Editorial
Front Page - Friday, June 26, 2009
Duffy Electric Boats offers casual alternative to local boaters
David Laprad
Ray Slatton steps onto his 22-foot boat, docked at Pine Harbor Marina, turns the key and puts it in reverse. He backs up almost to the dock behind him, pivots 90 degrees to his right and slowly accelerates forward. Moments later, he’s cruising along a stretch of water between the Tennessee River and Soddy Lake, a mid-morning breeze and the canopy above his head keeping him cool. Jazz music complements the sunshine nicely.
But what about the prelaunch preparation? Doesn’t Slatton know about checking his oil and warming up his engine? A longtime boating enthusiast, Slatton certainly knows what he’s doing. But he’s not at the controls of a traditional gas powered vessel; rather, he’s operating a more environmentally friendly craft from Duffy Electric Boat Company.
“Anyone can become an instant captain. That’s the beauty of them,” says Slatton, the official Duffy dealer for Tennessee, North Georgia and North Alabama, when asked how much boating experience a person should have to operate one.
It’s easy to see how. The boat is clipping along at about five miles per hour, and if pushed, would go about one more. And it’s not kicking up a wake or making much noise. While speed junkies might get restless, those aren’t the boaters who typically buy a Duffy.
“People in their 20s and 30s want to ski and bounce around real fast. When you get older, you start thinking about taking quiet rides and looking at wildlife,” he says, adjusting his position on his cushioned seat.
Being held to a lower speed doesn’t mean you’ll have less fun. The Cuddy Slatton is operating, along with many of the other boats Duffy manufactures, can be customized to include a refrigerator, a microwave, a “head” (toilet) and other amenities, making them perfect for a picnic or cocktail cruise with friends.
Slatton was a Duffy owner before he was a dealer. He purchased one of the company’s boats after his wife grew weary of handling the lines on their sailboat and fell in love with the vessel. Slatton had just sold his full-time business and was looking for something to do, so his wife suggested he contact Duffy and ask about selling the company’s boats. He opened for business in October 2008, and earlier this year introduced Duffy’s product line to visitors at the 2009 Chattanooga and Huntsville Boat Shows.
With gas prices on the rise and an increasing number of landlocked lakes outlawing gas-powered vessels because of their tendency to pollute small bodies of water, people were sold on the benefits. They also liked their ease of use.
“When you’re at the dock, you just keep it plugged into a standard 110 AC circuit. It’ll run about nine hours on a full charge,” says Slatton. Operators don’t have to worry about running out of power and being stranded on the water, either, as a digital display next to the steering wheel shows how much longer the boat will run at the current speed.
The simplicity of operating a Duffy also means novices don’t have to worry about keeping up when Slatton gets technical. Earlier, as he pointed at the motor of an 18-foot vessel stored at his place of business on Dayton Pike in Soddy-Daisy, he explained how the boat is able to stop and do a 180-degree turn, saying, “This one has a 48 volt vertically mounted DC motor.
The propeller is on the rudder, which allows the boat to spin on its own axis.”
Although the engineering is impressive, Slatton says Duffy’s electric boats require “very little maintenance,” especially compared to gas-powered vessels.
Duffy appeared on the boating scene in the ‘70s, when founder Marshall Duffield put an electric motor on a sailboat and starting tinkering around. He was a teenager at the time; today, Duffy is the oldest electric boat company in operation. Manufactured in the desert in Adelonto, Calif., the company’s vessels are just now beginning to migrate east, courtesy of dealers like Slatton.
Progress is slow, though, due to the down economy. Slatton has been showing boats to interested parties but has yet to make a sale. With 14-foot models starting at around $20,000 and several bigger vessels going up from there, Duffy vessels are certainly a luxury item, making them a hard sell when money is hard to come by.
“I’m not discouraged. I believe we’ll start selling boats when the economy turns around,” Slatton says.
In the meantime, Slatton encourages everyone from the casually curious to those seriously considering buying a Duffy to call him at 423-451-7657 or visit him online at www.buyaduffy.com. Most Duffy electric boats are custom ordered, so this is a good time to start thinking about what you might want down the line.
|
|