An electric RIB built by New Zealand companies ZeroJet and Southern Pacific Boats has been demonstrated to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council's Harbour Master and Maritime Team, giving the region's on-water regulators a first-hand look at the Club Electric 490 in action.
The boat replaces the usual outboard with a 30kW ZeroJet electric jet drive, which means there's no exposed propeller. That's a genuine advantage working close to swimmers or a capsized dinghy at a junior regatta, though operators still need to exercise the same care around people in the water that any powered vessel demands.
It's built on the Club 490 hull, a platform already familiar in New Zealand coaching and commercial circles, now offered with electric propulsion in place of its outboard-powered sibling.
The range figures show what the batteries are capable of at different speeds. On slow cruise at 3 knots the Club Electric 490 will run for 80 nautical miles, dropping to 30nm at a 14-knot fast cruise, or 17nm flat out at its 23-knot top speed. The Southern Pacific Club Electric 490, equipped with its ZeroJet 30kW drive, can be charged using any standard wall outlet, with a full charge taking 12 hours.
| Length | 4.9m |
| Propulsion | 30kW ZeroJet |
| Battery | 22kWh semi-solid-state lithium |
| Slow cruise range (3kn) | 80nm |
| Fast cruise range (14kn) | 30nm |
| Top speed range (23kn) | 17nm |
| Charge time | 12 hours |
"We took the All New Club 490 by Southern Pacific x ZeroJet. It was a great few hours on the water showing the Bay of Plenty Regional Council Harbour Master and Maritime Team the result of our collaboration with Southern Pacific Boats," said Scott Harty, International Sales Director at ZeroJet.
Southern Pacific Boats Director Dean Barker was equally pleased with the boat's on-water performance. "I am really excited by the way this boat has performed; it has exceeded my expectations in the way it handles and manoevres."
The Club Electric 490 is also being offered as a tender and for commercial applications, with its aluminium hull built to run right up onto a beach without the propeller strike risk of an outboard, though the jet intake still needs the same care as any waterjet around sand, stones or debris in very shallow water.
More details are available at southernpacific.co.nz.
