Motorboat & Yachting

AND YOU THOUGHT YOUR BOAT WAS SPECIAL

- Wokart? How powerful and fast is it?

It’s a portmantea­u word that blends the words ‘water’ and ‘go-kart’.

Why so?

Because the concept is designed to blend the incredible agility of a go-kart with a fast sportsboat to give the sensation of a go-kart for the water.

How does it do that?

It has ‘a unique asymmetric catamaran layout (by Dr Albert Nazarov) for a boosted performanc­e’, apparently. We’re told that ‘Wokart transforms water into roads and gives the feeling of driving on water, even in areas where jet craft aren’t permitted’.

So it’s not a jet then?

No, it’s actually outboard powered, and the reason you can’t see it is because it’s mid-mounted in the pod just behind the driver. Putting the weight and thrust towards the middle is another thing that promotes the dynamic kart-like handling. The largest engine you can fit is a 70hp outboard, with which the Wokart is supposedly good for 40 knots, according to the manufactur­er. That’s fast enough in a 3.8m boat, we’d imagine!

Where is it made?

Although the Wokart is designed in Switzerlan­d, it’s actually built in Thailand at CMI, a multinatio­nal joint venture under the management of Cobra Internatio­nal. Yes, you can. Production has now begun and they are CE approved. Wokart is advertisin­g the price at $9,800, but that doesn’t include the engine, which needs to be sourced in the country of use. You can’t, unfortunat­ely – this model is strictly a single-seater. But fear not, a larger two-seater version is on the drawing board.

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