Plan the session: how to plan a trip with an electric boat

Say you want a weekend on the water. A lake crossing on Saturday, lunch at a harbour on the far side, back on Sunday. With a petrol boat you would fill the tank and go.

With an electric boat you can still go. You just plan the session first, the way a surfer checks the forecast before driving to the coast.

It takes ten minutes, and it is the difference between a relaxed trip and a slow crawl home on the last few percent.

Step one: know your range at your speed

The most important number is your range at the speed you will actually use. Not the brochure figure, which is usually at a slow cruise.

Range falls sharply with speed. The RS Pulse 63 is rated for 140 nautical miles at 5 knots but 35 nautical miles at 20 knots (RS Electric Boats). Pick your speed first, then read the range at that speed.

Our guide to electric boat range shows how to estimate it for your own boat.

Step two: map the chargers, like reading the line-up

Before you leave, know where you can plug in along the route and at the far end.

Some routes are already built around charging. On the Telemark Canal in Norway there is a network of 21 kW fast chargers along the canal and in Kragerø Rørvik, and any marina with a standard 16 A point can also be used (Canal Boats Telemark). On an Alsace canal section, Voies Navigables de France installed 10 rapid chargers over about 100 km, roughly one to one and a half hours of cruising apart, for Nicols' electric rental boats (Boat Industry).

Elsewhere, call ahead. Ask the harbour whether they have shore power, what plug, and whether you can stay plugged in overnight. Our guides to how to charge an electric boat and fast charging for boats in Europe cover plugs and power.

Step three: check the wind, onshore days cost range

Wind and waves add resistance, and a headwind on the way home can cut range hard.

Canal Boats Telemark publishes these range estimates for its electric charter boats, which show how quickly range falls as speed rises (Canal Boats Telemark):

Small speed changes make a big difference. Check the forecast, plan the harder leg for when the wind is lighter, and slow down if the battery is falling faster than expected.

Step four: check the rules, every local break has its own

A route can cross several sets of rules. Check:

• Speed limits. The Telemark Canal limits speed to 5 knots, as do most coastal areas near land there (Canal Boats Telemark).
• Power caps. Some lakes cap electric motors at 500 W or a few kilowatts.
• Permits and seasons. Some waters need a permit or close for part of the year.

Start with the rules by country and electric-only waters.

Step five: keep a reserve, never ride the last wave home

Plan each leg so you arrive with charge to spare. We plan with a margin of around a fifth of the battery, and more on open water, in cold weather or with no charger at the far end.

A simple check for each leg: distance to the next charger, divided by your planned speed, gives hours. Compare that with the hours your battery gives at that speed, minus the reserve. If it does not fit, slow down, add a charging stop or shorten the leg.

A multi-day trip: canal holidays show how

Electric canal holidays prove that longer trips work when the route is planned around charging. Nicols says its electric boats give 6 to 8 hours of cruising on a charge, recharge in about 2 hours at the dock, and that the average day's cruise is 4 to 5 hours (Boat Industry).

The same rhythm works on your own boat: cruise in the morning, charge over lunch, cruise in the afternoon, plug in for the night.

Our verdict: ten minutes of planning, a whole day of stoke

So, is trip planning with an electric boat a hassle? Only the first time. After that it becomes habit: speed, chargers, wind, rules, reserve.

Do those five checks and an electric boat will take you further than most people expect. Skip them, and the last mile home can feel very long. Browse rental boats built for this kind of trip in canal and houseboats.