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Boating in a Candela C-7

An additional early customer reached out to us recently, to follow up on the testimonial given by another early Candela owner.

At an early stage, I was enticed by the concept of a foiling electric boat and from 2014 to 2018 I followed the inventor and developer, Gustav Hasselskog’s, progress and trials with the prototype of Candela Seven. I experienced Gustav’s frustration when technical problems were heaping up and putting a barrier to further steps forward. However, Gustav and his team always found a solution, even if it meant going back to basics, ignoring all that had been said or written on the subject. By this method, Gustav reinvented foiling, fine-tuned hydrodynamics, developed hydraulic techniques, etc, etc. Almost every technique and scientific principle used in the present boat had to be investigated and applied from a fresh viewpoint and angle.

When I realized that the boat was actually going to become a reality, that Gustav was shifting gear to serial production, I hastened to be the first to place an order. I had several reasons for this: knowing the pollution level of fossil-fueled boat engines I wanted to pull my straw to the stack to keep the sea free from exhaust fumes; secondly, the cheap cost of running an electric boat was a great incentive – in the summers I motor a lot on the sea visiting friends and making excursions in the archipelago; thirdly, I wanted to encourage and support Gustav in his crusade for clean air and silence on the sea. Little did I realize that owning a Candela Seven would change my boating life and my view on boating.

I have three ‘wow’ driving experiences under my belt: the first when Concorde went supersonic over the Bristol Channel; the second when my son accelerated 0-100 kmh in 4,5 seconds in a Tesla S; and the third when Candela left the water surface and ‘flew’ on its foils! I have since ‘lifted-off’ umpteen times in my boat and it is as exciting every time. The engine roars, speed increases, and suddenly a small shake is felt in the boat and you are up on the foils. You reduce the throttle and run at a comfortable 20-22 knots, consuming as much electricity as when in the water at 4 knots. Now comes the ‘wow’ effect: no noise (or only a minimal humming from the motor at the back) – you can keep up a conversation with your passenger without having to shout, and you can hear what they say, which for an old ear is a blessing. I also love to see the grin on the face of my guest who experiences ‘take-off’ for the first time. This goes for experienced Stridsbåt 90 pilots as well as teenagers wanting to remain cool. There is also no jumping or bumping in waves, the boat runs smoothly above all these unpleasant, sea-sickness inducing horrors. It is also extremely stable, you can walk around the deck during the trip and the boat doesn’t tilt or lean but stays steady and on course. And no smelly fumes! I mustn’t forget the benefit of no-wake emission – no more fists shaken at you from angry boat owners on their jetties and no more erosion of the coastline. The ease of handling, the superb navigation screen, and the freedom from engine maintenance are added benefits.

So what changed? I now take my Candela and just go out for the fun of it (and it is FUN!). I make a trip to a friend some islands away, take a day tour to a great swimming place on some outlying spot, I go to Sandhamn to have a ‘Fika’ or just potter around on the sea. It doesn’t cost me an arm and a leg, I don’t pollute the air or sea and I enjoy the silence. How much better can boating be?

We at Candela are fueled by how we can change the boating lives of our customers and by how we are setting a new standard for comfort, emissions reduction and style on the water. Stay tuned for more stories from our customers and join us on our quest to reduce the global emissions from maritime transport by ordering your own Candela Seven. Schedule a test drive below.