Email to the Editor


Huletts resident, Chris Hudson, writes about a welded aluminum electric powered boat he is constructing.

Hi George,

For those who enjoyed the article on the self-built ‘Whitehall’ -there are some good sources for plans and self-build ‘kits’. One of the best known is Glen-L Marine.

They have perfected the ‘stitch-n-glue’ method of frameless construction – making it quite a bit easier to build something yourself. They even have a ‘Whitehall’

I personally have a desire to make something electric. My ‘dream’ would be something like the old ELCO – modern versions are still made, but they cost a fortune.

My ‘thoughts’ are to make something of welded aluminum – maybe next year. (Though I’ve had this same ‘thought’ and ‘the next year’ maybe 3 years now..:>)

Meantime, I’m trying to develop an inexpensive electric system to propel it – using inexpensive trolling motors. Here is a picture of my latest ‘beast’ which is currently ‘dry docked’ on my lawn because of the dredging. This was an earlier version with a single motor version.

The boat is terrible efficiency-wise – like pushing a brick thru the water. But with something like the Whitehall, you can expect ‘efficient cruising’ -in knots – at about 1.34 x (square root of waterline length) – or for a 16′ boat – 5+ knots – or 6 mph. Fine for a leisurely evening cruise.

Keep up the good work!

Best Regards,
Chris Hudson