This Should Scare all the Bass Fishermen Just in Time for Halloween....

Want to scare a bunch of bass fisherman, which are famous for employing race around the lake from one end to the other fishing tactics? Tell them the Democrats are planning to make them switch to electric outboards. Yesterday I was in Conroe, Texas boat dealership (why I was there will be another blog post one day) and I saw a Torqeedo electric outboard. Torqeedo looks like a German company and I must say if you check the link to the website they are very interesting motors.    

These come in all sizes from small 1hp to 25hp, larger motors equal to 80hp gas and drives that would power tour boats like you might see on a Chicago River Architectural tour or an Austin Bat Cruise. They also have sail drives that push a 120' sail yacht charging the batteries by solar or a generator that charges from the motors prop spin while under wind power. 

Of course there will be some critics for the use of lithium batteries and such as more environmentally invasive than fossil fuels because of the messy job of mining but I think it's a wait and see game. We are not at peak electric outboard technology yet. As far as efficiency it looks like with the Deep Blue 50 RXL similar to an 80 hp gas you can run 0.8 of an hour or about 16-20 miles. I think I filled up my 60HP Evinrude on my pontoon boat in late June, hosted at least one ski trip, did not count the fishing trips and I bought about 10 gallons of gas in late September. That's pretty efficient but I don't really go far or fast and you lose that with the big gas motors. 

Looks like a 25HP electric might set you back $10,000. About six years ago I paid $7000 for a new 60HP. I have discovered I don't have to go as fast as I used too. I think this was the first summer in 40 years that I did not tube on Lake Sam Rayburn. I think I could have done it but it just seemed more fun to watch the grandkids do it.         

I see lots of changes happening in the world that indicate we are moving to a greener place. When regulations change and there are profits to be made capital money will move that way also. This is a foreign company and I think sometimes in the USA we tend to frame our beliefs to match a political or social picture instead of taking a global view. 

I think back in 2005 when we bought our pontoon boat (it's the second one we have had so It's still the "new boat") we traded in the old and drove out lake ready for $15,000.     

I looked at this boat yesterday priced at $404,000. Two 350 HP motors and a 150 gallon gas tank this price offers deep discounts. I think if I shake $400,000 at them they will take it. 

I am not sure exactly where I would go with a combined 700HP and 150 gallons of gas. I have certainty been out in the Gulf of Mexico, out of sight of land with a much smaller boat than this. I know nosing into the wind with big waves on our local lake can be tricky with a pontoon but I am not familiar with the hull performance of a tri toon.  

I'd like an electric outboard.  I think it would do just fine for my purposes. You do know that the older you will get you do slow down a bit and besides the Democrats haven't taken your guns yet so they won't make you do this. You will have to make up your own mind.