Take a scooter, take a paddle, and combine the two together: you get a "sea scooter".
This paddle board equipped with a raised handlebar, an electric propulsion motor and a battery, is starting to appear in France and could well find a place among canoes-kayaks, jet skis and other gear. nautical.
Stable, unsinkable and manageable without the slightest effort, it can be used by anyone, without any particular technical skill, including in the event of a wave or moderate wind.
The Next Blue Tech company based in Aubagne (Bouches-du-Rhône) has made it its flagship product.
“
The founders, three engineers who are fans of sliding and boating, wanted to combine two activities that have become fashionable in recent years: paddleboarding and urban electric scooters.
From there was born the Blueway
”, summarizes Marie de Tourris, commercial director of Next Blue Tech.
Unveiled at the end of 2019 at the Paris boat show, some 300 units have been produced so far and are available from around forty rental companies in France, mainly on the Mediterranean coast, and are even exported to countries such as Norway or French Polynesia.
Read alsoThe Mediterranean by boat: how to rent a sailboat for the holidays
Can be used by anyone without experience
The Blueway is wide enough to accommodate up to three people, up to a 150 kg limit.
Next Blue Tech
“
It is an electric, ecological, recyclable, silent product and made in France.
So many arguments that convinced us to acquire five of them
, ”explain to
Le Figaro
Jean-Philippe and Grégory Girardin, managers of the boat and paddle rental agency Take my Boat in Saint-Raphaël (Var).
Since their commissioning in the summer of 2021, tourists passing through the beach of Le Veillat can rent this water scooter for 25 € for 30 minutes or 40 € per hour.
“
At first there was an effect of curiosity.
Then customers who tested it last summer come back to try it again
,” they add.
Aline, a mother, was quickly convinced: “
We were looking for an activity to do with our 13-year-old daughter who is not very daring and it was perfect!
We lived an unprecedented experience, reassuring and with all the same some feelings.
“Sensations even at 7 km/h, the maximum speed authorized for this type of machine less than 300 meters from the beach.
The board can accommodate up to three people, with a limit of 150 kg.
Given its high price (€7,000 per unit), justified by French manufacture and the use of durable and recyclable materials, the Blueway is mainly aimed at tourism professionals.
Other manufacturers offer more affordable electric inflatable paddleboards for personal use.
This is the case of Coasto with its E-Motion (1800 €) and Jobe with its E-Duna (2500 €).
Ready to get in the water?