We previously knew Vision Marine Technologies primarily as the Quebecois company that debuted the once-most powerful electric outboard in the world, the propulsion behind one of the world's fastest, most hellacious e-boats. At this year's Miami boat show, Vision pulled the throttle back a bit and launched a humbler product that still promises to leave water and land a little cleaner. The all-new Phantom is a rotomolded plastic boat that's tough enough to last a generation and ready to be recycled at lifecycle's end … up to nine times over. Vision offers it as both a hull and a full electric boat with available range extender.
Beyond distributing outboards and propulsion systems to other boatbuilders and owners, Vision also offers a boat lineup focused on modest, electric-powered vessels measuring under 30 feet (9.1 m). These boats come powered not by Vision's 180-hp monster e-outboard but by much smaller drives from ePropulsion. The Phantom becomes its latest boat product and its simplest and most affordable.
Unlike so many other things that showed up at this year's Miami International Boat Show, the Phantom was anything but flashy, a simple, single-color tub of a boat that does not disguise its polyethylene construction in the slightest. Phantom uses rotomolding (rotational molding) to create the 16.5-foot (5-m) boat, which it calls indestructible and unsinkable. It designed the colorful 800-lb (363-kg) hull specifically for electric propulsion, though it can work just as easily with an ICE outboard up to 50 hp.
Rotomolded boat characteristics make them a natural fit for electric propulsion. Low weight helps with efficiency and range, while low boat pricing can help offset the higher hp-to-hp costs of electric drive technology.
Vision is careful to point to a major difference between the Phantom and other rotomolded boats, such as the US$11,995 Veer X13 that launched a year ago: the Phantom is made to be fully recyclable. It calls it a world first in that regard and stresses that the boat material can be recycled up to nine times, making it much more environmentally friendly than the average boat … or motorized vehicle of any kind.
While recyclability makes the boldest headlines, it might end up a footnote in the story of a boat designed to be "unsinkable" and "indestructible." Vision puts money where its mouth is, backing the hull up with a lifetime warranty. So the Phantom should remain in service on the water for decades to come before ever needing to be recycled.
Vision also zeroed in on affordability when developing the Phantom, citing the uncertain nature of the market ahead as a motivation for developing a more affordable model. It says that it will be able to build up to 300 units per year at a 70-percent lower cost than an equivalent production run of fiberglass boats. It also says production can be scaled to 1,500 units per year.
Prior to the Miami show, Vision secured an exclusive dealership agreement with Nautical Ventures Marine Group for the state of Florida. The group has placed an initial order of 50 Phantom boats.
"We recognize a growing demand for rotomolded boats among our Florida clientele for several reasons: their affordability enables entry-level ownership; they support both electric and gas motors, appealing to eco-conscious and traditional boaters alike; and their versatility makes the Phantom ideal for various activities, from fishing to leisure," explained Roger Moore, CEO of Nautical Ventures. "With its 10-person capacity and maintenance-free design, the Phantom meets a wide range of needs."
Vision is offering the Phantom without a motor as a $14,995 hull, as well as in two electric configurations. The $24,995 standard ePropulsion electric version offers up to an estimated five hours of on-water runtime, while the $29,995 extended-range version doubles that estimate to 10 hours.
Source: Vision Marine
