Super Air Nautique GS22E

The best-documented electric wake boat you can buy

Nautique is a combustion-first builder, and the Super Air Nautique GS22E is the electric version of an established petrol boat, the GS22 — which is precisely its strength. The hull, the hydraulic folding tower and the configurable running surface for ski, wakeboard and surf modes are proven equipment, and the drivetrain has been developed with a marine electric specialist rather than improvised. The published 124 kWh pack, 220 kW motor and roughly three hours of typical watersports use per charge are the numbers that matter for this kind of boat, and it is unusual in the category to see all three stated. Charging uses CCS, the same standard as electric cars, which is a meaningful convenience where dockside or car-park charging exists.

The price is the problem in Europe

At around €288,000 — converted from a US list price of $312,952, and US pricing for this model has moved — the GS22E commands something close to a six-figure premium over the petrol GS22. That is defensible only if you boat on a lake with engine restrictions or noise limits, where an electric tow boat unlocks water that is otherwise closed to you.

European buyers should also weigh import duty, VAT and the thinness of the Nautique service network outside the United States. The 37.5 knot top speed is largely irrelevant; endurance is the whole story.