Great advice and encouragement from all. Thanks!
A little more about the current situation ... At this point I don't have any commitment for a dock or mooring. As a result I can't really decide on solar or plug in charger at the dock.
The boat is on the hard in a marina while I get some high-priority maintenance done. I have inquired about a dock for the summer at the same marina and assume there will be a spot for me when the time comes. Until I work out the propulsion question it will be difficult for me to relocate to another marina.
The boat was built with a wooden rudder which was the accepted practice of the day. The original rudder conveyed with the boat but was badly decomposed and showed evidence of previous failed repairs. Enough remained to serve as a template so I went off in search of African Mahogany to build a new rudder. That project is in the final stages of gluing and shaping.
The only other pre-launch project is to refinish the bottom. The first layer of bottom paint could original to 1966 but it is all coming off. The scraping has been tiresome but is just about done. The hull has some blisters that need to be repaired and then I will paint with barrier coat and probably a teflon finish coat. I have tried a different anti-fouling paint every year with the same result, a fouled bottom, so it is time to try a new approach.
With those two time sucking projects out of the way I can focus on propulsion. The most critical decision will be selection of the motor.
--- In electricboats@
>
> I agree totally with you on solar/wind/genset being unnecessary for most
> sailors. My boat has a 3 gallon fuel tank. I usually have to fill up
> once mid season and then again at the end of the season for the winter.
> One important thing about sailboat owners is that every last one of them
> tends to have a desire for autonomy. Fuel tanks can be filled in
> minutes or jerry cans strapped to the decks for an imagined future ocean
> crossing or some contingency. Batteries hold at best, about 1 gallon's
> worth of fuel.
>
> Real or imagined, we all see ourselves being in control of our destinies
> and running out of fuel in some remote location definitely puts our
> destiny in someone else's control. In my mind, the portable gas
> generator fills this need for electric sailboats without the need for
> extensive modifications to the boat. Fire it up and plug it into the
> shore power outlet. If you don't need it for the majority of your
> sailing/racing, leave it and its fuel in the car. It's cheap
> insurance. And if you decide you really don't need it, it's easy to
> find a non-boat related use for it or to sell it. There are always a
> few in the classified ads around here. With solar and wind, you can
> sell the panel/generator and regulator easily enough, but you also have
> a not insignificant investment in the wiring and mounting of these items
> that can't be converted back to boat bucks.
>
> If all it takes to convince those scores of overly cautious boaters to
> go electric is the addition of a gas generator, then the world is a
> better place for it. At least with the portable generator they will be
> aware of every time they use it. More importantly, they will also come
> to realize how little they actually do use it. And imagine their
> pleasure upon finding out that their energy reserve is replenished free
> of charge (included in dock fees, I assume) after each day upon
> returning to the dock.
>
> Here is how I see the most cost effective way to successful electric
> sailing for Joe
> 1) install a 100% battery-electric drive capable of meeting any
> conceivable day-sail requirements.
> 2) add a portable generator for increased range, allowing for weekend
> excursions.
> 3) wind and solar are best suited to a boat that lives on a mooring and
> is day sailed and occasionally overnighted. If that is the case for
> Joe, then that is where he should be looking.
> 4) when there is the confidence that wind and solar can supply all of
> the boat's needs, there is the option of removing the portable generator
> from the boat.
>
> Cheers,
>
> /Jason
>
>
> John Francis wrote:
> > Docking is a totally different situation.
> >
> > I dock in northwest Ohio at a cost of about $2k a year(everything, summer &
> > winter). This means that the initial cost of solar panels
> > can, instead be used for batteries and a charger. Enough such that the
> > solar panel would be virtually useless since I never sail more than a day or
> > so away before returning.
> >
> > In fact the number one problem in the marina is the fact that so much fuel
> > is left in tanks(other boats) at the end of the year. Of about 30-40
> > sailboaters, I only know of a couple who actually have ever used up their
> > initial springtime fill-up.
> >
> > Every one of these boats would be good candidates for electric. BUT, the
> > minute you mention electric and batteries, the first thing that comes up is
> > that the batteries are most certainly going to let them stranded in the
> > middle of Lake Erie in danger of some calamity.
