A
s we powered silently
across the confines
of Blackwattle Bay,
the contrast against
Sydney’s fleet of mega
yachts couldn’t have been greater.
The immaculate lines and supreme
fitout of our little picnic boat matched
the quality of the big cruisers, but
their powerful engines and monster
proportions were a far cry from our
5.4m length and diminutive electric
power.
Inspired by the peaceful progression
that sailing delivers, the new Rand was
pushed silently along at a leisurely 5kts
powered by an electric motor through a
6.2kw gel battery, that I liked to imagine
would be charged by green energy,
rather than coal, on occasions when the
onboard solar panel doesn’t cope.
The brainchild of Danish designer
Carl Kai Rand who set about building
an eco-friendly boat in his Kobenhavn
shipyard using low impact production
methods. He designed a wave-piercing
hull with minimum hydrodynamic drag
to maximise speed and economy, while
at the same time providing a stable
platform for a ten person capacity.
Because the boats would also come with
a 60hp outboard option it needed to
perform at speed as well.
In keeping with the company’s
ecological mission the hull’s core and
frame is formed from recycled plastic
bottles, with a lightweight composite
exterior and the timber fitout is from
sustainable forests.
Sporting a Sapphire Blue hull and
contrasting macadamia canvas interior,
our test boat looked a treat, shimmering
jauntily in the afternoon sun. A pure
Scandinavian simplicity is highlighted
by ultra smooth lines of a plumb bow
sweeping back to the transom along a
straight sheerline topped with a rubber
rub rail.
A U-shaped lounge dominates the
forward half of the hull, and with more
seating over the stern, there is space
for ten. A drop-down table in the bow
complete the picnic theme, but it can be
lowered to form a full-width sun pad for
an even more relaxed environment.
A fully self-draining deck means the
floor is above the waterline leaving
freeboard at a rather low knee height,
but the boat is very stable, and it would
only be in rougher conditions that the
lack of grab rails might be apparent.
Underfloor floatation gives the hull an
unsinkable rating and 600L storage in
the bow and another 700L under the rear
lounge provides loads of room for dive
gear and lunch.
The central helm station is set into
an aluminium console with a largecircumference stainless steel wheel
and an engine control that requires
only a feather-light touch. A simple set
of gauges gives battery condition and
readouts for the amount of power being
used and time available at any given
throttle setting.
The Torqeedo motor is mounted on
a raised section of the transom aft of
a timber clad swim platform, and as I
clicked into gear, there was a faint hum
as we moved forward. As we did a few
laps of the bay without threatening the
speed limit too much, all was pleasantly
quiet. The boat is very stable and quite
manoeuvrable, and I eased back into the
dock without mishap.
Along with the company’s altruistic
belief in conservation, there is a trend
in Europe towards banning fossil fuel
powered craft from many pristine lakes,
so it was interesting that the first lot of
the boats sold in Australia are heading
to Canberra where there is a similar
ban on Lake Burley Griffin. Near home,
a popular storage dam also has these
restrictions, so maybe we are seeing a
trend that can be met by the electric
Rand. I can easily envision sneaking up
on an unsuspecting bass on the Brogo
and then settling back for a proper
picnic. Beats paddling your own canoe.
With a Torqeedo Cruise 4.0 engine and
a 6.2kw battery, pricing for the Picnic118 trade aboat.com.au