We’re flying. On the water. Skimming two feet above the boisterous chop just off Miami’s Star Island at a zippy 25 mph. And in near total, blissful silence. Even the wash from a passing go-fast boat does nothing to upset the equilibrium; we just slice right through.
And to get up to speed is almost as much fun as the cruising part. From a standstill, just push forward on the throttle, feel the surge of power, and as the speedo read-out passes the 17mph mark, we just rise-up out of the water. Just like a Learjet on take-off.
This is the ground-breaking, all-electric C-8 from Swedish builder Candela, and arguably the coolest boat on the water right now.
The secret to this carbon-fiber-hulled 28-footer is its high-tech electric powertrain and impressive, foiling technology, just like you see on those Americas Cup racing sailboats.
While the C-8 has been around in Europe for almost a year, it’s now making waves here in the U.S. where it has just debuted with some pretty serious battery power. Back in the spring, Candela hooked-up with Swedish EV car maker Polestar, sister brand to Volvo, which is sharing its beefy 69 kWh battery pack found in the Polestar 2 sedan.
But it’s those deployable foils that steal the show here. At the push of a button, the two forward and single rear legs drop down through the hull.
The two up front are controlled by sophisticated computer software working with sensors around the boat, keeping everything perfectly level, even in the gnarliest of seas.
The really clever part is the slender, torpedo-shaped pod built into the rear foil that features not one, but two compact electric motors and a pair of counter-rotating propellors. It can push the boat to a top speed of almost 35 mph and cruise super-efficiently at 22.
How efficient? Candela says the C-8 will run for around 66 miles at 22 mph, on a single charge. That might conjure-up fears of range anxiety and being stranded and in search of a plug. But in reality, 66 miles is a lot when most of us only cruise to the sandbar, or our favorite waterfront eatery.
Find yourself a high-speed charger – more and more marinas are installing them – and the Polestar battery pack can be re-juiced from 10 to 80 per cent in just 45 minutes.
This truly is a new, and different way to cruise. Flying along at over 25 mph there’s hardly a ripple of wake coming off the foils. And it is totally silent, with no roaring gas motor, or jolts and judders from waves hitting a hull.
Those forward foils also do an astonishing job of counteracting any rock and roll. For passengers inclined to suffer a little mal de mer, it makes a day on the water a joy.
OK, when you spin the wheel, there’s not the tight set you get with a traditional powerboat. In fact, turn too tight in the C-8 and the computers will temporarily ease the power and lower the hull into the water, only resuming progress the instant things level out.
Aboard the C-8, there’s room for up to eight in the roomy, though rather spartan-looking cockpit. Up front, behind that tall, wind-protecting windshield, there are three individual seats along with a three-across bench mid-ships, and three-across sunpad at the stern.
Lift up the central foredeck stairs and there’s a cozy cabin for two, with a hidden toilet between the vee berth and a hatch above for fresh air. Need to shower? There’s one on the swim platform. Need to cook aboard, buy a grille or order Uber Eats.
Of course, all this advanced technology doesn’t come cheap. Pricing for the C-8 kicks off at an eye-watering $395,000, with the fancier new, limited-edition Polestar C-8 going for $450,000.
Options include a sun-shading t-top over the helm, or a clever hardtop with an opening center section. And next year will see a new, more Florida-friendly, center console C-8 go into production.
As for cruising past your neighbors, up on foils, with no wake and no noise? Just priceless.
