El Cat is a second boat out of the same hull molds for Squid. She is 100% electric propulsion. The client, who is also the builder of both El Cat and Squid, is using the boat to take tours of Elkhorn Slough, very near the yard where both boats were constructed. The region is a nature preserve so the non-polluting aspect of the electric propulsion is an ideal fit.
The client in this case chose Elco EP-20 electric outboards. The waterway has a speed limit of 5 knots so the smaller outboards, compared to Squid's Torqeedo inboard system, are suitable. With the short individual trips the battery choice is a bank of AGM style Firefly 4 volt batteries wired in series to obtain 48 volts to match the Elco EP-20 requirements.
The efficient hull form is an excellent fit for electric, hybrid or conventional internal combustion. It is exciting to have two alternative energy projects one after another.