Overview

The new Electric Legacy, a collaboration between Lancer Craft and Elco, combines rich mahogany looks with 100 percent fiberglass construction, electric-power performance, and impressive run time and range from solid-state batteries. 

Engine

Compare the Legacy to Lancer Craft’s Elite model, which is built on the same hull and powered by a 365 hp 5.3L Ilmor V-8 gas engine. Estimates put gasoline cruising range at three to four times farther.

We tested the Legacy, the first with Elco’s EP-250 electric motor, an hour into its initial sea trial. Our top speed equaled 33.9 mph. (After some tweaks, Elco reports 35.7 mph.) Hole-shot tests made clear the EP-250’s quick acceleration. When the brushless, permanent magnet electric motor engages, the boat just goes. Power steering eases the Legacy effortlessly into turns, and the ­one-piece rimless windscreen leaves ­vision unobscured. While we never hit choppy water, the boat’s sharp entry, 14-degree deadrise, and narrow beam should all conspire to deliver a reasonable ride in chop.

Interior and Accessories

Lancer Craft imprints mahogany grain onto fiberglass to form the boat’s outer ­laminate. Crisp white seams mimic planked decks. Its deep-gloss woodgrain look mirrors the faux transoms now common on sport-fishing yachts—and for the same reason: to replace high-maintenance varnish with wash-and-wax convenience.

The boat’s classic lines are equally striking. Along the ample deck edge, glistening stainless-­steel highlights the sheerline as it rises from the bow, crests near the helm, and then flows into a graceful S-curve toward the stern. The aft deck slims to meet the tumblehome hullsides and raked transom, where those curves play in light, shadow, and watery reflections of wake and sky. Polished chrome bejewels the deck, and wide mahogany planks appear to flow from the deck edge to form the cockpit sides and dash, where the steering wheel is the only real, once-living wood aboard. Two rows of bench seats—their soft vinyl textured in diamond-weave stitching and accented with red and blue piping—accommodate six adults in luxury.

With the Electric Legacy, and in collaboration with Elco, Lancer Craft welcomes boat buyers seeking classic runabout style, modern convenience and  the latest electric technology.

How We Tested

• Motor: Elco EP-250 186 kW/250 hp
• Drive/Prop: Inboard/14″ x 16″ 3-blade bronze
• Gear Ratio:1.9:1 Battery Capacity: 96 kW Crew Weight: 450 lb.

High Points

• The Elco EP-250’s 1.9-to-1 reduction facilitates a larger prop that aids performance, acceleration and efficiency.
• Faux wood emulates rich, full-grained mahogany but doesn’t add weight, environmental impact or maintenance. 
• Besides woodgrain, Lancer Craft offers boats in a variety of gelcoat colors.

Low Point

• Electric propulsion is quiet, but our test boat requires some tweaking to mitigate the 103 decibels we recorded in one very narrow rpm range (4,500).

Toughest Competitor

The decidedly unclassic XShore 1 is a 21-foot-by-8-foot-6-inch runabout with a 125 kW motor ($168,000 well-equipped). Prefer gas IC power? Lancer Craft’s Elite runs $164,749 (base price with a 365 hp Ilmor inboard); shipping ($1,800) and trailer ($7,500) are extra. 

Pricing and Specs

Speed, Efficiency, Operation

The post Boat Test: 2025 Lancer Craft/Elco Electric Legacy appeared first on Boating Mag.

Much reporting focuses on reasons why one might choose electric marine power. The issues of range, speed, noise levels, winterizing and ethanol challenges, lake restrictions, environmental concerns and more all must be resolved on an individual basis. Little gets said about how a boater choosing to repower with electric actually gets that accomplished. Is it DIY? And if not, how does it get done?

Are you considering repowering with electric? Here’s a look at what it takes to cut the fuel line and plug in.

How Fast, How Far and How Long?

Electric propulsion can provide speed, range and runtime, but not all at once. An electric boat, motor and battery combination might top 25 mph for an hour. The same boat can also travel more than 50 miles at 6 mph, or longer still at slower speed. That makes the first step in going electric determining how far, in miles, you want to go fast, and how long, in hours, you need to go slow. Then match a motor and batteries to suit.

Portable Propulsion (DIY)

For small boats pushed to modest speeds, small, light options from ePropulsion, Torqeedo and Elco—equivalent to 3 hp gas outboards—easily clamp onto a transom yet store within a lazarette without worry of spilled gas. Most go for about an hour at full throttle, or 90 minutes at cruising speed, from one integrated or small external battery. These range from $2,500 to $3,500 for the motor, battery and charger.

Hardwired ­Horsepower (DIY or Dealer)

Elco, Torqeedo, ePropulsion and Flux offer motors equivalent to gas outboards from 5 hp to 25 hp. These typically connect to fixed battery banks mounted aboard. Most companies offer self-installation packages that call upon basic mechanical skills. All facilitate turnkey installation through dealer networks. Flux eliminates DIY installation, partly because its outboards utilize higher voltages than ­others in this ­horsepower range. 