> >
> > They forget, that in years of sailing, they've never once came close to
> > emptying out their fuel tanks and that they always end up at the dock at the
> > end of the day.
> >
> > No one wants change and will conjure all sorts of unreal situations that
> > makes something "different" unreliable and un-usable.
> >
> > Fact is, probably 90%+ of EVERYONE we know that owns a sailboat could go to
> > electric, never even change how they do things, get to enjoy a quieter
> > motoring and much better slow-speed control(like for docking).
> >
> > For about 90%(just anumber off my head), Electric would be much, much better
> > than the IC engines we now have, and . . . repeat after . . . me NO, NADDA,
> > ZIPPO, ZERO, ZILTCH adverse effect on all our years of what is "normal"
> > sailing.
> >
> > The solar panels and wind-generators can come later . . . if needed . . .
> > ever.
> >
> >
> > John Francis
> > Pearson 26
> > Port Clinton, Ohio
> >
> >
> > On Tue, Apr 20, 2010 at 8:58 AM, Jason Taylor <jt.yahoo@..
> >
> >
> >> Hi Joe,
> >>
> >> You are in the "sweet spot" for going electric. Your boat is big enough
> >> to hold the required batteries and small enough to be easily propelled
> >> by any of the off-the-shelf systems available.
> >> A Torqueedo Cruise4 in the motor well and 4 group31 batteries should
> >> meet your day-sail needs.
> >> But if you are sailing off a mooring, consider keeping a portable gas
> >> generator on board as cheap insurance -- you will get more watts per
> >> dollar spent on a Honda 2000i than you will from a beach-towel sized
> >> array of solar panels. The portable generators are readily available
> >> and easy to sell if you decide to use the solar and wind generation
> >> possibilities down the road. So your total financial exposure for the
> >> gas generator is really quite small.
> >>
> >> Actually, I quite envy your position. In my case, I am waiting for the
> >> 1 cylinder 8hp diesel in my 1978 Beneteau to give out before I convert.
> >> In the mean time, I am replacing the house wiring, electrical panel,
> >> etc. You have no such distractions and are able to start fresh. The
> >> only thing "old" about your boat is the hull and Bristols are known to
> >> be quite well built. I look forward to reading about your progress here.
> >>
> >> Cheers,
> >>
> >> /Jason
> >>
> >> Joe Molare wrote:
> >>
> >>> I have been sailing for many years and have been watching the development
> >>>
> >> of
> >>
> >>> electric powered boats with interest. It was easy to see on-board
> >>>
> >> electric
> >>
> >>> requirements increasing due to the additional electronic tools as well as
> >>> hard-to-resist creature comforts. Through all this the smelly beast
> >>>
> >> remained
> >>
> >>> aloof and uninterested beyond grudgingly topping off the batteries when
> >>>
> >> it
> >>
> >>> was convenient.
> >>>
> >>> I recently purchased a 1966 Bristol 27. The boat essentially has nothing,
> >>>
> >> no
> >>
> >>> engine and no functioning electric circuits. Over the next few months and
> >>> years I expect to add some form of auxiliary power, electronics and maybe
> >>>
> >> a
> >>
> >>> lamp or two. The standard configuration recommends a battery operated
> >>> propulsion motor, a battery array and a source of electricity such as
> >>> generator, wind or solar.
> >>>
> >>> The restoration will be an evolution with budget constraints. The boat is
> >>> designed for an outboard mounted in a well under the stern counter and I
> >>> expect to stay with an outboard in the 3 hp range with batteries to
> >>>
> >> support
> >>
> >>> a 2 hour run for port. I sail in the Chesapeake so distances are
> >>>
> >> relatively
> >>
> >>> short. The batteries will start out with a solar source for recharging.
> >>>
> >> If
> >>
> >>> that is not sufficient, then I will consider a small generator or shorter
> >>> distance requirement.
> >>>
> >>> I will post progress and look forward to advice and comments from the
> >>>
> >> group.
> >>
> >>> Joe
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >> ------------
> >>
> >> Yahoo! Groups Links
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>
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