This looks a bit odd doesn’t it - a big, long wedge of duck-billed carbon with a low-profile roof hiding an unbroken cylinder of accommodation. On the face of it, it seems to be an attempt to crowbar together the esoteric beauty of a gentleman’s launch with the seating capacity of a hotel lobby, the fast-running dynamics of a modern catamaran and the solar sustainability of an eco-house. It’s a peculiar concoction of ambitions and while the slightly cumbersome, over-stretched aesthetics lend it the unmistakable air of a Hen Party Limo, this eco-friendly ‘limousine tender’ seems to be very much on the cusp of a burgeoning marine design movement.

Underwater profile: SWATH Electra glide limousine tender

The SWATH (small waterplane area twin hulled) concept should increase stability while reducing drag and increasing efficiency.



Despite the SWATH Electra Glide’s perfectly plausible claims to be “the world’s first carbon-neutral, solar hybrid megayacht tender”, it is just one example of a design concept that seems to be gaining favour in a great many quarters. In fact, even here in Britain, a couple of extremely well regarded UK builders already offer a limousine model. Take a look at Southampton-based Compass Boats (who won ‘Best Tender’ at the 2012 Showboat Awards in Monaco) or legendary race boat brand, Pascoe International, which also has an SL limousine model to supplement its more conventional SY10 RIB. All these boats enable the provision of lots of luxury seating in a relatively limited waterline length, so it makes great sense that this increasingly commonplace concept in the world of high-end tenders should have been given the full eco-friendly, carbon-neutral treatment...

 

The green credentials

Designed by SCOD (Sauter Carbon Offset Design) and built by acclaimed naval yard, NEDSHIP, the SWATH (Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull) Electra Glide Limousine Tender is in fact quite a simple idea. The concept is to combine the environmental benefits of solar electric sustainability with the “no-seasickness comfort of an anti-roll SWATH vessel”. What that basically means is a boat that can propel itself courtesy of the sun’s energy, while providing the efficient, stable, running qualities of a lightweight, twin-hulled powerboat.

Solar panels: SWATH Electra gilde limousine tender

The solar panels are rated to provide 20KW per day, which should provide enough power to do 40NM at a cruising speed of 8 knots.



Propelled by a pair of 300hp Regen Electric outboards for a claimed maximum speed of 45 knots, the SWATH is designed to be extremely efficient (and virtually silent) throughout its entire speed spectrum. At 8 knots, the 50kwh Li Po Batteries give the tender a zero carbon range of up to 40 nautical miles – and while that might not sound a lot, in typical ship-to-shore situations, it means the Solbian solar array will generate all the energy you need. More to the point, in ideal conditions, these solar panels can produce up to 20kw per day (or 7Mws per year), which according to SCOD figures is enough to travel more than 1,000 carbon neutral nautical miles per year at 16 knots. And if more power is required, there is a choice of diesel Gensets of up to 85kws, which will radically extend the tender’s range, while helping recharge the batteries in less than an hour.

 

The on board details

Built by NEDSHIP in carbon epoxy, this 12-passenger Limo Tender comes with a fully featured galley and bar, plus an air conditioning system (for both cooling and heating).

Interior: SWATH electra glide limousine

The Electra-glide Limousine interior has hot and cold air conditioning with seating room for 12.



This ought to make extended day trips very comfortable – but while that catamaran design will certainly makes things very stable, those extended forward hull sections look as though they would make it very difficult to beach the boat or pop curious passengers ashore. There is of course a ladder that drops to the water from the stern deck (where there is plenty of space to stow diving gear and waterskis) but the absence of any similar bow provision suggests that this is not a boat for beach-hopping estuary exploration.

Nonetheless, back on board, additional creature comforts include a surround sound entertainment system with two flatscreen TVs, which can also display the footage from the exterior security cameras or from the main navigational equipment. It also features electric, side-opening gull-wing windows for a sense of greater openness under shelter. However, arguably the greatest asset of this particular limo is the space. With a massive beam of 3.4 metres (nearly half a metre more than some comparable craft), plus enormous headroom of two metres throughout, the SWATH takes full advantage of its twin-hulled design to offer much more generous internals than any comparable monohull can hope to achieve.

It’s a shame therefore that there is no decent external lounging space either at the stern or the bow. Neither is there any capacity to remove that panel-lined roof – or to disembark onto a pontoon (or into the water) from the side. These are all features you can find quite readily on other limo tenders, so given the vast inboard space enjoyed by the SWATH, I can’t help thinking it might have done more to match the versatility and open boating freedoms exhibited by some of the competition.

SWATH Electra Glide limousine tender

SWATH Electra Glide limousine tender: some might call it an attempt to crowbar together the esoteric beauty of a gentleman’s launch with the seating capacity of a hotel lobby.



 

Summary

If you already own a megayacht, buying a carbon-neutral tender is like detonating a nuclear bomb and then tidying up the warzone with a dustpan and brush. However, there is plenty of value in the Limousine approach to tender design – and even more in the Electra Glide method. The twin hulls make tremendous sense in terms of efficiency, stability and inboard space and the capacity to run at low speeds independent of an external power source is also extremely useful. And while the style of this beamy model was never likely to set the world alight, its capacity to mix low-end sustainability with brief high-end blasts of speed is extremely welcome. Of course, from a practical perspective, the more conventional, versatile and desirable Yanmar-powered Pascoe SL10 still looks like a better boat – particularly as it also comes with the option of hybrid propulsion. But if you’re feeling a touch guilty about the carbon footprint of your 600-foot megayacht, a couple of SWATH limos on the aft deck might be just the tonic you need.

 

Specifications: SWATH Electra Glide Limousine Tender

Length: 9.5m

Beam: 3.4m

Draft: 0.65m

Standing height: 2.0m

Electric power: Plug-in 50kwh ESTechnologies LiPo Batteries

Solar power: 2kw Solbian Solar Array

Propulsion: 2x300hp ReGenNautic Electric Outboards

Extended range option: 85KW Volvo/ReGenNautic Genset

Maximum speed: 45 knots

Electric cruising speed: 8 to 20 knots

Electric range: 40nm at 8 knots

Passengers: 12 to 14

Construction: Carbon epoxy composite

www.nedshipgroup.com / www.sautercarbonoffsetdesign.com

 

The world of cutting edge design and luxury leisure boating is at your fingertips with www.boats.com: Cockwells 9.5 tender: First look video, 10 great British boat builders and Code X: the 47ft renewable energy speed machine.

Written by: Alex Smith
Alex Smith is a journalist, copywriter and magazine editor with a long history in boating and a happy addiction to the water. He’s worked on boats, lived on boats, bought boats, sold boats and – when he’s not actually on board a boat – he can generally be found in his Folkestone office, tapping away at the computer and gazing out to sea.