Full amps ahead!
This boat has been a long time coming – the culmination of almost four years incubation by Tauranga-based Herley Boats. Herley’s built a solid reputation with its premium range of custom aluminium boats, all featuring the trademark plumb bow and massive internal volume.
It also has a couple of powercats under its belt, with a smaller model launched last year to trial some of the electric technology, and a much larger 5900 model on the drawing board. But it’s the Roger Hill-designed 3400 model (34 foot or 10.4m) that’s hit the sweet spot of luxury, comfort and practicality.
The key feature of this boat is the fully electric drive. Twin 100kW motors (peak output 60kW continuous rating) push this super-efficient hull to a top speed of a shade over 20 knots. The onboard battery bank allows her to run for a couple of hours at a more modest cruising speed.
Top speed is not everything, and the ability to slip out of a marina berth completely silently is almost unreal. Since the motors can run literally from
