CANDELA C-7: ELECTRIC DREAMS

For the European shipyards, the Cannes Yachting Festival is the main event to showcase new boats, innovation and technology – or in the case of the Candela C-7, all three at the same time.

Candela is a Swedish tech firm that has designed and built its own electric hydrofoil. Combing a classic dayboat look with cutting-edge tech, the C-7 is unique in its simplicity – so much so, that at first glance, it’s difficult to tell that this is anything but a fun cruiser.

HULL

Underneath that classically-styled body sits a hull made of vacuum-infused carbon fibre. This keeps the weight down compared to similar-sized glass fibre craft, adding to the performance handling – not that seaworthiness is too important when you’re ‘flying’ over the waves.

FOILS

To create its foils, Candela looked to the aviation industry, using carbon composites to keep strength high and weight low. Once up to speed, at the touch of a button, the foils lower into the water and the C-7 rises up, reducing friction by 80% and enabling a 50 nautical mile range at 22-knots.

Efficiency-wise, the energy usage at 20-knots is comparable to 0,1 liters of petrol per nautical mile. When not in use, the foils and propulsion unit are retractable, making the C-7 perfect for trailing, shallow water operations and dry storage is not an issue, either.

POWER

Electric propulsion has gone from ultra-niche to normal in a short space of time. Candela decided to opt for an electric motor, as it matched the efficiency of the C-7’s foiling design. Putting out 55 kW courtesy of a 40 kWh battery, the C-7 can cruise at 22 knots and reach 30 knots flat out – all in
near silence.

CONCLUSION

For anyone used to petrol-power, going electric is an entirely new concept of boating. Add a computer-controlled foiling system and the future of day boating becomes rather exciting.