Competr: contra-rotating propellers in a tractor electric OB


We first saw the Competr at this year’s Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, where it was powering both the University of Bologna’s winning entry in the Energy Class and the Red Wave RIB that won the SeaLab class. The motor was developed by students of the university under the leadership of U of B Professor Nicolò Cavina. The natural upshot of their work was to create a commercial entity, and Competr was showing their new product at Metstrade. Weighing just 22 kg, the 15 kW motor is extremely efficient for two key reasons. One is the use of contra rotating propellers – a system where two propellers spin in opposite directions on the same shaft to contain the turbulence that a propeller generates. This can increase efficiency by as much as 16%. The second factor is the tractor motor configuration (Volvo Penta’s is the best known use of this technology) in which the propellers are ahead of the lower leg and pull the boat through the water.


ePropulsion: New Spirit 2.0 electric outboard


It was 10 years ago, at Metstrade 2015, that a young man named Danny Tao introduced the boating industry to the first product from the company he had founded in 2012 with fellow graduates from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The product was the Spirit 1.0 electric outboard motor and the then-unknown company was ePropulsion.


The 2 kW motor has a newly introduced 3 kW Boost Mode and is paired with a 1.5 kWh quick connect battery that clicks onto the top of the motor system similarly to the Spirit 1.0. The total weight is 21.3 kg / 47 lb, with motor weighing in at 10 kg / 22 lb and the battery at 11.3 kg / 25 lb). We will be writing a full article about all the features of the new Spirit 2, but very quickly, it also has a 90-degree tilt function, and the motor includes ePropulsion’s hydrogeneration technology. The motor will be available worldwide in Spring 2026.


Momentum: The new U2 e-outboard with integrated battery


Momentum outboards were a DAME Awards Nominee in 2024 for their 10 kW M-10 model. In 2025 they showcased their new U2 model, with 2.5 kW of power to make it roughly the equivalent of a 5hp combustion unit. The motor, together with an integrated battery storing 1.4 kWh of energy, weighs in at 17 kg (38 lb). The U2 is designed for portability and flexibility with its quick swap battery, quick release transom mount and foldaway tiller that also acts as a carrying handle. It incorporates a trip computer with GPS and high- contrast colour display, as do the company’s two other models, the M10 and M6 (6 kW of power).


134 | ISSUE 115 | MAR 2026 | THE REPORT


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