The Electric Launch Company, later renamed Elco Motor Yachts, began operations in 1893 and continued to 1949.  It was resurrected in 1987 and continues today, producing hand crafted replicas of some of its classic launches.

Elco first made its mark at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago. Fifty-five launches, each 36 feet long and powered by battery-driven electric motors, carried over a million passengers. During World War I, the company built five hundred and fifty 80-foot submarine chasers for the British Admiralty.


Elco yachts included a 32' Cruisette, and a series of 30 to 57' Veedettes and Flattops.

See "The Elco Motoryachts" in Wooden Boat Magazine #171, March/April, 2003.