Fleet of electric water taxis envisioned for Erie Canal Harbor
It is based on designs from 1901, but the White Electra might just be the future of boating on the Buffalo waterfront.
The 28-foot electric boat is the prototype for a fleet of electric water taxis envisioned for the waterfront, said John Montague, executive director of the Buffalo State Maritime Center.
Montague said the boat’s design — in both looks and power — hearkens back to Buffalo’s first foray with electric boats — at the 1901 Pan- American Exposition.
The boats were all but forgotten, in favor of the gasoline engine.
“Buffalo is kind of the mother of electric power,” he said.
Constructed by Maritime Center volunteers, the battery-run boat will depend exclusively on solar and wind energy once a powering station is built near Erie Canal Harbor, Montague said.
Montague said free rides on the White Electra may be offered once a docking location is secured at the harbor.
Until then, he said, the boat will be used to take out local politicians and potential investors in an attempt to convince them that a fleet of electric water taxis would be an asset for the waterfront.
“Our intent is to make it available for people who have special interest in it,” Montague said. “We’re really trying to open up the discussion on the whole issue.”
Frank White, the boat’s architect and the namesake for the White Electra, took the boat out for its maiden voyage Wednesday at Erie Canal Harbor.
The boat’s first passengers were members of the Maritime Center, the Rotary Club of Buffalo and the Buffalo Yacht Club, which had all helped to fund the more than $30,000 project.
Onboard, the boating enthusiasts marveled at the 12-passenger boat’s electric engine, a noiseless device about the size of a toaster.
“It’s like sailing, right?” Rotary Club member John Wynne said. “You don’t hear anything.”
White said the boat has a top speed of 10 mph and can travel 50 miles before its batteries need to be recharged.
But after solar panels are added to the roof, White Electra will be able to stay out longer, Montague said. “Boats sit out in the sun for hours and hours and hours versus the time they’re being used.”
Wynne said he envisions a water taxi service that would travel from Grand Island to the harbor and help revitalize the waterfront.
“Our waterfront can become vibrant again,“ he said. “I just hope that one day we see a bunch of nice restaurants up and down the water.”
Another positive aspect of water taxis, Montague said, is that they would allow people without access to private boats an inexpensive way to get on the water.
