Boesch

Boesch world premiere

During the Barefoot Water ski worlds als classical waterski competitions will take place. the athlets have to prove their skills in slalom and classical jumping.

Additionally, the German water ski show team performs a captivating water ski show. One of the highlights of the barefoot water ski worlds is a world premiere. During the Boesch Electro Power Cup for the first time ever a slalom waterski competition will be run using a high-performance tournament boat with rechargable battery. For waterski sport, this eco-friendly technology brings up longterm opportunities indicative for future developments.

The boat building company Boesch provides the worlds with one of its high-capacity boats. The „560 Sundeck Electric Power“ reaches top-speed of more than 58km/h and works with novel lithium power accumulators which lead to improved perfomance and cruisng range of the boat. The boat drive can accomplish 50kW and the novel accumulator battery promises top-perfomance for about 60 minutes.

Boesch Motorboote AG

Looking back onto a history of more than 80 years, the Boesch Motorboote AG is a Swiss enterprise rich in tradition. Their powerful classical magahoni boats are piooneers when it comes to quality and high-class perfomance. The unique Bosch sandwich architecture with its solid hull makes forget about all disadvantages of a regular planking. Boesch boats are extremely popular among waterskiers because the moderately V-shaped gliding bottom, the perfectly installed midship as well as the straight propeller shaft offer a very balanced trim position. For decades, Boesch Motorboote have provided the recognised and official pulling boats for major international water ski tournaments. Hence it is not surprising that for the Water Ski Worlds in 1991 the athletes used Boesch boats. Apart from the world class teams also the German national team uses Boesch pulling boats for their exercise and training. The enterprise Boesch Motorboote AG is the official sponsor of the German Water Ski an Wake Board Associatin e.V. DWWV.

The Boesch fleet comprises five different series and hence offers a specifically customer-oriented choice. Furthermore, Boesch Motorboote AG made a quantum leap in the matter of drive technoliogy: through the use of special lithium polymer accumulators, performance and cruising range improved considerably.

The company's history

Jakob Boesch founded the family enterprise „Boesch Motorboote AG“ in 1920. Today the brothers Klaus and Urs Boesch are the Third generation leading the company. Markus Boesch, son of Klaus and Doris Boesch, is already the Fourth generation working in the traditional dockyard. The name Boesch stands for posh magahoni boats. Run-abouts, that make dreams come true!

In the enterprise‘s early years, the „Golden Twenties“ of the 20th century, they build, upgrade or repair sailing, motor and rowing boats in Kilchberg. One decade later combustion engines are increasingly utilised and Boesch undertakes first steps with pure gliding boats. Walter Bosch, son of the founder Jakob Boesch, is known to be the founder of the „Boesch-Horizon-Gliding-Principle“. They continue to build sailing boats as well. In the Fifties they celebrate grand successes with star boats. However, they push forward their specialization in motor boats. Back then, the construction of saling boats terminates.

Thanks to their excellent features Boesch motor boats are very popular among water skiers. In the mid-Fifties they commence the series production of motor boats. Production increases constantly and the dockyard in Kirchberg steadies its reputation as producer of high-quality boats. Still, the family enterprise does not rest on its laurels. With the „Boesch Laminate Technology“ they introduce an innovation and coin a new era in boat construction business.

Luxury boats as the answer to low-price competition

In the 1970ies, the brothers Klaus and urs Boesch enter the enterprise as the Third generation. They are willing to further develop the good positionof the company. Oil shock and the dollar crash rule the world markets, low-price competition from overseas is giving a hard time to Swiss dockyards. Thus, Boesch concentrates on a niche position: they develop and built even larger and more luxury boats.

The Mediterrannee 720 is the first coast-fit Boesch boat is launched. Passing a storm between Cannes and Corsica gives proof of its seaworthiness. The technique is continuously improved and the drive is optimised with a buckle helm and later with the innovative fore helm. The latter ist first used during the Boesch 710 Costa Brave de Luxe.

After 1995 (launching of the 620 75-year edition) the entire fleet is exchanged and modernised. In the meantime the flagship of the dockyard 970 is called St. Tropez and with electrically driven Runabaouts Boesch sets standards als in the matter of ecology. with its boats that stand out due to the synthesis of form and function, Boesch poves that perfect things do still exist.

Boesch Electric Power

Electrically run boatshave become a serious alternative in the past years. The Boesch Motorboote AG is a pioneer in this field - for more than fifteen years they, upon request, have offered to equip their classical Runabouts with electrical aggregates. the models 560 sundeck, 620 Acapulco de Luxe and 620 Cabrio de Luxe are availabe with electric power.

The shipbuilding engineer Klaus Boesch, who together with his brother Urs is the Third generation leading the enterprise, is convinced, that electric drives are a future-oriented solution: „The electric engine is much more efficient than the combustion engine. At an approximate run-time of 30h per season a electric engine needs 1500kWh, the combustion version more than two and a half times more. The maximum hinge moment works practically across the entire range of speed and the unrivalled degree of efficiency od the electric engine of more than 90% ist almost constant.“

The big challenge for electric engines for mobile usage is storing the electric energy. By switching von lead acid batteries to lithium-ion-acculumulators the maximum speed and the cruising range already could be doubled. With its 80kW engine a Boesch boats reaches a speed of almost 55km/h. Planing at 40 km/h, it has enough power for a one hour ride. Tests with a 100kW-drive have been successfull. „On short term it shall be possible to double the energy density per weight unit. Thanks to nano technology on long-term a tenfold increase will be possible», Urs Boesch says.

Zero+

As of now, nano technology is not that far developed-but the next chapter of the Boesch-Electric-Power hostory is already being written. Through a Photovoltaik-Anlage of their own on the rooftops of their Werft in Kilchberg, the Boesch Motorboote AG aims to generate the energy for the electronic boats themself in the future. For the customers this implies that they don‘t only not produce emmissions, but also use only clean energy - «Zero+».

«Our Electric-Power customers are very consious of the environment - der careful and sustainable use of energy ressources is important to them», Klaus Boesch explains the idea. «With Zero+ we now wanted to give the the opportunity to also lable their boats respectively. To ourselves it is also a questions of the credibility of the enterprise Boesch. We plan to invest more than 200 000 Swiss Francs in the solar plant.» Boesch Motorboote AG has tasked the ETH Zürich to conduct a feasability study for the project. In that context the necessary energy quantity per boat per year as well as the required area for solar cells on the South-Easter roof of the Werft in Kirchberg have been calculated. The study produced that 15 m2 of solar cells can generate sufficient energy to power a boat for an entire year. This calculation is based on assumed 30 hours of operation per season. The project is «ready for approval», its implementation only a matter of time.