It’s December and your yacht is currently in the harbor somewhere for annual maintenance and upcoming winter season. It’s time to start thinking about the upgrades to the “yacht toys” you’ll want to get onboard before summer rolls back around. Boundary Layer Technologies has just the jet ski you’ll want to make you king of the waters and separate you from the other yachts.
All Electric Valo Hyperfoil
The San Francisco based startup has just released their all electric Valo Hyperfoil. Yes, we know technically speaking we should say Personal WaterCraft or PWC as Kawasaki owns the rights to the name “jet ski” but it’s become a universal name for the industry. And it sounds cooler.
That’s where all similarities end though. Instead of riding on the water as you’re accustomed to, with Valo you ride above the water in much the same way you would the Fliteboard you just had to add from last year’s Miami Boat Show.
The secret to the Valo is its hydrofoils, which operate like a set of airplane wings under water. They lift the watercraft out of the water, helping it to save energy by flying through the air. That makes the ride smoother, faster, and more efficient. It also means that the Valo can get by with fewer heavy batteries. According to Boundary founder and CEO, Ed Kearny,
“Valo will be a complete revolution to personal watercraft. The first Jetski was on the market 50 years ago this year, and it’s time for a major upgrade. Valo will be fast, agile, and tremendously exhilarating, all while being near silent and leaving zero wake. It will be like flying a stunt plane but on water. We see this as a completely new form of water based mobility.”
Current Pricing
With a 108 hp electric motor the Valor can reach 58 mph, or 50 knots, with two adults seated onboard. This is good for a distance of 68 miles at cruising speed or a duration of 1.7 hours. Battery charge time is listed as 50% in one hour or 95% in three hours. Current price for the inaugural Founders Edition run is $59,000 USD.
Images source: Boundary Layer Technologies
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