Frauscher, a reference in motorboats
Brothers Michael and Stefan Frauscher have become the undisputed specialists in a style of boat invented in the USA in the 1920s: motorboats. Also known as runabouts, these fast dayboats made of fine mahogany wood were powered by car engines and maneuvered with a steering wheel, seated on a leather seat protected by a windshield, exactly as in an automobile, hence their name. The American shipyards Garwood and then Chris Craft dominated this market for a long time, before being overtaken by the Italian Riva and its famous Aquarama, Brigitte Bardot's favorite boat.
But that was before the Frauscher brothers took the pontoons by storm in the 2000s with their sleek, streamlined boats, featuring streamlined step hulls and elegant fittings, from marinized leather to gleaming chrome on a raw wood floor. Since winning the title of European Boat of the Year in 2010 with their Frauscher 717 GT, the quintessential racy, high-performance speed boat, Frauscher's expertise has been applied to a range of hulls from 7 to 14 meters, in cabin or open versions, powered by powerful petrol or diesel engines, all exceeding 40 knots at top speed. Sportivity, avant-garde engineering, elegance and luxury are the adjectives that characterize Frauscher boats, which can reasonably be compared to a Porsche of the seas - or lakes.
Partnership with Porsche
This comparison inevitably appealed to the 911 manufacturer, especially as part of the Porsche family spends its summers on the shores of Lake Traunsee near Gmund, precisely where the Frauscher shipyard has been established since 1927. For the record, Frauscher's grandfather began building small electrically-powered boats for rental as early as 1955, to meet the requirements of Austrian lakes, where gasoline engines are banned in spring and summer to avoid noise pollution during the tourist season. Porsche, like all other carmakers, is gradually switching to all-electric power, and was looking for a way to showcase its latest technological advances ahead of the official presentation of the future 100% electric eMacan scheduled for spring 2024. On paper, the idea was simple: install the 400 kW motor and 100 kWh battery of the next mid-range SUV in the high-performance hull of the Frauscher Fantom 858, in place of the 425 hp Mercruiser 8.2 L V8.
Porsche engineers had to make a number of adaptations to accommodate the eMacan's technical components, in particular to secure the 580 kg battery to the bottom of the hull. A clever spiral cable system acts as a spring, cushioning any shocks the boat might suffer in choppy waters or when jumping a wave. While fixing the electric motor posed no particular problem, the entire electronic management system had to be reworked, as the constraints of using a car are not at all the same as on a boat. For example: to charge a car battery, it is imperative that the parking brake is engaged, but there is no parking brake on a boat...
A luxury dayboat almost like any other...
From the outside, this engineering work remains totally imperceptible, since all the electrical components and the electronic power management module are concealed under the engine cowling. The deck layout of this Frauscher x Porsche boat, now called "eFantom", is the same as that of the Fatom 858 in its open version. The two sunbathing areas aft, the refrigerated drawer for bottles of rosé, the removable table in the forward saloon and the lockers under the bench seats are all the same.
Only the center console and the two cockpit seats change slightly, having been touched up by the Porsche-Design studio. A Porsche logo is now engraved on the leather headrest, while behind the Porsche-branded steering wheel are the 5 round dials in homage to the 911's 5 traditional meters, with the rev counter in the middle, graduated up to 7000 rpm.
Next to the steering wheel, in the center of the console, is the brushed aluminum throttle lever, and on the far right a large screen serves as a GPS for navigation or as a control panel for battery charging and the various temperature sensors. To simplify marinization of the electric motor, two cooling circuits have been installed: a freshwater circuit around the generator, itself cooled by sea or lake water via a water/water exchanger.
A fast toy boat
The 8.6 m hull, lacquered in a very light grey, awaits us on the shores of Lake Garda for a quick hands-on. The water is smooth, the sun is shining, conditions are ideal. Switching on the engine is a simple matter of pressing the start/stop button on the left-hand side of the steering wheel - just like on a 911. There's no roar or vibration here, apart from the momentary vibration of the bow thruster. Then the boat glides across the water out of the harbor in cottony silence. The sensation is so astonishing that passengers remain silent to enjoy it. Once past the breakwater, the hand throttle - which we don't dare call a throttle anymore - can be pushed to the limit, and in 6 seconds the boat lifts off before reaching its maximum speed of 45 knots in less than 30 seconds. At this insane speed, the wind makes it impossible to speak without screaming. Frauscher and Porsche have succeeded in their wager: to show that electric motorization offers real potential in boating.
In terms of speed, acceleration and fun on the water, the proof is clear. The electric boat offers exactly the same performance as a boat with a combustion engine, in this case the big 430 hp Mercruiser 8.2 L V8 recorded at 48 knots max, i.e. only slightly faster. The only drawback is that the original Mercruiser Z-drive baseplate, which transmits the power of the electric motor to the propeller, emits an unexpected rolling noise at full speed. It has to be said that this noise nuisance is usually masked by the roar of the internal combustion engine, so the American manufacturer has never had to worry about transmission noises. Stefan Frauscher explains: "We had to use this Bravo 3 subbase, because it was the only one that could handle the phenomenal torque of the Macan's electric motor."
A few drawbacks
Another small regret is the absence of real handrails along the hull, forcing passengers to sit down - a classic flaw in Frauscher boats, which always prefers a streamlined layout rather than multiple handholds. It's a pity, because given the eFantom's performance, you'd better be able to hold on tight.
Then there's the question of range. Due to time constraints during this mini-test, we weren't able to accurately measure the electric motor's fuel consumption, so we'll have to rely on the manufacturers' indications. Porsche and Frauscher guarantee one hour of continuous cruising at 22 knots. That's not much, but it's enough for this pretty dinghy, approved for 9 people, which will be used most of the time to head off to a nice beach for a picnic, sunbathing or diving from the rear platform. If you're planning a stopover in a pretty, picturesque harbor, chances are it will be equipped with power outlets along the pontoons for recharging the boat, at least in part. Better still, some marinas are starting to install fast-charging stations, and the 800 V battery of the future eMacan can be charged at a 250 kW station and recover 80% of its capacity in just 30 minutes. By way of comparison, the 430 hp V8 consumes 35 liters of super fuel per hour at 20 knots, and 85 liters at 40 knots! In any case, the eFantom will most likely be used as a tender for a large yacht, and the generators of these floating palaces are constantly running to power the air conditioning, so this Frauscher x Porsche dinghy, with its ideal size for the hold, can be easily recharged. So you can commute to your home port - or go wakeboarding without emitting fumes.
Last but not least, if this boat is aimed at yacht owners, it's because it's priced at a cool ?561,700, or ?200,000 more than its combustion-powered equivalent. Beware, however, if you're a multimillionaire interested in this motorboat of the future: for the moment, only 25 units are planned!
