Aquatic Ecology Lab Boats and Motors

AEL students and researchers have access to a fleet of boats, including two ~ 6 m Boston whalers (typically used inshore on Lake Erie and outfitted with 100 HP outboards), two ~ 6 m electrofishing boats (25 HP, two-stroke; 40 HP, four-stroke) equipped with Smith-Root electrofishers (built by the Ohio Division of Wildlife in 1999), two ~ 6 m and three 5 m, flatbottomed, all-welded aluminum, reservoir boats (with outboards ranging 15­70 HP). AEL students and staff perform simple maintenance on these boats, including upkeep during the field season and annual winterization. Both the Division and private marina vendors provide service as necessary. During the field season, boats are stored in a secure, fenced enclosure within an easily accessible three-sided pole barn. Conveniently located within this enclosure are our field-equipment and gasoline-storage buildings. For winter storage, these boats are stored in a fully enclosed boathouse on our grounds.

The AEL Boat Barn

Andrew Gascho-Landis loads a generator into the newest AEL vehicle (aka “Big Red”) with one of our shock boats.

The AEL Boat House provides storage for nets and
additional boat storage space.

AEL crew in the field