{"id":159216,"date":"2025-07-24T06:49:35","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T05:49:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/?post_type=review&p=159216"},"modified":"2025-07-24T06:50:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T05:50:09","slug":"magic-carpet-e-review-sailing-the-first-fully-electric-racing-maxi-to-be-launched","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/reviews\/boat-tests\/magic-carpet-e-review-sailing-the-first-fully-electric-racing-maxi-to-be-launched","title":{"rendered":"Magic Carpet-e review: Sailing the first fully electric racing Maxi to be launched"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones didn\u2019t want a new boat, yet today not only has he a shiny new state of the art 100-footer, but a machine described by some as the most advanced Maxi to be launched in more than a decade. And at the new boat\u2019s first competitive outing on the first day of racing at this year\u2019s PalmaVela regatta Magic Carpet-e<\/em> won the first two races.<\/p>\n

To say that her build happened by accident would be an exaggeration, yet the genesis of what has turned out to be such an advanced and promising new Maxi didn\u2019t start with a set of clear objectives and well-defined goals.<\/p>\n

Having been built pretty much in secret by Persico Marine in Italy and pre-launched discretely last autumn, (before being taken back into the shed to be completed for a re-launch this spring), the new Carpet is in flight and the details of this new design are now being revealed.<\/p>\n

On the face of it, while she may look like a sleeker, leaner version of others in her class, the basic data has her standing out from the off.<\/p>\n

Here the displacement is the headline figure. At 37 tonnes she\u2019s a staggering 10 tonnes lighter than the previous Magic Carpet<\/em>, a Wally Cento Maxi that herself was never considered to be overweight.<\/p>\n

The new Carpet also sets an impressive amount of sail on a rig that looks more IMOCA 60<\/a> than Maxi, while below the waterline she sports what must surely be the most sophisticated appendage package of any current Maxi.<\/p>\n

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The flush deck and minimalist appearance of a cockpit that has just six winches, belies the advanced technology and sophistication which lies below. Photo: Francesco Ferri<\/p><\/div>\n

And then there\u2019s her power plant. While she does have a comparatively small and potentially removable generator for delivery trips, this is the first fully electric racing Maxi to be launched, armed with technology that has its roots in high end motorsport and that could prove to be a catalyst for development across broad areas of sailing, both for racing and cruising.<\/p>\n

In simple terms, she has the equivalent of three Golf GTIs below deck delivering a stream of silent power that is available at the touch of a button for the crew on deck.<\/p>\n

The bottom line is that right from the start, and despite just a cursory look at her headline features, Magic Carpet-e<\/em> is far more than just another new race boat. Which begs one simple question to start: how did Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones end up with such an advanced new boat when he didn\u2019t want one?<\/p>\n

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Photo: Francesco Ferri<\/p><\/div>\n

Taking the next step<\/h2>\n

Having raced and cruised Magic Carpet Cubed<\/em>, as she was nicknamed, for 12 years, the rhythm of his boat ownership suggested that it might be time for an upgrade. The trouble was, that as a hands-on owner who\u2019d always enjoyed the process of developing a new boat as much as the racing and cruising, he couldn\u2019t really see where to go next.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou hesitate before you start any new build of this size \u2013 it\u2019s a long and expensive process,\u201d he explained. \u201cOver the years as we moved from Magic Carpet one to two and three, we\u2019ve always had new objectives in mind. Not long after launching Magic Carpet Cubed, I was already thinking of what the next step was going to be and while we kept improving and refining, I could see what we could do slightly better, but not much better.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then somebody introduced me to designer Guillaume Verdier who said he could do a boat like mine 10 tonnes lighter and that it would \u2018go like a rocket.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it was worth a try and so we started talking.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the chief architect behind some of the world\u2019s fastest and most radical racing designs it was a given that Verdier\u2019s ideas would be \u2018out there\u2019.<\/p>\n

Article continues below…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Can battery powered boats really be called sailing boats? \u2013 Matt Sheahan<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/header>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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If you ride an e-bike you\u2019ll be used to being called a cheat. You\u2019ll also be familiar with the way…<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t