Elco Motor Yachts & Rock Proof Boats
Rock Proof Boats, known for tough-skinned fishing and rescue boats, partnered with electric outboard pioneer Elco to bring planing speeds to electric-powered skiffs. Their aim is to replicate boating experiences typical of fossil fuel while also incorporating electric propulsion’s benefits.
To that end, the electric ePro 1760R gets two anglers atop fish quickly at 25.1 mph without compromising fishability. Propulsion batteries are hidden just aft of the 18-gallon life well beneath the stern casting platform. The factory-rigged trolling motor’s batteries, as well as optional added propulsion batteries, fall within a cavernous storage area beneath the bow casting platform. Factory options include Power Poles, jack plate, locking or open rod and tackle storage, and a custom aluminum trailer — all the accouterments of gas-powered bass boats.
While electric outboards aren’t silent, recorded sound at full throttle, just 81 dB, is about half as loud as 90 dB typical from a gas outboard at a similar speed, and one-quarter as loud as 100 dB some ICE outboards hit. (Decibels are logarithmic, not linear.) Elco’s motor proved stunningly quiet and vibrationless when creeping up to fishing holes, particularly with Livorsi controls facilitating engine speeds slower than 100 rpm.
Maintenance bills should similarly diminish. Elco’s outboard has just four moving parts and almost no scheduled maintenance. There is also nothing to winterize, save for charging batteries, and no ethanol-related fuel issues.
Of course, we also skipped the gas pump. Elco’s 3.3 kW charger plugs into a roadside EV charging station with a standard SAEJ 1772 automotive charging connector, and then we monitored via smartphone from our restaurant table as the power went back into batteries. The charger also utilizes common 120-volt or 240-volt residential or marina electrical receptacles, and an optional second charger doubles the charging speed.
Elco DASH – Wireless Battery & Motor Monitoring System
Bluetooth integrates Elco’s DASH iOS or Android app to display boat speed, motor rpm, and watts drawn, as well as battery level as a percentage of remaining runtime and miles. Our test boat featured an iPad Mini snapped into place on the dash, as well as an Apple Watch paired to the motor.
The ePro 1760 is quick by electric-powered standards, but our test boat’s 20 kWh batteries, installed to maximize speed for electric-only bass tournaments in small lakes, is best suited to short runs, netting 13.5 miles at 25.1 mph with two anglers aboard. Lightening the boat by one 200-pound passenger increased that to 14.2 miles at 26.6 mph. Assuming optional 30 kWh batteries, which add 169 pounds, with an impact speed of a similar 1.5 mph, two anglers should travel more than 19 miles at 23.6 mph with those larger batteries, which is well beyond many inland and inshore boater’s needs. The boat also accommodates 40 kWh batteries. (do you want to speculate on range w/ 40kWh?)
Keeping speed below 5 mph except for those short bursts provides a full day of fishing, including hours of trolling. For many, that’s enough. On larger lakes or longer runs that still favor gas, Rock Proof offers this boat capable of 35 mph with a 115 hp jet outboard for $48,000. A Rotax 300 hp jet inboard tops 50 mph for $53,000.
While this boat intends to replicate a gas-powered fishing experience, it also goes where no combustion engine can — venturing onto electric-only lakes, rivers, and reservoirs where low fishing pressure and pristine water quality make big bass bountiful.
