Gourmet Cruises: Wine, Beer, and Cheese Delights

Pontoon boats are very popular for this type of cruise for family, friends or group hire. Guided wine, beer and cheese cruises are particularly attractive when one or more wineries, breweries or cheese dairies are beside the river or the lake. A group of e-pontoon boats can be made into a progressive dinner party where boaters start on one boat for appetisers and aperitifs, then move on for the first course, then to another boat for the main course, and then to another boat for dessert. Thanksgiving and Christmas Day lunch included.

Hen-parties, weddings and birthday parties

Decorated with flowers and ribbons, the e-pontoon boat can serve as a small floating chapel for the more intimate members of the bride and groom. Some even use pontoon bachelorette parties or honeymoon getaways. Others for high school and college graduation parties or alumni reunions. No less than eighteen electric boats have been hired for such events in the Netherlands, as well as in downtown Chicago, USA, and on the Yarra River in Melbourne, Australia.

Educational trips

With 12 people (10 pupils, 1 teacher, 1 adult supervisor) on board the pontoon boat plus a volunteer Skipper and Cabin Host who can answer questions on the day and introduce pupils to key features and vocabulary of the coastal waters, river or lake – fauna and flora and historic buildings. A class of 30 children would need three trips (10 pupils/2 adults per trip) and a two-form entry school typically would need two days of trips. A Walk and Glide voyage enables them to explore Nature at closer quarters. Print out pictures of birds, animals, insects, plants, trees, and flowers native to the area you will be boating in and challenge the kids to see how many they can find.

Freshwater fishing

Pontoon boats can be used by fishermen and duck hunters. The storage onboard is perfect for all fishing and hunting gear.  If the pontoon has center-toon storage, there is plenty of length to store poles and nets, live wells, rod and tackle holders, fishing chairs on the stern or bow and fish/depth finder. In addition, there is plenty of space to set up multiple fishing stations, and the deck-type structure offers standing stability that is perfect for casting a line.

Plastic Fishing (plishing) / Protect Our Lake/River

This involves passengers, young and old (corporates), aboard the pontoon boat using long-armed nets to fish plastic waste out of the river or lake. Plastic Whale, very popular in the Netherlands has a fleet of these boats enabling 12,000 fisherfolk to collect 46,000 plastic bottles, later recycled into furniture. A similar venture called #PlasticFreeGC has been organised by the Italian Coast Guard, with 600 students cleaner-cruising along the coast for organisations like Legambiente , Marevivo and LassalaPeddiri.

Wildlife water trails

Suitably camouflaged, a stealth-like e-pontoon boat can silently take nature lovers with binoculars and photographers in otherwise restricted locations, better than a land-based hide. Accompanied by a guide; Among the venues for this are the Norfolk Broads in England; Parque das Nações, Portugal; wildlife and island communities in Bahia de Asese, Nicaragua and many other riverside and lakeside Nature Reserves. Due to their lack of vibration, pontoon boats are also much loved by dolphins and whales off Húsavík, in north Iceland, and as far as the Galapagos Islands.

Wellness meditation

Combine the silence of a lake or river with the silence of an e-pontoon boat and you have the perfect setting for wellness, yoga, meditation and prayer – particularly at sunrise or sunset. Such cruises are taking place both in London’s West India Docks, in Norfolk, Virginia, USA and on the Olso Fjord in Norway.

Wheelie-boats

Taking five or more reduced mobility passengers for a voyage, be they in wheelchairs, paraplegic, mentally handicapped or visually impaired counts as a cruise.  

History

As opposed to land-based guided tours of castles, châteaux and cathedrals, e-pontoon boats are used for canal and river guided cruises through ancient towns, landmarks and ports such as Saint Martine in Paris, Pont Saint Michel in Toulouse, Den Bosch, Amstrerdam and the diepenring canal in Groningen, all  in the Netherlands; Augustine Canal in Bruges, Belgium; Richmond Virginia, USA and theRideau Canal, Ottawa, Canada.

Music

e-Pontoon boats can either be used so that local or international musicians and choirs on board can entertain an audience on the bank; or surrounded by other electric boats with the audience on board; or silently cruising along with the musicians on one boat and the audience in the others. This can be for individual instruments, small choirs, for wind or brass ensembles, and discos! Those using e-pontoon boats for concerts can be found in Nantes, Stockholm or in Vienna on the River Danube. This cruise can also be for poetry readings.

