The avant-garde Twiel Z7 is there In addition to the spectacular design, innovative technology is added – such as energy recovery.
The Twiel is here: the 2025 boot is the prototype of the innovative motorboat from Lake Constance, and as expected, the curved double hull is surrounded by the audience. Michael Zupritt hugs between the hull and the bow like a singer in the bay of a concert wing and beams. ‘On December 25th we were done.’
His Christmas present is even more impressive than the 2024 renderings promised. The hull anthracite grey, the upholstery in a warm mustard yellow, the deck covered with blue carpet. This is extroverted and avant-garde as expected from the project.
A crowd of people forms at the front of the almost eight meter long construction. Here, a casual curve from the two hulls sweeps forward to the bow, which protrudes almost half a meter over the two stevens. The result is a portal that looks like a huge throat, a duckbill, a suction device … – the associations are many. ‘We sat five years above the design,’ says Zupritt.
It quickly became clear: ‘We don’t want to build another Riva, it’s supposed to be something completely different.’ But how? It should be a catamaran boat because a drive with two narrow hulls drives far more efficiently than with a classic Monohull hull. ‘But a Kat doesn’t look good.’ Zpritt shakes his head. ‘At some point overnight the idea came to me: we’re pulling our snouts forward, and not backwards.’ You don’t see the cat from the side – but the Twiel doesn’t come across as an ordinary motorboat either.
Up to 40 knots with two inboards
In any case, it looks dynamic. But of course the drive of the Bodensee car will not be a roaring V8. The Twiel Z7 inspires two electric motors. In every hull of this catamaran is an inboard from ePropulsion, the Chinese manufacturer of electric boat motors. It is the middle inboard drive ePropulsion i20 with 20 kW, the equivalent of 27 hp. It came onto the market in 2023, so just in time for the Twiel project.
40 nodes are mathematically possible, estimates Zrutt. That gives enough penetrating power for a large body of water. For example, Lake Constance, where a blow from Lindau to Constance is 40 kilometers, or for the coastal area. You will see. The twiel hasn’t been in the water yet, it should be made up for as soon as possible (of course float).
And then the first tests of a technique that promises to be almost as exciting as the new boat are pending. Zupritt: ‘He should produce the electricity for his drive himself.’ tense silence. How, with solar cells? The inventor smiles mysteriously, then shakes his head. No – a water wheel is attached between the hulls. It spins like a mill or turbine wheel in the water flowing past. This drives a generator that charges the batteries with power. When the Twiel is on the road, the bike is automatically lifted to not offer any flow resistance. Therefore, the system only works in rivers.
The Twister is also something for sailboats
The floating hydroelectric power station is still under development. It should come in 2026. It already has a name: ‘Twister’, that fits the Twiel. But Zupritt is already thinking: the system can also be scaled, adapted to smaller or larger Kats. There should also be a floatable variant that a sailboat can drag behind it. That would be – analogous to the wind generator or solar sail – a third way to gain energy while sailing while sailing.
It would also be conceivable to make the water wheel the drive, i.e. to give it a double function. This would make the Twiel even more close to the electric car. When driving, the Twister shovels them as an electric motor, and in the parking position on the river bank it gains electricity like a hydroelectric power station. Or when delaying just before docking. Recuperation is called this by the automotive industry. In principle, it is also possible in shipping and is already practiced isolated – for example with the hybrid ferry ‘Alpenperle’ on the Austrian Weißensee. This also has an eye on that. When? still open.
The southern German company went four years ago Mizu Navy With eight employees in Hilzingen near Singen, the conception of the new boat is being designed. It is about ‘nothing less than the creation of a new ship concept, the implementation of new technologies and at the same time the introduction of a new driving experience and driving pleasure’. Such a sentence (on the company website) naturally raises high expectations.
The Twiel is aimed at Lake Constance
The full-bodied statement – of course – aims at the eye-catching design. It resembles a wave. Everything flows – symbolically – in the hull of the Twiel Z7. Incidentally, the Hohentwiel was the godfather for her name. This is the distinctive local mountain of Hilzingen. Beyond that, further east, is Lake Constance. The customers of the new motor catamaran are also expecting Zpritt there.
Because on the second largest natural lake in Central Europe, the demand for electric boats could grow stormily in the foreseeable future. As early as 2040, boats, yachts and ferries are to be operated completely emission-free there. Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the three residents of the international body of water, recently agreed on that.
Michael Zupritt wants to offer his answer tailored to the upcoming provisions as soon as possible. The face makes them unmistakable, the flowing lines are pleasing, and with 54 hp on two slender hulls, the expected pace should also be fun.
The hull construction keeps what drive and appearance promise. The Twiel has a grid frame made of plywood, thus combining sustainable materials and modern lightweight construction. Hans-Jürgen Kaiser from Strasskirchen in Lower Bavaria, Lower Bavaria, already shows that sophisticated designs and high drive power can also be married to each other in its elegant runabouts. And in the sailing area, Jan Bruges also wants to provide proof with the Woy 26.
Double hull is almost invisible
The Twiel makes an interesting combination of retro classical and bionics on the subject. ‘The patented hull shape lets you glide gently through the water and ensures a comfortable ride.’ Its constructive feature: The double hull principle, which is supposed to bring your efficiency and safety, is almost invisible, almost hidden in the overwater ship. If you will, Zupritt has hidden the cat under an elegant body.
The front third radically decouples the design principle ‘form follows function’. This is cheeky, and at the same time immensely sympathetic at a time when a lot has to be subordinate to the greatest possible benefit. Here the beak, which bulges over the two hulls, grows into aesthetic peculiarity. In the prototype, the snout, as Zpritt calls the cantilevered central bow, and the two hulls with their sharp edges are almost difficult. Instinctively, one is concerned about the sensitivity of the docking maneuvers. But here a scrub should ensure that at least light parking bumps remain without consequences. And for the front, a mass of options is conceivable, from the chrome flashing pseudo radiator grille to the eco-friendly cork edge.
Whatever the future customers choose: the Twiel will be easy to find among a hundred other boats in the marina. Just because it’s the only car between boats. The shape of its front section – the apparent engine hood together with the indicated fenders (without wheels behind) – awakens associations to historic compressor sports cars of the 1930s.
With a bit of imagination, there are even parallels to the most famous of all ‘silver arrows’, that Mercedes racing car with a streamlined body W 196 from 1955. In terms of price, the elegant design achieves similar heights: Zpritt estimates that the Twiel will cost from 380,000 euros. It’s just a very special boat.
Of course, the Twiel shouldn’t set any speed records – above all, it should be fun. ‘On board the Twiel, the skipper becomes a captain again.’ For the weekend trip with family and friends on the water, who find sixth place in the deliberately simple cockpit area. The shipyard names pine and mahogany as building materials.
Electric catamarans are on the rise
The Twiel Z7 is a new approach to pack the catamaran’s efficiency benefits into an attractive design. A striking recent design comes from Frauscher: The Timesquare. And de Antonio can also offer an exciting catamaran concept: float the E23 recently tested. For classic motorized motor boats, the Four Winns TH 36 and the (some classes larger) best-of-boats award winner Prestige M 48 come up with multihull concepts. The competition of ideas is open, and the Twiel is quite far ahead.
It’s true: many have a hard time getting used to the catamaran construction because of their bulky presence. On the other hand, there are many advantages. Boat builders try to eliminate aesthetic concerns by concealing this peculiarity of the two hulls. Zurittt goes one better, so to speak. With the unique design, he succeeds in such a striking eye-catcher that the double keel looks completely into the background.
Technical data Twiel Z7
Length: 7.90 m
Width: 2.55 m
Weight: 1.6 t
Draft: 0.60 m
Motor: ePropulsion i20 electric motor, 2 x 20 kW (27 hp each)
maximum crew size: 6 people
Price: from 380,000 euros
The prototype exceeds the expectations raised with the first renderings. Now it depends on how the Twiel Z7 proves itself in the element. We can’t wait to go on the water with the Twiel Z7 ourselves.
This text was first published on July 17, 2024 on Float. Last updated on January 22, 2025.