Something Old, Something New
Converting to Elco Electric Drive System
Work is underway at Hall’s Boat Company, Lake George, NY to restore this mid-sized cabin cruiser and replace its mammoth eight-cylinder Chrysler gasoline motor with an Elco EP-10000 (100 HP) Electric Drive. Technical staff from Elco are supporting the crew at Hall’s on the project. The Halls restoration crew has completely removed the interior, motor, fuel tanks, exhaust system and all other mechanical systems associated with the old gas motor to make way for the Elco motor and batteries.
The bilge was cleansed thoroughly of all grease, oil, antifreeze and gas residue and painted with a fresh, new finish – never to be oil-stained again! The vessel is getting all new wiring to ABYC standards while planning for the battery configuration is underway by Elco engineering support.
Once finished, the vessel will have all modern systems operate totally on electric power including lighting, water heater, electronics, pumps, coffee maker and even a heater/air conditioner which will be added in the second phase of the project. The vessel is expected to easily travel the length of Lake George, up and back – 65 miles – with a full load of passengers on a single charge.
Shore power for the charging system will be supplemented by a solar panel array on the cabin top. The solar panels will “top off” the batteries on days between use.
A Spring 2013 launch event is planned. Return to this website for updates on the project.
To learn more about which Elco Drive is correct for your conversion project click here.
