Rising star: we go for a ride in Polestar's new electric boat

And that makes it efficient enough for an electric powertrain. At a standard cruising speed of 22kts, the C-8 has a range of 57 nautical miles. “The aim was to offer the same performance and range as a regular boat,” says Mahlberg. 

Candela produces a range of craft. There’s the C-7 and the C-8 ‘leisure’ craft, which seat up to eight people, and the P-8 and P-12 ferries that have room for up to 30 passengers.

So far, it has sold around 150 C-8s, and the ferries are attracting interest as commuter craft, particularly because the lack of wake when they’re ‘flying’ makes them well suited for busy harbours.

Of course, making a flying boat isn’t easy and Candela has had to draw on ideas from the marine, automotive and aviation worlds to make it happen. That explains the battery and charger deal with Polestar, which leaves Candela freer to focus on the key technology to make its boats fly better.

For starters, its machines are made from carbonfibre to minimise weight. The Polestar-powered DC version of the C-8 weighs 1750kg, which isn’t bad for an 8500mm-long, 2500mm-wide boat. 

Candela has also had to develop its own outboard powertrain, called the C-Pod. Unlike a conventional outboard motor that is mounted at the rear of the boat with the propeller dangling in the water, the C-Pod has a shape that resembles a torpedo, largely because it serves much the same purpose: it is mounted at the bottom of the rear hydrofoil so is entirely underwater. 

Each C-Pod contains a pair of electric motors, driving a pair of contra-rotating propellers with a total of 67bhp. That’s more efficient than a single motor. At higher speeds, the pressure in the flow around a large propeller creates a vacuum that adds noise and inefficiency.

There’s also a lot of computing power packed into a Candela boat, including fly-by-wire steering and a ‘Flight Controller’ system that takes sensor data from the boat’s perimeter and can adjust the position of the boat up to 100 times per second. 

Speaking of computing power, much as in a car, you will also find a 15.4in touchscreen near the steering wheel, with features such as built-in navigation. Obviously, you can also download an app to check your battery status from dry land, although, as of yet, there’s no Apple BoatPlay function.

While all of Candela’s craft are clearly style-focused, the Candela C-8 Polestar Edition adds in solid-grey exterior paint, marine-certified seat fabric taken from Polestar cars and gold design elements. 

It’s offered in open, T-top (with an extender shade above the driver) and hard-top forms, with prices from €400,000 (£335,000).

There’s clearly demand for the firm’s products, as those C-8 sales figures and interest in its ferries show. In a short time, Candela has become a leading player in the electric boat space – and it seems the firm could fly even higher in future, especially with access to proven electric car technology.