Tamarack Lake Electric Boat Company recently began manufacturing The Loon and is taking orders for spring. The Loon isn’t your ordinary twin-hulled party boat, however: it’s topped by a custom-built, 738-watt solar-panel canopy. And if it’s overcast? You can plug the boat into a standard electrical outlet to recharge the batteries.
The Loon is 20 feet long and 8 feet wide, and features a 3 HP engine and a top speed of 7 knots. Providing seating for 8 people, The Loon is made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic. Monte Gisborne, the brains behind the boat, intends to sell the boats for less than $25,000. For the skeptical, Gisborne and his family recently took the prototype on a six day trip across Canada’s Trent-Severn; about 1/3 of the energy requirements were filled by the sun, while the other 2/3 were filled by electrical outlets. Gisborne intends the boat for inland waterways and lakes, so you’re not going to be doing any liveaboard diving in the Pacific from a Loon. Yet.
[Thanks Creaza!]
