This might not seem like a “major” upgrade, but we assure you, it makes a HUGE difference and to our knowledge, we are the only charter in the San Juan Islands to provide guests with a high-end electric dinghy motor! It might be hard to understand why you should be just as excited about this amazing upgrade, so let me try go explain…
One of the potentially frustrating parts of cruising (especially for inexperienced guests) is getting back and forth between shore and the boat at anchor. Sure – you could row, but; a) With more than one person in the boat, it’s really awkward, b) Most inflatable dinghies don’t track very well while rowing, leaving you spinning in circles, and, c) tidal currents and winds can make it difficult to reach your destination. As a result, most cruisers use the trusty outboard engine to get to shore. 99% of the time, these engines are gas powered 4-cycle combustion motors. They are noisy, heavy, stinky, and grumpy – requiring a fair bit of tinkering (and understanding) just to get moving.
Typical Dinghy Engines (Yuck!)
– top off the fuel
– open the fuel valve on side of engine
– open the fuel vent on top of engine
– adjusting the choke to start
– pulling the starter cord HARD to start (1-10 times without flooding the engine)
– adjust the choke with some sort of magic instinct to avoid killing the engine again
– turn the throttle, but not too much
– If you’re lucky, you are under way and can’t hear yourself think over the noise
– Before hitting the beach, you’ll need to kill the engine, close the fuel vent, close the fuel valve, raise the engine and secure at the *perfect* angle to avoid spillage
OUR BRAND NEW ELECTRIC MOTOR!!!
– Press the “on” button.
– Turn the throttle. Period.
(The motor is nearly silent and there’s even a handy gauge linked to a GPS to tell you how much time and range you have left!)
Gone are the days of guests being stuck on shore, unable to start problematic gas engines! This is a MAJOR upgrade for crew and guests and we are looking forward to enjoying this convenience this summer! This means that our guests will be much more free to roam ashore on their own while we stay back with the boat to prepare meals and plan for the next adventure!
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