Though there are several well known manufacturers of electric-powered cars scaled down for children, there has never been a scaled down electric speed boat equivalent – until now. The JimBoat was conceived when boatbuilder Denis Jimenez found that his five-year-old grandson shared his passion for powerboats.
"That's how the 6.5 ft electric powerboat was born," says Jimenez. "I built it as a surprise for him, to convey my values, my knowledge and my passion to my grandson, and so he will remember the fun of being a mini-mariner."
Nine months ago, Jimenez launched an Indiegogo campaign for the JimBoat he'd designed for his grandson, but the idea didn't get the funding he needed and it languished ... for a while.
Where there's a will, there's a way, so Denis went out, worked out a way to manufacture the boats with a larger partner, and found he could significantly reduced the selling price. The original expected retail price was US$8,500, but with more efficient mass production of the JimBoat using molds and modern technologies, the ticket price has been reduced to $4,000.
The JimBoat is 6.5 ft long, weighs 75 kg (165 lb), and with an electric motor providing 55 lb of thrust via an enclosed 3 blade propeller, the JimBoat is capable of 5.5 knots – fast enough to make it worthwhile that adult supervision is on hand at all times.
The JimBoat 6.5 is just the start, and Jiminez has plans to expand the range to include a bigger, full-sized electric speedboat for 2 adults so the whole family can have fun.
Jiminez has returned to Indiegogo to launch the new version of the JimBoat 6.5, where Super Early Bird pledges start at $2,100 (representing 47 percent off the expected retail price). If all goes to plan, shipping is estimated to start in July/August. You can learn more in the video below.
