Sunday, November 13, 2011

[Electric Boats] Re: Where to even start

 

Hi Chris,

If you are considering vendor supplied solutions, four of the vendors that are represented in this group are (in alphabetical order) Advanced Marine electric Propulsion, Annapolis Hybrid Marine (seller of ASMO drives), Electric Yacht, and Propulsion Marine. They all sell excellent products. I chose Propulsion Marine in Santa Barbara when I converted my Cheoy Lee Bermuda 30, I couldn't be happier with the quality of the product and the vendor support. It is up to you to figure out which features are important and what you're willing to spend. Also keep in mind that there is no standard for drive ratings. For example, the motor that Thundersky sells as a 10.5kW motor, Propulsion Marine rates at 5.5kW in a typical marine installation. Running a motor in the depths of your bilge is very different than running it exposed on a motorcycle or on a test bench. Look at what the drive systems are made of, and you'll find that many of them are assembled with similar motors and controllers, even though the vendors rate them differently. All of these drives should give similar performance in your boat, in spite of the varied ratings.

I converted a number of cars to electric in the 1990's, so I have the technical and mechanical background to build a system from scratch. I also have the experience to recognize that most DIY projects like this have a false economy. One you add up all of the components that a vendor will supply in a complete drive system, you're not really paying a large premium to do this with a one-stop solution. Add in the trial and error involved in getting a drive tailored for your boat and many DIY versions can cost more than a vendor solution in the long run.

When you get a little father into the details, I can give you detailed range and speed estimates for a variety of battery options. There are a number of other active group members here that can share their experiences with their electric conversions. For some sailors, electric can be a huge improvement over ICE, for others, the compromises in range can be too much to overcome. However, I think that most of the people that have converted have found that battery range is not as much of an issue as it seemed before we converted.

Good luck and welcome to the future.

Fair winds,
Eric
Marina del Rey, CA

--- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, Chris Guldi <cxguldi@...> wrote:
>
> Hey Scott
>
> Your systems are highly recommended. I spent some time on your site last
> night and will spend some more time there tonight. I have questions I am
> sure are answered there before I start festering you.
>

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