Friday, January 29, 2016

Re: [Electric Boats] Re: 12V DC -> 2.3 knots

 

HAHA That's quite a setup, Ken! Nice and cheap, dead simple. Easy to troubleshoot and replace stuff. Are you using an external controller, or just hooking directly to your trolling motors? The cheap ones usually don't have PWM but instead use a resistor network to adjust speed. Efficiency is good at full speed but losses are huge at reduced speed. We get around this by using an external PWM controller (They can be bought ready built for around $30 on fleabay) between battery and motor, and leaving the motor control wide open. These controllers are typically used for small electric carts, scooters, or motorbikes.

Line losses are also considerable at 12v. You may want to upgrade to a pair of 36v motors. You can use a single bank and continue to use your 12v charge controllers for two 12v sections, and add another for the third section. For shore power charging, a multibank 12v charger will work. Be careful of your hookup! I strongly recommend a fuse on the hot side cables from the battery and between controller and motor. It is a safety issue. Biggest wire you can afford. 2/0 welding cable is great. 0 is good. Dont go smaller than 2 gauge even though the rating says different. Its not about preventing an electrical fire; it's all about minimizing line losses which really add up at low voltages.

Do you carry a spare motor? It might be cool to rig it up as a bow thruster if you just want something to play with and show off.

In view of your operating conditions,(current) since you don't mention keeping an outboard for emergencies, I would try to optimize things a bit. You can do it without breaking the bank, with such a light boat.

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