The E-Houseboat is being designed and built to be the first all-electric propelled and powered houseboat commercially available within the US.
The design team at East Coast Houseboats has been actively working on a completely unique way of building houseboats, and the E-Houseboat will be the first to benefit from this method. 
Starting with a fiberglass pontoon platform, the hulls are designed to minimize weight and provide less resistance as it travels down the waterway. The cabin is built completely with lightweight composite materials but without sacrificing the level of year-round comfort that is common to our standard boat designs
East Coast Houseboats has been fortunate enough to partner with marine industry leaders such as Yanmar Mastry and Glendenning Marine to provide the propulsion and control engineering.
The design includes the necessary infrastructure to not only propel the boats, but re-charge it’s battery bank as she plies the Erie Canal in part due to the large rooftop array of lightweight solar panels.
Capitalizing on the latest lithium-Ion battery technology, controls, and propulsion from industry leaders, and including features such as 12v led lighting throughout, 12v refrigeration, 12v HVAC. All of which include products chosen for their ability to be integrated into the overall design and build of the boat.
At 30’ LOA, with a beam of 12’ the E-Houseboat will comfortably accommodate a family or 4 as a cruising houseboat or can be configured as the perfect day boat anchored in a cove.
Looking to design your own version, we can build these boats from 22’ to 30’ and in beams from 10’ to 15’9”. The engineering can be configured to focus less on daily cruising and more on daily living, as an example these boats could be completely off the grid cabins located in remote locations.
Outdoor spaces include a front deck, as well as a large roof deck space perfect for great views and sunsets.
E-One the first boat of its kind is scheduled to launch on the waters of the Erie Canal System in New York during the 2024 Navigation season. The boat during its sea trials will be available for lock tours, boat shows and on the water events throughout the year. E-One will then be available for bareboat charters on the Erie Canal.
If you like parades, fireworks, concerts, food, car shows and small-town charm then you want to be in Lyons NY from July 13th – July 15th. 2018. Lyons celebrates its heritage as the Peppermint Capital of the world. In 1841 E.G. Hotchiss located his essential oils business to Lyons where he processed the locally grown peppermint plants into oils and other related products.
Lyons is the county seat of Wayne County, the village is full of historical buildings and architecture, six village properties are listed on the NYS and National Register of Historic Places. It is also a “Main Street USA” designated village.
Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor just released a study which shows that an estimated 1.5 billion dollars is generated annually by events such as boat tours, bicycle and paddle-sport rentals and historic site and museum tours along the Erie, Champlain, Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca Canals. Events and tours drew more than 3.3 million visitors in 2017
Erie Canalway commissioned this study in part to determine the impacts of tourism throughout the Canal Corridor. The analysis was conducted by Level 7 Market Research and supported by a grant from Market New York through I Love NY.
Over the last 10 years, the number of events along the Canal system has increased dramatically to include concerts, art festivals, cycling and paddling events as well as celebrations of local foods and beverages and events that focus on history and heritage. The NYS Canal Corporation website calendar listed more than 470 events.
The Erie Canal from Waterford to Brewerton is scheduled to open on May 15th. weather permitting with the entire canal system scheduled to open on May 18th.
In 2018 events include the 20th. Anniversary of Cycle The Erie Canal Bike Tour organized by Parks & Trails New York and the cross-canal journey of the Corning Museum of Glass GlassBarge, traveling with the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum’s Canal Schooner Lois McClure
For the full Canal Event Analysis and Visitor Research Study, click here.
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor spans 524 miles across the full expanse of upstate New York, encompassing the Erie, Cayuga-Seneca, Oswego, and Champlain canals and their historic alignments, as well as more than 230 canal communities. Read the entire report
The Village is pleased to announce completion of a new kayak launch in Community Park. This launch provides easy access for kayaking in the Seneca River. This portion of the river provides great flat water kayaking with the opportunity to view many species of wildlife including heron, water fowl, bald eagles, muskrats and more. Parking is readily available and there are restrooms directly adjacent to the launch site. This launch will be open until mid-November (depending on weather conditions). We encourage all local kayakers to come and try it out
Dates & Hours of Operation during the 2018 Navigation Season on the Erie Canal
The New York State Canal Corporation announced once again that the navigation season on the Erie Canal will be shortened to a schedule similar to the 2017 season.
Boaters are advised that, conditions permitting, the Eastern Erie Canal (locks E-2 Waterford through E-23 Brewerton will be opened on Tuesday May 15th. at 10:00
The balance of the New York State Canal System, including the Champlain Canal, Western Erie Canal, Oswego Canal and the Cayuga/Seneca Canal will be opened on Friday May 18th. at 7:00 a.m. conditions permitting.
The entire Erie Canal System will close for the season on Wed October 10th. at 5 p.m.
The standard hours of operation for the 2018 season are 7 a.m. to 5 pm. with the following locks and lift bridges having extended hours until 10 p.m. from May 18th. to Sept. 12th.
