Hi all,
I have been lurking and reading for some time while I nurse the 45-year-old Atomic 4 in my Tartan 27, a 27 ft LOA, 21 ft LWL, 10,500# displacement-hull sailboat (currently propped with a 13x8x2).
It seems like a reasonable replacement for this boat could be built around a 4kW motor with a 2:1 reduction and as much battery as I can afford from a weight and $$ perspective (it would save some money if the initial installation could preserve the current prop and shaft, and if my calculations are correct, that prop should push the boat to hull speed around 1700 shaft rpm...sound right?)
I am puzzled by the price difference between $1400 kits which seem to be lacking only the reduction system and the batteries (eg EVParts, ThunderStruck), and $4000 systems which purport to be "drop in" except for batteries (eg SeaNav, ElectricYacht).
Am I missing something? It seems like with the extra $2600 and a McMaster-Carr catalog I should be able to buy some pulleys and belts and bearings and angle iron, build the DIY system, and still have some pocket change left over to buy batteries. Am I overlooking a significant component?
Also, my prop shaft as designed is supported only by the cutless bearing and the big, heavy engine's output flange. Should I plan on stabilizing my prop shaft somewhere in the shaft alley with a strut, or can the smaller electric motor be installed in a robust enough way that it supports the shaft?
Thanks in advance, Paul
Tartan 27 #157
Annapolis, MD
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