These midsize motors tend to work best for bigger boats at slower speeds. Elco, for example, says its EP-20 can push a 24-foot pontoon boat about 8 mph for two hours, while the same charge provides more than 10 hours of battery life at 5 mph; the cost is around $11,500. Just be sure to choose adequate power to dock in a breeze and then back off the throttle to extend range.

Planing Power (Dealer, Some DIY)

Elco, Torqeedo and Flux offer motors comparable to ICE outboards from 30 hp through 100 hp. Most utilize twice the operating volts compared to companies’ smaller outboards, with those added volts providing more short-term power, which is needed for the few high-load moments while boats climb fully onto plane. Only Elco facilitates DIY installation within this power range, even offering pre-made cables, equipment and accessories. The complete package propelling Rock Proof’s ePro 1760R, a boat we tested in Boating’s March 2023 issue, utilizes Elco’s EP-50 and 20 kWh of lithium batteries; it sells for about $22,500.

Inboard Options (Dealer, Some DIY)

While Elco has offered modern electric-­propelled launches since 1987 and inboard repower options since 2009, its newest inboard motors are one-third smaller and half the weight of previous models, illustrating industry trends. Torqeedo and, recently, ePropulsion also offer powerful, light inboard motors for either repower or OEM installation. Most are intended to operate at modest speed, although Torqeedo offers three models operating at higher rpm for planing boats—its largest replaces 135 hp ICE engines while weighing one-third of a comparable ICE inboard motor and transmission (195 pounds plus batteries versus 567 pounds for a 135 hp MerCruiser 3.0 bobtail). A ­complete system with batteries that can run 50 minutes at full throttle costs about $120,000.

Read Next: Going Electric to Repower an Antique Boat

Batteries

Electric motors ranging from 5 hp to 25 hp typically operate at 24 or 48 volts. This provides the broadest battery choices to balance size, weight, range and cost. All Elco and many Torqeedo motors accommodate any brand or battery type that meets specifications, adding flexibility. Absorbed glass mat (AGM) batteries, for instance, save considerable dollars compared to lithium for slow-speed boats. Larger motors, particularly when boats approach planing speed, require lithium batteries, which are half the weight yet provide higher continuous output compared to AGM.

The post Things to Consider When Repowering With Electric Motors appeared first on Boating Mag.

Overview

Rock Proof Boats, known for tough-skinned fishing and rescue boats, partnered with electric-outboard pioneer Elco to bring planing speeds to electric-powered skiffs. Their aim is to replicate boating experiences typical from fossil fuel while also incorporating electric propulsion’s benefits.

Interior and Accessories

To that end, the electric ePro 1760R gets two anglers atop fish quickly at 25.1 mph without compromising fishability. Propulsion batteries are hidden just aft of the 18-gallon livewell beneath the stern casting platform. The trolling motor’s batteries, and optional added-propulsion batteries, live in a cavernous space beneath the bow casting platform. Factory options include Power-Poles, a jack plate, locking or open rod and tackle storage, and a custom aluminum trailer—all the accoutrements of gas-powered bass boats.

Engine

While electric outboards aren’t silent, the 81 decibels I recorded at full throttle is about half as loud as the 90 decibels typical from a gas outboard at similar speed. (Decibels are logarithmic, not linear.) Elco’s motor proved stunningly quiet and vibrationless when creeping up to fishing holes, particularly with Livorsi controls facilitating speeds while running slower than 100 rpm. We also skipped the gas pump, plugging into a roadside EV charging station, and monitoring charge via smartphone from our restaurant table as 7 kW went back into batteries during our meal.

The Rock Proof ePro 1760R is quick by electric-powered standards, but only suited to short runs. Our test boat’s 20 kWh batteries, installed to maximize speed for electric-only bass tournaments in small lakes, netted 13.5 miles at 25.1 mph with two anglers aboard. Lightening the boat by one 200-pound passenger increased that to 14.2 miles at 26.6 mph. Assuming optional 30 kWh batteries add 169 pounds and impact speed by a similar 1.5 mph, two anglers should travel more than 19 miles at 23.6 mph with those larger batteries, which is well beyond many inland and inshore boaters’ needs. The boat can also accommodate larger 40 kWh batteries.

Read Next: Electric Boats and Avoiding Range Anxiety

How We Tested

• Engine: Elco EP-50 (equivalent to 40 to 50 hp gas outboard)
• Drive/Prop: Outboard/9 ⁷/₈” diameter x 12″ pitch 3-blade aluminum
• Gear Ratio: 2.08:1 Fuel Load: 20.18 kWh (usable) Water on Board: NA Crew Weight: 400 lb. Trolling motor and batteries: 75 lb.

