Hi folks, I've posted this a couple of places, but I think I may have finally found a good forum for this question:
I'm designing a small electric boat, because I like quiet slow cruising, and aim to use it in small Ontario lakes and the Trent Severn canal system. 18-20 feet long, 4 foot beam, for 4 or 5 people. Basically an oversized canoe, very light (less than 500 pounds including batteries, I hope).
I was thinking that the easiest way to do the electric propulsion would be to use all off-the-shelf stuff from BassPro shops.
Here is my plan right now:
- Minn Kota 24V trolling motor, maybe 80#
- 2 batteries (or 4 smaller ones if it made more sense, see below)
- Minn Kota onboard charger (2 or 4 bank, 15 amps per bank)
What I'm looking for is a light boat (as few batteries as possible) with 2 or 3 hours of cruising time via the battery bank, with the ability to extend my range occasionally with a 1200 watt generator. Of course, I can charge at the dock/campsite/lock with an onboard charger and generator, but here's the question:
Can I charge a single battery bank on-the-go, while using it? Say I want to keep going for most of the day, would it be possible to start the generator up on the water, and have it charge the batteries while I keep going? Or is that not a good idea?
I'm thinking my boat would chug along ok on 500 watts (guessing), and a 2 bank charger can put about 400 watts back into the batteries in bulk charge mode. A 4 bank charger (15 amps x 4) would put over 800 watts into the batteries in bulk charge. That would certainly be enough to continue cruising with my canoe.
I know there are also safety considerations, I'm thinking to install the generator in a sound-insulated box on the transom, with a blower for ventilation, and with grounding.
Is this silly? I posted on one general boating forum, and the majority of responses were "get a gas outboard". Any ideas appreciated.
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