| BRP, the parent company of Evinrude, has repurposed their facility in Racine County, WI where they previously made Evinrude Outboards to making a new style of 'pontoon' boats called "Switch". The hull is made up of a proprietary composite, the power comes from the same style of motor and jet propulsion used on their large personal watercraft. Instead of a steering wheel it has handlebar controls with all controls right there at your fingertips, making docking and other maneuvering easier. I was surprised to see that the largest Switch with a 10 person capacity can hit 44mph. So far demand has outpaced their production capacity.
Got me to thinking, in part because my boat is in the shop getting a new lower unit after hitting a floating log, might they use the same technology for a fishing boat? No prop, so less chance of damage, can operate in shallow water. Lighter weight than traditional boats. Probably not a good choice for big water, but for a lot of northern WI, might be a good option. No indication they are thinking of doing something like that, but, why not? |
