WHY
ELECTRIC
The ocean gives us everything. Let’s give something back.
The Pacific ocean
Te Moana Nui a Kiwa
For the Pacific peoples, the Pacific Ocean is not just the largest body of water in the world but is also an ancestor, a sustainer of life and a pathway that connects communities.
Why Electric? Why Now?
Boating is New Zealand’s largest recreational activity with 40% of our population participating each year.
>1,000 YEARS AGO
Kupe arrived in Aotearoa / NZ
Over 1,000 years ago, Kupe, the great Polynesian navigator, discovered Aotearoa (New Zealand) after voyaging across the Pacific in a double-hulled waka powered by the wind.
Settlement of Aotearoa was shaped by Māori customs that include kaitiakitanga, the practice of guardianship and care for the natural world. The ocean wasn’t seen as something to conquer, but something to protect.
As pressure grows on marine ecosystems across the globe, this legacy matters more than ever. Aotearoa’s voyaging traditions remind us that we can move forward, through innovation and care, while still honouring the places we move through.
From ancient waka to electric boats, the question remains: How do we travel with care, and leave the ocean better than we found it?
Wind powered waka
1906
First Outboard patented
In 1906, Norwegian-American inventor Ole Evinrude patented the first successful outboard motor, an invention that would transform recreational boating forever.
Evinrude’s idea was simple but revolutionary: a compact, detachable engine mounted on the transom of a boat that could power it through the water with ease. By 1909, he began mass production, making powered boating more accessible to everyday people, not just commercial operators or the wealthy few.
1.5HP outboard
TODAY
20 million powered boats
For over a century, boating has been powered by combustion engines. They’ve shaped how we move on the water, but they’ve also left a long-lasting mark: emissions, oil slicks, and damage to the marine ecosystems we care about.
These chemicals don’t just float away, they build up in sediments, disrupt marine food chains, and affect the health of fish, seabirds, and marine mammals.
Today, there are around 20 million powered boats, and just 13 million marine mammals. That’s two boats for every dolphin, whale, porpoise, or seal.
Boat parks
Boating is New Zealands’s largest recreational activity with 40% of our population participating each year.
Whats the impact from combustion engines?
Hydrocarbons
Noise pollution
Many marine species use sound to feed, navigate, and communicate. Motor noise disrupts this, causing stress, hearing damage, and reduced breeding in dolphins, whales, fish, and invertebrates.
During COVID-19 we saw calving rates for humpback whales increased significantly because less marine traffic meant less noise disrupting them.
Research shows boat noise can disrupt snapper spawning in the Hauraki Gulf, make clownfish ignore predators on the Great Barrier Reef, drive seals and harbour porpoises from key habitats, and mess with Orca hunting echolocation.
Benzene
Water Pollution
Traditional (ICE) inboard and outboard engines pollute in different ways. Outboards release unburned fuel directly into the water through their exhaust. Inboards often leak oil, antifreeze, and other fluids through bilge discharge and cooling systems. Two-stroke engines are the worst offenders, releasing up to 30% of their fuel unburned directly into the water.
Water pollution has serious consequences for ocean populations. Petrol leaks and oil spills cause long-term harm to coral reefs, fish populations, and other marine organisms.
Research from Sweden also shows that boating pollutants impair the growth and reproduction of fish in enclosed water bodies.
Dilution is also important, if there are many polluting boats in a small space such as a harbour the pollutants are denser, having a larger impact
Xylene
Air pollution
Recreational boats have a concentrated local impact. Petrol-powered engines are a key source of air pollution in coastal zones, harbours, and inland waterways , places where boats operate regularly and emissions don’t disperse easily. These pollutants build up, especially around marinas, affecting nearby ecosystems and posing health risks to local communities.
In New Zealand, air pollution-related health issues are estimated to cost $1.21 billion per year. Maritime transport emissions, including carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), and hydrocarbons, contribute to this burden, particularly in areas with high recreational boating activity.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
Toluene
Chemical Impact
Inboard engines, often larger and more complex, can leak not just fuel and oil, but also antifreeze (ethylene glycol), transmission fluid, and heavy metals like copper and zinc. These contaminants enter the water through bilge discharge and cooling systems.
Over time, these pollutants build up, damaging fish, coral reefs, and the food chain.
Electric systems eliminate these fluids entirely, helping keep marine ecosystems cleaner and safer.
Chat to us today
Boating is New Zealands’s largest recreational activity with 40% of our population participating each year.
Whats the impact from combustion engines?
LEADING THE SHIFT TO ELECTRIC
At Naut, we understand where electric boating is today and where it’s heading. Our team brings deep technical expertise and real world insight to help shape the future of marine propulsion.
Infrastructure
McKay has expertise in charging infrastructure design and install, along with bespoke marine electrical and renewable energy generation.
Supply
Naut have partnerships with suppliers and parts are now production ready.
Regulation
Naut works closely with Maritime NZ to ensure that everything we do fits with upcoming regulations.
Our mission at Naut
To take boating back to the days of being powered by the elements and beyond, where every journey leaves the water better than it was found.
Whether you’re curious about electric, dreaming of your own setup, or just love being on the water, we’d love to hear from you.
Chat to us today
Our promise
to you.
Support all the way
We’re here to support you through every chapter of your electric experience. From your first questions to your first day on the water and everything after.
No question is too small. No detail is left behind. Our job is to make your electric journey feel easy, confident, and fully yours.
Unwavering safety
Designed with safety at its core it meets some of the toughest maritime safety standards in the world.
From thermal management to system monitoring, every component is built to protect you, your vessel, and the environment, giving you peace of mind every time you head out on the water.
Easy maintenance
Whether you’re doing donuts in a speed boat, out for a quiet fish, or cruising with the family, electric means more time on the water and less time in the workshop.
Naut electric keeps maintenance low, with fewer moving parts and no oil changes or fuel system issues, so you can focus on the fun, not the fixes.
Chat to us today
It takes a community to restore an ocean
Whether you’re out there every weekend or just tagging along with mates to the beach, we all feel the pull of the water. And chances are, you know someone using a petrol-powered engine. Now’s the time to move differently, by choosing better ways to enjoy the water.
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If you’re buying a boat, replacing an outboard, or just curious, start thinking electric. It’s cleaner, quieter, and better for the places we love.
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In electric boats, a battery-powered motor replaces the engine, delivering the same movement, but with less noise, no emissions, and fewer maintenance needs. We call this electric propulsion.
SUPPORT ELECTRIC
Whether you’re a boatie, a business, or someone who simply cares about the ocean, you can stand for better movement on the water. The story of electric boating is just getting started, join the community today and be part of what comes next.
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