Monday, September 30, 2013

[Electric Boats] Hello Everyone

 

Hello,
I am new to this group and have been going through the different conversations trying to take in the wealth of information that this group has to offer. My partner and I have a 41' Morgan OI.  Its original engine is a Perkins 4107 and is coming to the end of its life. We have been doing research into Electric and I think we will end up repowering our boat this winter.
Currently we are looking at either a 20.0 QuieTorque through ElectricYacht or a Curtis/HPEVS brushless AC motor 30hp continuous 45hp peak through a local company here in Vancouver BC. We are thinking of going with either 300ah AGM or 400ah LiFePo4 batteries. Pros and cons being mainly weight vs money and expected lifespan.
We live in Vancouver BC and our sailing plans include a trip north along the coast to Alaska and then probably south and across the Pacific in the future. We plan to take our time and will have solar and wind and won't mind spending time in a bay to charge up. We also plan to get a little 5kw Yanmar diesel  generator for emergencies. We have a sailboat because we love to sail and as it is we don't use our engine much, mainly just for getting in and out of dock or anchor and getting through passes.
We will continue to absorb the information on this page and would appreciate any thoughts or comments you may have on our plans.
Cheers,
Sheya and Jason

__._,_.___
Reply via web post Reply to sender Reply to group Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (9)
Recent Activity:
.

__,_._,___
Posted by at No comments:

RE: [Electric Boats] Electric Outboard 500-1000W

 

We are currently Located in the San Diego, CA area.

 

Richie Giesen

 

Volt Boats LLC

 

C: (530)545-2149

 

3880 Sacramento Dr.

La Mesa, CA 91941

Come visit us @VOLTBOATSLLC

 

                   

 

From: electricboats@yahoogroups.com [mailto:electricboats@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Orest Iwaszko
Sent: Friday, September 27, 2013 9:12 PM
To: electricboats@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Electric Boats] Electric Outboard 500-1000W

 

 

Hi Ritchie where art you located. ? 

 

On 2013-09-24, at 4:23 PM, voltboats wrote:



 

Hello everyone,
I have been following the electric boat group for about a year and I enjoy reading and keeping up with these topics. we currently are in the process of developing and electric outboard motor with the option to run a 500W or 1,000W motor. The unit will have electric steering which can be controlled with any of the following methods. 1) Bluetooth control using a smart phone 2) Joystick wired to main controller or 3) GPS auto-pilot that uses the phone and custom application to navigate.

We would really appreciate your feedback helping us learn more about the market for a product like this from actual electric boat users and builders.
If your don't mind answering a few questions we would really appreciate it.
1)Would you like to use an electric outboard on a small vessel?

2) What features would you like to see?

3) How much would you spend for a 1.5-3 Hp equivalent electric outboard with electric steering and Bluetooth capability?

4)Would you be interested in taking a test ride with our prototype?

I really appreciate your help and we look forward hearing from you. Email me a richie@voltboats.com for a test ride.

 

__._,_.___
Reply via web post Reply to sender Reply to group Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (7)
Recent Activity:
.

__,_._,___
Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, September 29, 2013

[Electric Boats] RE: Electric Outboard 500-1000W

 

Hello Richie,


I recently had an unexpected adventure  due to loosing my ability to maneuver because of insufficient thrust from an electric motor.


I would like to learn about any product that would overcome that problem for me in the future, along with other products that make the use of an all electric boat possible, e.g. batteries, controllers, or recharging systems.


I would be very interested in any test rides you could do, but my own boat is current "on the hard" for refurbishment that will take at least a year, probably more, to finish.  If you plan to show your products at a nearby boat show then perhaps my wife and I could see a test ride on another person's boat.


I am not sure what you mean by a "small vessel".  I have a Cal 29 and a 12' sailing dinghy.  I consider them to be small and very small.


You are welcome to contact me at my email address below.


Thank you,


Brad Bates

Play Mate, Coffee Springs, Alabama

Bradley.A.Bates@gmail.com


On 2013-09-24, at 4:23 PM, voltboats wrote:

 

Hello everyone,
I have been following the electric boat group for about a year and I enjoy reading and keeping up with these topics. we currently are in the process of developing and electric outboard motor with the option to run a 500W or 1,000W motor. The unit will have electric steering which can be controlled with any of the following methods. 1) Bluetooth control using a smart phone 2) Joystick wired to main controller or 3) GPS auto-pilot that uses the phone and custom application to navigate.

