STUART — STUART — When St. Petersburg boaters Nancy Frainetti and Jeff Springfield pulled up to the fuel dock at Hutchinson Island Marriott Marina in Stuart Tuesday afternoon, one thing was noticeably absent — engine noise.

A leisurely cruise from the River Forest Yachting Center on the St. Lucie Canal in Tropical Acres to the Marriott served as the final leg of the 8-day, 250-mile “Cruise to the Atlantic.”

Frainetti and Springfield, owners of Endeavour Green, builders of electric hybrid yachts, left St. Petersburg June 16 and traversed the Okeechobee Waterway in their 24-foot boat while using only $16 in electricity and a few gallons of diesel fuel.

“We did this to show people that this is not a ‘toy boat,’” said Springfield, a longtime captain who said many boaters think electric-powered boats are typically for small lakes and short trips. “A typical boating family might enjoy a 20-mile trip. We had legs of this trip of 40, 47 and on Monday, 52 miles in a day.”

The technology behind the Endeavour involves a 48 volt array of batteries that turn the 13 horsepower D & D motor. The electric motor uses a twin belt setup to turn the drive shaft for a 3-blade bronze inboard propeller.

The batteries can be charged at home or marina by plugging into a 110 volt outlet. To recharge the batteries while under way, a 3.5 kilowatt Master Volt Whisper diesel generator is employed. During the 8-day trip, Springfield said only nine hours were put on the generator and at 3.8 hours per gallon, they needed less than three gallons of diesel.

The Endeavour provided comfortable passage, Frainetti said, despite record heat during their trip. A full-length canvas top — one that can fold down and serve as a boat cover when not in use — shades a large area.

“We endured a little weather — but that’s something boaters are used to handling,” Frainetti said. “It got a little hot out on Lake Okeechobee Monday, but we managed to keep it from baking our brains.”

Frainetti said that although the Endeavour has Eisenglass and air conditioning, they survived without it.

Frainetti said she saw several manatees during the trip and counted 38 alligators while crossing Lake Okeechobee.

Springfield said the hybrid technology is receiving a lot of interest from the boating community. He said that one selling feature is the simplicity of its design.

“It’s an easy boat to own,” Springfield said. “It’s very simple — there are no complex systems. All the electrical components are solid state design. There are no fumes, vibration or noise. And because you are carrying little or no fuel, insurance rates are great.”

For more information visit www.EndeavourGreen.com or call (727) 573-5377.

A brand new boat making waves in South Florida, and it runs on batteries. The Endeavour Green Company, part of the Endeavour Catamaran Corporation, showed off it's "green" boat. Co-owners, Nancy Frainetti and Jeff Stringfield, traveled from Saint Petersburg to Stuart. They did it all on battery power, no gas or diesel fuel needed, unless you want to use the back-up generator on board. The Endeavor Green Company created the boat, which is equivalent to a gas or diesel fueled deck boat. The starting cost is around $42,000. The owners say it's well worth the price, and it helps the environment. Endeavour Co-owner, Nancy Frainetti, says, "We have no emissions on the electric propulsion. So, it's as green as can be. What a wonderful benefit."

The boat is also decked out with a bathroom on board and air conditioning. It charges up each night, and usually costs only $1.50. Take that versus a gas or diesel engine that could cost you anywhere from $50 to $75 dollars a day to gas up.