David,
That's a good answer. Performing your own risk assessment and taking things into account besides cost means that you're going into this with open eyes. From my persepective, each person needs to figure out which items can represent the biggest problem if they're missing but needed.
Also, vacation cruising represents different issues than cruising in the remote corners of the globe. Carrying spare sails, motor, anchors or any other critical part in an location where a replacement could be months away seems more prudent. In trips between populated areas, fewer spare items would seem as crucial.
I certainly didn't mean to cast any aspersions about your background or planning ability, but people can sometimes come across as penny wise and pound foolish.
The best of luck with your conversion, it's nice to hear about others that are converting old boats to electric.
Fair winds,
Eric
1964 Cheoy Lee Bermuda 30 ketch - Serenity
Marina del Rey, CA
--- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, David Goldsmith <suntreader@...> wrote:
>
> I have no plans on pushing the specs any, its the right motor for the
> application as far as power goes. The battery bank will be 8 cart batteries,
> and the controller the Sevcon.
>
> I've certainly read the opinions about carrying what amounts to an entire
> spare drive train but there are limits to what a single owner can afford and
> what a single boat can carry. Do I carry a spare motor or a spare anchor?
> Enough standing rigging to replace everything or enough running rigging?
> Extra sails? Extra pumps? I know these aren't 'either/or' choices, but I'm
> not a survivalist sailor worrying about every possible problem. It all gets
> a little out of hand, so we have to make choices. From what I've read, no
> personal experience with electric propulsion, an electric set up should not
> require major spares (like motor or controller) in a vacation cruising
> context. On a 32' 1960s boat there isn't room or carrying capacity to load
> up on doubles of everything. I consider two full size anchors and rodes to
> be prudent but the third 'storm anchor' many carry isn't something I need
> enough to buy and store.The propeller is inside an aperture protected by a
> keel, in the unlikely event it is damaged I'll just have to find another way
> back to port.
>
> $500 is too much money for a thirty pound spare part that will more than
> likely never be needed and if it is, the situation could probably be solved
> in some other fashion (getting a tow, sailing in, using the dinghy as a yawl
> boat.) I don't cut corners when its important and I don't spend more than I
> have or can either.
>
> If no one has had problems with these motors failing then that's good enough
> for me to give it a go. If I have failures I'll switch to another motor
> until I find one reliable enough to fit the service. I suspect the Mars
> motor is going to be just fine.
>
> David
>
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