Installing inboaard motor on an O'day 23

[AWalker]

I have been toying with the idea of putting an electric motor inboard on my O'Day 23. I ran across a very good deal on a DCBL Mars motor and bought it. So now I need to start figuring out how to do it in earnest. As far as the motor and reduction gear, I have no issues fabricating mounts etc, as that is what I do for a living. I am a bit fuzzy where the prop shaft exits the hull, and also installing a cutlass bearing and support. I have looked at a site that had shaft logs made of bronze for sale as well as stuffing boxes. Do I just buy the shaft log , cut the hole and glass it in place?
On the cutlass support, I see they have those in bronze as well that have a flange on the hull side. Does that just get mounted on the hull and glassed around as well?
I have had a bit of difficulty locating this info, as most of the boats they are doing the write ups on have already had a ICE in place, so all that is already there.
I do not have the motor controller or throttle pot yet, nor batteries. Any thoughts on those.
I am replacing the outboard as my wife does not like using them, and no matter how well maintained, or how well it runs it inevitably stalls when needed most! She can't start it again when it does either, so it has become an issue over the years. She does like the inboard diesels on the other bigger boats we have sailed as they are easier to control, especially in reverse. No leaning over the stern rail, trying to shift gears and control the throttle while trying to back into somewhere, or trying to flip into reverse trying to stop the boat when loading onto the trailer.

 

[Joe11688]

I would go with an inboard diesel for this boat. The reason that I say this is because your boat will be more sell-able some day at a better price with a diesel engine. The next buyer may want to sail this boat on a bay and I'm not sure that an electric motor could cut it, but I've been known to be wrong. As it is, a diesel engine is great but the engine and fuel tank can take up a lot of room in a small boat.
I do a lot of overnighters in the summer on my 86 OD 222 and I'm strapped for room to stow my gear. My cabin always looks cluttered but I plan on making room by omitting two of my quarter birth mattresses that normally fit under the cockpit seats.
For power on my boat, I have a 1999 Johnson two stroke long shaft 8 HP that I simply love. It has never let me down. With that said though, my friend Wayne bought a new Tohatsu 9.8 HP four stroke engine with electric start and charging system for his Seaward 22 and that engine runs beautiful. It's so quiet you can hardly hear it.
Like my engine, Wayne's Tohatsu has the shift lever on the front of the engine where it should be. With a good four stroke rated bracket, some of the new outboards are easy to operate and they are very dependable. Myself, I prefer an outboard.
Joe

 

[Sunbird22358]

Joe, an inboard Diesel will pretty much double or even triple the value of this boat. Cost that will never be recovered at resale time. Plus the difficulty of even getting hte engine in there. The only real acces to the area where an inboard would go is through the sail locker and I can tell you that it is tight even on the 25. I think that to even have room fore and aft to fit the engine, and shaft would require mounting the engine inside the icebox under the companionway. A few of the 23s of this vintage did come from the factory with inboards ,but those used the OMC Zephyr saildrive and had a hatch added in the cockpit sole for access. A saildrive (diesel, gas or Electric) would be the easiest way to add inboard power, but access to the area is still a problem.

My advice would be that the electric motor is still a small part of the expense of the entire installation, plus all the "Engineering" and design work to figure out the shaft angle and length, strut dimensions, shaft log and seal, batteries (figure i nthe weight too!), etc. If it were my boat, I would look into a good new outboard with electric start and remote controls in hte cockpit. Delusions of Grandeur? maybe...... but I'm willing to bet that the cost of a new outboard with electric start and remote controls will ultimately be LESS than the cost of completing the rigging and installation of that electric motor. The outboard and cotrols will also weigh a lot less than the motor, control setup and batteries.

I too like the Diesel idea....... but with a cost in the $6,000 to $10,000 range to do it.............

 

[AWalker]

The electric motor came today and works well hooked up to a power supply. As far as resale goes, i don' care that much. I bought the boat about 15 years ago and I have no designs on selling it, nor do I have any delusions of the value of an old trailer sailer in the middle of the desert.
I looked at the bottom of the hull today, as well as the space below the cockpit and think this will fit nicely. I did find some fiberglass shaft logs and I think this is the way to go, as well as a site the details how they installed it. The hardest part of this, for me, is going to be the fiberglass work (adding stringers for motor mounts and adding shaft log and cutlas strut.)
I need to figure out what type of motor controller to use. I am delving into unfamiliar territory with this, as all my experience with motors has been a/c and a/c 3phase. I also need to figure out how I am going to charge 48vdc, hopefully without having to disconnect and charge everything at 12v (as high as my current chargers go). I would liek to avoid spending 8.3 million dollars on a charger and controller, so I am going to have to learn enough about them to be able to find what I am looking for on epay or CL.

