They call it “Gigawave”. This high powered all electric watercraft is expected to produce the biggest, tallest and best curling waves for the ultimate thrill in the fast growing sport of wakesurfing. New York-based boat The brainchild of designer Matthew Brew, his concept His Gigawave 350 GW-X features a continuous head-height barrel that matches the size and feel of Maui’s best rollers It has a hull designed to throw a
“We aim to bridge the gap between surfing and wakesurfing and improve the overall surfing experience,” Brew said. rob report.
Brew uses a high-torque, zero-emission 300-horsepower electric motor driven by a bank of lithium-ion batteries instead of a large exhaust-breathing inboard engine to propel the 35-foot gigawave through the water. I am planning to “We increased the battery capacity from the original concept,” he says. “Now we’re looking at 1 megawatt of power, which is equivalent to 1 million watts on him.” That’s his 2 hour quick charge time.
Gigawave was born after boat designer Matthew Brew noticed wakesurfers surfing 40 feet behind them. Cruisers can get much larger wakes.
Courtesy Gigawave
The secret of the Giga Wave, which creates a huge wake, is its huge weight, with a target of 30 tons. “You don’t have to go fast to make a towering wake,” he says. “We aim for surf speeds of 10 to 16 mph.”
Gigawave is scheduled to launch next year, and Blow and his small team, including industrial designer Ryan Wetchen-Barry, are fine-tuning the hull design for a “wave manipulation system.” The next step is a scale model for tank testing to confirm the theory works.
Blew’s qualifications include experience as a design engineer for Regal Boats and then as design director for recreational pontoon boat manufacturer Crest Marine. For the past four years he has been researching the wake his surfing market while coaching his sport on the water. He was honing his kitesurfing skills in Costa Rica when we met him, 35 years old. Brew was an avid wakesurfer for eight years.
Increasing the wake size can increase the thrill of the experience while attracting real surfers to the sport.
Courtesy Gigawave
Where did the idea for GigaWave come from? About four years ago, Brew discovered that wakesurfers could switch from traditional wakeboard boats to larger yachts over 40 feet to ride higher and more challenging waves. I noticed that I was able to surf.
Gigave’s price tag will be around $600,000. Early fundraisers are a mix of wealthy private buyers, wakesurfer clubs and luxury resorts specializing in water sports. “What it creates is perfect surfing conditions,” he says. “I can’t count the number of times I’ve traveled to a surfing place just to find out there’s no swell. With Gigawave, you have the waves on demand.”
Initial renderings of his boat, including a bluff bow, a small foredeck, a rudder at the front, and an awkward mix of hard and soft tops, failed to garner universal acclaim on social media.
Many boat enthusiasts were underwhelmed by the boat’s first renders, but designer Brew said Gigawave is “exploring different options.”
Courtesy Gigawave
“We are still exploring many different options,” says Blew. “But the rendering has generated a lot of interest. In one month he had over 35,000 visitors to his website and over 500 of his emails. I can’t.”
