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Electric Propulsion Systems

New Electric Pontoon Boat from Pure Watercraft

GM electric boat, Pure Watercraft, electric outboard

This boat is the first collaboration between General Motors and Pure Watercraft.

At the 2022 (CES) Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week, Pure Watercraft showed a new pontoon boat powered by a pair of Pure Watercraft’s electric outboard motors. The new model will have a top speed of 23 mph, seating for 10 and can be powered by one or two motors and a GM battery pack producing up to 66 kWh.

GM is Not New to the Concept

At the 2019 Miami International Boat Show, BoatTEST editor Eric Colby was one of the few marine journalists to see GM’s then-new, all-electric pontoon boat, a project that it called Forward Marine 1st.  It was a 24’ (7.32 m) pontoon boat with an electric motor out of a Chevrolet Bolt car, a GM battery pack and a Volvo Penta sterndrive.

This year, the Pure Watercraft boat on display in Las Vegas was, perhaps, a descendent of that first prototype GM introduced three years ago. The new model uses either single or twin Pure Watercraft outboard power with GM batteries. Pure Watercraft founder Andy Rebele told BoatTEST, “GM brings expertise in getting power from the battery to the driveshaft and familiarity/data on the pontoon-boat market and customer. We bring expertise in turning driveshaft power into boat performance.”

Pure Watercraft, electric outboard, GM electric boat

Because the Pure Watercraft motors are designed as outboards, their installation is clean and straightforward.

GM invested $150 million to acquire at 25% stake in Pure Watercraft last year. Rebele said that his company is working with GM’s Forward Marine team and is “using learnings from that 2018 prototype, but the design is all-new. Rebele wrote, “GM also produces 30X as many vehicles per year as the whole US boat industry. It brings manufacturing scale and know-how that doesn't exist in boating.

Pure Watercraft pontoon boat, floorplan drawing

The layout is classic pontoon with a premium placed on passenger space.

According to a Forbes article, retail pricing for the new pontoon boat powered by a single Pure WaterCraft outboard will start around $45,000, while twins will drive the price to $60,000. Pre-orders are available at the Pure Watercraft website.