Have you ever driven an electric boat?

Jun 4, 2024

It’s been a rare and special time that I have had a chance to drive an electric boat but I have driven two so far and as you are reading this edition of Boating Industry Canada News Week Digest, I will be in Charleston South Carolina with Brunswick driving their new Veer boats powered by Mercury Avator electric motors. I’m excited to learn more about them and to share my experience with our readers.

My first all-electric boat was the X-Shore Eelex 8000, a Swedish 26-foot utility with single motor shaft drive. It was powerful, smooth and quiet. My second electric experience was the Canadian-built Taiga Orca personal watercraft, and again, it was powerful, smooth and quiet. What will my experience be with the Avator? I’m expecting great things but I’m also expecting that compared to a 4-stroke gas Mercury, it will be more expensive for comparable performance. But will that matter?

For a small boat with what we call a “portable” size motor and removable battery pack, I’m expecting a far higher price than for a comparable ICE engine but for the convenience of re-charging at the cottage rather than having to get to a marina or to drive to town, buyers may not be deterred by the price at all. In fact, I’m thinking that as a boat for the kids, the Veer and Avator combination may seem safer and more approachable.  

But that’s not the only electric craft Brunswick is serving up. There is an opportunity for me to try my hand at foiling on a Fliteboard. If you haven’t seen these in action, search YouTube for videos. These are simply amazing. It’s a “hoverboard” for the lake. I’m excited at the opportunity but I’ve been working hard over the last week or two, to prepare for humiliation. This may be far above my current skill level!

If things go really badly, let’s just forget that I mentioned it!

Andy Adams – Editor