California’s Monterey Bay’s stunning blue waters owe, in part, its legendary abundance of seabirds and marine mammals to adjacent Elkhorn Slough — the first estuarine sanctuary established in the United States. When Wendy Kitchell decided to start Monterey Bay Eco Tours, a charter tour business highlighting this critical natural resource, she wanted it to have minimal impact on Elkhorn Slough’s wildlife and fragile ecosystem. To power her 32-passenger power catamaran, El Cat, she naturally opted for clean, quiet Elco electric outboard propulsion.
Elco’s outboards are friendly to more than just the Slough’s wildlife, too. “Having an electric vessel is what sets us apart from other tour operators,” said Kitchell. “Passengers constantly remark on how quiet and vibration-free the trip is, especially when we idle and observe wildlife. Plus, we don’t have to constantly position the boat to keep exhaust fumes downwind from our guests.”
Wendy’s brother Joe Kitchell built El Cat using vacuum-infused fiberglass and carbon fiber for the hulls and 100% carbon fiber for the deck. The 11.3m L x 4.5m W David Walworth-designed, wheelchair-accessible vessel is not only incredibly strong, but exceptionally light, and its highly efficient hull is easily propelled to its cruising speed by twin Elco EP-20 outboards. Powered by Rolls 6V batteries wired in series to produce 48V, the motors create a combined 354kg of thrust.