Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Re: [Electric Boats] GlenL electric drive?

 

Greg,
 
A cut down trolling motor will have plenty of power to drive your very cool TomCat.  (Garden has a real artist's eye and nothing's better than building a boat a gifted NA has designed for himself.)
 
I bet a 12v 50ish pound thrust model would get you 4 - 5 mph.  Be sure to get a PWM (battery saver) model.
 
Check out this thread http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/efficient-electric-boat-27996-15.html starting with post #212 to see my experiments with a $125 cheapo MK Endura 30 mounted on a 14' tupperware canoe. 
 
I am building an Oughtred Arctic Tern 18' x 5'4" double ender, not too different in size from your TomCat.  I believe the setup as described in the boatdesign.net posts will drive my boat (no wind or current)  10 miles at 4 mph on one 100ah 12v battery.  It will fit in a 12" x 7" x 15" well, installed motor down to drive the boat and motor up to plug the well for sailing.  If you started with a new Motorguide PWM trolling motor you'd have <$250 invested, batteries not included.
 
I'll know for sure how it performs by late this spring.  The boat is planked and I'm just starting to paint the exterior before I turn it over.
 
Denny Wolfe
 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 2010 8:58 PM
Subject: [Electric Boats] GlenL electric drive?

 

Has anyone here built/installed; GlenL's electric drive system? (This is the one where you mount the lower end of an outboard motor under the hull, and drive it with a golfcart motor via a belt to the shaft) I'm working on an 18' version of Wm Garden's TomCat. Several years ago when I started this project, I became aware of RE Power pods. At the time I was living in the Chicago area and spoke with Kevin several times at Strickly Sail show. His system seemed ideal for my project- a rather simple "blot-on" unit. Now, however, with his apparent demise, I'm looking at other possibilities. I really don't want to use a true inboard arrangement, since the boat was not designed with a suitable keel/skeg for a shaft, stuffing box, etc. I've also looked at MinnKota motors- they make a unit that's designed to bolt to the cavatation plate of a large outboard. Not sure one would push my boat well... maybe two? - One on each side of the keel? Anyway, the GlenL design looks interesting, and as a self-professed "decendent" of Rube Goldberg, it seems quite doable: But does it work??. Any insight and/or advice is welcome.

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