High Points

• Elco’s 3.3 kW charger uses standard SAEJ 1772 connectors or common residential or marina electrical receptacles. An optional second charger doubles charging speed.
• Elco’s Dash iOS or Android app displays boatspeed, battery level as a percentage of remaining runtime and miles, and more.

Low Point

• Our test boat’s iPad Mini snapped into place on the dash. This worked well, but would benefit from better waterproof mounting and charging to fully replace a hard-wired motor display.

Toughest Competitor

Larger lakes or longer runs still favor gas. Rock Proof offers this boat capable of 35 mph with a 115 hp jet outboard for $48,000. A Rotax 300 hp jet inboard tops 50 mph for $53,000.

Pricing and Specs

Speed, Efficiency, Operation

Rock Proof Boats – Marysville, Pennsylvania; rockproofboats.com

Elco Motor Yachts – Lake George, New York; elcomotoryachts.com

The post Boat Test: 2023 Rock Proof ePro 1760R appeared first on Boating Mag.

Back in 2015, I’d mused on these pages that my son, Evan, then in kindergarten, would likely own an electric-propelled boat. Now he’s in middle school and can operate a boat on his own. Has electric propulsion matured to where my light-hearted prediction might actually come true?

To find out, we repowered an iconic teenager’s first boat, a 1970 13-foot Boston Whaler Super Sport, to see how Elco’s EP-50 electric outboard and lithium batteries stack up against the boat’s 40 hp Johnson gas engine. This gave us an inside look at electric powerboats’ utility today and some clear ideas on electric boating’s future.

Performance

Electric power nearly matches gas at full throttle. Elco’s EP-50 pushes the Boston Whaler to 27.9 mph while drawing 308 amps at 104 volts DC (32 kilowatts). Our tests show that the boat’s 27 kilowatt-hours of usable battery power lasts for 51 minutes and covers 23.6 miles at that speed. Full throttle on the Johnson gas outboard averages 30.1 mph for 46 minutes, and it travels 23.9 miles from a 6-gallon tank of gasoline.

Slowing to the Whaler’s sweet spot at near-23 mph, gas edges out the batteries, but it’s close. The EP-50 runs for 81 minutes and travels 30.2 miles, while the Johnson goes for 94 minutes and travels 35.9 miles.

Project Insights

Back in 2017, we started with Elco’s 48-volt EP-30, intended to replace gas outboards in the 20 to 30 hp range. But with 296 pounds of lithium-iron-phosphate batteries providing just 12 kWh of usable battery power, the boat lacked adequate range and wouldn’t stay on plane with added people and gear. During the following few years, we trialed different Elco motors mated to ever-evolving battery technology. Each iteration proved better than the last.

In 2021, we reached our current-best 27.9 mph and 30.2-mile range. Part of that improvement came because battery-management systems and motor controllers—the brains that draw battery power and turn propellers—reached more deeply into those battery cells. We currently tap 88 percent of total battery capacity, up from just 65 percent in earlier batteries. Bigger gains also came when battery voltage increased from 108 volts when fully charged to 116 volts.

Gains by the Numbers

In 2017, each usable kilowatt-hour of battery capacity weighed 25 pounds and cost $950. By 2021, that dropped by a third to just 17 pounds and $636 per usable kilowatt-hour. Over that same period, the usable energy stored in identical-size batteries nearly doubled, from 2.53 kW in each cubic foot of battery to 4.85 kW per cubic foot.

Battery charging also improved markedly. It took more than 18 hours to recharge the 27 kWh the boat’s current batteries utilize. Now a new 7 kW charger does the same in about four hours. We can plug into a dockside 240-volt outlet with one-quarter charge, enjoy a two-hour lunch, and head back onto the lake with three-quarters charge.

Looking at fuel consumption alone ignores another important measure: fuel used per trip. Based on our gas-engine usage, our average lake outing lasts about three hours and only uses 2 gallons of gas—the most we’ve ever used is 4 gallons for 80 minutes of actual tubing during a four-hour outing.

What’s Still Needed?

Electric propulsion isn’t yet a full replacement for gas, but it’s getting there. Too much of the Whaler’s interior accommodates batteries, for instance, but new batteries this summer will tuck mostly beneath seats and occupy less usable interior space than the Johnson’s 6-gallon gas tank, oil reservoir and cranking battery. If next-generation batteries weigh 10 percent less per kilowatt-hour and offer 10 percent more kilowatt-hours per cubic foot of lithium, my son’s all-electric Whaler, the Echo, will noticeably exceed gas propulsion in any comparison, except for refueling time.

This leads to “use case”—the mission of the boat—when selecting propulsion. Our average lake outing, described above, falls well within the performance-charge envelope of electric power. Boaters running longer distances or spending more time tubing might possess a different viewpoint. Quick access to the gas dock, versus the ability to plug in during lunch, will likely also change the calculus. 

Read Next: Electric Whaler 2025

What’s to Come?

