{"id":327266,"date":"2025-11-26T17:10:43","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T15:10:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/2025\/11\/electric-boats-what-if-the-true-pleasure-lay-in-navigating-the-seas-differently\/"},"modified":"2025-11-26T17:17:57","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T15:17:57","slug":"electric-boats-what-if-the-true-pleasure-lay-in-navigating-the-seas-differently","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/en\/2025\/11\/electric-boats-what-if-the-true-pleasure-lay-in-navigating-the-seas-differently\/","title":{"rendered":"Electric boats: what if the true pleasure lay in navigating the seas differently?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On 20 November, at a dinner-conference held during ‘Les Jeudis de la Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild’, Guillaume Jacquet-Lagr\u00e8ze, entrepreneur and member of the French Association for Electric Boats (AFBE), presented an overview of the innovations transforming leisure boating on the C\u00f4te d\u2019Azur.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cElectric leisure boating is not just about propulsion and speed, it\u2019s also about a new way of using boats<\/em>,\u201d declared Guillaume Jacquet-Lagr\u00e8ze to guests gathered in the patio of the villa\u2019s B\u00e9atrice restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean. Based in Beaulieu-sur-Mer for ten years, where he offers solar-panel-powered boat excursions<\/a>, the entrepreneur has welcomed more than 17,000 visitors and travelled 17,000 kilometres without ever recharging his batteries on the electrical grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leisure boating at a turning point<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The initial observation is clear: traditional leisure boating is losing momentum. The average age of boaters is now in the fifties and actual time spent using boats remains limited. According to the Federation of Nautical Industries (FIN), a boat is taken out an average of only 20 to 25 times per year. Registrations of new boats have fallen by 25.5% since 2018\u20132019, while \u201cwaiting lists in ports are beginning to shrink on certain coasts such as the Atlantic<\/em>,\u201d Guillaume Jacquet-Lagr\u00e8ze noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paradoxically, enthusiasm for sea-faring remains strong: nearly 100,000 boating licences are issued each year in France, compared with 50,000 to 70,000 in the early 2010s. \u201cPeople are increasingly seeking experiences rather than ownership, and they tend to turn towards rentals<\/em>,\u201d the head of SeaZen explained, pointing to new expectations within the leisure boating sector.<\/p>\n\n\n

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An example of a foil boat \u00a9 unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

From an environmental standpoint, while the impact of leisure boating on carbon emissions remains marginal compared with other sectors and industries, two environmental issues merit particular attention today. Anchors damage posidonia seagrass meadows, underwater prairies that take a century to grow by one metre, and above all, \u201cunderwater noise affects all marine species, from cetaceans to seagrasses<\/em>.\u201d These are two challenges that the electric propulsion method is also striving to address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Innovating for efficiency<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Faced with the difficulty of storing enough energy to match the range of combustion engines, electric boat builders are competing in ingenuity. Foils \u2013 submerged wings that lift the hull out of the water \u2013 save up to 40% energy while offering quiet, wave-skimming navigation. Since July 2024, Monaco has hosted electric foil-boat<\/a> competitions and now has its own team<\/a> competing on the world circuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another technology consists of building a kind of flying vessel: \u201cThere is what we call the ground effect. At a certain speed, the boat lifts thanks to the effect of an air cushion that forms between the hull and the water<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Greener yachting: innovations and sustainable approaches at Monaco Yacht Show 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>