Capito, Carmichael ride Pure Watercraft’s electric pontoon boat as part of ribbon cutting

BEECH BOTTOM, W.Va. — West Virginia Economic Development Secretary Mitch Carmichael took a ride Monday on an electric pontoon boat made by Pure Watercraft Monday and he came away impressed.

“You couldn’t even hear it running,” Carmichael told MetroNews shortly after climbing off the craft following a short trip on the Ohio River. “The pontoon is so smooth. The boat is going to be an incredible success.”

The zero-emission pontoon will be built at a production facility at Beech Bottom Industrial Park in Brooke County. Carmichael joined U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Pure Watercraft officials and others at the ceremonial ribbon cutting ceremony which ended with that boat ride.

“We cruised at about 25 miles-per-hour and it didn’t use hardly any of the battery. It’s quiet, it’s smooth, it’s environmentally friendly, it’s a great boating experience,” Carmichael said.

Capito tweeted Monday that Pure Watercraft is proof that West Virginia continues to be an innovative leader in economic development.

Pure Watercraft’s selection of West Virginia was announced last August. The state is helping the company turn a former steel plant building into a production facility.

“It’s about 120,000 square feet completely refurbished. There’s still some more work to do but they plan to be producing boats with 100 employees by the end of they year,” Carmichael said.

The Seattle-based company produces watercraft like pontoons and bass boats with zero-emission systems. In last August’s announcement, company officials said said the location will be central to receive battery packs from partner General Motors and as a strategically-located distribution point for customers.

Carmichael said the company could have chosen anywhere in the U.S. to build its plant but chose West Virginia.

“They were very excited about this location,” Carmichael said. “They have the major Midwest markets with the lakes the Mississippi (River) and then the eastern shore markets.”

It’s the second groundbreaking/ribbon cutting ceremony in recent weeks in the Northern Panhandle. Carmichael said the Form Energy and Pure Watercraft projects are happening.

“These are a brick-and-mortar sort of validation of the project. This is not an announcement for a project but this is a groundbreaking,” Carmichael said.