Last Updated: 08.Jul.2014

Who says it ain’t easy being green? The sculling camp at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center has made a big step towards being more environmentally friendly with a relatively simple change to their fleet of coaching launches. This spring, Craftsbury replaced two gasoline-powered outboard motors with electric outboard motors manufactured by Torqueedo. Not only do these new electric engines provide a multitude of benefits to rowers, coaches and the environment, but they are also proving to be more cost-effective to operate than the old gasoline engines.

One enormous benefit of the electric-powered launch is the drastic reduction in noise produced while in operation. Throughout the summer months, rowers of varying experience travel to the Craftsbury Outdoor Center to receive expert coaching from the staff at their sculling camps. In the past, coaches had to shout over the noisy gasoline motors in order to instruct campers while they learned to row, but with the Torqueedo-powered launch, coaches can speak at a conversational volume and campers can more clearly hear their instruction.

Another beneficiary of the extreme reduction in noise is the wildlife that inhabits the lake and the surrounding environment. These plants and animals are not subjected to the fumes and loud noise with the new electric launches as they were with gas launches. Other lake users who enjoy kayaking, canoeing, fishing, and paddle-boarding are also more able to enjoy their activities with less intrusion from noisy, gas-powered engines.  

These benefits of the electric launches have come without compromising the performace of the launches for coaching purposes. While the top speed of the electric launches is less than that of the gas-powered variety, the new electrified launches are more than able to keep up with campers in their single sculls, and they are also able to follow alongside Craftsbury’s resident elite training group, the Green Racing Project, in training sessions. Even this group of Olympians and Olympic hopefuls isn’t able to row away from the electric launches. The electric-powered coaching launches can keep pace with the group’s fastest boat, a men’s quadruple scull which recently qualified to race with the US National Team at the upcoming World Rowing Championships.

Even the cost of operating the new motors is less than that of the gasoline engines. One gas-powered launch uses approximately $1.00 in fuel during each session on the water while one electric launch costs just $0.10 to operate each session. With the camp in Craftsbury running up to three sessions each day with multiple coaching launches on the water for these outings, this difference adds up quickly. In addition to the camp, the Green Racing Project and other community rowing programs account for another two to three sessions on the lake per day, further compounding the savings from the new electric setup.

All in all, the implementation of the new electric outboard engines has been a great success providing benefits to all parties involved. Currently, two out of the four coaching launches at the camp are outfitted with the new Torqueedo outboard engines, and the Outdoor Center plans on replacing the remaining gasoline engines in the near future. Craftsbury also has plans to further diminish its impact on the lake by developing a coaching hull that produces fewer wakes than the existing launches create. Be on the lookout for the new design, but don’t expect to hear it coming with its stealthy electric motor!