Good point, Myles. For me, I just wanted to upgrade my regular boat flag (doesn't everyone have one? ha!) and figured it had to have something to do with electric. The crossed lightening bolt and trident seemed appropriate, like the crossed daggers on a Jolly Roger flag. That part of the design is adaptable to whatever your other personal logo might be, so that's why I offer it to anyone who wants it.
As for bringing attention to the boat, I don't have any intention of putting any emblems or graphics on the hull and I only fly the flag for special occasions, if only because I don't want it to get worn out too quickly. I agree, it's better for people to figure it out, and for a good reputation to speak for itself. But I think we should develop some kind of tasteful/ non-in your face/ not too dweeb-ish kind of spirit, if only because it would be fun, right?
-Greg
--- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, "Myles Twete" <matwete@...> wrote:
>
> Eric offered: "I would rather be subtle, I'm not one for shouting about my
> project."
>
>
>
> Same here Eric.
>
> While I have always been gung-ho in converting my boat, writing about it,
> celebrating electric, etc., at its moorage or in the water, I've never
> wanted to bring too much attention to it being electric. Some reasons to
> opt for being a bit discreet with your conversion:
>
> . Security concerns---you've invested thousands of dollars into your
> conversion and you may have valuable components right there, easy to steal.
> If your moorage is uber-safe, if your E-components are not easily accessible
> or if you have a trailerable boat, then you don't have much to worry about.
> For the rest of us, you have tradeoffs to think about.
>
> . Safety concerns---Making it too obvious to your local marina that
> you have an electric boat that you've built yourself might make them a
> little nervous that while charging in the middle of the night it might cause
> their marina to go up in flames or cause ground loop problems or worse. And
> the concern may not start with the marina owner, but some concerned tenant.
> Lower their concerns by being discreet, careful and establish a safety track
> record.
>
> . Crossing the line from leading by example to being a
> self-righteous, in-your-face dweeb---appropriate for a racer, but for
> ordinary vehicles?
>
>
>
> For me, I opted to make the boat a functional EV on the water and a
> curiosity but without being flamboyant, vain or in your face.
>
> Sure, I'd consider flying an appropriate burgee (e.g. when I take out my
> steamboat, I like flying the NW Steam Society burgee), but I don't think I'd
> put a giant lightning bolt on the side of the boat unless it were embedded
> in a NW Native American creature motif.
>
> I didn't start off with this view---after converting my outboard to
> electric, I wanted to repaint it and make some bold "hey it's electric"
> statement. I had similar thoughts about the hull. But then I thought about
> how I'd feel if I came out and found the motor or batteries were stolen.
> Then as I spent more and more time out on the boat on the river as an
> electric, I found it so much more enjoyable to have people figure it out
> that the boat must be electric rather than my telling them with some
> boisterous, loud symbol of any sort. The smart ones get it---the others?
> It doesn't really matter to me I guess. Trolling for salmon next to other
> boaters that cock their heads, then say "wow, that must be electric" is much
> more fun than if I made it painfully obvious, openly gloated or overly
> EV-promoted it in any way.
>
>
>
> So I'm with Eric on this one.but I can see why others might want to shout it
> out loud---go for it!
>
>
>
> -Myles Twete, Portland, Or.
>
> www.evalbum.com/492
>
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