Electric Boat Categories


This site is dedicated to electric boats, electric launches, electric slipper launches, electrically powered boats, electric motors, electric trolling motors, solar power, battery power, boating, electric boating, electric boat kits, electric boat plans, wooden boat plans, boat building plans and boat kits.
What is the most practical way to categorise electric boat designs that can be amateur-built?

These craft fall naturally into 3 groups, which in turn makes it easier to sort out just which motors, battery voltages and controllers are suitable for each group


Small & Car-toppable

Boat dimensions 12 - 16 feet
Unladen weight 60 - 130 lbs
Load 250 - 600 lbs
Battery weight 60 - 120 lbs
Motor type: Trolling motor - outboard/submersible
Motor horsepower 1/2 - 1 hp
Speed 1 - 3 mph
Range 3 - 4 hours, depending on speed and current/wind

Essentially this type of craft is the one- and two-man powered canoe. Small enough to be carried to the water's edge, but large and strong enough to support a trolling motor, one 12 volt battery and the picnic hamper.

Type S - Kayak Type S - Open Kayak


Medium & Trailerable
Boat dimensions16 - 25 feet
Unladen weight400 - 1000 lbs
Load700 - 1500 lbs
Battery weight120 - 240 lbs
Motor type:Permanent magnet - inboard
Motor horsepower1 - 3 hp
Speedup to 6 mph
Range6 - 8 hours, depending on speed and current/wind

This is the two- to four-person launch. Heavy enough to need its own trailer (and a suitable launching site), but something in which you could comfortably take your family, or some friends, for a day's excursion.

Type M - Open launch Type M - Open launch


Large & Moored
Boat dimensions25 - 35 feet
Unladen weight2000 - 3000 lbs
Load1400 - 2400 lbs
Battery weight240 - 480 lbs
Motor type:Series wound - inboard
Motor horsepower5 - 10 hp
Speedup to 7 mph
Range50 - 100 miles, depending on speed and current/wind

This size of boat is going to carry 6 to 12 passengers in some comfort. More importantly, the batteries can be used as the boat's ballast and there is less penalty in having a 48 volt motor and sufficient energy reserve to travel a good distance.

Type L - Covered launch Type L - Open launch


All these manufacturers have web sites where you can further investigate the design types:
Black River Boats
Glen-L Marine
Cobalt Marine
Duffy Electric Boat Co.
Beckmann Boatshop Ltd

     

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Created: August 2001.
Updated: