Hi Joe,
Keep in mind that a boat hull doesn't care what generates the power, whether it's a gas engine, diesel engine, sails, pedals, paddles , oars or an electric motor. Each boat requires a given amount of power to reach and sustain a given speed. Since you used "water-ski speeds" as a reference, I'll assume that you are somewhat familiar with ski boats.
You're suggesting two individual 1/2hp motors for your boat. Have you even seen a boat with a 1hp outboard? At 12 feet, you're in a normal dinghy or open skiff range. The smallest readily available outboards are 2hp and a boat your size should be able to cruise at about 5mph with a 2hp engine. To go faster, you need more hp.
James Rudholm had an excellent page describing his conversion of an outboard to electric drive and the subsequent performance on his "Diablo". Unfortunately, it seems that those links are no longer working.
Another comparison are the commercially available Torqeedo motors. I've got a Torqeedo 801, it drives my 9' inflatible dinghy at about 4mph. The Torqeedo website has performance data for their motors on a variety of hulls. I suggest that you check them out so that you can get an idea of the relationship between power and speed for diffent types of boats.
http://www.torqeedo.com/us/hn/home.html
I applaud your experimental nature, but do enough research to make sure that you're headed in the right direction.
Fair winds,
Eric
Marina del Rey, CA.
--- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, "Joe" <jtolmanmitchell@...> wrote:
>
> As I am a novice, I feel It's a good idea to build a small scale project before getting in completely over my head with my dream boat.I have a feeling there are many experimental crafts on the horizon but I digress. I have committed to a 12' dual hull design (imagine a sail-less catamaran-I chose this design to maximize passenger and cargo space while trying to minimize drag) I'm not without means but I (and my 'boss') can't justify the expense of a brand new marine electric wheel.
>
> So my questions are as follows:
>
> 1) will the motor showcased in the following link work for a dual drive inboard application?
>
> 2)would a pair of these propel at water-ski speeds?
>
> 3)if this motor won't do the job, what kind of machines could I gut to find a suitable substitute. (washing machine, Drill press, table saw?)
>
> As always I appreciate all the knowledge the group has shared with me, so thanks in advance.
>
No comments:
Post a Comment