NEWPORT – Luxury yacht manufacturer The Hinckley Co. has revealed its design for the world’s first fully electric luxury yacht, called the Hinckley Dasher.
“Since 1928, Hinckley has pioneered beautiful, timeless and highly innovative yachts,” said Peter O’Connell, president and CEO of Hinckley. “From the early use of fiberglass in the Bermuda 40 in the 1960s to the adoption of jet drives on the category-defining Picnic Boat, we’ve always worked to combine the latest technology with cutting-edge naval architecture to do what has not yet been done.”
Measuring 28 feet, 6 inches in length, the Hinckley Dasher sports a carbon-epoxy composite hull designed for “superior performance and handling,” powered by twin 80-horsepower electric motors and dual BMW i3 lithium-ion batteries for silent propulsion, efficient cooling and zero emissions.
The Dasher comes with standard on-board chargers that accept 50-amp charging cables, standard on most docks, and can be fully charged in under four hours. The yacht’s range is about 40 miles at its cruising speed of 10 mph, Hinckley said, or about 20-25 miles at its fast cruising speeds of 18-27 mph.
“The Hinckley Whisper Drive silent propulsion system combines the latest hydrodynamics, electric power and digital-control systems to achieve the performance handling and maneuverability that discerning clients will expect,” said O’Connell.
The Dasher’s hull features hand-painted artisanal teak, with every ounce of weight shaved and sculpted. The titanium hardware and console details on the yacht were 3-D printed for a unique design and improved precision.
Other key elements of Hinckley’s inaugural electric-powered yacht include an open layout allowing for numerous configurations, a touch-screen social console to connect the captain with guests even while at the helm, and a shallow draft, or the vertical distance from the waterline to the ship’s hull, for exploring places inaccessible to other yachts.
Hinckley is currently accepting reservations for delivery of the Dasher model in summer 2018. For more information or to inquire, visit www.hinckleyyachts.com.
Headquartered in Newport, The Hinckley Co. specializes in crafting luxury jetboats and sailboats between 29 and 55 feet, and owns both Hunt Yachts in Portsmouth and Morris Yachts in Newport.
Galen Auer is a PBN contributing writer. Email galen.auer@gmail.com or follow on Twitter at @PBNAuer.
