Electric harbors are coming.

jviss

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Feb 5, 2004
6,745
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
We tied up at a boat club in Brooklin me. They don’t allow you to leave a gas outboard on a dinghy tied their docks.
I found them online, the Center Harbor Yacht Club. " Visiting dinghies may tie up on the inside of our floats, but outboard motors are not welcome." This is clearly an exception, by a long shot, lunatic fringe. Probably has near nothing to do with outboard noise or pollution.

Any dinghy dock with a lot of outboards often sits in a sheen of oil.
This has not been my experience, at all. I tie up in lots of places, typically from Nantucket to Montauk, and I confess I haven't seen a sheen on the water even when the dinks are three deep.
 
Jun 14, 2010
2,081
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
I think the sheen of oil is there when small 2-strokes are in use. It's just a fact of the way they operate. (The Yamahas that are supposed to use 100:1 are better than 50:1, but still have the problem. The larger high-pressure-direct-injection ones using new technology do not show a sheen, but those are large engines (the technology is not sized for dinghies currently).
 
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jviss

.
Feb 5, 2004
6,745
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
I think the sheen of oil is there when small 2-strokes are in use. It's just a fact of the way they operate. (The Yamahas that are supposed to use 100:1 are better than 50:1, but still have the problem. The larger high-pressure-direct-injection ones using new technology do not show a sheen, but those are large engines (the technology is not sized for dinghies currently).
So, you got me looking into this. It seems Amsoil has an oil that they say works in outboards at 100:1 "regardless of the mix ratio specified for the equipment."

Has anyone tried this? I would be up for it, but I don't want to ruin my engines.

Outboard 100:1 Pre-Mix Synthetic 2-Stroke Oil
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,733
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
I think the sheen of oil is there when small 2-strokes are in use.
There may be a geological component to this. Island and open coastal areas get better circulation because of the geological features that allow wind and current to flush the local waters. On coasts like Maine, where inlets and bays are cut deeply inland and often have numerous islands and convulsed shorelines restricting the flow of water and the blowing of the winds near shore, surface water hangs around in stagnation between tidal flushes. Even with the large movement of tidal water, the few inches on the surface can hang around against the shore while deeper water moves in and out of the bay underneath. Just try to pour the top layer of beer out of your glass to get a fly out and you have to pour a lot of beer from underneath that fly out before that top layer moves enough to evacuate the fly. :wahwah:

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
Jun 14, 2010
2,081
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
There may be a geological component to this. Island and open coastal areas get better circulation because of the geological features that allow wind and current to flush the local waters. On coasts like Maine, where inlets and bays are cut deeply inland and often have numerous islands and convulsed shorelines restricting the flow of water and the blowing of the winds near shore, surface water hangs around in stagnation between tidal flushes. Even with the large movement of tidal water, the few inches on the surface can hang around against the shore while deeper water moves in and out of the bay underneath. Just try to pour the top layer of beer out of your glass to get a fly out and you have to pour a lot of beer from underneath that fly out before that top layer moves enough to evacuate the fly. :wahwah:

-Will (Dragonfly)
That beer analogy got me thinking it's almost 5:00 :beer: :)

I think in most cases the sheen is within a few feet of the idling engine, unless it's a bad case.
 
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TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
Big rains clean out self bailing dinghy's many of which are smeared with oils and gas mixtures and dripping engines. Worse, dinghy's swamp in a deluge and tanks go upside down, most seal well but not all.

Dinghy docks are right up there with fishing boats for harbor pollution in my experience.
 
Oct 26, 2010
1,883
Hunter 40.5 Beaufort, SC
Where are you getting this history? It's incorrect. Diesel-electrics were the only subs used in WWI and WWII, and they roamed the world.
I was referring to "currently made and marketed" rather than to the ones for WWI and WWII but I guess I wasn't clear on that point and when I wrote "made" I should have used "being made." If I recall correctly as of a few years ago I believe Germany was making a small "coastal defense" marketed submarine for the military export business. You are absolutely correct that Diesel-electrics were the only subs used in WWI and WWII and I did not mean to imply otherwise. My point was that they have their place, just like all electric cars, but they have their limitations including range, duration when solely on electric power and that charging "on shore power" would not be practical. That's all. I appreciate your clarification although I don't think I was "incorrect", just unclear in my use of verbs.
 

jviss

.
Feb 5, 2004
6,745
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
I was referring to "currently made and marketed" rather than to the ones for WWI and WWII but I guess I wasn't clear on that point and when I wrote "made" I should have used "being made." If I recall correctly as of a few years ago I believe Germany was making a small "coastal defense" marketed submarine for the military export business. You are absolutely correct that Diesel-electrics were the only subs used in WWI and WWII and I did not mean to imply otherwise. My point was that they have their place, just like all electric cars, but they have their limitations including range, duration when solely on electric power and that charging "on shore power" would not be practical. That's all. I appreciate your clarification although I don't think I was "incorrect", just unclear in my use of verbs.
Got it, thanks! Maybe I replied too strongly! :)
 

jviss

.
Feb 5, 2004
6,745
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
Dinghy docks are right up there with fishing boats for harbor pollution in my experience.
That's like saying a hangnail is right up there with decapitation. :)
 
Feb 21, 2013
4,638
Hunter 46 Point Richmond, CA
How do you charge the battery?

Optionally 12/24v.

 
Feb 21, 2013
4,638
Hunter 46 Point Richmond, CA
What source do you use on your boat? How long does it take?

110 volt AC power source at this time. Torqeedo reports "It will take about 15 hours to charge a completely discharged Travel 1003 battery using the charger supplied and about 9 hours for the Travel 503 . The Torqeedo fastcharger will charge a Travel 1003 battery in 6 hours and a Travel 503 battery in 4 hours." I have the standard Travel 1003 charger and it charges overnight generally.
 
Sep 20, 2014
1,320
Rob Legg RL24 Chain O'Lakes
So, you got me looking into this. It seems Amsoil has an oil that they say works in outboards at 100:1 "regardless of the mix ratio specified for the equipment."

Has anyone tried this? I would be up for it, but I don't want to ruin my engines.

Outboard 100:1 Pre-Mix Synthetic 2-Stroke Oil
Years ago, one of the motorcycle magazines did an article on 2 strokes. They experiemented with all kind of different ratios. What they found was that 20:1 produced the most power and 16:1 produced the least amount of wear. How much wear occurs, and where the knee of the curve for excessive wear occurs, I don't know, but I can't imagine using 100:1. Maybe it won't seize, but I have to think it would shorten the life.

Incidently, I lot of people will get caught up worrying about oil on the water. The fact is, oil and water do not mix. The oil evaporates off. There is no real environmental harm until the oil washes up on shore. In many ways, the water protects the soil.