'Much smaller footprint': This vessel is Halifax's only all-electric tour boat

Aboard Halifax's only electric tour boat The century-old Violet Mac is Halifax Harbour's only electric tour boat.

If you’re looking for some peace and quiet, there’s a tour boat for that.

The Violet Mac is Halifax’s only all-electric tour vessel, boasting an hour-long harbour cruise free of noisy engine sounds and exhaust fumes.

“We have a much smaller footprint and, of course, there’s no diesel fumes, no diesel noise,” says Capt. Glenn Fraser, who has been working on The Violent Mac for two years.

“It’s much more pleasant to be on as a sailor. I appreciate the quiet.”

Colin Smith of Halifax Harbour Tours says they started toying with the idea of putting an electric boat on the harbour about five years ago.

“I’ve been doing tours for a long time myself and I wanted to use electric simply because I wouldn’t have to put up with the noise of a diesel,” explains Smith. “That for me was the big thing.”

According to Smith, the secret to an electric boat is finding an efficient hull – the body of the boat. The Violet Mac’s hull came from an old steamboat and is almost 100 years old.

“It was originally used on The Thames as a little cargo carrier,” says Smith. “We refurbished it with the electric motor."

While The Violet Mac operates between 10 and 12 hours a day, Smith says it only uses about 70 cents worth of power.

In addition to providing a tranquil tour, Halifax Harbour Tours states that the zero-exhaust vessel is environmentally-friendly, as it has a small carbon footprint and doesn’t pollute the harbour air or water.

“Most people really, really like the sort of gentle pace of our tours,” says Smith. “We’re not in a hurry. We just basically float around the harbour.”

“It’s a pretty nice office,” says Fraser.

The Violet Mac can accommodate up to eight passengers. Tickets for the hour-long harbour tour can be purchased online.