About Us
About us
Meet the Bortons!
Our mission is to create useful, fun, and practical solar boats that simply work
Captain David is a lifelong boater and has been pioneering solar energy since the 1970s. In the early 2000s he started tinkering with solar boats. Early experiments worked well so he kept building them bigger and better. Prototypes led to proof of concept expeditions which led to Solaris, the first 100% solar Coast Guard inspected passenger vessel. She has been giving tours on the Hudson River since 2018 and has never plugged into anything but the sun.
Captain Alex taught sailing on keelboats and tall ships and has cruised on small engineless sailboats in North and South America. His love for cruising inspired the first solar powered journey through the Inside Passage to Alaska in 2021. While that trip was immensely successful, he realized the need for a proper solar electric cruiser. Thus the Townsend 34 was born.
Harriet, our Chief Financial Officer, ensures our dreams are anchored in reality.
Our name is inspired by a song written about the Erie Canal, a body of water that is close to David’s heart. The original Erie Canal opened in 1825. Mules were used to pull barges along the waterway. Sal the mule moved lumber, coal, and hay all the way from Albany to Buffalo. Click link –>
Messing About In Boats
Teal – 2005
A 1960s Grumman canoe with a fresh coat of paint and a trolling motor. In service for over 10 years.
Sirius Sun – 2008
Two aluminum rowboats with transoms riveted together. Note the section of the original Erie Canal in the background.
Borton-Built Prototypes
Sol – 2012
25′ Sol still serves a family camp in the Adirondacks every summer. Original system works great and the only maintenance needed is paint.
Solar Sal – 2015
40′ Solar Sal was built in a bus garage at a local school district. She made a historic trip out the Erie Canal in 2015. Both boats built by David and volunteers using cold-molded cedar strips.
Going Professional
In 2018 the Bortons met their goal of building the first USCG-certified solar electric passenger vessel. The Solaris, built in collaboration with the Hudson River Maritime Museum has been in service for nearly a decade. As tour boats these long elegant vessels cruise quietly and easily to the delight of passengers.
Solar-Powered Boats on Historic Waters
In this video David Borton talks about how he was inspired to harness the power of the sun and apply it to powering boats that were otherwise noisy and dirty to run. His inspiration was the Hudson River and Erie Canal. Read what the Press is saying about the Borton’s Solar Sal Boats.
Explore our 100% Solar Electric Boats
Quiet, clean, and customizable. Work or play, these Solar Boats will quietly blow your mind.
