We repair vintage electric boats, rebuild Ray outboards and Duffy systems, and convert suitable boats to electric propulsion from 5 hp to 20 hp. We work on the motor, controller, throttle, battery, charging system, and wiring.
Marine electrical service
Older electric boats often contain several generations of wiring, controllers, chargers, and controls. We identify what is installed, test the system under load, and determine which parts can be repaired.
For a repower, we match the motor, controller, battery, wiring, charger, and propeller to the boat and its intended use.
What we work on
Component repair and complete propulsion upgrades for vintage electric boats and boats being converted to electric power.
01
Troubleshooting and repair for Duffy boats, Ray systems, and other vintage electric boats. Work can include wiring, contactors, throttles, chargers, controllers, motors, and intermittent faults.
Diagnosis and repair
02
Rebuilding worn mechanical and electrical throttle assemblies to restore smooth, predictable forward and reverse control.
Throttle service
03
We diagnose and rebuild Ray electric outboards, including motors, contactors, controllers, wiring, connectors, and throttle circuits.
Outboard repair
04
Testing, repair, replacement, and controller integration for BLDC, permanent magnet DC, SepEx, and shunt motor systems.
Motor systems
05
Custom solar panel mounts, charge controllers, and dock-independent charging systems designed around the boat and its battery bank.
Off-grid charging
06
We convert suitable boats to electric propulsion and replace obsolete electric drives. Options include battery systems, ePropulsion and Torqeedo outboards, and custom inboard systems.
Conversion and propulsion
Featured project
This project combined a custom stainless solar structure, roof-mounted panels, charge management, and onboard wiring sized for the boat's battery system and operating schedule.
Motor and controller systems
We match the controller to the motor winding, battery voltage, throttle, direction hardware, and current needed to turn the propeller.
Brushless DC motors with electronic commutation, phase wiring, and position or speed feedback matched to the controller.
Brushed PM DC motors with armature current control, direction switching, brush inspection, and thermal checks.
Separately excited motors with armature and field current programmed for the required torque and speed range.
Shunt-wound DC systems tested for armature, field, contactor, and controller operation under marine load.
Series-wound DC motors with armature and field in one current path, matched to the controller and external forward/reverse contactor.
Controller programming
Golf cart controllers are often adapted to older electric boats because the motor types and battery voltages overlap, and many Curtis, Alltrax, and Kelly units can be programmed. A cart accelerates and stops; a boat may hold its throttle against a propeller load for hours. The helm also needs dependable neutral and reverse control.
We check the motor winding, voltage, continuous current rating, throttle signal, and direction method. Then we fit the wiring, fuse, contactor or solid-state reverse control, and cooling to the boat before testing under sustained load on the water.
Helm throttle signals
A helm lever may send resistance or voltage. We measure its neutral and full-travel signals, then configure the controller and direction hardware to match.
A 5k-0-5k ohm sweep across lever travel, with separate forward/reverse switches for an external F/R contactor. We verify the neutral reading and each end of travel before programming.
Two-wire resistive and three-wire potentiometer throttles use rising or falling resistance for speed. Direction may use a separate switch and contactor.
Three-wire potentiometer and Hall-effect throttles send a voltage signal. Some Hall throttles use a narrower range, such as 1-4V, so the endpoints and fault limits must match the sensor.
About 2.5V is neutral, with a programmed deadband. Voltage on either side requests forward or reverse when the controller supports electronic direction control.
Other controller-dependent inputs include 0-1k ohm resistance, inductive ITS, and digital or CAN throttles.
Custom fabrication
When an original part is unavailable or an installation needs a specific fit, we can measure, design, prototype, print, wire, and test a solution in the shop.
Electronics and interfaces
See battery capacity remaining in Ah, current draw, solar input, and estimated runtime at a glance. We build and modify low-voltage control electronics and interfaces for existing boat systems, with custom display concepts built around the information you need at the helm.
Project details
These project photos show a Ray motor before refurbishment of its controller, contactor, and wiring; new controller wiring; and solar charge equipment.
Service area
Our service area includes nearby electric-only lakes, larger recreational lakes, and the Hudson River.
Operating base
The shop is at 722 Jersey Ave in Greenwood Lake. We work on boats within about an hour of the shop, including Tuxedo Lake, Highland Lakes, Upper Greenwood Lake, the Harriman lakes, Lake Hopatcong, Lake Mohawk, and the Hudson River from Peekskill to Newburgh.
Electric-powered boats are the rule at Tuxedo Park and Highland Lakes. Harriman and Sterling Forest prohibit gas engines and require park permits. Check current lake, registration, permit, and launch rules before boating.
Tuxedo Park, New York
Pierre Lorillard IV began developing Tuxedo Park in 1885 as a private hunting and fishing reserve in the Ramapo Mountains. Bruce Price designed its original clubhouse, built in 1886. The men's dinner jacket known as the tuxedo later took its name from the community.
Tuxedo Lake is the largest of the village's three lakes and serves as its reservoir. That close relationship between boating and water quality makes careful electric propulsion work especially relevant here.
Historical source: Wikipedia
New York and New Jersey
Greenwood Lake is about seven miles long, covers 1,920 acres, and crosses the New York-New Jersey border. The Munsee called it Quampium. Dams first expanded it for ironworks water power and, in 1837, to supply the Morris Canal.
The railway reached the lake in the 1870s, and steamboats carried passengers from trains to lakeside resorts. One was the two-deck side-wheeler Montclair, built in 1876. Hudson River School painter Jasper Francis Cropsey began painting Greenwood Lake in 1843 and returned to it for decades.
Historical source: WikipediaService process
We start with the boat, its history, symptoms, voltage, and the way you want to use it.
You get a clear repair or upgrade path based on compatibility, serviceability, and value.
Components are repaired or installed with careful wiring, mounting, and system integration.
Controls, charging, and propulsion are checked together before the project is considered complete.
Project information
Build a short project brief with the boat, voltage, motor, controller, symptoms, and the result you need.
Boat make and year, system voltage, motor or controller model, symptoms, location, and a few clear photos.
.jpg){kind=link}