150hp ‘dolphin’ outboard motor concept teased
This unconventional spin on an outboard engine mimics a dolphin’s tail to propel a boatA French company that will use synthetic dolphin tails to push boats through the water at high speed has given a first glimpse of what its revolutionary outboard motor will look like.
Paris-based FinX has filed patents for the design of its “electric motor with undulating membrane for watercraft”, a sort of underwater propulsion system that moves much like a dolphin’s tail.
The outboard motor uses a mounting bracket similar to those used on existing outboard engines – suggesting it will be something boat owners could easily retrofit – and an overall design that looks a bit like a conventional outboard that’s been left under a heat lamp too long.
FinX has two versions of the outboard, with one using a circular lower drive leg to push a boat along similar to how a jellyfish moves. This version of the motor produces the equivalent of 5.0hp from a 48-volt battery system and is suitable for pushing boats of up to 3.0 tonnes in weight along at up to 6.0 knots for just shy of two hours.
However, the concept teased in the patent application is for a version of the motor that will produce the performance equivalent of a 150hp petrol-powered outboard engine.
It will use magnets and special membranes to mimic the movement of a dolphin’s tail – it uses a high amplitude but low frequency – to push a boat along at high speed.
The membrane will have to be replaced every two years, with FinX saying it will be a simple process.
Only the membrane and the magnets move, meaning that compared with a conventional outboard engine, there are few parts that will wear.
No timeframe was given for when the 150hp-equivalent FinX motor would be released on the market.
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