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We slowly leave the harbour of Port Adriano. It's calm, the sun is shining and the Mallorcan weather is at its best. After leaving the harbour, we step on the gas and a low, subliminal hum can be heard. The small waves crash against the beige-coloured hull and drown out the sound of the engine. We step on the gas, the boat starts to glide and we reach 20 knots in record time - without any noise. How does that work? With an electric boat like the X Shore Eelex 8000. In keeping with our e-boat series, we had the opportunity to test the all-electric, Swedish-built X Shore Eelex 8000. You can tell at first glance that it was built and designed in Sweden. The lines are clear and minimalist, everything looks well thought out and modern. According to the shipyard, her design was inspired by the American electric eel. It is characterised by power and grace.
Layout on board the X Shore Eelex 8000
More on this later. The first thing you notice when you look at the boat is the amount of cork. The material, which is otherwise more familiar from wine bottles or the pinboard in the office, was laid here on the coaming with integrated rubbing strake and on the deck. As cork does not heat up as much as teak, for example, it is easy to walk on without shoes, even in direct sunlight. At the stern of the X Shore is the boat's first extra: an additional seating area. Two benches facing each other with a cockpit table in the centre offer space for up to six people and are well upholstered. Sufficient storage space is also provided. The benches can also be removed from the boat if you wish. As they are only attached to the underlying mounting rails with a few screws, this creates additional space on the aft deck if required.
In the centre of the boat is the cockpit with the T-top and the Bowers and Wilkins loudspeakers. Everything here is painted black. The large plotter is a particular eye-catcher. The 24" Garmin plotter is the largest plotter of this brand available on the market. All engine data is displayed on it and the battery capacity can be read off as a percentage. To make this possible, software specially developed by X Shore is installed on the plotter. One half is a chart plotter, the other shows the distance still to be travelled or the battery temperature. The Eelex also has switchable driving modes, similar to a car. You can choose between slow acceleration and reduced speed (Power of Silent), a normal mode (Cruiser) and the sport mode (Speedster).
There is a self-draining anchor locker and a sunbathing area in the bow. The sunbed is a free extra that only needs to be selected at the time of purchase. The anchor locker is large enough for an anchor with chain and line appropriate to the size of the boat.
How the electric boat is powered
The centrepiece of the boat is the Bosch electric motor. It delivers 170 kW, a maximum torque of 936 Newton metres and takes our test boat to 29 knots in waves around 70 cm high. At the same time, 460 amps flow through the cable. What is particularly striking is that it is quiet. The waves that the hull gently cuts through are significantly louder than the motor. The electric motor is powered by batteries with a "tank capacity" of 126 kWh. Acceleration is not controlled as usual with a lever, but with a rotary wheel. This is located on the starboard side of the steering position.
But now to the driving: The eight-metre Eelex is equipped with a bow thruster as standard. This makes manoeuvring in the harbour much easier. As the boat has a fixed shaft with a rudder behind it, it has to move through the water in order to be manoeuvrable. Once you know this and have got used to it, mooring manoeuvres are no problem, especially not with the bow thruster. The turning circle without the bow thruster is three boat lengths. But when it comes to acceleration, nobody can fool her so quickly. After just 4.2 seconds, 20 knots are on the log. If you turn the rudder fully in at 28 knots, the X Shore pulls tight turns unimpressed. She neither leans heavily to one side nor does she rake with the stern. Even when travelling straight ahead, she sits very firmly and calmly on the rudder. As the batteries are installed in the stern, this is also the heaviest point of the boat, which has a positive effect on the ride trim. The water ski shaft is flat and there is also an attachment point for the towing line on the T-top. The large X Shore can be charged with a maximum of 100 kW. From zero to 100 per cent, it must then be connected to the shore power cable for 80 minutes. However, if you want to charge the boat with just one phase and 16 amps, the charging time from zero to 100 per cent is up to 36 hours. The Juice Booster supplied is needed to charge from conventional household and industrial sockets worldwide.
Measurement results
A clock as an optional ignition key for the X Shore Eelex 8000
The X Shore Remote Boat Key is also a cool idea. With the help of the Garmin MARQ Captain Watch, the watch can act as an ignition key. It can also serve as an additional safety element. If the watch is more than ten metres away from the boat or under water, the Bosch motor stops within ten seconds. The smartphone can also be connected to the boat. The boatyard's own app can then display the charge status of the batteries, a countdown to full charge or the current range still available, for example.
After our test, we leave the boat via the bow. Unusual, but very practical: instead of a pulpit, you can hold on to the electric eel mentioned at the beginning, the "Power of Silence" figure.
Technical data
The boat
- Shipyard:X Shore (SWE)
- Type:Eelex 8000
- CE category:C/12
- Hull and deck: Plastic
- Length over everything:8,00 m
- Width: 2,56 m
- Displacement: 2600 kg
- Depth: 0,73 m
- Battery capacity: 126 kWh
- Cabins: 0
- Sun lounger:1.02 m x 2.00 m
- Standing height T-top: 2,02 m
- Freeboard: 1,09 m
- Interior cockpit side height:0,70 m
- Test motorisation: Electric motor, 170 kW
- Working voltage: 364 Volt
- On-board power:2 x 12 Volt
- Price (test boat including options):272 668 €
- Distribution: eFoil Riders Mallorca, Ctra. Andratx 34, 07181 Portals Nous / Illes Balears, www.efoil-riders-mallorca.com
The engine and the battery
- Manufacturer:Bosch
- Performance: 170 kW
- Full load speed: 1700 rpm
- Fuel:Electricity
- Weight: 97 kg
- Cooling: Seawater
- Drive type: Shaft
- Shaft diameter: 40 mm
- Test propeller:5 x 19x25"
- Battery capacity: 126 kWh
- Battery type: Lithium ions
- Battery cooling: Liquid
Standard equipment
Power steering; gearstick; driver's and co-driver's seat; bathing ladder; bathing platform; handrails; water ski towing eye; fire extinguishing system, electric bilge pump; hand bilge pump; stowage boxes; shelves; handrails; anchor locker; cleats (six); eyelets; Electrical system; main switch; fuse panel; navigation lights; engine control displays; 24-inch Garmin plotter; cork flooring and rubbing strake; 2 x 12-volt batteries; electric motor; shore power cable; multifunction steering wheel; bow thruster; T-top
Our test judgement
Driving & manoeuvring
- +Stable, safe driving behaviour
- +strong acceleration
Processing & technology
- +Clean processing
- +Permanently installed cables
Security
- +Cockpit side height
- -No quick-stop cable
Comfort on board
- +Comfortable seating and reclining areas
- +Everything well thought out and built to be accessible
Conclusion
If you want to buy a boat, you inevitably have to consider what the boat will be used for. If you want to travel quickly through the German Bight and cover a lot of miles, then the X Shore is not the right boat. However, if you want to sail across a lake and use the boat more for swimming, it is very suitable. The build and ride quality are definitely impressive. Fun fact: According to charter company Welboats, the length of an average charter tour on Mallorca is around 8 nautical miles. This is easily possible with the X Shore Eelex 8000.
