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The marine world is undergoing a revolution—and at the helm is Arc with its cutting-edge electric wakesport boat. In a recent demo ride with Munro, Arc CTO & Co-Founder Ryan Cook and Lead Engineer Robert Binkowski walked through the full capabilities of their latest innovation: the Arc Sport. Built from the hull up with EV architecture in mind, this electric boat merges automotive-grade electrification with premium watercraft engineering.
With a 225 kWh lithium-ion battery pack—roughly triple the capacity of a Tesla Model Y—this 24-foot boat delivers 500 horsepower, intuitive software, and a wave-shaping system built for serious surfers. Designed for peak performance and minimal maintenance, the Arc Sport offers a glimpse into the electrified future of recreational boating.
A Boat Engineered Like a Car
Arc’s approach mirrors lean manufacturing and engineering philosophies from the automotive world. As Cook explained, Arc designed the hull, deck, and battery system as a unified structure, optimizing for weight and performance. Using vacuum resin infusion, they achieve high-strength fiberglass parts with excellent material properties. While the hull is made from fiberglass, the cantilevered carbon fiber hardtop provides rigidity without unnecessary mass.
This meticulous construction supports the 2,800-pound battery ballast, allowing the boat to remain agile while delivering the torque and handling required for premium watersports.
Electric Powertrain and Performance
Arc’s 225 kWh battery powers a 500 hp electric motor that provides near-instantaneous torque and smooth, rapid acceleration. Top speed clocks in at 40 mph, while the boat comfortably cruises around 35–36 mph. But what truly sets it apart is its ability to throw massive, tunable wakes for surfing and wakeboarding.
Three onboard ballast tanks—each rapidly filled at 150 liters per minute—allow asymmetric ballasting to tailor the boat’s center of gravity. Combined with actuatable underwater wave-shaping tabs, users can customize wave length, height, and steepness. A touchscreen interface enables preset configurations such as “Wakeboard Pro” or “Surf Left Steep,” letting users shift wake styles with ease.
Cruise control locks in the ideal wave speed (e.g., 11.3 mph for surfing), and the driver interface echoes premium EV cockpit displays with full ballast and camera data visible in real time.
Camera Integration and OTA Updates
Arc boats come with three HD cameras:
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Bow Camera: Offers visibility during docking or when the boat trims high while surfing.
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Tower Camera: Captures long-distance activities like wakeboarding or tubing.
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Transom Camera: Designed for surfing views, positioned just above the wake.
Upcoming software updates, pushed over-the-air every two weeks, will enable recording and mobile sharing—rare in marine environments where OTA tech is almost unheard of.
Thrusters and Autonomous Features
The Arc Sport isn’t just about recreation—it also boasts high-tech navigation tools like:
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Bow and Stern Thrusters: Allow tight maneuvering and effortless docking.
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Anchorless Station Keeping: Holds the boat’s heading and GPS position at the press of a button, ideal for busy marinas or photo ops.
This kind of autonomy—enabled by software and multiple electric propulsors—offers a taste of where marine control systems are headed, especially in the commercial tugboat and ferry sectors.
Thoughtful Interior Design
While built for performance, Arc didn’t neglect passenger comfort. The cabin seats up to 15 (snugly), with features like:
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Wireless MagSafe phone chargers
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A 120V inverter for blenders (think dockside margaritas)
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Heated seating options
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Massive onboard storage—surfboards, life jackets, even the “largest trash can in this boat class”
The emphasis on quiet, luxurious usability reflects the same principles EV car buyers now expect—convenience, control, and cutting-edge amenities.
Charging Infrastructure and Range Advantage
Charging is straightforward. Shore power—common in marinas—provides 240V/50A service suitable for Level 2 recharging. Customers often install a dedicated charger on their dock, eliminating trips to fuel stations. In areas like Austin, where a single gas dock might serve an entire lake, this EV convenience becomes a game-changer.
The experience of simply unplugging and heading out appeals to buyers tired of $10–12/gallon marina fuel and long queues. Unlike gas boats, the Arc Sport is ready when you are.
Expanding Into Commercial Marine
Arc’s long-term vision extends beyond recreation. They’re targeting commercial tugboats as a next step—boats that require high torque, travel short, predictable routes, and suffer massive maintenance and fuel costs.
Their first pilot project involves retrofitting an existing diesel tugboat with Arc’s powertrain architecture—scaled with multiple battery packs and a 28-inch propeller (up from 19 inches in the Arc Sport). Thanks to large engine hatches, the retrofit is streamlined, requiring no hull surgery.
Ferries are another logical expansion area. With defined ports and timetables, they’re ideal for electrification. Arc’s leadership is already strategizing how to transition harborcraft—where reliability, simplicity, and cost reductions are mission-critical.
Minimal Maintenance, Maximum Experience
One of Arc’s biggest differentiators is its closed-loop cooling system. Instead of raw water cooling—prone to clogs, corrosion, and invasive species—the Arc Sport uses glycol circulated through hull-integrated aluminum heat exchangers. This eliminates filters, reduces maintenance, and extends system longevity.
Quiet operation also means no roaring ICE engines, no smell, and no vibration—just instant acceleration and pure enjoyment. It combines the serenity of a sailboat with the thrust of a high-performance wake vessel.
Final Thoughts: A Wake-Up Call for Marine EVs
The Arc Sport isn’t just an electric version of a traditional boat—it’s a radical rethinking of what a boat should be. Lean engineering, inspired by SpaceX and the EV sector, has produced a vessel that’s fast, quiet, intelligent, and easy to maintain.
With demand outpacing production (Arc is currently building about one boat per week), the company aims to triple capacity by year’s end. It’s already sold out for the year—and for good reason.
This isn’t a prototype. It’s a production-ready, next-gen electric boat—and it’s redefining what marine EVs can do.
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