 

[Squidd]

I'm just thinking out loud here...

Golf cart charger, batteries and speed control...?

Probably be able to pick the whole package up in an older cart for cheap...??

 

[AWalker]

Squid, the old golf carts ran on big brushed motors and just had a rheostat for control. The newer ones use systems similar to this, but I have already found the prices for newer cart chargers and controllers very high even used.

 

[Merlin Clark]

Here are some links I found when I was reseaching installing electric on a 27 Catalina. She was sitting in a canal near here, sails shredded, sliding hatch open, etc for years and I considered offering to get rid of her for the owner but already had too many boats.
http://www.mindspring.com/~jimkerr1/sebc&t.htm
http://www.electricmotorsport.com/store/ems_ev_parts_controllers_sevcon.php
http://www.evparts.com/
and this guy has retro fitted his Pearson to electric, if you can get in touch, maybe get some guidance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrRFUB66xqM
Used to be a couple other good vids on youtube but with all the commercial crap taking over I can't find them.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[Joe11688]

Joe, an inboard Diesel will pretty much double or even triple the value of this boat. Cost that will never be recovered at resale time. Plus the difficulty of even getting hte engine in there. The only real acces to the area where an inboard would go is through the sail locker and I can tell you that it is tight even on the 25. I think that to even have room fore and aft to fit the engine, and shaft would require mounting the engine inside the icebox under the companionway. A few of the 23s of this vintage did come from the factory with inboards ,but those used the OMC Zephyr saildrive and had a hatch added in the cockpit sole for access. A saildrive (diesel, gas or Electric) would be the easiest way to add inboard power, but access to the area is still a problem.

My advice would be that the electric motor is still a small part of the expense of the entire installation, plus all the "Engineering" and design work to figure out the shaft angle and length, strut dimensions, shaft log and seal, batteries (figure i nthe weight too!), etc. If it were my boat, I would look into a good new outboard with electric start and remote controls in hte cockpit. Delusions of Grandeur? maybe...... but I'm willing to bet that the cost of a new outboard with electric start and remote controls will ultimately be LESS than the cost of completing the rigging and installation of that electric motor. The outboard and cotrols will also weigh a lot less than the motor, control setup and batteries.

I too like the Diesel idea....... but with a cost in the $6,000 to $10,000 range to do it.............

I totally agree with you. Myself, I prefer an outboard. Diesels are expensive and complicated. I take my hat off to him though. He knows what he wants and he's willing to attempt it. I've always believed that doing the mods to my boat and getting it to where I want it is more important than trying to preserve the resale value. I never bought my boat new back then with the intension of ever selling it. After I've croaked someone else can do what they want with it.
It will be a challenge that's for sure. All I can say is, "the best of luck!"
Joe

 

[HukilauMike]

I think I agree with everything everyone has said, from the feeling that a diesel is a waste, to the idea that a new tricked out outboard is probably the most cost-effective solution, to the idea that "its my boat dammit, and I want to do this".

Sounds like a really cool project; please, please post pictures of your progress and let us know how it all comes out.

 

[rbietry]

Since you don't have the fiberglass structure for the cutlass, have you thought about using a saildrive?

 

[RichBone]

Resale value? I put at least twice what the boat is worth in her rebuild. I hope to get the value of my boat in using her for what she was intended. Being able to sail is a rare experience that few people ever get to do but always wish they could.
Good luck with the inboard idea.

Rich

 

[AWalker]

I have considered a saildrive, except the price was exceedingly high. 2000-3000$ was more than I wanted to pay. I did find a couple of penta drives used, but wouldn't touch them due to all the corrosion on them. I have also considered adapting the lower unit from an outboard, same issues though, price is too high for a nice enough outboard leg. Also, with a saildrive type setup I get a bit nervous with that big of a potential hole in the bottom of my boat. With a shaft log at least I might be able to jam a plug in it if need be.