Father Christmas

Instead of a sleigh and reindeer, Santa Claus can use a pontoon boat to deliver the presents to children by boat at night. This has been done on Lake Como with the boat decorated like a Christmas Tree.

Water sports

Apart from swimming and diving platforms, a pontoon boat can transformed into a theme park that is great fun not only for kids but the entire family. Slides, extreme towables and fun floats. Increase the power output of a pontoon boat, and hence its speed to 45 mph and it becomes a towboat for wakeboarding, skiing, and tubing. Using a tube created for e-pontoon tubing, such as the RAVE Sports Escape™ or Getaway™, will also help because they feature a Skim-Fast™ slick bottom to help create speed and glide.

Decor'n'Dance

The best dressed boat and crew must dance like a ballerina to recorded music played on boat. Two or three boats will compete. Decorations on a chosen theme can include flowers, ribbons, balloons. Local folkore. Dancing can involve perfect circles and figures of eight. Points awarded out 20, 10 for décor and 10 for dancing.

Build your boat

Alongside pontoon-boats built by local and international shipyards, this cruise requires boats built by individuals in their back yard. 

Spectator boat

Pontoon boats can take spectators out to get a closer view of a regatta for a drive-in cinema afloat.  

Pilgrimages

Pontoon boats can not only take people to Christian shrines but can also serve as floating chapels for prayers and the singing of hymns. Since thousands Medieval pilgrims used to travel to Jerusalem by ship, other shrines visited by pilgrims using boats included Saint John of Compostella in Spain,  Notre Dame de Verdelais in New Aquitaine, Notre Dame de Lérins on the Mediterranean island of Saint Honorat;  the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mellieha in Malta; and Patmos in the Greek Aegean, etc. Then there are boats used during the Varanesi Diwali Festival. 

The Longest Cruise

Either measured in hours or in successive unbroken days. At least the same three same people must be on board at the start and the finish. This can be verified using a tracking App such as Locatoweb.com, VesselFinder, CruiseMapper etc. 

Special events

Pontoon boats do have a special place in the event world. Some lakes and inter-coastal areas host on-water events such as poker runs, A poker run is an organized event where participating e-pontoon boats must visit five to seven checkpoints, drawing a playing card at each stop and the person with the best poker hand at the end of the end wins. Having the best hand and thereby winning the event is purely a matter of chance.

Political campaigning

Candidates going from waterside commune to waterside commune, and perhaps making their speeches from the boat on the side of which are panels VOTE XYZ (name of the candidate)  A fleet of pontoon boats, flying pro-Trump flags and signs, cruised on Lake Marburg during a Boatee-rs & Voters for Trump rally at Codorus State Park

Fashion

Instead of the land-based catwalk, a pontoon-boat could be ideal for a fashion show.

A fleet of boats

Bringing together four or more pontoon boats for a regatta can be counted as a cruise. Also flotilla parades with best-decked boats and fireworks or drone displays.

Costume cruise

Some occasions, like Halloween, come with an established dress code. However, here are some great themes for any occasion: pirates (bonus points for anything nautical), Navy, pick a decade (the 80s etc.) and favourite films or TV shows.

Innovation cruise

Renewable energy propulsion systems for boats are being introduced weekly. Making a cruise with such a system - photovoltaic, windpower, hydrogen, fusion-recharged, motor, propeller, recycled hull materials - can be counted as one cruise.

Originality

Within our given rule system, we challenge you to come up with an original cruise - a nocturnal outing for astronomers, a painting class, a menagerie of dogs and cats? Over to you!

eCruising for a good cause

Why not use your Cruises to fund-raise for a local charity? The traditional way: Some circumnavigate the Globe, others their coastline, others part of a river. Get going with 10 dollars/euros per sponsor for each cruise made. The more cruises, the more money for your chosen charity.

A Charity Cruise can also involve taking young and old with incurable illnesses for the chance to breathe the air outside the hospital or the old folks’ home. The more cruises, the more money for your chosen charity. And the more chance you have of winning that medal!