Electric propulsion offers advantages over gas too. With the press of a switch, Elco’s Fishing and Docking mode allows just 350 engine rpm to push the Whaler just 1 mph—a user-settable feature—with maximum torque for maximum control. My son won’t be asking for gas money either. For the same range as 5 gallons of gas, the 27 kWh charged back into the Whaler’s batteries costs only $3.50 in my admittedly inexpensive municipality rate of 13 cents per kilowatt-hour. (The US national average of 19.3 cents per kilowatt-hour totals $5.21.) Maintenance savings—there are four moving parts in Elco’s outboard, and ethanol fuel is not an issue—should be substantial too.

Batteries alone won’t propel larger cruising or sport-fishing boats with big fuel tanks any time soon. The Whaler’s batteries weigh as much as 70 gallons of gas and take up the space of 45 gallons. On smaller craft, however, my son’s boating future shines brightly—and it is all battery-powered.

The post Electric Outboard Repowering on a Boston Whaler Super Sport appeared first on Boating Mag.

Electric marine propulsion is rapidly advancing in market share while providing a fun and unique boating experience not available from internal combustion power.

Electric Motors Then

You might be surprised to learn that electric boats have been around since 1838. Inventors from Prussia, England and America began making vessels with lead-acid batteries—tons of lead-acid batteries per vessel—to move passengers quietly and efficiently. But the internal combustion engines invented in the late 1800s were more powerful and convenient, and with the exception of Elco electric motors, electric power fell away in popularity. In 1934, Minn Kota manufactured the first electric outboard. Then, in the 1960s, bass tournament fishing popularized big-horsepower gas engines for speed, and electric trolling motors for precise boat handling. You might say the fishermen were ahead of the curve by about 60 years on hybrid boats.

Electric Motors Today

We are focusing on production models that can be easily installed by a do-it-yourselfer or OEM without special training. Lithium-ion batteries can be volatile if not properly installed, so some companies require their trained tech to do that.

Cost

Electric outboards are expensive, and while we’ve listed the purchase cost, the batteries available are too numerous to name or price, and can cost more than the motor.

KW vs. HP

A mathematic equation easily converts kilowatt-hours to horsepower, and our math revealed the calculated horsepower to be considerably less than the equivelant horsepower suggested by manufacturers.

Torqeedo

Torqeedo provides completely integrated motor, battery and controls. Electronically controlled systems give its motors greater range per battery capacity and, similar to a fuel gauge, help operators conserve energy when needed or tell them when they can splurge on maximum throttle. The batteries are provided by BMW, but it is Torqeedo’s control system that manages output, heat and recharge operations to protect and optimize battery capacity and motor performance.

Range of Power: Outboards from Ultralight 403 at 400 W (about 1 hp) to Deep Blue at 50 kW (about 80 hp equivalent with 20 percent hole-shot boost), and inboards up to 100 kW (about 135 hp).

Most Popular Motor: Torqeedo’s Cruise 10 ($8,999) puts out 10 kW, or about 14 hp, but performs comparably to a 20 hp outboard thanks to Torqeedo’s software. In remote control, it is popular among pontoon boaters in particular, and commonly installed on pontoons used on neighborhood lakes requiring electric propulsion. Through digital controls, peak output is boosted beyond nominal output for a short time to improve acceleration at the hole shot, then returns to nominal output for optimal heat, range and speed control. A side- or top-mount controller—akin to the throttle—will cost $1,399, by the way.

Best Battery: The Torqeedo 48-5000 (5,000 Wh) lithium-ion battery ($5,159) is rated IP67 waterproof; connecting two or more in parallel extends the range.

Battery Compatibility: Compatible with any lithium-ion or AGM battery bank providing 48 volts, the Torqeedo can only operate in smart mode, measuring discharge, heat and other factors to dynamically manage power with Torqeedo batteries. With nonproprietary battery banks, Torqeedo motors mathematically, and less accurately, estimate range and consumption.

Chargers: The 2213 charger ($899) can recharge a 48-5000 battery in under 10 hours. It is rated IP65 water-resistant. The 2212-10 charger ($2,199) can recharge it in two hours.

Elco Motors

Elco has been building electric outboards for over 100 years—a figure that seems implausible to boaters who are beginning to see electric propulsion for the first time. The company’s engineering philosophy has remained the same: build plug-and-play systems, relying on battery power preferred by the customer, and design its motors to fit existing motor mounts, or provide standard transom clamps to make repowering simple and seamless.

Range of Power: Elco builds electric outboards with tiller or remote controls from 3.7 kW (about 5 hp) to 37 kW (about 50 hp). Elco’s inboards range from EP 6 to EP 100, with horsepower equivalents from 6 to 100.

Most Popular Motor: The EP 70 inboard ($15,995) can replace inboard diesel kickers and trawler motors, providing a top speed of 8 to 10 mph (7 to 8.5 knots) and a range of 23 to 41 miles. Its peak output is 51.5 kW (about 69 hp), and continuous output is 29.75 kW (about 40 hp). It needs nine 8-D 12-volt AGM batteries for a total of 108 volts. Lithium-ion batteries are also compatible in comparable volts and amps.

