T-Pain Is On A Boat: Re: [Electric Boats] Re: Electric boating association in the US?

I run an electric 'motor boat'. (Which is currently grounded - I've
managed to kill my motor controller).

However my situation is unusual. 99% of the boats around me are
planning hulls with their users 'speeding to and fro'. None of these are
suitable for electric.
My own boat is a 5m displacement hull. The boat's maximum speed is
about 9km/hr, no matter HOW much hp is applied. (No way my hull shape
would plane - it would need hydrofoil wings to lift out of the water!)

It's original 2 stroke petrol engine would probably have run for
several days straight on one tank of fuel. I get 4 and half hours at top
speed out of my (Lead Acid) battery bank. Thats a significant reduction
in range.
But that battery capacity is more than enough for a day out on the
local river systems which is how I use the boat. At the end of the day
it's hauled out back onto it's trailer, driven home and parked in my
driveway where it gets connected to mains power to recharge. I've never
come near exhausting the batteries yet.

The 2 stroke engine was noisy and smelly. It also was a touchy beast
to get going. (But once warmed up never missed a beat). And until
earlier this week my electric has been 100% for 3 seasons. Which is more
than I can say for the old 2 stroke stink-pot, which needed constant
coddling.

And even with my controller failed, I got back to shore under my own
power. (The value of a DC motor over a PMAC :-)

While many people admire my boats classic lines, I suspect most people
couldn't 'cope' with a boat that only runs at 9km/hr. While it's
perfectly suitable for day river cruising, most people can't get the
'need for speed' out of their systems.

I'd also never take the boat 'outside' as my father used to do going
fishing. To much risk with the E-drive. However my father had a classic
failure one one of his fishing trips on the 2 stroke - crashing through
a wave jogged the magneto out of place. In the early morning dark he
didn't see this - and he rowed the dammed thing all the way back in and
up river to our home. (About 10km all up!)

And yesterday while walking along a beach I saw a large boat with
'Rescue' along the side come up along side 6-7m 'speed boat' and throw
them a line and tow them off across the bay.