A review of our Whaly electric boat as camera, safety, and cruising companionWhen we first started learning to sail on the Thames, I imagined we’d just need our dinghy, a lifejacket, and maybe a thermos of tea. The idea of owning another boat hadn’t crossed my mind — until we realised that filming our sailing adventures, acting as a safety boat, and still having fun on windless days would be so much easier if we had a second craft.
Enter the Whaly 455R — our “Drop Front Wonder.”
At first glance, the Whaly looks like the kind of rugged workboat you’d expect to see ferrying equipment to a remote island. Ours is powered by a 3kW ePropulsion electric outboard — no petrol fumes, no roar of an engine, just a low hum as you glide along.
The most striking feature?
The bow that drops down like a drawbridge. This makes it ridiculously easy to load equipment, roll in a camera tripod, or help someone step aboard without the gymnastic manoeuvres usually required in small boats.
We bought the Whaly primarily to be a silent filming platform for pmrsailing. The flat, stable deck space means we can set up tripods, gimbals, and even run a multicamera setup without worrying about tipping over every time someone shifts their weight.
Because it’s electric, there’s no engine noise ruining the audio — just the sound of the river, the creak of rigging, and the occasional “Oops!” from the dinghy we’re filming. And when you’re trying to capture a Thames A-Rater flying past or a family gybe without mishap, being able to match speed and glide silently alongside is priceless.
The Whaly’s drop front really comes into its own here. Need to pull someone out of the water? Drop the bow, and they can just walk in (or stagger, depending on the circumstances). It also makes transferring people between boats much safer, especially on breezy days when stability matters.It’s built of tough, double-walled polyethylene, so bumps against the side of a dinghy aren’t going to leave a mark — on either boat. We’ve towed the RS Toura and others boats back to the club when the wind died completely, retrieved stray buoys, and even rescued the occasional paddleboarder whose confidence had outlasted their stamina. The boat even removed a tree from the water by towing it to a safe place.
On days when the Thames is glassy and the wind has taken the day off, the Whaly becomes our river cruiser. We’ll pack a picnic, potter upriver, and watch kingfishers dart along the banks. Because it draws so little water, we can explore closer to the edges without worrying about grounding.With the electric outboard and our solar-charged battery, we’ve also embraced the smug satisfaction of zero-emission boating. There’s something special about knowing your power comes from sunshine, not petrol pumps.
It’s not the fastest thing on the water — especially compared to planing RIBs — but speed was never the goal. The Bimini is not the greatest. Whaly need to improve this.
The battery comes out, goes home with us in the car and is charged for free off of the solar panels - Free Cruising. When the boat stops, the engine does not idle, it is switched off, so no wasted fuel. The drop front. Easily the boats best feature. The sidebars make you feel secure.
The Whaly 455R isn’t just our support boat — it’s an enabler. It lets us film better, learn faster, stay safer, and still enjoy the river when sailing isn’t an option. Whether it’s acting as a floating camera dolly, a lifeline in a capsize drill, or our Sunday afternoon river cruiser, the “Drop Front Wonder” has earned its place in our fleet.
Would we buy it again? Absolutely. The only thing we’d change is to have bought it sooner.
