ROME — The Tamarack Lake Electric Boat Co. officially began assembly of its 10-passenger, solar-assisted electric pontoon boat known as the Loon.
The company, which moved from Ontario, Canada to Rome a little over a year ago, received about $300,000 in business incentives from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
Tamarack spent the past year working on several prototypes and setting up networks with suppliers before beginning the assembly of the boats now at its headquarters on the Erie Canal. The company occupies 3,000 square feet of space in a former warehouse and hopes to expand to as much as 10,000 square feet.
“Now that we’ve got our production up and running, we look forward to continuing to grow and play a role helping to grow New York’s cleantech economy,” Tamarack President Montgomery Gisborne said in a release.
Tamarack’s Loon has a 50-mile range and a cruising speed of eight miles per hour, typical for this type of boat. The boat’s batteries are charged by a photovoltaic array on the roof of the pontoon vessel.
The company currently employs four people with plans to expand to seven employees by the end of this year and 13 employees by the end of 2013.
Tamarack’s move to Rome is part of a citywide revitalization that has seen more than $10 million in public and private funds invested in more than a dozen projects. Tamarack is located at Rod Mill, which has seen $1.3 million in state funding to convert the old mill into modern industrial space.
Tamarack Boat is also working with New York State Environmental Facilities Corp. and New York State Canals to explore possible partnerships.
The New York State Environmental Facilities Corp. is working with NYSERDA, the Canal Corp., and other state agencies to help Rome restore a polluted brownfield into a productive, eco-friendly environment for business and the public. A $660,000 Green Innovation Program grant will help create parking between Harborway and the Erie Canal, followed by a new boat launch constructed with a $225,000 grant from the Canal Corp.
Contact DeLore at tdelore@tmvbj.com