Spending time on various boats this week & when you look at runabouts, ski/wakeboard boats, bass boats, pontoon boats, midsize sailboats, Jetski’s, and cruisers under maybe 45’-50’ that run generators, I don’t see how these types of watercraft can ever go fully electric. Too much added weight with limited range compared to fuel.
Take a wakeboard boat where you have 8 people on board with ballast tanks full of water while wake-surfing plowing thru the water is not running efficiently similar to the article above of an electric truck pulling an RV. Electric is just not a practical application for these types of smaller boats.
Technology may work it’s way into Large yachts as there is more area under the deck plus weight may not be as much of a concern compared to smaller boats but are there going to be rapid charging stations at docks all over the world? Don’t think so.
So you leave Miami sailing to the Bahamas are there going to be rapid charging stations on all the islands in the Caribbean? Probably not.
Too many variables to consider and in a marine environment I would not want to risk my families safety on the hopes of finding a marina with a rapid charging station when your almost out of juice.
With the smaller boats it’s just not possible due to added weight, inability to recharge fast, cost, access to numerous marinas with charging stations along with not having the same performance compared to gas/diesel applications I don’t believe it will work.
Think you'll still be allowed to own a watercraft for pleasure?