Seabird Deep Dive!

🌊 LAKE OF THE OZARKS SHOOT OUT WEEKEND

Lake of the Ozarks Shootout runs August 23–24, 2025, on the Grand Glaize arm with on-site and streaming coverage. The event class list includes “E – Electric,” which opens a lane for purpose-built projects and future factory entries.

A headline electric story is the University of Michigan Electric Boat team (UMEB). UMEB’s “TiDE” is a 22-ft Liberator cat with a composite closed-cockpit canopy built with Skater, an Arneson surface drive, a custom pack rated at 69 kWh and 814 V, and a 430-kW axial-flux motor.

A Vision Marine run from 2023 still sets the Shootout’s electric benchmark at 116 mph in a 32-ft cat piloted by Shaun Torrente. That mark defines the current target for new electric entries.

Preliminary results from Saturday show UMEB logging a 56-mph pass - followed by a 62-mph pass.

For a central event hub and schedule, read about this event here.

⚙️ SEABIRD TECHNOLOLGIES - DEEP DIVE

Seabird Technologies is a London-based marine technology company whose mission is to decarbonize the marine sector, using competition to speed product development in electric propulsion and hydrofoils. In August 2025 the company named Clive Johnson as chief executive. Johnson founded Tacktick, led Magma Structures, and served as chief executive at RAD Propulsion. The move signals a shift from a pure race program to a broader product business while keeping a design-first culture.

The RaceBird shows how the company works. Designer and founder Sophi Horne set the brief for a foiling raceboat that could prove a step change in efficiency. Seabird partnered with Victory Marine on design and build, Mercury Racing on the electric outboard, and Kreisel Electric on the battery pack. The prototype ran on the River Po in April 2022 and met speed targets during the test program. The boat rises onto foils at about 17 knots, which slashes drag and extends range. The powertrain delivers 150 kW peak from a package built for quick throttle response and robust cooling. The battery is in the midship area and has a capacity of roughly 35–37 kWh. Top speed exceeds 50 knots. The package brought a new silhouette to powerboat racing and a practical test bench for systems that can move into non‑racing craft.

The E1 World Championship is the core program that anchors the company’s near‑term plan. Seabird holds an exclusive supply agreement to design and build the RaceBird fleet for E1 and to provide technical support at events. Nine boats were completed during 2023, and the first championship race ran in Jeddah in February 2024. The spec‑series format means all teams run the same hardware, which reduces cost for competitors while giving Seabird predictable production and service work across a season. Each race generates data on thermal limits, control software, steering loads, foil loads, and service intervals. That data loops back into hardware changes and service procedures for the fleet and informs commercial products under development.

The 400X electric outboard concept marks the first major commercial platform that grew out of the race program. It targets high power in a compact package: about 200 kg mass, 800 V architecture, 400 kW peak and 300 kW continuous output. The unit blends the lower unit and steering system with integrated thermal management to cut rigging complexity. The outboard is intended for fast tenders, dayboats, and workboats that need strong thrust with low noise and zero tailpipe emissions. The same control logic, cooling approach, and packaging lessons from the RaceBird underpin the design.

A second pillar in the roadmap is a family of foiling boats for leisure and professional use. The plan is to transfer the RaceBird’s hydrodynamic model, control software, and battery integration into craft suited to private owners, superyacht tenders, charter fleets, and commercial operators. Seabird focuses on system design and integration and relies on a network of partners for manufacturing. The group includes Seabird S.r.l. in Milan, which manages supply‑chain activity. This asset‑light structure supports faster iteration and lowers capital needs while production scales.

Funding to date has come through operations and small share issuances rather than large public venture rounds. The company has not disclosed a total raised figure. The E1 Series receives investment from outside partners, and Seabird participates as an exclusive supplier under contract, not as a beneficiary of that championship equity.

Under Johnson, the focus turns to execution. Priorities include maturing the 400X to production intent, expanding the foiling‑boat lineup, and deepening service and support around deployed systems. The race program remains the proving ground. The commercial line converts that proof into products that cut emissions, noise, and wake while keeping performance and range as central metrics.

🛝 ELECTRINE OUTBOARDS

Electrine is a South Korean line of pure-electric marine engines designed and built by Electrine Inc. in Suwon, with distribution in some regions under the Marine Sustainable Engines banner. The program spans outboards, inboards, saildrives, and matched battery packs.

The architecture uses liquid cooling through a heat-exchanger loop, CAN 2.0b communications, and high-voltage packs for performance applications. The portfolio covers outboards up to the 115-hp class, inboards up to 350 hp, and saildrives at 8 kW and 16 kW.

the ZO-series, outboards, anchor the small and mid-power range. ZO 40 lists 43 kW max / 23 kW continuous, 72 / 31 N·m, 0–8,006 rpm, 72–96 Vdc. ZO 60 lists 60 / 43 kW, 167 / 78 N·m, 0–7,160 rpm, 288–384 Vdc, 90% motor efficiency. The ZO 115 package pairs a 110 / 65 kW powerhead with 255 / 105 N·m, 0–10,250 rpm, 288–384 Vdc, 92% motor efficiency, heat-exchanger cooling, CAN 2.0B, a 63-kWh DNV-certified battery option, integrated display, and a standard 6.6-kW charger with a 22-kW option; listed weight about 150 kg.

ZI 180, inboards, publishes 173 kW max / 133 kW continuous, 555 / 248 N·m, 0–6,204 rpm, 288–384 Vdc, CAN 2.0b/RS-232, heat-exchanger cooling. ZI 350 targets larger craft with 250 / 246 kW, 2,700 / 2,230 N·m, 0–3,375 rpm, 500–738 Vdc, and a listed dry unit weight near 500 kg.

Electrine details two modular Li-ion packs. BF86 is a 14.52-kWh module at 86.4 V nominal (67.2–98.4 V operating), CAN 2.0b, IP67, listed 80 kg. BF345 is a 33.87-kWh pack at 345.6 V nominal (288–384 V operating, 393.6 V charge), standard 30 A charge current with 280 A max discharge, CAN 2.0b, IP67, listed 188 kg, 1,000 × 830 × 314 mm. Cooling, case design, and sensors are documented with focus on thermal control and water-ingress protection.

🖌️ WEEKLY eBOAT NEWS ITEMS

• ePropulsion CEO named to Fortune China ‘40 Under 40’
  Danny Tao made Fortune China’s 2025 list—another signal that electric marine is crossing into mainstream leadership spotlights. (Link)

• RAD Propulsion demos zero-emission port ops in Southampton
  RAD partnered with Williams Shipping to complete local commercial jobs using an electric vessel—quiet, low-emission operations in busy UK waters. (Link)

• ePropulsion expands ANZ footprint with Power Equipment
  Strategic partnership to push e-outboards/inboards across Australia & New Zealand via Power Equipment’s dealer network. Distribution density = better service & availability. (Link)

• Canadian infra win: VoltSafe joins Port of San Diego pilot
  Vancouver-born VoltSafe joins Port of San Diego’s Blue Economy Incubator with a US$250k pilot—shore-power hardware + SaaS for smarter, safer marina electrification. (Link)

• Beyond boats: REGENT’s seaglider test flight
  AP spotlighted REGENT’s electric “seaglider” testing in Rhode Island—foil → wing-in-ground flight, pitched for 2027 coastal service. (Link)