Sun River

The Sun River was launched in 2009 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, as the Solar Inn. This all electric Mundoo III was built by an experienced Father and Son boat building duo who were interested in the possibilities of electric boating.

After numerous years exploring the Saint John River, parts of the Hudson River, and the Rideau Canal, in 2019 the Solar Inn was transplanted by new owners to Gananoque and the waters of the St. Lawrence River, at which point she was renamed the Sun River. In 2023, we moved the Sun River to a new home on the Rideau Canal, and now consider Seeley’s Bay our home port.

Without a gas or diesel engine, and the sounds or smells that those engines normally produce, the Sun River almost silently plies through the water with her electric motor.

an all electric vessel

While the Mundoo III design had the option of an outboard motor for propulsion, the Sun River, and at least one other in Australia were built as electric only vessels.

The array of solar panels on the roof generates 1.3kW of electricity in full sun – slightly more power than what a typical hair dryer uses. That power feeds two charge controllers and is then stored in three different battery banks for later use. The main bank of batteries is comprised of 8 two-hundred and twenty amp hour 6 volt Lead-Carbon batteries that together supply 48 volts of power to the electric motor, a reserve of about 10kw/h of power.

At full throttle the motor draws about 100 amps of power, or about 4,800 watts – roughly equivalent to a 6.5 horsepower gas engine, and hits a top speed of 11 km/h or about 6 knots. The normal cruising speed is about 7km/h or about 3.5 knots, but at that speed, power consumption is about 20 amps or 960 watts – on a bright day the Sun River can, and does, motor all day long without depleting the batteries.

Design

At only 8 and a half feet across, the 34 foot long Sun River is what some would call a pocket cruiser, although it is also somewhat similar to a British narrow boat. Although long, it is easily trailer-able, especially with a weight of less than 2.2 tons.

Although small, it is equipped to sleep 4 and comes with a kitchen, a compact washroom or wet head, and even includes A/C for those hot evenings where power is available dockside.

Designed as a river cruiser, the Mundoo III isn’t really suited for open lakes and the high seas, but it is wonderfully at home within the Thousand Islands, or along the Rideau Canal. A nacelle below the main hull contains the battery arrays, the electric motor, as well as all the tankage. The nacelle also serves to protect the prop and rudder, and to help the vessel easily track in a straight line. The vessel has a draft of about 26 inches, shallow enough to squeeze into many sheltered spots.

the future

As more and more vehicles are electrified, it is only natural that more electric boats will become available. When the Sun River was built in 2009, there were a very limited number of electric boat builders world wide, but options are multiplying every year. Additionally better battery, motor, and solar panel technologies are making it easier than ever for individuals to convert an existing gas powered boat into a clean running electric vessel.

Vision Marine Technologies of Boisbriand, QC, and Templar Marine of Kelonwa, BC, are both Canadian builders of electric boats, but there are no doubt more. These companies, and others around the world are building the systems that can make boating a clean and sustainable activity.

Imagine the freedom of never needing to gas up your boat again.