The Loon (2005), the world’s first commercially available solar-powered recreational boat, developed Monte Gisborne, is finally going mainstream. With two new partners, the Tamarack Lake Electric Boat Co. is building a redesigned Loon and a larger houseboat in a new manufacturing facility near Kirkfield Ontario. The first 6.7 metre (22 ft.) Loon should be ready by summer. The company is also looking at tourism and ferry boat markets in several countries.In 2005, the Gisbornes took a solar-powered family boating vacation on the Trent Severn Waterway “without burning a single drop of oil.” Travelling 40 kilometres each day, they used 50 cents worth of electricity, easily supplied by the sun. (A similar trip by cruiser could cost hundreds of dollars.) In 2006, the Loon made a similar cruise on the Rideau Waterway. The Loon’s six solar panels produce 720 watts of power, 800 watts with a supercharger and carries eight, six-volt batteries. The batteries are charged from the sun or by “plug-ins”.Gisborne’s first electric car, the ElectriFly, has competed at the American Tour de Sol five times, winning once. (theStar.com | Tamarack Lake Electric Boat Co.) [ boatinginCanada.com | boating in Canada News & Archives ]

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