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Forget what you think you know about how to play with small boats. There are new and different ways to enjoy boating in the 21st century. Let’s spend a virtual day together, and you’ll see what I mean.
We have just arrived at the marina and our Mirava M800E, a state-of-the-art e-boat, has already been launched from a dry-stack store and she’s waiting dockside, fully charged and ready for the day ahead. I prefer to dry-sail her this way, but you may have a more conventional marina berth in mind. Similarly, I’ve chosen the electric version, the M800E, but you may prefer the petrol version, the M800.
I booked the launch via the marina’s app on my smartphone and, once we’re back in the marina later, I’ll use it again to get the boat hauled out and returned to the all-year protection of the dry-stack store.
What sort of boat is it? Our Mirava M800E is all-new and comes from an all-new brand and all-new manufacturer with an all-new philosophy built on the back of the latest smart technology. Every aspect of this next-generation boat has been designed to give owners and their friends and family the best possible flexibility afloat. The architects involved in this model’s conception were Italians, Arman Fissette and Emanuele Bomboi.
All FRP, save for the carbonfibre hardtop, the M800/M800E has an overall length of 7.95m (26ft), a generous maximum beam of 2.44m (8ft) and is rated for up to eight adults. Ostensibly these are open day-boats, so what you see is what you get, except that’s a massive oversimplification.
Yes. It has a centre-console helm that conceals a day-head/lavatory, a bow-lounge forward that can be shaded by an awning hung from the poles that connect that sturdy hardtop to the stem, more seating and a table behind the helm, and finally a sunpad-style mattress or bathing platform at the stern. What you can’t see is all the smart tech.
Once aboard, we engage the autonomous-departure mode. We untie our lines and begin storing our bags aboard while our boat gently manoeuvres us out of the marina. We’ve already told it where we are going, the prettiest bay some 10nm away along the coast. We plan to spend the day there.
There are two options regarding propulsion – the 100kWh full-electric installation that we are playing with – or a petrol sterndrive version that’s rated up to a maximum 250hp and has capacity for up to 380 litres of fuel aboard. The power choice offers two distinct personalities. The top speed of the electrically powered version is a perfectly quiet and super-peaceful 20 knots, but, had we had the alternative petrol power, we would be roaring along on that deep-vee hull at up to 30 knots, fast enough for waterskiing.
The Mirava M800E has a cruising/working range of around 11 hours at 5 knots. At 20 knots, we would have a range of 54 minutes, which translates to 18nm.
Using standard charging equipment, it will take around 17 hours to restore the M800E’s batteries to full charge. However, a typical fast charger will take them from 10% up to 80% in just one hour.
With the electric M800E, we are at our beach in just under three-quarters of an hour. With the petrol M800, and running on the plane, we’d be there in more like 25 minutes.
Once we’ve nosed into our bay, we choose our spot close to one end of that beautiful beach and prepare for a swim. While we’re getting ready, the dynamic positioning/station-keeping facility means that we stay rooted to one spot without the fuss of dropping a hook. Our plan is to snorkel along the bay’s reef.
I’ve got Mirava’s Smart Band tracker on my wrist, so once we’re in the water, our boat will be following us at a discreet distance – close but not too close. It’s great not having to worry about getting back to the boat. We stay in the water simply for as long as we want and, when we’ve had enough, we can climb back aboard almost immediately.
Of course, you don’t have to smart boat to enjoy the Mirava. Just as you don’t need to use every function of your smartphone or smartwatch. But there will be a few features that are simply game-changing.
You very probably won’t want to boat any other way once you get comfortable swimming or paddleboarding with your boat following you or using that oh-so-convenient e-tender as a floating island or for exploring inshore or going ashore. And once you are comfortable departing, cruising and berthing autonomously, you may well never go back to trying to do everything manually.
The Mirava M800E will get a world premiere launch at the Cannes Yachting Festival (September 8-13, 2026). If you are there, check out this revolutionary new boat for yourself at Stand POWER132.
For more: miravaboats.com
There are lots of other cool features. First and foremost, Mirava believes boats should be flexible and that they should be capable of adapting to their owner’s changing requirements.
For instance, the stern is modular. There’s a bathing-platform sofa-cum-sunpad option that can detach to become a one- or two-man smart e-tender/water platform. The latter is one of several USPs. It creates all manner of new opportunities for enjoying the water.
When we are ready to go to the beach – whether for lunch, a laze or an explore – we’ll use that e-tender, which has its own steerable 330W motor that delivers around 8kg of thrust, which translates to a few knots of speed depending on loads and sea state. There are two battery options: LiFePO4 (336Wh) for up to four hours of use or ternary lithium (799.2Wh) for up to six hours.
And at the end of a glorious day in the bay, we’ll leave the boat in autonomous ‘autopilot’ mode for the return trip. That leaves us to sit back and relax, just watching the M800E’s smart navigation technology take us smoothly home.
SMART BOAT,
SMART BOATING
Interactive image: click to find out more
Detachable Tender
Curious as to what it’s all about? Join me for a day aboard the new all-electric Mirava M800E…
Modular AFT Platform
Smart Boundary
Electric Propulsion
Flexible Social Spaces
Autonomous Docking
Smart Band
Image credit: Mirava Boats
Image credit: Mirava Boats
Image credit: Mirava Boats
Image credit: Mirava Boats
