cylinders that were in ships and large equipment. But if you look at specs...

 

 

Also what no one has mentioned. If this forces ZO to branch out to do speed control on electric motors... or will these boats be PP...

[HighAltitude]

I cant wait to have an electric powered boat on our lake that's at 7000 ft altitude. Finally, no need to prop down!

[BraceMaker]

Bet you could use a CV joint to mount the motor up in the bow and get yourself a flat floor. Maybe a removable pylon like used on Vdrive and multiple mount points for it you could run it in the rear for rec skiing and up front for short liners.

[Horton]

@AdamCord I am still waiting for my Denali electric bike

[vtmecheng]

Also, I wonder if the electric motor could be sized so a reduction gear isn't needed. At the least, a motor removes the need for forward/reverse gears.

[Golfguy]

I still can't help but wonder if producing energy in one place, sending through wires to a boat, car or whatever is truly a carbon savings? Do anyone have any comparative data?

[Andre]

Depends where you live.

Here ,our elecricity is 100% hydro and dirt cheap compare to some of you.You do have to build giant dam but in the long run,it's greener.