General Motors launches its electric pontoon boat

Called the Pure Watercraft Pontoon Boat – it was launched to market under GM’s latest acquisition – it looks more conventional than the Forward Marine First launched at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in 2019.

That boat, developed by GM’s Detroit-based EV skunkworks charged with looking at how the carmaker could expand its all-electric technology into new markets, used a series of underfloor battery packs adapted from the Chevrolet Volt petrol-electric hatchback.

The Forward Marine First was a 24-foot tri-hull pontoon boat using an electric motor from a Chevrolet Bolt micro hatchback, a 60kWh battery pack and a sterndrive leg from marine engine specialist Volvo Penta.

Not surprisingly, the 25-foot twin-hulled Pure Watercraft Pontoon Boat doesn’t take the story that much further forward, although it now has a 66kWh battery pack and you can control the pontoon boat’s throttle just by making a Bluetooth connection on your smartphone.

Pure Watercraft is using a Tesla-style approach to selling the boat, with potential owners needing to just pay a $US100 ($A139) deposit to reserve a build spot. Once the build starts, owners will have to pay between $US45,000 to $US65,000 depending on the options selected.

That price is for a pontoon boat featuring a single 50hp-equivalent outboard motor and a 66kWh battery, although owners needing more performance can step up to a twin-motor model. Top speeds range from around 12 knots for the single-motor version up to 20 knots for the dual-motor boat.

Pure Watercraft appears to have dropped the Volvo Penta Duoprop lower drive unit developed for the Forward Marine First in favour of a single 16-inch prop.

Topping up the batteries from a half charge will take about five hours using a 240-volt recharger, while a DC fast charger will top the battery up to 80 per cent in about an hour. By comparison, the Forward Marine version took more than nine hours off a 240-volt outlet.

The Pure Watercraft Pontoon Boat’s layout includes lots of lounging space for up to 10 people, as well as easy water access fore and aft. Two companionways on the port side provide easy shore access.

Pure Watercraft is also offering its electric drivetrain on a Highfield RIB priced from $24,000 for a skeleton console version and $US29,000 for a centre console version, a version of the motor made for bass boats, and even an extended-range coaching launch used to shadow rowers on the water as they train.

No announcement was made on when the Pure Watercraft Pontoon Boat would start production, although the first deliveries are due late this year. Pure Watercraft said it had to use the deposit system due to “unprecedented demand” for it in the wake of the boat’s reveal at CES.