Yachting

GEAR

The Radinn G2X electric jetboard reportedly can run for 45 minutes in virtual silence, hitting 27 knots.

- by kim kavin

For yachtsmen who want an eco-friendly water-toy option, the Radinn G2X is an electric jetboard with a rechargeab­le battery.

The Radinn G2X electric jetboard has a swap-out battery pack, so yacht owners can charge one while the other is in use.

Radinn, a swedish company whosename is short for radical innovation, built its first electric jetboard in 2015. People liked riding along coastlines in silence, and the company learned important lessons about manufactur­ing. ¶ “The biggest problem was that we weren’t a big company with establishe­d service centers around the world, but our clients

have yachts and go from port to port,” says CEO Alex Fuehrling. “We learned that we needed to design it very modular, so we could ship just one module if a repair is needed.” ¶ The second generation of that electric jetboard is the Radinn G2X, which became available about a year ago. So far, about 150 have been built, and Fuehrling says the company will soon start producing 100 a month, with manufactur­ing in

Poland. ¶ The idea is simple: Combine the fun of surfing with the silence of electric power in a way that is intuitive for beginners. Riders hold a silicone-molded controller and depress a button either a little or a lot, depending on how fast they want to go. When battery power gets low, the controller’s lights change and the controller vibrates, letting riders know it’s time to head back to the yacht and either recharge or swap out the battery. ¶ “Everything is connected to an app as well,” he says. “You can see the GPS coordinate­s of where you’ve been riding or where the board has been. You could race a friend around an island and see which one took longer.” ¶ The basic package ($11,490) includes the board, a battery pack and an overnight charger that charges the board in about eight hours. Upgrades to an extralarge battery pack ($1,190) and a faster charger ($1,395) can keep the board going for about 45 minutes and recharge it in two to three hours. Additional battery packs ($3,490 to $4,990) can be swapped out. ¶ This past summer in the Mediterran­ean, private yacht owners bought one or two battery packs, while charter yachts stowed three, Fuehrling says, adding that quite a few early adopters commented on how it feels to jetsurf silently: “It’s a very nice way to discover the surroundin­gs.”

Take the next step: radinn.com

The silver button atop the handheld controller is for speed, while the lights show remaining battery power.

 ??  ??
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States