On Sat, Oct 29, 2011 at 05:14:42AM -0700, Mike wrote:
>
>
> I came across this home made electric outboard design which looks simple and
> easy to build. Might be good for those here who want to try and experiment
> with electric propulsion. Might also be good for experimenting with different
> prop sizes and pitches too:
> http://biankablog.blogspot.com/2011/10/build-your-own-electric-outboard.html
Well, it _sounds_ like a fun thing... but then, the Evil Engineering
Mind kicks in. :)
Finger-in-the-wind estimate: $50 for the drill, $20 for the angled head,
$20 for the wood, $20 for the throttle cable and handle, $10 for the
stern clamps, $5 for the shaft, $25 for all other hardware (pipe
brackets, screws, wingnuts, nails, plastic straps, cable stop, aluminum
tab, etc.) - call it around $150 for the parts alone. Then, add maybe 10
hours of labor to put it all together.
At the end of it, you have a system that provides a couple of pounds of
thrust max and is highly-prone to failure - and in very short order, too
(e.g., a $50 drill/battery/charging system isn't designed for high-duty
cycling of this sort; that high-carbon drill head is going to rust away
in zip time; the pipe clamps and the shaft are going to wear each other
away rather quickly; etc.) In fact, the most expensive parts are going
to fail first. Not good engineering, it seems like. :(
By contrast, a Minn Kota C2 30 (30 lbs. thrust) goes for about a hundred
bucks, brand new, requires no labor, and comes with a couple of years of
warranty. That's pretty hard to beat.
Ben
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