·

Plugboats: Electric Roundup – Part 2 – Vancouver Boat Show

PETA WATTs

Mar 27, 2025

By Jeff Butler

With the Boat Show Season wrapping up, it’s a good time to look at some of the electric boat and motor options that were on display in various locations and what that might hold for the future.

I was able to visit four shows: Toronto and Vancouver, as well as one in the US (Miami) and Europe (Düsseldorf, the world’s largest boat show.)

Last issue we took a look at what was on display in Toronto

The Vancouver International Boats Show starts up almost immediately after the Toronto Show winds down, and while there wasn’t the same breadth of electric options on display at BC Place and Granville Island, what was there was very impressive.

50HP Engine

ACEL is a Vancouver-based electric outboard manufacturer who had their 50 hp (35 kW) model on show in Vancouver. Another electric exhibitor was one of their customers, PetaWatts of Vernon, BC. The company repowers RVs and boats with electric motors, and was a Finalist in this year’s Gustave Trouvé International Electric Boat Awards with its mahogany hulled Aqualiner and ACEL outboard.

On the ever-expanding RIB front, Titan Boats on Vancouver Island showed a 32-foot model with a Mercury electric outboard. Currently the highest powered electric Merc is the 100e (11 kW / 16 hp), which is not going to move a 32 foot boat. The Titan was showing a prototype of the company’s HVe (High Voltage electric), which does not yet have a lunch date. It does, however, show that one of the world’s largest outboard manufacturers definitely has their sights set on the future of electric propulsion.

The Toronto and Vancouver Shows are traditionally the places where people start to shop around and maybe buy the watercraft they want to have for the next summer.

I know that a couple of the companyies had good sales at the Toronto show, and the Tohatsu Gala package was actually purchased by a friend of mine. He has been thinking about electric for a couple of years and decided to give it a try.

If I had to predict anything, I would say that the boat shows are the leading indicators of what is to come. As more electric products come on the market and into the dealerships, more people will be exposed to them and start thinking about ‘going electric.’

For many, I suspect the deciding point will be when someone on their lake or at their marina has already done it and they can see what it is like in real life.  The months and years ahead will let us know!

Jeff Butler is based in Toronto and is the Editor/Publisher of plugboats.com, the international website covering everything electric boats and boating. He is also President of the Electric Boat Association of Canada. 

Related Articles

Video Gallery

Starcraft SV 16 OB

By Craig Ritchie

Photos by Starcraft Marine

Building great boats has always come down to a mix of art and science, and that’s particularly true when it comes to meeting the biggest challenge of all—creating an appealing yet affordable family runabout. Buyers want a boat that is affordable but not stripped to the bare bones.

Enter Starcraft and its delightful SV 16 OB, an all-new-for-2025 family deck boat that elegantly balances comfort, amenities and affordability.

Read More

Destinations

The Erie Canal – An Extraordinary Waterway

By Mark Stevens

Photos by Sharon Matthews-Stevens

As I shift our chartered canal boat into neutral, I’m soothed by the soundtrack of bird calls, the occasional plaintive horn of a distant train and the hum of our engine.

I reach for the VHF to radio the lockmaster in charge of Erie Canal’s Lock 32 dead ahead. Our boat spins gently in the current like a maple key in a mud puddle.

“This is Onondaga,” I say. “Headed westbound and requesting passage.”

Read More

Lifestyle