Best Battery: Battery banks from Lithionics are most commonly selected for new builds, and an EP-12 Victron AGM Deep Cycle 12V/220Ah bank is ideal ($5,409).

Battery Compatibility: Elco batteries are completely brand agnostic and connect with any quality battery bank providing the motor’s power demand. However, lithium-ion batteries still provide the most efficiency, along with full power to complete discharge. Even though their upfront investment is often more than double that of AGM batteries, the cost per charge is comparable while also lightening the boat and bringing better performance and range.

Chargers: The ElCon UHF3300 (1x) charger (starting at $825) takes three to four hours to restore battery banks, and the PFC 5000 fast charger reduces the time to two to three hours.

ePropulsion

This company boasts five electric propulsion systems engineered at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and entered the market in 2013. HKUST is also known as the incubator of many electronic products, including the DJI drone. Persistent engineering has brought new innovations to the marketplace.

Range of Power: The smallest offering from ePropulsion is a strap-on stand-up-paddleboard motor. Mainstream power includes two large outboards boasting 1 kW (about 1.35 hp) and 3 kW (about 4 hp) power, two pod drives of the same output, and the most popular portable Spirit 1.0 Plus.

Most Popular Motor: The Spirit 1.0 Plus ($1,999 including charger) is ePropulsion’s top-selling motor, ideal for small vessels, square-stern canoes, tenders and more. It’s a 1 kW motor that the company says offers 3 hp equivalent power with an industry-first direct-drive brushless motor. That’s a quiet arrangement, making the motor lighter and more efficient. It’s got a 75-minute run time at full speed, making 22 miles on a quickly exchangeable, integrated and included floating battery. Take a spare battery ($899) for longer range.

The Navy 3.0, ePropulsion’s latest motor, is 3 kW, or about 4 hp, though ePropulsion claims 6 hp equivalence. It’s available in tiller-steered and remote-control models. Its direct-drive, no-gear-case motor was a breakthrough in electric outboards, using a brushless motor that produced less sound and drag, and increased power and efficiency, offering a more serene experience.

Best Battery: There are three E-Series 48-volt batteries offered: The E40 ($1,200) provides 2,048 Wh, the E80 ($2,000) provides 4,096 Wh, and the E175 ($4,000) offers 8,960 Wh. The data-cable connections in ePropulsion batteries give battery management, enhancing range and speed.

Read Next: ePropulsion Lithium Iron Batteries

Chargers: Chargers available from ePropulsion are 10-, 20- and 30-amp modes ranging from $300 to $620.

Read Next: Learn About Garmin and Lowrance Electric Motors

Minn Kota Motors

Minn Kota has been making electric outboard motors since 1934, and its first model was a gear-driven, transom-mounted motor with a tiller. As time progressed, it improved motors slowly until the tournament bass-fishing craze began in the early 1960s. In that time, the motors have been popular as primary propulsion for dinghies and utility boats used for tenders, or positioning the boat for casting.

Range of Power: Models today range from simple tiller- steered motors to digitally remote-controlled motors complete with autopilot features and smartphone compatibility. The Vantage is the company’s primary propulsion motor.

Most Popular Motor: The Vantage ($1,549.99) is not Minn Kota’s most popular motor, but it’s a top contender in the boat market where electric propulsion is desired or required. The tiller-steered Vantage is ideal for use as a kicker for trolling, or propulsion for a tender or small johnboat. The variable-speed motor is digitally controlled to manage and conserve power for optimum range. Forward, neutral, reverse, and power trim to raise it are easily accessible on the tiller of this 24-volt motor. For some reason, Minn Kota does not list specs such as amps, kilowatts or watt-hours.

Best Battery: Minn Kota doesn’t offer batteries, but the motor is compatible with any battery bank producing 48 volts.

Battery Compatibility: Lead-acid, wet-cell batteries are still the most commonly used for small electric motors, but AGM (absorbed glass mat) batteries are more durable, offer more charge cycles, and are quickly replacing wet-cell batteries. Lithium-ion batteries shave 75 percent of the weight of lead-acid batteries, deliver full power to total discharge, and are actually more economical per charge cycle in spite of a 100 percent premium over AGMs.

Chargers: An MK 345 PC Precision Charger ($449.99) provides three-bank charging at 15 amps per bank.

The post Four Electric Boat Motors Compared appeared first on Boating Mag.

Check out other Electric Whaler 2025 Blog Posts!

There is one thing I’ve learned through dozens of DIY articles, though — there is no substitute for actually doing the project. Hypothetical installation or maintenance articles miss important, often overlooked details.

Going hands-on also provides me a deeper understanding of the nuts and bolts of the project. Sometimes those details are stated within the article, but often it’s background information that informs my writing and photography.

