I almost passed over this story because I did not realize its significance. I thought Hacker-Craft has something to do with electronics. I didn’t know the story was about electric boats. Silly me.
Hacker-Craft has been building custom wooden boats in Detroit since 1908. During that time, it has earned a reputation for excellence unmatched by any other American boat builder. This week, Ingenity Electric, an innovative electric boat company that is part of the Correct Craft family of brands, announced that is has signed a multi-year supply and marketing agreement to provide and install all electric drivetrains in new Hacker-Craft Boats.
Two 100-year-old American companies, one building iconic mahogany speedboats, and the other supplying state of the-art electric drivetrains, are collaborating to deliver “the future of luxury boating.”
The first Ingenity powered boat, a 27-foot Special Sport, was introduced at the 2022 Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show at the Bahia Mar Yachting Center last week. The boat will be powered by Ingenity’s integrated drive package with 120 kWh of battery capacity and will have remote connectivity via the Osmosis telematics platform. The system can recharge overnight at a residential dock or as quickly as 1.5 hours at a high capacity DC Fast Charger at a marina. Charging can also be accomplished via a yacht equipped with the proper charging equipment.
“I have admired Hacker-Craft’s products from afar for many years, and the Ingenity team is humbled to be part of this project,” says Sean Marrero, President of Ingenity. “We stand on the shoulders of the giants who started these companies a century ago. Now it is our turn to lay the foundation for an exciting future for our companies and customers.”
“It’s clear the environmental concerns are driving the entire boating industry towards electric propulsion,” adds George Badcock, CEO of Hacker Boat Company. “Electric propulsion enables owners to go boating in accordance with their values while preparing them for the new electric reality, whether for lake boating, coastal cruising, or aboard superyachts. We’ve already seen an increasing number of inquiries about electric and hybrid propulsion. The partnership between Hacker Boat Company and Ingenity Electric has come together at the perfect moment.”
The 27-foot Sport will complement the current Ingenity-powered lineup, including the award-winning Nautique GS22E watersports towboat and the Ingenity 23E Dayboat.
Electric propulsion is the most important trend in the boating industry, primarily due to its dovetailing with the environmental movement. Allied Market Research reports that “the global electric boat market was valued at $5.0 billion in 2021, and it is projected to reach $16.6 billion by 2031.” Boat International magazine has stated that for the yachting market, “If you look at the direction of travel in automotive and now smaller boats, it is indisputable — electric yachting is on the way.”
Electric powered boats have zero emissions. Additionally, such boats are virtually silent and highly efficient. They require less maintenance than gasoline or diesel powered boats. The Ingenity-powered Hacker-Craft 27’ Special Sport will be able to attain speeds up to 30 knots.
Hacker-Craft is located in Queensbury, NY, and is the largest American manufacturer of classic mahogany motorboats, hand built runabouts, sport boats, yacht tenders, launches, and utilities. Florida-based Ingenity is focused on bringing sustainable solutions to the marine industry by integrating the latest in environmentally conscious propulsion technologies into the most demanding boating applications.
The partnership between Hacker-Craft and Ingenity only shows that electric boating is coming. Whether it is XShore or Candela, electric boats are becoming more common. Now they need to get more affordable.
Anyone who has spent a day on the water listening to the drone of an outboard or inboard engine will understand the allure of quiet yachting that doesn’t assault your ear drums. The fact that these boats do not leave a trail of pollution in their wake is just icing on the cake.
The press release offers no details about cost or range. We suspect it is one of those “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it” things. Too bad. That’s an awfully pretty boat.
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