Re: [electricboats] trolling motor lower unit

Good plan.  10kW seems about right. 

I don't know how useful local support would be.  Maybe a lot.  But I found the support from Thunderstruck to be great.  And their kit is pretty complete. 

5kWh is a good start with the battery.  And that can be scalable.  You can add capacity by doubling it.  You didn't say what type of battery but if you're in this for the long haul LiFePo4 wins of cost.  Power density too.  To get the equivalent usable power to my 185lb 280AH LiFePo4 bank would take 1600 lbs of lead acid.  

I don't know how it would work for your boat but on my 5kWh battery (with 80% depth of discharge) would be good for about 10 miles range at 4.5 knots.  If your prop is as good a match as mine you should see a little better?  With a 2000 watt generator that could deliver 1800 continuous I could motor at about 4 knots.   There are generators that run on propane.  If I were getting one that's what I would look for.  A little less power but way easier to change a bottle of propane underway than to pour fuel.  I know of a P36 that has a propane generator and can run at 4 knots for 8-10 hrs on a 20lb bottle.  And propane is easy to find.  The fume accumulation issues are no worse than gasoline on a boat.  And never any stale gas sitting in the unit. 

Like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Champion-Power-Equipment-200961-Ultralight/dp/B08L45W2V9/ref=sr_1_5?crid=324G9BXKCIP9R&keywords=dual+fuel+generator&qid=1641443540&sprefix=dual+fuel+generator%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-5


Jeff's mount looks great.  Very sturdy and simple parts.  Using the OEM beds and mounts makes a lot of sense.  Mine wouldn't work because I was coming from a v-drive installation.  Made more sense to start from scratch for me.    

Jeff, I suggest you look at this stuff for shim stock:
https://www.mcmaster.com/fiberglass/
Might do for framing elements too.  Very stout.  I used it to make my motor beds and battery beds. 


Dan Pfeiffer

On 2022-01-05 9:54 pm, Luke Johnson wrote:

Thanks again for all the input / insight guys,

I love hearing about all the thinking outside the box everyone is doing out there - 

Although there are no shortage of dreamers out there like me, all of you boring practical types have pretty much convinced me to go the traditional route this time.  I'll save that idea for when there's more expendable time and money lol.

I'm looking at getting a liquid cooled 10kw BLDC from Golden Motor Canada.  They're local and I have a feeling local dealer support might come in handy.

The main drawback with this solution is that there's no motor mount - so I'll have to source/make my own.  I'll search around in the forums for any templates that might be in the archives for Cat 30s - any pointers would be appreciated.

Dan - I've been reading your logs - it has been very useful indeed.  Thank you very much for putting that together.

I'm thinking I'll go for a 5kw battery bank + portable genny to start, and see how that goes.

Thanks all,