Powered by a Rolls-Royce V12 Merline engine, the Aeroboat is the latest model to be produced by design studio – Claydon Reeves.
The Aeroboat (and I write this with the tune of the UK national anthem running through my head) is an entirely British project. Only twelve of these incredible boats will be built and all will be powered by a reconditioned, fuel-injected Rolls-Royce Merlin V12 engine, with documented provenance, detuned to just 1100hp!
The main personalities behind Claydon-Reeves are James Claydon and Mike Reeves, along with Lucy Williamson (Studio Manager) and Dimitris Hadjidimos (Partner). Between them they have over 30 years experience in the superyacht industry but haven’t stayed purely within the boundary of sea-going vessels having widened their design portfolio to include the Avocet, a car developed in conjunction with MMI Sportscars Ltd.
The Aeroboat not only looks great but is incredibly fast with an estimated top speed of anything up to 95 knots, we’ll provide more information about this when we know the exact figures. This limited edition super-boat should prove an interesting choice for those looking at British-made luxury power-boats. Over the past couple of years Hunton Powerboats have had a fairly free-run in this sector of the market and are generally likened to the luxury motoring brand Aston Martin, perhaps the Claydon Reeves Aeroboat will adopt a similar approach and become the Rolls-Royce of the seas?
The Aeroboat draws its distinct character from the most iconic fighter plane of WWII – the Supermarine Spitfire, a British-made single seat aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other allied countries. The stern of the Aeroboat is inspired by the trailing edge of the Spitfire wing to the authentic air intake scoop. The design of the throttle and switch gear is also aircraft-inspired with the shock-mounted forward seats casting a nod to the Spitfire’s landing gear.
The Aeroboat is built to customer specifications: behind the obvious retro style influence, the boat is a contemporary, high-tech beautiful creation in carbon fibre, Kevlar and lightweight wood veneer, again, all British-sourced. Every element of its already beautiful interior, from the cockpit to the trim, engine specifications and exterior finishes, can be configured to suit its owner.
We’re very excited by the Aeroboat due to the free-range offered to customise the interior to your exact specifications, not only does it look to be the ideal platform to create the best luxury boat in its class, it could even evolve into an icon jus like the Riva Aquarama has. Remember, only twelve of these will be built so if you want one, you’d better be quick.