"Electric Boats Making Waves"

That was a headline from this morning's The Virginian-Pilot. The article went on to note that the boating industry has been sputtering far behind the auto industry in this regard, bogged down by low-horsepower engines and batteries that take up nearly half the boat. That, however, is "in the process of changing," according to Associated Press writer John Marshall, who bylined the article.

"Bolstered by new technology, the electric boats are now faster, have smaller batteries with longer ranges and are still zero emission," he said.

Shortly after reading that article, I did some research on the Internet and found that electric boats indeed are starting to mount a coming-out campaign of sorts, starting with the Tracker Pro Team 175 TXW bass boat (see above). Pure Watercraft of Seattle, WA, is advertising America's best-selling fishing boat, packaged with a 25kW electric outboard motor with power tilt/trim (112 lbs.), one (or more) battery packs (118 lbs. each), and a trailer for $27,500. A $500 pre-order deposit is required. This rig has an advertised top speed of 24 mph and a range up to 41 miles on a full charge.

Other features include a Minn Kota Edge 12-volt, 45-lb. thrust trolling motor, a Lowrance HOOK2 5 combo swivel color fishfinder with SplitShot transducer, a mobile charger that connects to 120-volt and 240-volt outlets (30 lbs.), connecting power cables, and a Bluetooth-enabled throttle.

Top speed for this rig is 24 mph. Range at top speed is 20 miles (two-battery pack) and 10 miles (one-battery pack). Range at 5 mph is 41 miles (two-battery pack) and 20 miles (one-battery pack). Recharging from half-to-full capacity can be accomplished in as little as 90 minutes.

Marine manufacturers are excited about the potential for these electric-outboard rigs. They are quick to point out that the increased sales of powerboats in 2020 were up 12 percent, with more than 310,000 new sales, the highest recorded numbers since before the recession of 2008.

For those interested, here's a list of some video links I found online for your viewing pleasure:

     * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru0IhU2C8tQ 

     * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhL55rFNHsg

     * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMer4S6phFY

     * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJLgra0553k

     * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsPHNaj369o

     * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sps90QsfiVg

     * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v35nWrjLtLc