Hi John,
While I would not for a second retract my comment, I do want to say you have my greatest respect based on your recent past postings. I really felt a pride reading your account of events and knowing I'm hearing from someone talking from first hand experience. I think you are a great asset in the electric movement.
Cheers
Ron
--- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, John Paramore <watertoyz@...> wrote:
>
> OK...before the anti-speed thought police here form a mob, let me
> offer a different view. Nobody with a clue likes reckless operation,
> so it's good to show concern there. I'm equally sure though, that
> nobody has warm-fuzzy views of getting caught pants-down in
> situations where sustained real power would be an asset. The "desire
> for speed" folks are the guys who'll sort this out for you to bring
> electric on a real par with piston power.
>
> 100 years ago electrics were a match for IC because the piston engine
> was cave-man crude, unreliable and fed from a fairly
> dangerous...Ummmm, "battery". Over the past century IC has gone
> through numerous development cycles culminating in the modern
> computer-managed operating systems and secure fuel systems that allow
> current operators to use them without a care.
>
> On the other hand, development of electric power totally stalled out,
> until just recently when fossil fuel worries finally started to be
> taken seriously and markets for alternatives began to appear. The
> huge breakthrough in battery tech is just the start, they haven't
> even begun with motor design yet. Think L-Ion is a big deal?...How
> about this?
> http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/mit-harnesses-molecule-
> power/
>
> 18 years ago when I started electric boat racing there were no
> reliable heavy-duty motor controllers and no light-weight, power-
> dense batteries. By 1995 we were seeing 70 mph speeds on car
> batteries and big ugly knife switches...Switch-on, Hang-on like a
> closet kamikaze pilot. We started to see the first experimental high
> amp controllers, but still had to deal with the enormous weight and
> short performance life of lead./acid.
>
> NEDRA's advent produced and developed Otmar's huge-amp "Zilla", the
> toughest, most reliable controller going and introduced big-scale L-
> Ion power. Applied to a racing hydroplane those have produced a 100
> mph boat that can run huge distances on a single charge. It takes
> solid reliable power to run a kilo, and over time all the things we
> learn from that will benefit the average day-cruiser with the ability
> to run a greater distance or summon sustained serious power when it's
> needed.
>
> I once had a pretty lengthy talk with a former Seattle Times sports
> editor who defended a put-down of racing with this remark: "there
> hasn't been an applied tech benefit from racing since the adaptation
> of the rear-view mirror from Ray Harroun's Indy-winning Marmon Wasp
> in 1911". When I learned he was a D-Day veteran I asked if he was
> aware that the Rolls Merlins powering the Mustangs and Spitfires that
> air-covered him from the Normandy beaches through to Bavaria were
> developed in a racing seaplane series he admitted he never knew, but
> was pleased with the info and grateful for racing's contribution.
> Nobody's forcing any of you plane your canoes or trimarans, but
> performance oriented electric boaters experiments have and will
> continue to enhance electric power's future, whether you aware of it
> or not
>
> John
>
> On Aug 10, 2010, at 11:23 AM, Capt. Mike wrote:
>
> >
> > Well said Eric and Ron. I'm amazed at the speed of some boats
> > (including sailboaters) heading out of the harbor. I find since I
> > installed Electric Propulsion I now often raise sail in the harbor
> > and sail out or cruise at a leisurely 1 or 2 knots chatting with
> > people on the docks on occasion as I do so. It's all part of the EP
> > experience. IMO.
> >
> > Capt. Mike
> >
> > Sent from on board BIANKA
> > http://biankablog.blogspot.com
> >
>
>
> > From: "Ron" <rlgravel@...>
> > Sender: electricboats@yahoogroups.com
> > Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2010 18:01:05 +0000
> > To: <electricboats@yahoogroups.com>
> > ReplyTo: electricboats@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: [Electric Boats] Re: Torqeedo travel 1003
> >
> >
> > Hi Eric,
> > That last paragraph says it all and is exactly why combustion fuel
> > is still king, the desire for speed is a habit that most people
> > can't break (even when they have no need to be in a rush).
> >
> > Ron
>
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