This Boston Whaler offers a perfect boat for projects — small enough to make things simple, on an open boat where everything is readily visible to camera lenses, but also detailed enough to give a true representation of the entire project. And these projects should scale up to a larger boat.

My initial efforts make the gas boat more user friendly — trailer guide tubes with Pipe-Light trailer lighting, plus a new wiring harness on my 10-year-old Load Rite trailer, for instance. To keep the sun and rain at bay, I’ll install a DIY Bimini top kit from Taylor Made Products.

Other projects will highlight some common problem — like how to mount hardware in cored fiberglass construction. I’ll demonstrate, using West System epoxy, how to mount swim ladder brackets in the Boston Whaler’s thin-skinned foam-cored fiberglass gunwale.

A third set of projects will look toward the future of boating. Electric propulsion for planing powerboats will be at high voltage — 96 volts DC or more. With the help from engineers at Mastervolt and Blue Sea Systems, I’ll build a separate 12-volt lithium-powered house electrical system typical of what we’ll likely see when high-voltage DC battery power is used to turn propellers.

That electrical system will include powering a CMC electric trim unit for the Elco electric motor, conversion to low-consumption LED lighting, and even a look at what energy-efficient sound systems might look like when turning up the tunes takes battery power that won’t be replaces by gas-powered alternators.

A Doel-Fin hydrofoil should improve trim and handling. And while it’s admittedly a little overboard for a 13-foot Boston Whaler, I’ll squeeze all the miles I can from batteries by stripping heavy, rough layers of bottom paint and repainting with Pettit Black Widow, then burnishing that paint to an ultra-smooth finish. (This isn’t as ridiculous as it seems — the tri-hull 13 Whaler carries more drag-inducing wetted surface while on plane than similar V-hull or catamaran boats.)

I’ll also do what I can to rejuvenate my 1970 Boston Whaler, starting with a coat of Quantum paint inside and out, partly rolled and tipped and partly sprayed with 3M’s new DIY-friendly Accuspray painting system. The irreplaceable Honduran mahogany interior woodwork will get a combination of high-tech Pettit varnish and an ultra-durable Quantum paints clear coat, to cut down on maintenance. (Philippine mahogany is pretty, but it isn’t traditional mahogany.)

And I’ll even build a temporary work shelter to keep the boat out of the weather during projects.

Capt. Vincent Daniello is a regular contributor to Boating. Capt. Daniello is a United States Coast Guard Licensed Master Upon Any Ocean for Vessels up to 500 Tons. He is an IGFA Certified Fishing Tournament Observer. He is a professional photographer and videographer. You can learn more about Capt. Daniello at bluewateradv.com.

The post Electric Whaler 2025: DIY Projects appeared first on Boating Mag.

Check Out Other Electric Whaler 2025 Blog Posts!

Growing up before the digital era, kids kept magazine articles, advertisements, catalogue pages, or any physical representation we could grab hold of that showed us the things our adolescent hearts craved. For many teenagers in my generation, it was a Pontiac Firebird, or maybe an Apple IIe computer. But my bulletin board always had the latest glossy, well-thumbed brochure for the Boston Whaler 13 Super Sport.

I had friends with Whalers, aboard which came many memories bouncing about in the iconic classic – it had long been a classic by then – but I never had one of my own. I craved my own little piece of the ocean, upon which I would be master. (My parents were primarily sailors, and I always had a sailboat of my own, but c’mon, man, I wanted to drive.)

My twins just turned 5, my son is 7, and we live a stone’s throw from a 3-mile-long lake. It’s time to get them out on that water. Projecting my own childhood aquatic dreams onto them, of course, I picked up a used (probably fourth- or fifth-hand) 1970 13-foot Whaler.

If you’ve never been in one, the 13 Whaler is incredibly stable, literally unsinkable and quite forgiving for kids to drive. A 40-horsepower outboard provides just enough power to get a skinny kid up on skis, with three or four (equally skinny) friends aboard, yet the boat won’t go much above 30 mph. Plus, even a 5-year-old can see over the steering wheel, and for kids, having their own, accessible steering wheel is a big, big deal!

It’s the perfect boat to introduce my kids to boating, and it will eventually become “their” boat to learn the ropes independent from dad.

But I went out on a limb a couple of years ago in the pages of Boating when I suggested that my kids’ first boat will run on batteries, not petroleum. Obviously, I meant the first boat they actually buy for themselves, but last year, when Elco posted on social media their prototype 30 horsepower outboard, it seemed like King Neptune was calling me out. (Yes, Neptune has apparently embraced Facebook.) A few phone calls later, a plan came together to run our Whaler for a summer on gas, and then repower with the Elco motor and 15,000 watts of lithium battery to get a practical feel for the future of planing powerboats.

In short, I want to answer one question – What might the perfect adolescent’s first boat look like when I’m ready to hand the keys over to my kids? In keeping with that theme, I’ll also upgrade the boat to reduce maintenance and minimize electrical power draw, while still retaining the classic Whaler utility and appearance.