Lock C-1, Halfmoon
Lock E-7, Niskayuna
Lock E-23, Brewerton
Lock O-1, Phoenix
Lock O-2, Fulton
Lock O-3, Fulton
Lock E-24, Baldwinsville
Main Street Lift Bridge, Fairport
Lock E-32, Pittsford
Lock E-33, Henrietta
Spencerport Lift Bridge
Adams Basin Lift Bridge
Park Avenue Lift Bridge, Brockport
Main Street Lift Bridge, Brockport
Holley Lift Bridge
Hulberton Lift Bridge
Ingersoll Street Lift Bridge, Albion
Main Street Lift Bridge, Albion
Eagle Harbor Lift Bridge
Knowlesville Lift Bridge
Medina Lift Bridge
Middleport Lift Bridge
Gasport Lift Bridge
Exchange Street Lift Bridge, Lockport
Lock E-34/35, Lockport
Lock CS-1, Cayuga
Lock CS-2/3, Seneca Falls
Lock CS-4, Waterloo
In addition to the structures listed above, Locks E-2 through E-6 and Guard Gate #2 in the Waterford Flight will operate on demand from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. from Thursday through Monday from May 18th to September 12th. During the same period, the hours of operation for the Waterford Flight will be 7:00 am to 6:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Due to roving operations, some delays may be experienced during certain periods in the Waterford Flight.
Vessels are required to arrive at a lock at least 15 minutes prior to closing to ensure being locked through, and at a lift bridge at least 5 minutes prior to ensure an opening.
If there is any positive information out of the Canal Corporations continued reduction in the length of the navigational season it’s the fact that they have once again suspended the fees associated with recreational boating.
We welcome your comments on this years schedule. All comments will be forwarded to the Canal Corporation.
As the second longest of the aqueducts that were used to transport boats over rivers on the enlarged Erie Canal, The Seneca River Aqueduct also known as the Richmond Aqueduct named after the engineer who designed and directed the construction Van R. Richmond.
The construction of the more than 840’ long structure was started in January of 1849 and was completed and put into use during the spring of 1857. Thirty piers and two abutments of Limestone supported a timber trough carried canal water over the river. Thirty-one stone arches supported the towpath. All but seven of the arches were removed in 1917 to allow for the current day path of the Canal.
The Erie Canal, the eighth wonder of the world is currently celebrating the bi-centennial of its creation. It is one of the greatest tourist destinations in the world and it might be the most underutilized recreational resource within New York State. Organizations such as Canal NY actively work to promote the system as well as the businesses within the Erie Canal Corridor.
Erie Canal Floating homes is a program designed to
1)Promote increased use of the Canal
2)Enhance economic impact throughout the communities within the Erie Canal Corridor.
It’s all about the water right, and getting out on the water is the number one way to experience the canal.
People utilize the canal in three ways.
Boaters travel the Canal on their own boats, they visit communities along the Canal, on vacations and long weekends,
They spend time on their boats at their home port marinas, or they use their boats as day boats for being out on the lakes, for activities such as fishing, tubing, raft ups at swim areas, or visiting dock & dines
People looking to visit the Canal can take advantage of day trips provided by tour operators, or even rent a boat for a week or more and chart their own course on the Canal.
The biggest challenge to boating the canal is time, the time necessary to experience the Canal.
The idea of encouraging the use of floating homes along the Canal system to allow for more tourists to travel to and experience the Canal is exciting.
There are basically two different types of docking opportunities available to transient boaters, the first are from the communities along the Canal System that offer boaters the opportunities to spend the night, visit the community and avail themselves of the resources within these communities. The second docking opportunity comes from the marinas that are in close proximity to the communities, this dynamic sometimes puts these two entities in direct competition with each other and in some communities has forced the elimination of the amenities normally available to the boater
“House Boat” from Destination Yachts
What if these marinas had the ability to fill their slips, maybe even utilize areas of these facilities that have proved difficult in the past, such as those areas that have access issues or low water depth.
What about marinas located in areas where transient boaters typically have passed them by? What about areas of the Canal that have been totally ignored by companies investing in similar businesses. Are there portions of the Canal that the State would like to see economic impact improvements within? Are there locations which once housed marinas that could be re-opened. These marinas could be much simpler to construct. They wouldn’t need fueling infrastructure, they wouldn’t even need to be constructed with travel lifts, the floating homes could be easily lifted out of the water after the season by the use of a crane hired for a day to lift out all the boats and place them on shore, same process could be done in the spring. Boats could be built with lift points built in place to simplify the process.
These boats could also be placed in areas that have been identified as flood plains and other areas where construction has proved to be challenging!
Sanitation for these boats could be built using a site wide pump out system connected to either a municipal sewer system or onsite treatment plant. The technology even exists to install a system that incinerates all liquid and solid waste and the results are a small amount of sterile ash that can be removed once a week or so for those areas that are truly remote.
