Our story – sustainable water sports from our own experience
It all started with a canceled road trip
This first led to an impulse purchase of a cabin catamaran, followed by a total restoration. This restoration and our own desire for sustainable water sports led to the conversion to electric propulsion. From this experience, a new company was created specialized in electric propulsion and systems for pleasure boating. This is our story.
In 2018 we wanted to take a road trip, but due to circumstances this was canceled at the last minute. In the spring and previous years we had regularly used a Defender 27 sailboat from our best friends. Canceling the holiday created some budget, which could be used to purchase our own boat.
Obviously the holiday budget was not sufficient for the purchase of a luxury yacht. Since we tend to dismantle and rebuild things, a handyman boat was no problem.
Requirements and needs
The weekends of sailing had taught us a lot about the needs of the family. Remco mainly wants to roam and sail long distances. Karolina and Yara want a good bed, a bit of comfort, a toilet, a good kitchen and a boat that stays flat. Nils wants to do odd jobs together and a boat that goes fast and is sporty to sail. Written in three lines, this seems manageable. In the world of water sports this requires a large, luxurious yacht and then the challenge of lying flat still remains.
Evening after evening, Markplaats searched for a suitable boat. It soon became clear that the combination of wishes would not actually be possible to realize in a monohull sailing boat. At least not, without investing an absolute fortune in this or purchasing a complete hovel. Every evening an unsightly catamaran came back in the search results, but we had no interest in that at all.
Although? On closer inspection, this seemed to meet all requirements. How does that work then? Isn't that for old people? Is it sporty to sail with it? We decided to go to Lauwersoog for a weekend to do a test run.
And then, impulsively, we bought a boat
The sea trial taught us two things. First, that the boat, which may look nice in the top photo, was in terrible condition. Secondly, we suddenly fell so deeply in love with sailing a cabin catamaran that we would have bought the boat if we had to completely rebuild her. Total restoration and rebuilding therefore became the plan.
In the autumn of 2018 we sailed the boat from Lauwersoog to the Braassemermeer. She went to dry land at the beginning of 2019. From 2019 to 2021 we worked on the boat almost continuously. We stripped everything from the interior, replaced the entire deck, stripped the entire exterior, removed windows and deck fittings until all that was left was a polyester bread bin with a few large holes.
Little by little we started rebuilding. First the deck, then the bulkheads and beds, then new windows, floorboards, doors, etc.
How reconstruction led to electrification of the drive
A completely bare boat where nothing is reused other than the polyester shell also requires a revision of the motorization and technical equipment on board. While considering purchasing a new outboard motor, a fellow member of the Dutch Catamaran and Trimaran club with a news item about electric outboard motors from the ePropulsion . That sounded innovative and interesting and worth investigating. ePropulsion site we came pods that can be mounted under the boat. , controllers and batteries can be mounted inside the boat. That could just be a solution for our catamaran. Two pods instead of one heavily polluting outboard motor that is also virtually uncontrollable during tight maneuvering.
After some fiddling, we arrived at a configuration of 2 x 3.0Pods Evo , e80 batteries , 30A chargers and two separate wireless Evo remotes . fixed dual remote is also available, but it was not available in time for us.
Build and test
Conceptualizing, puzzling, designing, purchasing, testing, customizing, assembling and connecting this beautiful product gave us great satisfaction. So much that we became convinced that we had made the right choice for our ship. The range could still be a concern. We were also able to remove that concern with theoretical calculation models based on another catamaran with Navy 3.0 engines
In the late summer of 2021, the boat, now renamed “Karemaniya”, was launched at Molenaar Jachtbouw in Woubrugge. The aim was to test sail the new electric motors for a few weeks. During those weeks the engines performed far beyond expectations. We have more than enough power and range for our boat.
The result
The top speed of 7.5 knots is more than sufficient, but it is much nicer to sail at about 3.5 knots and not produce a single bow wave, stern wave or noise. The boat glides over the water like a floating carpet and is a huge eye-catcher. The range increases from 18 km to more than 90 km if the power is used sparingly. Charging takes one and a half to two hours and maneuvering is really cool. The boat almost rotates on its axis and the wireless remotes offer the opportunity to walk over the boat and even the jetty while mooring.
The next puzzle: integration of new electrical systems
In the spring of 2022, the boat has been in the shed for a few months to prepare her for sailing. The plan also includes completing the interior and providing her with a completely new electrical system. This system must not only be able to supply a serious home battery with power, but also be integrated with the electric drive. The electricity is a project in itself. Once again we had a lot of fun puzzling, designing and devising this complex system.
Robust-MT Marine Technology BV
Robust-MT Marine Technology BV was established as a full subsidiary of Robust-IT BV in February 2022. The intention is to market the knowledge and experience we have gained with our ship and to introduce as many people as possible to these fantastic products. We start small with separate outboard motors. The experience with the installation of the most complex product found in this market makes broader services a relatively small step. Especially because in the case of a catamaran it is a double version and the drive is also fully integrated with the other electrical systems on board.
The presence of a solid holding company with a number of sister companies immediately makes Robust-MT Marine Technology BV a reliable party in the market and any scaling up relatively easy.
Family business
For Nils, who will follow a technical study after his HAVO, Robust-MT Marine Technology BV is the perfect opportunity to start entrepreneurship at a young age and for Remco this is an opportunity to turn a hobby into work. Because Karolina and Yara also join the team and an office is created where we can work together, the Robust-IT group with Robust-MT Marine Technology BV has become a real family business . own experience Our story – sustainable water sports from our own experience
About us
Robust-MT Marine Technology BV is located in Monster on the edge of the water-rich Westland . Located in South Holland between Rotterdam and The Hague, near Delft and the North Sea. Our showroom and workshop are located on a main waterway. We also have a berth on the Haringvliet, near Zeeland, where we can also arrange trial runs. We also work with a renowned yacht builder and shipyard in Woubrugge near Amsterdam and North Holland. This location has its own port, a large crane as well as a heated and unheated warehouse. In summary, no matter how big or small your project is, we can provide you with the products and support you need.
Do you want to buy a new electric motor for your boat or convert an existing boat to electric propulsion? Everything you need to make your project a success is available in our webshop We offer the widest range in the Netherlands in the field of electric motors and drive systems for pleasure boating and at the best prices. We also distinguish ourselves through our own experiences with electrification of existing boats and therefore guarantee that your expensive purchase also leads to a positive experience. products on sale in our webshop , we post our own test reports in our blog page and we also offer complete sets of motor, battery and all additional required equipment. Our homepage also contains a number of reviews and ratings from satisfied customers, we would like to add your review here.