RELATED CONTENT: 100 Years of Electric Boat Development

Welcome aboard my vision of the iconic classic Boston Whaler – of 2025. For now, check out the video of the boat topping 20 mph while getting NEARLY 20 MILES RANGE FROM ON-BOARD BATTERIES — VERSUS 22 MILES AT 20 MPH FROM a 3-gallon portable gas tank with the boat’s previous 2001 40 hp Johnson 2-stroke outboard. (And next year, we’re hanging the new prototype Elco EP-50 on the stern!)

UPDATE: February 2018 – A jump in battery technology becomes available this summer – Lithium Nickel Magnesium Cobalt, which is the chemistry automobile manufacturers have settled on for the time being, brings 25 percent more power aboard at the same weight!

Can an electric motor compete with a gas outboard? Here’s a look at the boat’s performance by the end of last fall, including speed and course from my Garmin VIRB’s built-in GPS, as well as kilowatts consumed in real time.

Capt. Vincent Daniello is a regular contributor to Boating. Capt. Daniello is a United States Coast Guard Licensed Master Upon Any Ocean for Vessels up to 500 Tons. He is an IGFA Certified Fishing Tournament Observer. He is a professional photographer and videographer. You can learn more about Capt. Daniello at bluewateradv.com.

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Electric motors and battery capacity will exceed the horsepower and range of gas engines and a tank full of fuel. When that happens, internal combustion engines may vanish as quickly as a stack of $20s at the gas dock. How soon will that happen? Likely before first-graders today are ready to buy their first boat, and possibly before they’re in college.

Says who? We went aboard electric boats and talked to industry insiders for the scoop on electric boating’s future. Come aboard as we explore 100 years of electric boat development.

In the Beginning
“Over a period of 30 years, boats went through five different methods of propulsion: steam, naphtha, electric, gasoline and diesel,” exclaims Joseph Fleming, the head of engineering for Elco, builders of electric boats and propulsion systems. But practical, safe motorboating began at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, where 55 electric launches ferried attendees. The fair was the first-ever large-scale use of electricity. “At the time, electric boats were most practical,” Fleming says.

Consider Wenona, a 32-foot launch built in 1899 by the Electric Launch Co. — now Elco — the company that built those World’s Fair launches. A 5 hp electric motor pushed Wenona at 7 mph for more than 60 miles between charges without smoke, soot, noise or open flame.

What happened to electric-powered boats? Gottlieb Daimler invented the high-speed gasoline engine, which he used in 1886 to propel a 15-foot skiff along at 7 mph — the first gas-powered boat, and Rudolf Diesel ran his first successful prototype engine in 1893. “By the end of World War I, gasoline engines became the preferred propulsion for boats,” Fleming says. At the time, boats could go faster and farther on liquid fuel than they could on batteries.

VIDEO! We ski behind an electric boat!

A century later, the tide may be swinging away from fuel. Elco recently restored a 34-foot 1941 Cruisette. When built, the original 125 hp Chrysler gasoline engine pushed Green Machine to 16 mph, and now the new 70-horsepower-equivalent Elco electric motor’s practical cruising speed is 8 mph — clearly not performance that lands a boat on the cover of Boating. However, some motors on Elco’s drawing board can exceed Green Machine‘s original gas engine’s performance. What’s the holdup? Batteries. Fleming calculates the boat would go 9.4 miles at 16 mph using her bank of 18 24-amp-hour, absorbed glass mat (AGM) batteries.

Power to the People
“We reached the capacity of lead-acid technology 50 years ago,” says Daan Hobbelen, who heads the power storage labs at Mastervolt, makers of marine batteries, chargers, inverters and propulsion systems. “We can make lead-acid better for starting, better for storage, lower maintenance, but there isn’t much we can do to add power density.” Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4), currently the best alternative, more than doubles Green Machine‘s range to 20.4 miles using batteries weighing the same as her existing AGM batteries. “Production improvements should increase energy density another 40 percent, and the cost will come down,” Hobbelen says.

Lithium sulfur (Li-S) is the upcoming battery technology, currently with about double the energy density of LiFePO4. Hobbelen expects cost-effective production within five years, and he anticipates double that capacity — four times today’s best lithium batteries — in 10 years. That would extend Green Machine‘s 16 mph range past 80 miles.

Learn about electric hybrid marine propulsion.

Five hours of cruising time clearly isn’t acceptable, but just as diesel engines became lighter — 50 percent more horsepower per pound just in the past 20 years — electric motors will be lighter too. “We can hit one horsepower per pound,” Fleming says. Green Machine‘s existing Elco motor weighs 10 times that. (Modern diesels average 1.5 pounds per horsepower.) Increased horsepower for the same weight motor allows boats to carry more batteries, extending range, increasing speed or both. Doubling the weight of Green Machine‘s batteries requires just 20 percent more horsepower to maintain performance, so with expected battery technology, in 10 years that should be a 160-mile range aboard a 34-foot boat cruising at 16 mph.