Aqua-Lodges available from Catamarine Cruisers
These boats could be purchased by individuals for docking in existing marinas or waterfront campgrounds, or by the marinas themselves to be placed in rental fleets
The Canal systems could easily accommodate 100 boats or more throughout the 524 miles of waterway. Each of these boats could generate thousands of dollars annually to a marina from docking and storage revenues. Organizations which wanted to own and operate rental units could be placed in systems such as Airbnb or VRBO. Boats placed in marinas could generate additional revenue such as pontoon or fishing boat rentals, or create opportunities for marinas to update their facilities like adding a workout room or maybe even a pool.
Another version of a floating community is located in Clinton Ohio at a marina just off of Lake Erie, these floating homes are set up a little different and allow each owner the ability to park a boat adjacent to their floating homes as part of their monthly slip fees.
Lakeside Marina in Port Clinton OhioRanch from Eco Sea Cottages
Floating Homes originated on the west coast in cities like Seattle, and a company call eco-sea cottages has created a product that can be delivered to any city or town in the country and will even locate a slip for your boat should you wish to purchase from them. They too offer outboard engine and steering packages which would allow you to move a boat in limited situations. For more info visit their web site www.eco-seacottages.com
A massive cleanup project on Onondaga Lake is about to come to an conclusion. Honeywell’s final work of restoring the shoreline is slated to conclude this month. The company completed dredging 2.2 million cubic yards of lake bottom in 2014 and capping 475 acres of the bottom this year. Honeywell project manager John McAuliffe told the Syracuse Post-Standard that the lake cleanup project will conclude after a dozen trees are planted. The company will also build trails, piers and wildlife habitats as part of a separate federal settlement.
The lake was declared a Superfund site back in 1994. It was a dumping ground for decades by companies, including Allied-Signal which later merged with Honeywell.
Onondaga Lakes boasts the newly built Lakeview Amphitheatre as well as Onondaga Park Marina. Daily cruises on the lake are available through Mid-Lakes Navigations the Emitta II which leaves from their dock in Baldwinsville.
Onondaga Lake connects the inner harbor of Syracuse with the Erie Canal and the world.
Despite a shortened season and less than excellent weather, a 14% increase in the boat count, 135 in 2016, 156 this year, was noted. Many of our visitors had docked here before, often several times. The presence of the Lois McClure during its state wide tour and the Sam Patch during Pirates Weekend boosted the season’s people count to 527, a remarkable number.
Also noted was the use of the marina for fishing, dog walking and simply enjoying the view. It also appears to be a stop for tour busses. Taking into consideration that the marina is open dawn to dusk every day and that Harbor Hosts are there a maximum of 6 hours a day, these are impressive numbers.
There are two crucial components that make this service continue: the support of local merchants and organizations and the Harbor Hosts, who represent Palmyra for our visitors. Participating this season were the following merchants:
Akropolis Family Restaurant
Brick House Antique Center/ Rug Center
Custom 31 Tee Shirts
Dog Eared Book
Gallery of Styles
Happiness Garden Chinese Restaurant
Hill Cumorah & Other Historic Sites
Lock 29 Grill & Tap Room
Mackenzie’s
Mark’s Pizzeria
Nima’s Italian Restaurant
Palmyra Canal Shop
Pop’s Hots
Towpath Antique Center
Village Bookmarket
Support was provided by:
Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission and Foundation
Book of Mormon Historic Publication Site
Museums of Historic Palmyra
New York State Canal Corporation
Village of Palmyra
Wayne County Office of Tourism
Without the Harbor Hosts themselves there would be no program. They make it happen.
Michael Braell Josie Naeye
Bob Daly Patti Rising
Vicky Daly John Robbins
Barbara Furgeson Mary Ann Stager
Carole Hack Deb Trombino
Sparky Hall Pat Wilson
Marsha Herbst
This year we were pleased to have the assistance of twelve LDS couples who were in Palmyra as volunteers at the Mormon Temple. While in Palmyra they are expected to donate time and energy to local worthwhile efforts. We were pleased to be perceived as such. This season was a learning experience but it went well and their time and enthusiasm were appreciated. They would be welcome again in 2018 as would additional local volunteers.
Seneca Falls was the place to be on Saturday Oct. 7th. for their first annual Locktoberfest. A little rainy weather in the morning didn’t keep visitors away from the Canal Harbor for a day of food, crafts and music.
Great BBQ was on the menu from 3 different vendors, Craft beers and local wines were served, pumpkin decorating, four great musical acts which played throughout the day. When the sun went down the party didn’t end when barrels were loaded with wood and lit on fire along the canal wall.
Photo by Randy Madsen
40 boats had cruised into the harbor starting on Wed and the boaters were there to celebrate the end of the boating season.
All had an enjoyable day and with the first Locktoberfest being such a great success, it was announced that the event will be back and hopefully that means a multi-day celebration.
