T-Pain Is On A Boat: Re: [Electric Boats] Re: Newbie Question- Converting a 45' catamaran

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Re: [Electric Boats] Re: Newbie Question- Converting a 45' catamaran

not really seeing it by the photo's, but I'm sure familiar with the longtail engines.. seen plenty of video's of them folks in Thailand racing em on skinny little mono-hydro hulls (OMFG wow!), and of course the mud-hog's or beavertails used in swampy areas. larger similar sure could be convenient for a catamaran, all the reasons AndHanna mentioned. adding a low rear extension platform to take the weight and force sure could be a heck of a job, but there sure are a lot of advantages with that concept! (not that I have a boat for it) I'm already imagining a servo motor system for managing tilt and steering, very doable I'm sure.
I sure like the idea that it can be un-pinned and picked right off the boat if servicing needed.

--- On Thu, 3/1/12, chris Baker <chris@currentsunshine.com> wrote:

From: chris Baker <chris@currentsunshine.com>
Subject: Re: [Electric Boats] Re: Newbie Question- Converting a 45' catamaran
To: electricboats@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thursday, March 1, 2012, 2:23 AM

Andrew et al

I've now put up some photos in an album called Long Tail Cat, which is no doubt is some kind of rare and endangered feline not to be trifled with. But this album is really about a type of shaft drive reminiscent of the long-tail boats of Thailand. There's plenty of photos with details about how Owen Easton sets up his cats using this kind of shaft drive.

Cheers

Chris

On 29/02/2012, at 5:23 AM, And&Hanna wrote:

Hi Chris. I think this is an absolutely beautiful idea. I have been thinking along these lines for a long time. I desperately wanted diesel outboards for my catamaran, but could not find anything remotely suitable.

The advantages of this mid-bridgedeck long-tail arrangement are many: Compared to outboard motors, with this arrangement you get the economy of diesel, the battery charging capability of a full alternator, can put a big pushing propeller on the engine and put the propeller as deep in the water as you wish to have it. The central weight distribution is also better than the normal aft-engine arrangement. The regular marine gearbox that you use on the engine is a lot cheaper than the sail-drives that are normally used on catamarans.

And then you get most of the advantages of outboards - you can lift the prop out the water when you are sailing or at anchor, you can drop the engine off the boat for major work without having to pull the boat out the water (although with a cat you can beach it reasonably easily anyway - but still on conventional diesel installations prop and shaft work has to be done between tides) and there are fewer holes in the hulls - just need a through-hull if you wish to suck the cooling water up through the hulls. Unfortunately the layout of my bridgedeck and saloon was already done and did not allow for an easy conversion to this arrangement of engines. But glad to see that someone has actually done it this way.

Cheers

Andrew