We would really appreciate your feedback helping us learn more about the market for a product like this from actual electric boat users and builders.
If your don't mind answering a few questions we would really appreciate it.
1)Would you like to use an electric outboard on a small vessel?

2) What features would you like to see?

3) How much would you spend for a 1.5-3 Hp equivalent electric outboard with electric steering and Bluetooth capability?

4)Would you be interested in taking a test ride with our prototype?

I really appreciate your help and we look forward hearing from you. Email me a richie@... for a test ride.


__._,_.___
Reply via web post Reply to sender Reply to group Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (3)
Recent Activity:
.

__,_._,___
Posted by at No comments:

Saturday, September 28, 2013

RE: Re: [Electric Boats] Electric Outboard 500-1000W

 

Hi Ritchie,


It sounds interesting, but boy I would not want to trust a smartphone to control a boat.  There are certain moments when it would be seriously dangerous to not have seamless control of the speed and direction and I know my phone often takes a 2-3 second vacation when a call comes in or it's downloading something or just busy with other applications.  Then of course there are other times when the phone battery just dies or an application crashes..


The direct joystick would be scary enough but the phone connection seems pretty much a disaster waiting to happen.


Hopefully I'm misunderstanding the goals and intentions.  Like I said--it sounds interesting.



---In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, <orestyko@...> wrote:

Hi Ritchie where art you located. ? 

On 2013-09-24, at 4:23 PM, voltboats wrote:

 

Hello everyone,
I have been following the electric boat group for about a year and I enjoy reading and keeping up with these topics. we currently are in the process of developing and electric outboard motor with the option to run a 500W or 1,000W motor. The unit will have electric steering which can be controlled with any of the following methods. 1) Bluetooth control using a smart phone 2) Joystick wired to main controller or 3) GPS auto-pilot that uses the phone and custom application to navigate.

We would really appreciate your feedback helping us learn more about the market for a product like this from actual electric boat users and builders.
If your don't mind answering a few questions we would really appreciate it.
1)Would you like to use an electric outboard on a small vessel?

2) What features would you like to see?

3) How much would you spend for a 1.5-3 Hp equivalent electric outboard with electric steering and Bluetooth capability?

4)Would you be interested in taking a test ride with our prototype?

I really appreciate your help and we look forward hearing from you. Email me a richie@... for a test ride.


__._,_.___
Reply via web post Reply to sender Reply to group Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (4)
Recent Activity:
.

__,_._,___
Posted by at No comments:

[Electric Boats] Full River AGMs

 

Has anybody any experience, positive or negative, with Full River AGMs?

I'm thinking of buying a set for house power. 
Thanks in advance for any feedback.
Cheers

__._,_.___
Reply via web post Reply to sender Reply to group Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1)
Recent Activity:
.

__,_._,___
Posted by at No comments:

Friday, September 27, 2013

Re: [Electric Boats] Electric Outboard 500-1000W

 

Hi Ritchie where art you located. ? 


On 2013-09-24, at 4:23 PM, voltboats wrote:

 

Hello everyone,
I have been following the electric boat group for about a year and I enjoy reading and keeping up with these topics. we currently are in the process of developing and electric outboard motor with the option to run a 500W or 1,000W motor. The unit will have electric steering which can be controlled with any of the following methods. 1) Bluetooth control using a smart phone 2) Joystick wired to main controller or 3) GPS auto-pilot that uses the phone and custom application to navigate.

We would really appreciate your feedback helping us learn more about the market for a product like this from actual electric boat users and builders.
If your don't mind answering a few questions we would really appreciate it.
1)Would you like to use an electric outboard on a small vessel?

2) What features would you like to see?

3) How much would you spend for a 1.5-3 Hp equivalent electric outboard with electric steering and Bluetooth capability?

4)Would you be interested in taking a test ride with our prototype?

I really appreciate your help and we look forward hearing from you. Email me a richie@voltboats.com for a test ride.


__._,_.___
Reply via web post Reply to sender Reply to group Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (2)
Recent Activity:
.

__,_._,___
Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

[Electric Boats] RE: FW: Duffy....?

 

Just some thoughts about the Duffy boats.  Here in Southern California they are everywhere.  There are 2500 in Newport Beach alone.  That is a remarkable number.  The question is why.  Because they are great and really give their owners what they want-a place to entertain (Booze Cruise?).

