Plugging in to Harbor Cruises : Electric boats provide quiet, non-polluting fun on the water. And you don’t have to be an expert to drive them.

To entertain an out-of-town guest, Bill and Tina Wayt rented a surrey-topped boat and went tooling around Newport Harbor. For the Wayts, the experience was so much fun they did it again after the guest went home.

As the Wayts discovered, you don’t have to own your own boat to cruise Orange County’s scenic harbors.

And you don’t even have to have boating experience.

For $20 to $40 per hour, you can rent everything from a small aluminum skiff at the Embarcadero in Dana Point to a roomy electric bay boat such as the one the Wayts used. In between, there are pontoon boats and runabouts, and all are available to the non-boater.

“If you can drive a car, you can drive one of these (electric) boats,” said Penny Rodheim, one of the owners of the Electric Boat Co., which operates eight electric rental boats in Newport Harbor.

The company is the county’s newest boat rental business and the only one that offers the electric bay boats. The 18- and 20-foot open boats are powered by small electric motors, much like those used in electric golf carts. Rodheim said the boats can go for 10 hours without recharging. Then, all you have to do is attach an extension cord and plug it in. The next day, the boat is ready to go again.

Since the Electric Boat Co. opened for business on April 1, Rodheim said the boats have been in constant use.

“For a lot of people, it is the first time they’ve been down to the harbor,” she said. “We’ve had lots of birthdays, anniversaries and even one wedding on board. Business is about 50-50 tourists and locals.”

The 18-foot boats rent for $40 per hour and hold up to eight people, while the 20-footers rent for $50 and can accommodate 12. Because the boats are powered by electricity, they are quiet and non-polluting, which makes them appealing to many renters, said Ralph Rodheim, who operates the business with his wife and partners Jack and Karen Hochadel.

“People get in and say, ‘Is the engine on?’ ” Rodheim said. “They’re very quiet.”

Each rental boat comes complete with fresh flowers and a stereo. You can bring your own picnic basket or you can have the Electric Boat Co. cater the cruise. Catering prices range from $1.25 each for breakfast muffins to $24.95 for a prime rib dinner. Picnic lunch boxes are $7.95 each.

If you don’t want to drive the boat yourself, for an additional $20 per hour the company will provide a skipper. But Penny Rodheim said that most customers prefer to operate the boats themselves.

The Electric Boat Co. is at 510 Edgewater Ave. in the Fun Zone on the Balboa Peninsula and is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays. Reservations are suggested. Call (714) 673-7200.

Orange County also has a number of other boat rental businesses, all offering traditional outboard-powered vessels that can be used for sightseeing or fishing. Balboa Boat Rentals at Edgewater and Palm in the Fun Zone has a fleet of 14-foot runabouts that rent for $26 per hour. For $29, you can rent a 16-footer, and for $35 an hour you can get a 22-foot pontoon boat. Balboa Boat Rentals does not take reservations. Boats are rented on a first-come, first-served basis. Summer hours are 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily. Phone (714) 673-1320.

Also in the Fun Zone, across from the merry-go-round, is Anchors Away, which offers 16-foot runabouts for $40 an hour and 16-foot pontoon boats for $30 an hour. Reservations are accepted. Phone (714) 673-3372. Anchors Away is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

At Davey’s Locker at the Balboa Pavilion, 400 Main St., Balboa, you can rent open boats for fishing or harbor sightseeing for $35 a half-day (five hours) and $50 for an entire day. If you plan to fish, you can bring your own equipment or rent it there. The boats accommodate a maximum of six people. Reservations are required for boats on weekends. Hours are 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Phone (714) 673-1436.

Although Newport Harbor has the most and the greatest variety of rental boats in the county, you can also rent boats in Dana Point at the Embarcadero, which has two 14-foot harbor boats designed for sightseeing and two 14-foot aluminum skiffs for fishing. The boats rent for $20 per hour, said Caroline Smedley, who added that no boating experience is necessary. The Embarcadero is open from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends and from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. Phone (714) 496-6177.

At both the Embarcadero and at Balboa Boat Rentals, you can also rent small sailboats, but experience is required; you must know how to sail.

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Release That Fish. The Orange County Marine Institute is offering an environmental fishing program designed around the California Department of Fish and Game’s catch and release program.

Participants will learn how to catch fish using rods, reels and barbless hooks. Captured fish are then measured and tagged and released back into the ocean. The program is designed to involve the public in research on the movement and growth of fish. Cost is $22 for adults and $11 for children. The class will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday and will be repeated on Aug. 22. For information, call (714) 496-2274 or (714) 831-3850.

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Learn to Kayak. An introductory class in sea kayaking will be offered by the Dana Point Harbor Youth and Group Facility beginning Aug. 15. The 1 1/2-half hour class will cover safety, paddling and strokes and is open to anyone 16 and older. Cost is $30 per person.

The class will be offered from 10:30 a.m. to noon and will be repeated from 1 to 2:30 p.m at the Youth and Group Facility at 34451 Ensenada Place, Dana Point. For information, call (714) 661-7122.

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Women Sailors. The Women’s Ocean Racing Sailing Assn. will hold its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Aug. 17 at the Shark Island Yacht Club, 1099 Bayside Drive, Newport Beach. Guest speaker is Marion Seaman, who will talk about navigation. For membership information, call Shannon Carr at (714) 965-7529.

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Navigation and Weather. Celestial navigation and marine weather are the topics of two nine-week boating classes that begin Aug. 18 at the Orange Coast College Sailing Center, 1801 W. Pacific Coast Highway, Newport Beach.

Beginning celestial navigation for the small boat sailor teaches how to determine a vessel’s position by sextant observations of the sun. The class will meet from 7 to 10 p.m. each Tuesday and Thursday.

A class in basic marine weather will begin the same evening and will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. each Tuesday. For information, call (714) 645-9412.

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Kayak Tours. The Newport Dunes Resort will offer weekly kayak tours of Upper Newport Bay beginning Aug. 14. The tours are designed to be fun and educational, said Annie Evans Quinn, general manager of the Dunes. Most of the $10 per-person charge will go to the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve, Quinn said. For information about Newport Dunes Resort kayaking tours, call (714) 729-DUNE.