Rick, reading this thread has given me a somewhat painful flashback. About 2 years before I did the diesel to electric conversion on my boat, my Yanmar 3GM diesel died on me and needed to be rebuilt. At the time, I was unfamiliar with the electric option, but had just heard about it and became curious. However, since I couldn't find that much information and wasn't sure, and couldn't be convinced before I had to fix my boat, I went with the "safe bet" and just paid to have the diesel rebuilt. The diesel ended up being less than perfect (as they all are) and I learned more and more about electric- after the fact and ended up removing a perfectly functioning rebuilt diesel, which I ended up selling for less than the price of the rebuild.
I think if I would've made the decision to go electric before rebuilding the diesel, I could've saved a few thousand dollars and a lot less of head ache! My advice, if you're at all thinking about the electric option- seriously consider it now, especially while your engine is out anyway. Your boat is an ideal candidate and is what these systems are ideally suited for. Go for it!
-Greg Martin
s/v Intrepid, Bristol 32e
Okinawa, Japan
www.Intrepid-seas.com
www.ElectricSeas.org
--- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, Richard Armstrong <dickybrewer5@...> wrote:
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> Mike, Thanks for the info that sounds great. I'd eventually like to go completely electric, though a rebuild/replacement for my diesel is probably what I'll do for this summer. As batteries progress and electric wiring and motor efficiency progress I'd think that a small generator with some solar would be great even for cruising. There are times when a motor is necessary, but in good conditions even the solar I have now is capable of recharging a system completely over a few days. I love the idea of being clean and green. Thanks for the info, Rick
>
> --- On Mon, 4/18/11, mikegunning@... <mikegunning@...> wrote:
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> From: mikegunning@... <mikegunning@...>
> Subject: [Electric Boats] Re: diesel to electric re-power for sailboat
> To: electricboats@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Monday, April 18, 2011, 1:12 PM
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> Rick,
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> Just got back from Strictly Sailing where we were showing a motor that would propel boats larger than your 14000# displacement. There were as many electric motor systems manufacturers as diesel manufactures at the show. I do not know of other O'Day 37s that have been converted, but it seems like a good fit with the size and keel arrangement you have. I would think that electric would be a real benefit in the livability with your aft stateroom. The issue will be the amount of battery storage, cost for that storage, and what type of sailing you typically do.
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> I have a Newport 30, smaller than your boat, that I use to demonstrate electric propulsion. You are welcome to check out the company websites and the other manufacturers out there and drop by for a demonstration ride (this is where you really find out if you like the idea of electric rather than diesel).
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> Regards, Mike
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> Electric Yachts of Southern California
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> --- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, Sally Reuther <smreuther@> wrote:
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> >
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> > Rick,
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> > Your O'Day should be able to handle the weight of the batteries. There are
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> > systems out there at 48 volts to 72 volts that will work for your boat.
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> > That relates to 512 to 768 lbs of AGM battery weight. That weight can be
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> > carried low and centered which is a plus when converting to electric
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> > propulsion - it gives you the flexibility of positioning the batteries where
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> > the weight is best positioned. Lithium batteries are great for weight, but
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> > pricey still. I've been hearing though that we can begin to see prices on
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> > these batteries coming down in the next few years which is fantastic news
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> > for all of us wanting to convert to electric and save weight! We have a
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> > Moody 376 that we will be converting and we are looking forward to being
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> > able to use Lithium, but will probably start out with AGM's. Also, since we
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> > will be cruising we are adding a genset along with our system.
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> > There is a lot of information on this forum, and also a number of companies
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> > offering good drop in systems. Take the time to compare and ask a lot of
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> > questions. Good luck and have fun! You're one of the pioneers!
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> > Sally
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> > On Wed, Apr 13, 2011 at 4:56 PM, aweekdaysailor <aweekdaysailor@>wrote:
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> > > Hi Rick,
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> > >
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> > > See if this helps:
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> > > https://sites.google.com/site/electricboating/Home
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> > >
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> > > Much depends on where and how you sail - read that section twice! :)
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> > >
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> > > Your boat is a little outside the "sweet spot" for a conversion using
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> > > lead-acid batteries. The battery weight needed to run the motor you need
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> > > (larger than my 6HP) will likely be too much to balance the weight coming
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> > > out (your diesel/tank/hoses/etc). But, it's a great candidate for
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> > > lithium-ion conversion (which is more expensive at first, but over time is
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> > > actually about the same or a little less than lead-acid due to higher cycle
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> > > life)
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> > >
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> > > -Keith
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> > >
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> > >
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> > > --- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, "SailorRick" <dickybrewer5@>
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> > > wrote:
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> > > >
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> > > > Hi everyone, I'm just curious if any of you can give me any tips on
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> > > replacing my diesel motor with an electric, I'm wondering how
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> > > feasible/affordable this is. I have a 37 foot O'day center cockpit sloop
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> > > that needs a re-power. The 32 HP Universal Atomic Diesel motor is seized and
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> > > I'm wondering if it would be possible to install an electric motor, where I
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> > > would begin to look for such a motor, what size and weight I would be
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> > > looking at etc... Any info would be helpful. I can rebuild or replace the
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> > > diesel, but electric is appealing to me and I already have an 800 amp hour
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> > > battery bank recharged by a kyocera solar panel with inline voltage
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> > > regulator. I would probably have to add a diesel generator to accompany this
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> > > set up. I've been looking and am trying to find good info on what the
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> > > possiblities/limitations might be. I need to find out if it's possible to
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> > > replace my current diesel motor with an electric - the motor I am thinking
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> > > about replacing is a Universal Atomic 32 HP, four cylinder diesel, weighs
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> > > about 400 pounds. Thanks and happy sailing! Ric
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> > > >
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