The boats are very capable of carrying greater weight in batteries due to their wide hull and large wetted area.  I spent time with and on "Riding Current" which has motored form Santa Barbara to Enseneda with one single trip around Catalina Island of about 100 miles in a poor sea state. 

https://www.facebook.com/RidingCurrents

Ridding Current has as its standard configuration 36 Trojan 145s in its propulsion bank installed along port and starboard and 4 Trojan 145s in its house bank at the stern.  For longer runs it adds an additional 8 Trojan 145s for propulsion along the center line of the boat.  This is a promotion boat owned by Duffy and run by Billy.  We have done several trips together, he on Ridding Currents and I on my Columbia hybrid.  Billy is not very technical as the boat is maintained by the Duffy staff here in Newport Beach CA but he is one heck of a pitch man with a mission to clean the oceans.  We will be sailing from Dana Point to Long Beach for the Strictly Sail Long Beach in October and would like to invite any electric boat owners to join us there.  We will be in a tent with four electric propulsion vendors.

Ridding Current also has 4 250watt solar panels and the stated goal of not being connected to the grid.  This is not always possible as the time to recharge a depleted battery pack is very long.

Mike Electric Yachts of Southern California




---In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, <electricboats@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Sent to the moderator...

-----Original Message-----
From: electricboats-owner@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:electricboats-owner@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Dag Hanssen
Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 6:58 AM
To: electricboats-owner@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Duffy....?

Hi from Fort Lauderdale.
I purchased a used Duffy Balboa a few weeks ago, bit it does not run,
working on having the controller tested, should know in a few days.
Has anybody fitted Solar Panels to their Duffys?
If so what size?
What is the current draw from the 48 Volt motor?
I have 8 golf cart batteries and the brochure talks about a 15 hr endurance,
sounds high, would that be with an optional larger bank of say 12 or 16
batteries?
Not much tech info on the Duffy site, looking for help from other owners.
Thanks
Dag

Sent from my iPad=

__._,_.___
Reply via web post Reply to sender Reply to group Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (6)
Recent Activity:
.

__,_._,___
Posted by at No comments:

Re: [Electric Boats] FW: Duffy....?

 

Because of the limited space on a boat, sometimes it's worth the premium to get the higher efficiencies to get more power. So much depends on your budget and what you're trying to accomplish. Even $2.50 a Watt is a pretty good deal for something with higher than average efficiencies considering they will be collecting energy for years, if not decades to come. 
 
Weight of your solar canopy can be an important stability consideration for some boats as well, and you'll typically pay extra for something lighter. Also, don't forget to factor in shipping costs, in small quatities it can add considerably to your cost per Watt. That's why I suggested Sun Electric in Miami because it's close enough to drive to and pick up from Fort Lauderdale. A better cost per Watt from a vendor in California won't do much good if you have to add shipping and handling.
 
I strongly recommend you pay extra for an MPPT charge controller too, it is well worth the added cost and it really optimizes the solar array, especially when you are putting a load on the batteries with the motor. I would also consider this simple tracking mechanism,  www.shipofimagination.com/the-flap-tracker.html . I have found it will give me over double what I can collect with the panels laying flat if I diligently track the sun all day while cruising.
 
Carter

From: cnc sales (hanermo) <gcode.fi@gmail.com>
To: electricboats@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, September 25, 2013 4:09 AM
Subject: Re: [Electric Boats] FW: Duffy....?

These are alsmost 3x the current right price for solar panels.
The current cost of PV panels, one off residential, is about 0.50-0.60$/V.

These cost about 2.5$/watt.

A better choice is always a bigger panel - for about the same cost.
Choose about 250-300 W panels, for about the same 250$ price.
Any nr of suppliers..

You get about 3x the power, and the losses are very much lower than
multiple panels..
Just saying.
> I installed these cells on my much larger boat.  They would be what I
> recommend for your Duffy, they use the most efficient cells on the
> market they bend to fit your roof, and the price is very good.  The
> only down side is the top mounted connectors are very hard to hide. 
> I used 1.5 inch finger ducts.
>
> http://www.grapesolar.com/images/pdf/small-off-grid-manuals/PhotoFlex-100W.pdf


--
-hanermo



------------------------------------

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/electricboats/

<*> Your email settings:
    Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/electricboats/join
    (Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
    electricboats-digest@yahoogroups.com
    electricboats-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    electricboats-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/utos/terms/



__._,_.___
Reply via web post Reply to sender Reply to group Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (5)
Recent Activity:
.

