Is it flying or just a really smooth boat?
I recently hitched a ride on the Vessev VS-9 electric ferry from a Brooklyn marina, and let me tell you—the experience was… interesting. When I asked co-founder and CEO Eric Laakmann when we’d start "flying," he told me we already were. Honestly, I was a bit let down. I was expecting some kind of gravity-defying moment, but it’s giving more of a high-end sports car vibe on the water.
The tech under the hood
While the VS-9 looks like your average 30-foot catamaran on the outside, the real magic is underneath. It uses two wing-like hydrofoils to lift the hull completely out of the water, which basically kills the drag and makes the ride super smooth. Computer-controlled flaps keep things stable, with about 80% of the lift coming from the front foil and 20% from the rear.
Vessev builds their own electric motors in-house to keep costs controlled, only outsourcing the batteries since those are already a total commodity. It’s a smart move—why pay someone else to build your secret sauce?
Can it handle the open sea?
Real talk: it’s not a magic fix for everything. The boat needs the water to be relatively calm, handling waves up to about two and a half feet. Anything bigger and you’re going to be slapping the hull, which is a major L for both comfort and efficiency. It’s definitely not built for the open ocean, but for rivers, lakes, and bays? It’s a total game-changer.
Vessev snagged $19 million in Series A funding back in August and is gunning for the urban transit market. The idea is to use these boats to zip people between boroughs without needing to build expensive new infrastructure. While the current VS-9 is one-of-a-kind, the long-term goal is to potentially sell electric hydrofoil kits to other builders.
Why it matters
Hydrofoils are the ultimate energy hack for electric marine travel. By lifting the boat out of the water, you use way less power, which is the main hurdle for battery-powered vessels. If Vessev can make these affordable and reliable enough to plug into existing city transit, your morning commute could lowkey become the best part of your day.
