GerrisBoats ready to sign first tender order with shipyard
Massimo Verme also announces the launch of a crowdfunding campaign to kick-start the production of taxi boats and other vessels suitable for disabled people.
Genoa - Water striders, or water-skating insects, are a family of heteropteran insects belonging to the superfamily Gerroidea (Gerromorpha). They owe their name to their ability to "glide" on water, resting only on the tarsi of their middle and hind legs, thus avoiding sinking.
They gave the name GerrisBoats to the small vessel designed and patented by Verme Projects, which will soon become the first tender for a superyacht. The announcement was made by Massimo Verme, head of the Lavagna (Genoa)-based company specializing in yacht design and marine systems engineering, speaking at an event dedicated to boating and design organized as part of Genoa Design Week.
"We're about to sign the first contract with a major yacht builder to build a model that will be used as a tender. We'll build the first prototype, which we'll exhibit at the Monte Carlo Boat Show," Verme announced. Designed to be a taxi boat or a vessel to provide easy access to the sea, even for the disabled, the GerrisBoat, if used as a tender, "will allow owners and guests to easily get on and off shore, avoiding getting their feet wet or having to carry a change of clothes every time they reach or leave the shore."
The name of the shipyard that will purchase the first unit is still top secret, but it has been revealed that this small vessel will have a Vulcan electric propulsion system. The structure consists of a torpedo—a submerged body for low aerodynamic drag, efficiency, and low wave formation at low speeds—along with two foils to make the boat "fly," and a system of lateral, adjustable hulls. This innovative concept for a fully electric boat and hull, with hydrogen-powered variants, features components safely stored in the submerged body.
The GerrisTender version, winner of the Design Innovation Award at the recent Genoa Boat Show, was presented a few months ago. This exclusive, patented design incorporates another additional feature: the retractable torpedo allows the vessel to navigate in shallow waters (like in Venice) or be stored in the garage of a megayacht. "This vessel helps solve a typical problem for yacht owners: easy boarding thanks to its adjustable height and roll control, so even in evening dress, you can reach the dock... dry!" explains its designer.
In addition to the first contract with a shipyard, Massimo Verme announced that a crowdfunding campaign will soon be launched to raise the funds needed to begin series production of several units of this vessel. A few years ago, an American company was about to order around a hundred taxi boats for use in New York, but, due in part to the pandemic and lockdown, these intentions never materialized into a signed contract. Now it seems all the conditions are in place for the GerrisBoats to actually begin gliding across the water.
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Massimo Verme
