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Elco’s waterway this month are the canals of Amsterdam, one of Netherland’s top tourist attractions. These canals are included on the UNESCO World Heritage list, are monumental to the Dutch mercantile spirit, and a symbol of the Golden Age. There is no better way to experience Amsterdam then by boat! In recent times, the number of boats on these waterways has risen dramatically and has taken away from the calm sanctuary they were once known for. This has lead to disorder between the big canal boats and small privately owned boats that share these waterways. Many locals have been victim to the overwhelming exhaust fumes, traffic and noise caused by the increased boat population.

Why is this our waterway you ask? The Amsterdam city council has planned to permit electric only motorboats on one of the city’s main canals. The council also plans over the next few years to extend the measure to all of the canals of Amsterdam. This measure will not only be beneficial to the environment and houseboat owners but as well as recreating the calm haven it was once known to be.

Elco has been attending the METs trade show in Amsterdam for the past 3 years and will be back in 2013 as well. What a beautiful city and what a perfect application for our Electric Propulsion System.

Elco’s waterway this Month is Richard B. Russell Lake located on the Savannah River bordering Georgia and South Carolina. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers originally constructed this man made lake which now visited by more than 1 million people per year for a variety of activities such as water sports, hunting, hiking, picnicking, camping, disc-golf and fishing. Largemouth bass are so prevalent here that fishing tournaments are held throughout the year.

Russell’s Lake is approximately 26,500 acres in size, 29 miles long, and 540 miles of shoreline. This lake’s campground offers 20 cottages by the water’s edge for a peaceful retreat, as well as a golf course, swimming beach, and 3 picnic shelters.

Why is this our waterway you ask? Aside from being a great place to be with endless activities to do on and off the lake, this waterway is accommodated for non-powered craft and those with electric motors only. Try out and eco-friendly motor on Richard B. Russell Lake, and you won’t be disappointed!

 For more information about Richard B. Russell Lake, visit http://www.gastateparks.org/RichardBRussell

Elco’s waterway this month is Wallowa Lake, in Oregon. Known as “The Crown Jewel of Eastern Oregon”, this small lake contains extremely clean water and is surrounded by the stunning Eagle Cap Mountains. Wallowa Lake is generally calm, making it a great place for electric motorized boating. Why is this our waterway you ask? This lake has no fueling stations and on water self-fueling is not allowed; this encourages electric powered engines and calls for a more enjoyable and relaxing experience out on the water.

Wallowa Lake is about 3.7 miles long and a depth of about 300 feet. Activities on this lake include swimming, waterskiing, fishing, horse back riding, and the tramway ride to the top of Mt. Howard to view the landscape and abundant wilderness. This small lake offers a lot do while holding a friendly atmosphere and should not be overlooked! Try out an eco-friendly Elco motor on Wallowa Lake of Oregon for an relaxing boating experience.

For more information about Wallowa Lake, please visit: http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_27.php

Elco is celebrating 120 of producing marine electric propulsion in 2013, to say thank you, one Elco fan will win an Adirondack Vacation at Hall’s Boat Corporation for a group of 4. The Goal is Elcomotoryachts must hit 1893 Facebook fans in 2013. At the end of the calendar year if we’ve reached our goal we will randomly select a winner. The 6 nights 7 days will be during the 2014 season. Dates will be worked out with the winner and Hall’s Boat Corporation. Thank you very much for supporting Elco Motor Yachts and our cause of producing powerful, reliable and clean marine propulsion.

Let’s reach our goal of 1893 fans and give someone a dream Adirondack Vacation!

giveaway does not offer travel expenses or food expenses – the giveaway is only for your board at the Hall’s Boat Corporation Lodging.

During their summers growing up on Cape Cod, Brad and Mike Pease spent as many hours on the water as they did squabbling at the dock while cleaning and caring for their grandfather’s Amesbury skiff. While the  personalities of Brad “the dreamer” and Mike “the nuts and bolts guy,” have clashed over the years, those early days spent scrubbing the classic lines of the hand-built wooden vessel and then taking time out to enjoy their salt water surroundings sparked a mutual appreciation for the environment that has created an unbreakable bond between them—and nature.

Since 1982 the brothers have successfully owned and operated Pease Boat Works and Marine Railway of Chatham, MA, which specializes in wooden boat building, repair, and a restoration.  “The craftsmanship and engineering that goes into making a quality vessel is so attainable when working with wood,” Mike says. It is also an organic renewable resource, an important point given the brothers’ commitment to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a non-profit environmental action group devoted to clean water, clean energy, and preserving wildlife. 

As part of their sustainability practice, last year the Pease brothers retrofit the entire boatyard with solar panels to harvest energy. More recently, they extracted the gas engine and fuel tank in a client’s 18 foot Salcombe open launch, called Questing Beast, replacing it with an Elco EP-600 electric motor that “functions beautifully with a battery bank,” Mike says. Now, when Questing Beast pulls up to the dock and the client plugs in to recharge the battery, the boat is getting electricity supplied by solar panels mounted on the roof of the boat house. 

