X Shore builds fully electric boats. My scope was everything on deck — the seating, the layout, and the modular system that allowed the Eelex 8000 to transform from a functional work boat to a sunbedded day cruiser. That modularity was the core design contribution, and the primary reason the boat received the German Design Award 2020 and the iF Design Award 2020.
Seating as Engineering
Designing seating for a boat is a different problem than designing furniture. The constraints are harder: weight matters, weather resistance is non-negotiable, and every piece has to function as part of a larger modular system rather than standing on its own. The seat has to perform in salt water and direct sun, lock into multiple configurations, and still feel considered enough that it doesn't undermine the quality of the boat around it.
The construction reflects that — layered plywood, cast metal brackets, marine-grade materials. Every joint and surface was designed for both durability and the specific visual language of the Eelex.
Modularity
The real design problem wasn't any single piece. It was the system. The deck had to reconfigure — seating arrangements, sunbed layout, functional tool setup — without compromises at any stage. Each configuration had to feel intentional, not like a compromise of the others.
That's what made it work as a product, not just as a boat. The flexibility was built into the design, not bolted on after.
