World’s most popular boat type goes electric

Apr 17, 2023

Center console craft for fishing, families, and watersports are the most popular type of boats in the world – and also some of the most power-consuming vessels on water. With its efficient, fast-flying hydrofoiling C-8 CC, Swedish tech firm Candela aims to electrify the number one boat segment.

Center console boats are the most popular recreational vessels on the water, with around 50,000 sold annually in the US alone and many more globally. The Swedish-made Candela C-8 Center Console is designed to electrify the world’s best-selling boat segment, offering unprecedented electric speed, range, and energy efficiency that is several times higher than traditional gas boats, providing an unmatched boating experience for anglers, families, and watersport enthusiasts alike.

Flying on computer-guided hydrofoils, underwater wings, the Candela C-8 CC soars above chop and wake, using 80% less energy than conventional vee hulls, enabling a range of 57 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 22 knots. This is three times longer than any other electric boat on the market, and plenty of range for fishing trips, watersports, or cruising to your favorite sandbar. For mooring, the foils retract into the hull at the push of a button on the touchscreen.

With its hydrofoils retracted, Candela C-8 CC can be stored on a trailer or beached.

Once foil-borne at 16 knots, the vessel’s Candela C-POD direct-drive pod motor is near-silent in flight. Soaring over the waves, the C-8 CC is stabilized by its Flight controller – a computer – which adjusts the hydrofoils 100 times per second to ensure a steady and bump-free ride in waves and chop.

While traditional center console deep-vee fishing boats are known for their appetite for fuel, the electric Candela C-POD motor efficiently converts the stored electricity in the batteries to thrust, resulting in minimal wastage of energy to propel the C-8 forward. Combined with Candela’s hydrofoils that reduce water friction, this results in unmatched efficiency. While 28/29-foot deep-vee boats often have a pair of 400hp outboards, the C-8 CC’s single 100hp pod motor is enough to take off with eight people on board, at a cost that is less than 10 dollars for a full battery charge. The motor requires no maintenance for 3,000 hours.

“Flying smoothly across the sea, conversing with your passengers at a normal tone of voice, and then arriving at your destination having spent only a few euros worth of electricity getting there – that’s a better boating experience,” says Gustav Hasselskog, founder and CEO of Candela.

Once at anchor, Candela C-8 CC offers its passengers an open bow with seating, a wetbar, sofas for up to six passengers around a table, an enclosed head, sunbed, extended swimming platform with shower, 6-speaker in-hull stereo system, and angler features, such as rod holders and depth sounder.

For anglers, Candela’s hydrofoil technology provides many advantages, including no wake, and so doesn’t disturb other boaters or marine life. The rpm of the completely silent Candela C-POD motor can be seamlessly adjusted for any speed down to 0.2 knots, making it ideal for sneaking up on the big catch.

“It’s really the best fishing machine at low speeds. With foils down, it doesn’t drift and is incredibly stable. Our Candela C-POD motor is like a high-power outdrive combined with a slow-speed trolling motor in one unit,” says Gustav Hasselskog.

Made from 100% carbon fiber, the C-8 CC starts at €330,000, including a 15.4″ navigational screen and free over-the-air updates of the User Interface and Flight controller, which will unlock new features over the boat’s lifetime. Pre-orders have started, with first deliveries slated for summer 2024.

Candela’s 230-strong team of engineers and technicians has been perfecting the hydrofoil system and software since 2014 to create the high-volume production C-8 CC. Thanks to a unique technical partnership with premium electric car maker Polestar, all C-8 models are powered by Polestar batteries. The Center Console shares the same technical platform as the Daycruiser version of the Candela C-8, which was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January 2023 and is currently the best-selling electric boat, with over 150 orders globally.

To learn more about Candela, please visit Candela.com.

Specifications:

Length: 8.89 meters/29 feet

Beam: 2.50 meters/8.20 feet

Weight: 1,700/kilograms/3700 lbs

Battery: 69 kWh battery by electric car maker Polestar

Charging: Type 2 AC charging, DC up to 135 kW (35 minutes from 10 to 80% state of charge)

Range: 57 nautical miles/65 miles at 22knots/25 mph

Top speed: 30 knots/35 mph