In September 2007 my mother came out from Pennsylvania for a visit and I surprised her with an electric boat ride for just the two of us around Lake Union. Since then I’ve been amazed by how many people have never heard about The Electric Boat Company, where you can rent these boats by the hour and take off even if you have no boating experience.
The boats seat up to 10 people, and have clear plastic windows that you can unzip on warm days to open up and feel the breeze. On cool days you can zip up the windows and turn on the heater to stay warm, so it’s really an activity you could do at any time of year.
The owners were really friendly, and all in all it was a fun and very different way to see parts of Seattle, with excellent views of Gasworks Parks and Fishermen’s Terminal.
The Electric Boat Company is located at 2046 Westlake Ave North in Seattle, just a bit north of China Harbor restaurant. Rentals are currently $89 per hour with a 2 hour minimum. Their number is 206.223.7476.
