Candela launches new hydrofoiling leisure craft

Swedish tech company, Candela has launched its second-generation hydrofoiling leisure boat: the Candela C-8, a larger and more comfortable craft which it says is designed to bring electric boats to the wider market. This follows Candela’s launch of its latest product earlier this month, the electric C-pod.

“With the C-7, we demonstrated that our hydrofoil technology not only allows for long range on electricity, but also provides a better experience than conventional boats,” Gustav Hasselskog, Candela’s founder and CEO. “In a hydrofoil boat, you get a smoother, nicer ride. However, the C-7 was more like a hand-built sports car; never intended for volume production.

“With the new C-8, we’re pushing the technology to the next level, and at the same time focusing on making a boat that has all the comfort you would expect, while designing it for efficient mass production.”

At 8.5m, the C-8 comprises all the features you would expect in a premium cruiser: A large, comfortable cockpit with seating for eight people, a big sunbed, a spacious front cabin equipped with beds for two adults and two children, and a marine toilet.

And according to Candela, it’s 99 per cent cheaper to own too. With a price tag of €290,000 ex VAT, the cost of the C-8 is on par or lower than many conventional fossil fuel powerboats in the 28-29-foot range. However, once purchased, Candela says the C-8 is virtually free to own and use owing to its efficient hydrofoil system, the cost of driving Candela C-8 is 95% lower than for combustion engine boats.

Equipped with the newly launched Candela C-POD direct-drive pod motor, the C-8 requires neither oil changes nor regular maintenance. The C-Pod is rated for 3000 hours service-free use, which is the equivalent to 50-100 years of recreational boating.

When moored, the C-8’s hydrofoils can be retracted above the waterline, minimising growth and the need for antifouling.

“It’s basically free boating, and hassle-free boating, for the first time in history,” adds Hasselskog.

The C-8 features a new version of Candela’s revolutionary hydrofoiling technology that is said to cut energy consumption by 80 % compared to conventional boats, thereby allowing long all-electric range at high speeds.

Combined with Candela’s C-POD, the C-8 can cruise for longer distances than any electric powerboat before it: over 50 nautical miles on battery power at a speed of 22 knots. Candela says the C-POD makes the C-8 the most efficient powerboat ever, drawing just 16kW/21 hp from the battery at a speed of 22 knots. For comparison a conventional, planing, 28-foot cabin cruiser would typically be equipped with a 300 hp gasoline outboard motor.

“With all learnings from C-7, a new, even more efficient foil system has been developed for C-8,” continues Hasselskog. “A planing boat has a lift to drag ratio of 4, a seagull is at 10 and an albatross, with its long sleek wings at 20. C-7 reached 15. With quite some re-thinking, C-8 ended up at 17, making it the most efficient boat ever.”

“Take-off is where we use the most energy, so equipping a foiling boat with a really good planing hull actually makes sense. I think we have pushed the hull performance as far as is possible.”

“We believe we will make several thousand Candela C-8’s over the coming years,” says Gustav Hasselskog. “Once you have tried it, you realise that this is the way boats must look like in the future.”

Candela C-8 production starts this autumn at the company’s Stockholm factory, with the first customers due to take delivery during spring 2022.

Principal dimensions of the new C-8:

Length – 8.5m

Beam – 2.5m

Speed – 22-24 knots cruising, 30 knots max

Battery – 44 kWh lithium ion

Range – 50+ nautical miles

Motor – Candela C-POD, 55 kW

Max take-off load – 815 kg

Draft – 0.5 m in shallow mode (foils retracted), 0.8 m while foiling

Charging time – 2 hours, with 3-phase charging