Ultra efficient RIB and electric outboard delivers speed AND range

We caught up with Martin Philip of RIB Unlimited at the Cannes Yachting Festival to see their ultra efficient RIB matched up with a Falocn electric outboard from EPTechnologies. You can listen to the podcast or read the transcript below. You can listen to the podcast here or on any of the services below. The transcription below has been lightly edited for the written word. Martin Philip: Welcome to the Cannes Yachting Festival 2025. Basically what you see here in front of me is a combination of two of the most sustainable and advanced technologies that we have here at the fair I represent the boat RIB Unlimited, an independent boat manufacturer. In this case, we’ve partnered with EPTechnologies. They’ve developed a new outboard, one of the lightest electric outboards there is on the market, with a lower unit that can rotate 360 degrees. They also have a very advanced battery pack with a very good energy density. So the power weight ratio in this boat is world class. Plugboats: This is a new project that you’re doing with EPTechnologies. Most of your rigid inflatable boats ribs have fossil fuel propulsion. What makes the RIBS Unlimited rib different? MP: We have a pretty strong racing heritage, and we build super energy efficient ribs that are ultra light. We actually make a boat more energy efficient than anyone else in the market. We are celebrating 30 years this year, and we were the first RIB manufacturer to ever break the 100 knot speed barrier in 1999 PB: Wow! That’s impressive. What’s the secret? MP: Well, first of all, it’s hydrodynamic design. We really want to lift the boat out of the water maximally so we reduce the wet surface. The second factor is we are extreme when it comes to weight savings, and by building an ultra light boat then of course it’s much easier to lift the boat out of the water. In terms of how we build the boat, we use vacuum infused vinyl polyester and very advanced GRP PB: Excuse me, just for a second. Martin, for the listeners, GRP is another term for fibreglass. MP: The difference is also how we construct the boat, how we actually distribute the forces that do occur. Because no one will ever be able to win against the sea. The sea is so powerful, so in our case, we try to not go through the waves, so we go on top of the waves. PB: We’re seeing a lot of ribs with electric propulsion recently. I’m just wondering, is that, because ribs are intrinsically better for electric? MP: If you build a rib correctly, I would say it’s a fantastic platform for electrification. If you look at the number of approved passengers per boat weight unit, the as a construction type, the beauty of a rib is that we have a huge shock absorber around us, and that’s really the benefit of having a tube. When we are on plane, the tube does not touch the water, but functions as a massive shock absorber. Ultra efficient RIB has racing hull design PB: And the hull underneath? MP: We actually have a pretty sharp V in the boat, but we also have a keel that goes along the hull all the entire way up to the boat. The hull comes from a pure racing boat hull called Hydrostep 696, or designed by the Swedish naval architect Michael Lundblod., who is also a boat racing driver with a lot of experience in this field, PB: That’s a great tour of what makes your boats different. Martin, thank you. Now here at Cannes you’ve got a very specific boat with an EPTechnologies Falcon outboard MP: Yes, with our eight meter model that you see in front of us here, you can see that it’s a very, very simple configured boat. We shave off the weight of the batteries when we build the boat. PB: So what does it weigh now? MP: The boat itself – fibreglass, and the tube – weigh in at only 420 kilograms. So the GRP components together with the tube: 420 kilos. PB: So you’re all set up for electric propulsion. What attracted you to EPTechnologies? MP: What impressed us with EP technologies is their dedication to both battery technology development and motors. It’s actually a pretty large company today that is operating with a profit – something that is quite impressive these day. They do everything in house, service requirements are minimal, and it is high speed charging compatible. Read more about development of the Falcon outboard PB: And how powerful is the Falcon outboard? MP: We have 130 kilowatts continuous power here, peak power could go up over 200, depending on the battery configuration. So it’s a beast. PB: And the battery? MP: 90 kiloWatthours PB: This all sounds amazing. I assume you’ve had the RIB out and done some tests. MP: There have been independent tests, several of them, actually. One came out yesterday, and yeah, I would summarize it as a tribute to what we have been working on for a very long time. This boat, with over 500 kilos of battery, planed at 12 knots, and we can go north of 50, if we want to, but that’s not really the challenge with electric speed boating. ...