Re: [electricboats] Newbie looking for guidance

I have to disagree with ONE thing Matt said. The one penalty for oversizing may only be economic but it is real and could be significant between 3 and 10 HP.

If cost is a minor consideration I'd say a nominal 5-6 kW system would be the sweet spot for most needs and bang/$$$. If your budget is tight, something in the 3 HP range should still push her with authority but might be lacking a little in heavy weather and strong currents. IMO

Capt. Carter

Www.shipofimagination.com

On Thu, Dec 29, 2022 at 9:54 AM, Matt Foley

<matt@sunlightconversions.com> wrote:

Assuming this was a 18hp Atomic? 

You could definitely gain by going with a larger prop. Since you cant go much bigger and you wont need much power at all to push this 6 knots its probably not worth it. 

Personally I think a 3kw motor would be plenty for this boat to putt around.  Since there isn't really any penalty in oversizing, I might go with a 10kw. This would match or exceed the performance of the Atomic. 

I would also try and go direct drive. It may overheat at top speed, but you wont have the battery capacity to keep it there long enough to be an issue. 

I typically don't recommend anything other than LFP for boats. I wouldn't be apposed to it here as long as its in a portable, waterproof enclosure. This will help keep the weight down and in turn have a larger capacity capable of pushing 10kw motor. 

Matt Foley 

Sunlight Conversions

Perpetual Energy, LLC

201-914-0466

sunlightconversions.com

instagram.com/sunlightconversions/

youtube/sunlightconversions

On Wednesday, December 28, 2022 at 12:49:33 PM EST, twowheelinguy via groups.io <twowheelinguy=yahoo.com@groups.io> wrote:

I was thinking the same thing as Al. If that Atomic 4 is running good why convert?  A4s are super quiet and efficient ICEs. With the exception of using gasoline as its fuel, A4s are awesome and they would definitely be the best way to go 20 kts.

But if you have an aversion to gas on a boat , don't want to listen to and smell diesel and don't care of you ever go 20 knots again then that boat looks like it would be an excellent electric boat. 

I'd guess with a solar canopy it could cruise 5 kts just off solar on a sunny day.

If you're sure  electric is the best for you, Thunderstruck is a good place to look for an all inclusive kit for a good price but if you really have a tight budget I'd look at golf cart conversion  kits. I've been running one for 10 years. To say it's a little underpowered is an understatement but it will push the Arc 4 mph on nothing but sunshine and make 5 kits if I suck on the batteries hard.

It won't take much to get that boat up to 6 or 7 mph if that's all you want and if you do want to go much faster it won't do it for long unless you spend a fortune on batteries and a lot more on a motor and controller that you won't use most of the time.

Gas or electric though, it's a cool boat.

Capt. Carter

Www.shipofimagination.com

On Wed, Dec 28, 2022 at 11:16 AM, 63urban

<63urban@gmail.com> wrote:

But wouldn't that be far less efficient and a little more noise?

Nick

Sent from my Bell Samsung device over Canada's largest network.

-------- Original message --------

From: kurtphone@gmail.com

Date: 2022-12-28 10:35 a.m. (GMT-05:00)

To: electricboats@groups.io

Subject: Re: [electricboats] Newbie looking for guidance

i got my kit from Thunderstruck as well. Two thumbs up!
I just changed sprockets/ratios on the gear reduction until my existing prop worked. Much cheaper and easier than changing a prop.