“There is no carbon footprint with this boat. It is totally off the grid,” Mike says proudly. “The fact that we can do this is because of what Elco has done. They provided us with an electrical motor package that is virtually plug and play.”

The zero footprint system they built is a huge triumph for these hardworking brothers who are trying to keep Cape Cod’s water as clean as it was when they were kids.

Learn more about Mike and Brad Pease at: http://www.peaseboatworks.com/

Elco’s latest Waterway is Lake Tahoe. One of America’s most famous lakes, Tahoe has several credits to its name. It is the largest alpine lake in North America, the second deepest lake in the US (behind Oregon’s Crater Lake), and the 26^th largest lake in the world by volume, at 122,000,000 acre feet, or 150 km³. Of course, with great size comes the possibility for great pollution. The lake is a major tourist attraction, and has been steadily built up over the past 50 years. The water clarity has been decreasing steadily, and the lowest ever Sacchi level (the depth at which visibility becomes impossible from the surface) was recorded in 2010. 

Fortunately, Tahoe has its champions. Several, in fact. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency now regulates construction along the shoreline, and has won two Federal Supreme Court cases to keep construction to a minimum. The League to Save Lake Tahoe (also known as Keep Tahoe Blue) has been an environmental watchdog for over 50 years, encouraging responsible use of the lake’s resources and denouncing unsound property planning around the lake’s shores. Scientifically, the Lake Tahoe Interagency Monitoring Program has been measuring the water in tributary streams in an effort to limit the fluctuation of nutrients in the lake. 

Not just a ski resort or a vacation destination, Lake Tahoe is an important natural resource. Keeping it as clean and natural as possible is extremely important, and using an Elco electric motor is certainly one way to help. 

Here at Elco, we have the privilege of serving some of the most interesting boaters in the industry. Along with boatbuilder Bryan Gittins,  Seattle’s John Jorgensen is also a world-renowned mariner, with more than a half-century of experience on the water. 

Jorgensen was born into a fishing family in his native Norway. Both his father and grandfather were commercial fishermen, and John started working on his father’s coastal dragger when he was only eight years old. After moving to the United States, Jorgensen stayed true to his fishing roots and worked some of the most dangerous fishing grounds in the world: the Bering Sea in Alaska. “I spent a good part of my life chasing crab around,” says the 70-year-old Jorgensen. “I have many memories of being at sea. Many friends and relatives lost their lives in my career.” Like any lifetime mariner, Jorgensen knows that while the sea may in turn provide and punish, it must always be respected. 

With his vast experience, Jorgensen has gained the respect of the crab fishing community in Alaska. However, his influence stretches all the way into mainstream American popular culture. In 1978, Jorgensen bought a 156-foot oil barge from the US Navy. He outfitted it to be a crab fishing boat, renamed it Wizard, and spent the next 25 years fishing off the coast of Alaska. In 2005, Jorgensen sold the Wizard to Keith Colburn, who can still be seen captaining the vessel today on the hit Discovery Channel show Deadliest Catch. 

Even as a retiree, Jorgensen lives his life on the water. His boat, pictured above, is a beautiful 27-foot Norwegian double-ender. It was built in 1977 from Norwegian white pine, and is one of the last wooden boats to have been built in Norway. The boat’s name, Kronkenen, means “hiding place” in Jorgenesen’s native tongue. “We use the boat in Puget Sound, Lake Union, and Lake Washington,” says Jorgensen, “sometimes for fishing and sometimes just cruising. I’ve had enough of storms and 80-foot seas. I like calm water and sunshine now.” 

Krokenen is outfitted with an Elco EP-2000 motor, which Jorgensen has augmented with a 3.8 kW generator as backup. “I used the backup generator once,” he says, “on the way to the Port Townsend boat show, about 40 miles away.” Having seen marine technologies come and go during his lifetime on the water, Jorgensen believes the Elco EP motor is here to stay: “Every boater is aware of the need for keeping our waters pristine for us and future generations. The Elco motor is very clean and silent, and I think it’s the future of boating.”

Photo credit: http://www.free-hdwallpapers.com/wallpapers/nature/10780.jpg

Elco’s newest Waterway is a two-for-one deal: Jenny and Jackson Lakes
in Wyoming. Both lakes are located in the historic Grand Teton
National Park in northwestern Wyoming. More than 100 miles separates
Grand Teton from any major urban or industrial area, and recent
samples have confirmed that the water in both Jenny and Jackson Lakes
is pristine. Even better, both Jenny and Jackson Lakes allow motorized
boats. As one of the industry leaders in eco-friendly boat propulsion,
Elco motors are a perfect way to cruise these beautiful waterways
without fear of polluting them.

For more information on both of these lakes, visit
http://www.nps.gov/grte/index.htm