But sticking a load of lithium ion cells and a pair of electric motors in a conventional planing hull that looked and drove like every other boat would have been greeted with a collective ‘meh’ and resulted in a craft with a very limited cruising range.
So instead they used another of Hoffritz’s contacts within BMW to co*e up with a far more arresting solution. The result is nothing if not original. With its origami-inspired latticework of glass, carbon fibre and steel, it is about as far from the traditional image of a luxury motor yacht as it’s possible to get.
Designed from the inside out, the idea is to redefine the concept of luxury by giving passengers the space, light and views to enjoy the unique sensory experience of ‘flying’ above the water in a near-silent hydrofoil boat.
The hull is made of conventional moulded GRP and looks to have more in co*mon with a modern racing yacht than a traditional planing power boat.
Engineered by renowned naval architects J&J Design with foiling technology by America’s Cup guru Guillaume Verdier, it features an unusually wide, flat stern with a maximum beam of 14ft 9in (4.5m) that tapers towards a knife-like reverse-angled bow. As a result its waterline length of 42ft 6in (11.95m) is only a few inches short of its length overall.
Read Hugo’s full review of the Tyde Icon in the January 2024 issue of MBY, which is out on December 7.
LOA: 43ft 2in (13.15m)
Draft: 14ft 10in (2.95m)
Motor: 2x 100kW Torqeedo Deep Blue
Top speed: 30 knots
Starting price: €1,900,000 (ex. VAT)
This article Tyde Icon sea trial review: Is BMW's €2m electric flying boat brilliant or bonkers? appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.
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