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Marine

EXOCONCEPT takes a distinct position on personal watercraft

By Ben Coxworth
September 13, 2011
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The EXO is an electric personal watercraft, which riders lie on in a prone position
The EXO is an electric personal watercraft, which riders lie on in a prone position
The EXO is an electric personal watercraft, which riders lie on in a prone position
The EXO is an electric personal watercraft, which riders lie on in a prone position
The EXO is an electric personal watercraft, which riders lie on in a prone position
The EXO is an electric personal watercraft, which riders lie on in a prone position
The EXO is an electric personal watercraft, which riders lie on in a prone position
The EXO is an electric personal watercraft, which riders lie on in a prone position
The EXO is an electric personal watercraft, which riders lie on in a prone position
The EXO is an electric personal watercraft, which riders lie on in a prone position
The EXO is an electric personal watercraft, which riders lie on in a prone position
The EXO is an electric personal watercraft, which riders lie on in a prone position
View gallery - 11 images

Of the various water toys for big boys that were unveiled at last week's Cannes Boat Show, one of the more intriguing was the EXO, from French company EXOCONCEPT. Perhaps the best way of describing it would be to say that it's like an electric Jet Ski, but the rider lies down on top of it in a prone position, instead of sitting on it.

The EXO is similar in concept to the Silveira Group's Green Samba, a prototype electric watercraft that riders were intended to crouch/kneel on the back of - unfortunately the company now appears to be out of business, or at the very least has no current website.

Unlike the Green Samba, which was clearly aimed at adrenaline junkies with a reported top speed of 65 mph (105 km/h), the EXO is intended more to provide yacht owners or renters at water parks with relatively gentle fun - it maxes out at 31 mph (50 km/h).

The EXO is available in a reinforced ABS model (which comes in a choice of four colors), or a snazzy-looking carbon fiber version. The ABS weighs in at 29 kilograms (64 lbs) without batteries, while the carbon tips the scales at just 19 (42 lbs). The addition of either four or six racks of lithium iron phosphate batteries bumps those weights up by 20 and 30 kilos (44 and 66 lbs) respectively.

The EXO is an electric personal watercraft, which riders lie on in a prone position

Depending on how wealthy buyers are and what they plan on using the watercraft for, they can choose from 3.5, 4.5 or 7 kilowatt-hour motors. The choice of motor will have a marked effect on the batteries' runtime, which sits between one and two-and-a-half hours.

EXOCONCEPT's Erick Sebban told Gizmag that the company has already taken orders for carbon fiber models, which should be delivered by the end of the year. It will begin taking orders for the ABS model at the Paris Boat Show in December, and ought to be delivering those within the first quarter of 2012. Prices for the ABS start at EUR 7,290 (US$9,975), while buyers of the carbon should expect to pay at least EUR 19,580 ($26,792).

Besides the Green Samba, other similar watercraft have included the Kymera jetboard and Miguel Angel's proposed body board/Jet Ski hybrid.

The video below shows the EXO in action.

View gallery - 11 images

Tags

MarineJetskiElectricBody boardWatercraft
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Ben Coxworth
Based out of Edmonton, Canada, Ben Coxworth has been writing for New Atlas since 2009 and is presently Managing Editor for North America. An experienced freelance writer, he previously obtained an English BA from the University of Saskatchewan, then spent over 20 years working in various markets as a television reporter, producer and news videographer. Ben is particularly interested in scientific innovation, human-powered transportation, and the marine environment.
23 comments
Joshua David
that looks like a fantastic way to lose half your teeth.
Remi van der Deure
Lightweight, fast enough, innovative: good luck to this new company !
Michael Taylor
Hate to be negative, but... Fail.
Marc-André Stinson
Senseless. You will get really wet, it\'s slow, you won\'t see a thing. Everyone who has ever rode a jet ski knows that you will have loosed your teeth not even cracked 20 mph. Watch the video and see how \"fast \"they are. It\'s really nice looking. Btw. why don\'t they make ist submerge able? Would be really nice for divers.
Lee Bell
I can see only one use for this... lifeguards for some really expensive hotel. Otherwise I have to agree with M.T. above... Fail.........
Ben Crumpacker
1. This position has been tried in experimental aircraft, e.g. the Gloster Meteor, the Northrop XP-79B, etc. and always rejected because it\'s too tough on the pilot. 2. Jetskiing jolts your neck and back. Even at the Exo\'s low speeds, the jolts would severely stress a rider\'s neck. The human neck is not designed to take hard lateral jolts. Worse, the Exo rider can slide forward and hit his or her face on the raised ridge at the rear of the front hood. 3. Peripheral vision is very important for jetskiiers because they must avoid larger, faster boats, but a prone rider is too low to see very far, and can\'t look to the sides or behind very well. In fact the entire craft is too low to be seen from a distance by other watercraft operators, especially on rough water. 4. It is too low to handle anything but flat water, and would bury its nose in a wake or swell.. 4. In order to absorb shocks, a jet ski rider should stand, sit upright or recline. Go to plan B, mes amis.
McDesign
Looks like a displacement hull?
Jay Finke
looks as if its hard to handle, but if not and you are really really drunk it would be hard to fall off of .. wee
3HullsRbest
Boorrrring!
Show it in some waves!
Gabriel Grove
hitting some choppy water would hurt the nuts... just saying...
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