__,_._,___
Posted by at No comments:

Re: [Electric Boats] FW: Duffy....?

 

These are alsmost 3x the current right price for solar panels.
The current cost of PV panels, one off residential, is about 0.50-0.60$/V.

These cost about 2.5$/watt.

A better choice is always a bigger panel - for about the same cost.
Choose about 250-300 W panels, for about the same 250$ price.
Any nr of suppliers..

You get about 3x the power, and the losses are very much lower than
multiple panels..
Just saying.
> I installed these cells on my much larger boat. They would be what I
> recommend for your Duffy, they use the most efficient cells on the
> market they bend to fit your roof, and the price is very good. The
> only down side is the top mounted connectors are very hard to hide.
> I used 1.5 inch finger ducts.
>
> http://www.grapesolar.com/images/pdf/small-off-grid-manuals/PhotoFlex-100W.pdf

--
-hanermo

__._,_.___
Reply via web post Reply to sender Reply to group Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (4)
Recent Activity:
.

__,_._,___
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Re: [Electric Boats] FW: Duffy....?

 

 
Flexible panels are cool and they have some nice advantages, plus 20% eff is awsome but if you're on a budget and can live wth nominal 14% eff. rigid panels they are down to about 75 cents a Watt and that's hard to beat if you can make them work in your application. Also check out www.Sunelec.com close by you in Miami for some good deals on PV. They are selling as low as 50 cents a Watt in bulk right now.
 
Carter
 

From: James Sizemore <james@deny.org>
To: "electricboats@yahoogroups.com" <electricboats@yahoogroups.com>
Cc: "<electricboats@yahoogroups.com>" <electricboats@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 8:48 PM
Subject: Re: [Electric Boats] FW: Duffy....?



I installed these cells on my much larger boat.  They would be what I recommend for your Duffy, they use the most efficient cells on the market they bend to fit your roof, and the price is very good.   The only down side is the top mounted connectors are very hard to hide.   I used 1.5 inch finger ducts. 

http://www.grapesolar.com/images/pdf/small-off-grid-manuals/PhotoFlex-100W.pdf

On Sep 24, 2013, at 7:33 PM, "Myles Twete" <matwete@comcast.net> wrote:

 
Sent to the moderator...

-----Original Message-----
From: electricboats-owner@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:electricboats-owner@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Dag Hanssen
Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 6:58 AM
To: electricboats-owner@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Duffy....?

Hi from Fort Lauderdale.
I purchased a used Duffy Balboa a few weeks ago, bit it does not run,
working on having the controller tested, should know in a few days.
Has anybody fitted Solar Panels to their Duffys?
If so what size?
What is the current draw from the 48 Volt motor?
I have 8 golf cart batteries and the brochure talks about a 15 hr endurance,
sounds high, would that be with an optional larger bank of say 12 or 16
batteries?
Not much tech info on the Duffy site, looking for help from other owners.
Thanks
Dag

Sent from my iPad=





__._,_.___
Reply via web post Reply to sender Reply to group Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (3)
Recent Activity:
.

__,_._,___
Posted by at No comments:

Re: [Electric Boats] FW: Duffy....?

 

I installed these cells on my much larger boat.  They would be what I recommend for your Duffy, they use the most efficient cells on the market they bend to fit your roof, and the price is very good.   The only down side is the top mounted connectors are very hard to hide.   I used 1.5 inch finger ducts. 


On Sep 24, 2013, at 7:33 PM, "Myles Twete" <matwete@comcast.net> wrote:

 

Sent to the moderator...

-----Original Message-----
From: electricboats-owner@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:electricboats-owner@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Dag Hanssen
Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 6:58 AM
To: electricboats-owner@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Duffy....?

Hi from Fort Lauderdale.
I purchased a used Duffy Balboa a few weeks ago, bit it does not run,
working on having the controller tested, should know in a few days.
Has anybody fitted Solar Panels to their Duffys?
If so what size?
What is the current draw from the 48 Volt motor?
I have 8 golf cart batteries and the brochure talks about a 15 hr endurance,
sounds high, would that be with an optional larger bank of say 12 or 16
batteries?
Not much tech info on the Duffy site, looking for help from other owners.
Thanks
Dag

Sent from my iPad=

__._,_.___
Reply via web post Reply to sender Reply to group Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (2)
Recent Activity:
.

__,_._,___
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)