Moored in the Union Steamship Marina for just a month, a boat called the E-Tolly manned by its owners Bill Haley and Stan Taliadouros spent last Saturday in Mannion Bay helping divers drag garbage out of the water. With engines powered by golf cart batteries, the salvaged derelict boat (purchased in Pitt Meadows for $2,500) has been parked in the Union Steamship Marina for the past month.
“It’s great to do something to become integrated with the community,” says Haley. “But also, we want this boat to be something that raises environmental awareness and shows people what’s possible, so it’s good to put it to work in this way.”
Haley says he’s a novice boater, but was determined to convert the boat to an electric engine after seeing a similarly powered-engine on a friend’s sailboat.
He says that filling up with fully powered engines, the boat can run for 8 hours at 5 knots, and it costs him $3.66 to fill up.
“The nice thing about an eletric boat, as opposed to an electric car, is that all the marinas already have places where you can plug in and charge up.”
Haley adds that he loves touring, slowly, in waters around Bowen on weekends.
“For me it’s not about being fast,” says Haley. “I call it a martini day hopper, or a Winnebago of the sea.”