Admittedly, 16 mph won’t cut it for many boaters. How about 120 mph? Cigarette’s 38 Top Gun powered by Mercedes AMG electric propulsion makes 2,220 horsepower. Four behemoth, liquid-cooled lithium-ion batteries provide the boat with 240 kilowatt-hours of storage — the equivalent of a 5 kW generator running for 48 hours. But the boat’s range would be more easily calculated with a stopwatch than a GPS — 7.3 minutes for 14.6 miles at 120 mph.

Even lithium sulfur leaves an electric Top Gun’s range at less than 50 miles — 25 percent of the 200-mile wide-open-throttle range at 85 mph of a gas-powered 38 Top Gun. What closes the gap? “Lithium air promises about 10 times the energy of lithium batteries we have today,” says Christoph Ballin, who co-founded Torqeedo, pioneering maker of electric marine motors. “Once that can be produced economically, electric propulsion will take hold as quickly as digital cameras took over film.”

Lithium-air (Li-air) batteries are already being produced in small numbers, and electric propulsion technology is progressing quickly. “When we started Torqeedo in 2005, there wasn’t a single electric outboard using brushless motors or a single lithium battery being used,” Ballin says. Before that, pontoon boats and restored classic runabouts on “green” lakes in Europe and the United States were propelled by electric trolling motors. “Their overall efficiency is 15 or 20 percent,” he states. “We’re currently at 56 percent overall efficiency,” Ballin says, with most of those losses in the propeller and lower unit. Today’s electric motors use 98 percent of power consumed to turn the shaft, and that efficiency holds over most of their operating rpm range. Even the century-old Wenona applies 80 percent of its battery power to the propeller shaft. Gasoline engines today are around 25 percent efficient before drive and propeller losses, though liquid fuel’s greater power density — the energy it packs into a given volume — still makes up for that over batteries. Electric motors are projected to be much smaller than gas engines too — an outboard of the future won’t be much larger than a lower unit today. Motors contained belowdecks free cockpit space, and pods might contain the motors completely within their lower units, freeing space below.

Cost Benefit Analysis
Even the high price of current lithium batteries may favor electric boats, say the experts. “Calendar life of lithium batteries is 20 years,” Hobbelen says, compared with about five years for AGM. “If you compare life cycles, AGM can expect 500 cycles at 50 percent discharge. Lithium ion exceeds 2,000 cycles at 80 percent discharge. Cost over a battery’s kilowatt-hours during its life is lower on lithium than it is with AGM.”

What about charging time? “From 95 percent state of charge down to about 10 percent, lithium produces a very constant chemical reaction,” Hobbelen says, which means little lost to heat, even under high power demand. Conversely, Hobbelen adds, “You can charge a bank of lithium batteries to 95 percent of full charge in about 20 minutes.” The 440 volts required is readily available on streetside power poles. “The automobile industry is facing similar rapid-charging issues,” Hobbelen says. “It’s likely marinas will use those automotive solutions.” The American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) is already contemplating safety standards for 400-volt DC systems that will drive and charge electric boats.

A Marine Battery Primer

Maintenance might be another nail in the gas-engine coffin. When refurbished three years ago, Wenona‘s original, 116-year-old electric motor needed little work. Elco claims 50,000 hours essentially maintenance-free from its current, three-phase, alternating current motors. Torqeedo claims about the same for its brushless DC system. Of the limiting factor, Ballin says: “The electronics that control the motor will be able to start and stop maybe 50,000 times,” far outlasting most boats. High-voltage, incredibly high-amperage DC systems do require vigilance, though. “Have the system inspected every two years or 200 hours,” Ballin advises.

Switch Hitters
So where does that leave electric powerboats now? Parallel hybrids provide the means to go fast on internal combustion engines while using electric power for slow cruising. Serial hybrids extend electric-motor range using generators to charge batteries. Beneteau’s prototype 34 Swift Trawler, Current Affairs, is actually both. The boat’s standard 425 hp Cummins diesel inboard provides cruising at 20 mph, while an Elco 20 hp equivalent electric motor and 12 220-amp-hour AGM batteries push the boat to 5.7 mph for 19 miles. What’s more interesting is that, using about half the output of the boat’s 7.5 kW generator, Current Affairs runs on electricity continuously, without depleting batteries, at 4.5 mph. Conversely, the diesel engine turning the electric motor provides 7.7 kW of alternating current using an inverter, providing redundant backup to the generator’s electric output.

“Not just being green, but from an economic standpoint, there are a few niches where pure electric propulsion makes sense, and others where hybrid makes sense,” Ballin says. “With improvements in battery technology, more of these niches become practical.” Ballin sees a task of our generation is to expand green mobility. “Without affecting our on-the-water activities, we need to make boating cleaner, make it nicer, make it sustainable,” he says. But dollars — making boat propulsion less expensive — may drive that shift to green power as much as advances in battery technology.

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