Switched to Electric

[rgranger]

I know this is a sailing forum but on a related note, I have done some research on converting my T-top fishing boat to an electric O.B. Almost all of it makes sense with the exception of the weight of the O.B. At the moment, they are still too heavy and would add about 250 pounds to the transom. I have not done the same analysis for a 10hp equivalent "kicker" that might be used on a pocket cruiser sailobat....

But the rest of the numbers look very attactive. The T-top would be converted to a solar array... the "v-berth" area could hold a little more solar but probably not worth it... the fuel tank area would be converted to batteries etc and right now this boat holds a 56 gallon tank so there is pleanty of room for batteries. . For day tripping down the river on weekends, I would almost never need to plug in and at 4 gallons/hour in my present state, the fuel savings would be most welcome.

 

[Tom J]

So the difference between that and electric drive, regarding 'instant power' is negligible.

When I think of "instant power" in reference to electric drive, I think torque. An electric motor has maximum torque available from 0rpm. A diesel has to rev up a bit to reach maximum torque. The difference is quite amazing once you try it. When folks ask me how well my Torqeedo works on my dingy, I like to pop the bow up from a dead standstill to show off.

 

[jviss]

When I think of "instant power" in reference to electric drive, I think torque. An electric motor has maximum torque available from 0rpm. A diesel has to rev up a bit to reach maximum torque. The difference is quite amazing once you try it. When folks ask me how well my Torqeedo works on my dingy, I like to pop the bow up from a dead standstill to show off.

That may be so, but in practical terms, driving a sailboat, it's not important.

 

[dlochner]

the transmission I have is prone to failure, and parts, even wear parts like clutch cones, are no longer available. So, instead of a transmission refit, which would require a new bell housing and/or adapter plate,

Slightly off topic.

If you have a JH series Yanmar the replacement transmission is ZF 12M. These are about as common as Hen's Teeth. Last summer I could only find one in the US with the right gear ratio. Recently another SBO member posted about his difficulty finding one with his needed gear ratio. My suggestion, your thoughts on converting to a hybrid aside, if you find one that is the correct gear ratio buy it and change it out before you need to.

Also, in addition to a new connector plate and bell housing, you will need a new flange, new shift cable and longer bolts.

 

[jviss]

Slightly off topic.

If you have a JH series Yanmar the replacement transmission is ZF 12M. These are about as common as Hen's Teeth. Last summer I could only find one in the US with the right gear ratio. Recently another SBO member posted about his difficulty finding one with his needed gear ratio. My suggestion, your thoughts on converting to a hybrid aside, if you find one that is the correct gear ratio buy it and change it out before you need to.

Also, in addition to a new connector plate and bell housing, you will need a new flange, new shift cable and longer bolts.

Thanks Dave. Are you saying you had a JS or JH? A bit confused.

I might just go ahead with a ZF, but it's like a $4k bill, maybe more.

 

[dlochner]

Thanks Dave. Are you saying you had a JS or JH? A bit confused.

I might just go ahead with a ZF, but it's like a $4k bill, maybe more.

JH, I have 3JH2E, you're boat is newer, so it might have a different 4th digit. First number is # of cylinders, the fourth # is the version.

The transmission is about $2k. The connector plate is about $500. Not sure about the bell housing and the rest of the parts. Then there is labor if you don't do it yourself. Been there done this.

 

[Hogdriver]

Thank you sharing this practical information as I am looking to convert to electric.

 

[Tom J]

Thank you sharing this practical information as I am looking to convert to electric.

I'd be very interested in this project for your C310. Could make a great boat even better!

 

[Mark15231]

Interesting, but note that regeneration is going to significantly slow you down! Sailors are concerned about the prop spinning even when it's not driving a generator!

I hear this often but in my experience the boat speed hit is minimal. It is easy to dial in a throttle setting that uses no power and cancels the drag of the prop - the drag that you would be getting form the prop with a gas powered setup.

 

[Mark15231]

The OceanVolt system that Uma uses doesn't give much info on their web site. They must have some mighty fancy engineering going into their propeller/turbine to make their system somewhat efficient at those two applications. You can't really have it both ways, you can't have an efficient propeller that is also efficient as a turbine. Well, at least I can't see how you'd get the maximum efficiency in both uses as you would having a dedicated propeller or dedicated turbine...

dj
[/QUOTE]
Check out the latest La Vagabond vlog. There is a lot going on with the OceanVolt prop.

 

[Phil]

I hear this often but in my experience the boat speed hit is minimal. It is easy to dial in a throttle setting that uses no power and cancels the drag of the prop - the drag that you would be getting form the prop with a gas powered setup.

Mark, during our crossing from San Francisco to Oahu last summer we used regen mode on the ElectricYachts QuietTorque 10 motor in our Morris Annie a few times and it was primarily to slow the boat down a little. We had 30 knot wind with gusts to 40 knots and a following sea at the time. With only a small storm jib in the staysail position boat speed was 11 knots when surfing down the waves. If I had to guess, regen mode slowed the boat down ~0.5 to 1.5 knots and it made the ride a bit more comfortable. It was also nice to top off the batteries and not deal with dragging a few lines . If we don't use regen mode there is absolutely no hit on boat speed. We have a 3 blade, folding MaxProp. I've been using the electric motor for a little over a year now and couldn't be more happy.

 

[Phil]

Here's something that might be of interest. Chuck Paine has been playing around with a new design during his retirement. It's a 30 footer called "Full Circle" and it's based on his original design of the 26' Frances with improvements based on everything he has learned since designing the Frances. He said the motor choice was an obvious one to make.

 

[Mark15231]

Nice, I like it!
(From web page)

• Mechanical propulsion is by electric motor. The day of the internal combustion engine is behind us. Charging will be by windmill and solar panels, as well as shore power when at a dock or marina. And you can now buy “contractor’s generators” that can feed battery chargers and when they give up the ghost, buy another at a modest price.​

 

[Phil]

Nice, I like it!
(From web page)

• Mechanical propulsion is by electric motor. The day of the internal combustion engine is behind us. Charging will be by windmill and solar panels, as well as shore power when at a dock or marina. And you can now buy “contractor’s generators” that can feed battery chargers and when they give up the ghost, buy another at a modest price.​

A while back he posted a version of the plans showing a hard dodger. It looked awesome and provided real estate for a couple large solar panels.

Edit: here's the version with the dodger and 3 opening ports.