Re: [electricboats] Pocket Trawler Electrification

Unconventional but I think it might be alright. Sailboats have steerage at basically any speed without prop wash. Albeit with a relatively very large rudder. I built a 20' wide trimaran last summer with rotating pods only about 3' apart. With the pods locked straight you can turn the boat just about on axis, which is much better than expected. 

Matt Foley 

Sunlight Conversions

Perpetual Energy, LLC

201-914-0466

sunlightconversions.com

instagram.com/sunlightconversions/

youtube/sunlightconversions

ABYC Certified Marine 

Electrical Technician 

On Friday, January 30, 2026, 9:15 PM, Myles Twete via groups.io <matwete=comcast.net@groups.io> wrote:

Wow---this seems risky.

 

You're saying that you are going to keep a single rudder arrangement but use 2 fixed pods.

As I see it, you'll have several situations where turning response will be pretty wanting.

I'd be concerned about rudder response in docking/undocking or generally anytime moving slowly and perhaps other scenarios, again, mostly at slow speeds.

 

I've never seen anyone do this before---when going twin prop, either you go with twin rudder or have the props steerable.  And the rudders ideally want to be configured as balanced as feasible (having some area in front of the axis of rotation so the torque stresses are minimized with prop thrust.  Even more ideally, flat rudders replaced with aerodynamic profiles are growing in popularity---Dan Pence did this a couple years ago with the rudder on his electric launch "Ginger", one of the first 2 or 3 electric boat conversions done in recent decades and appearing on www.evalbum.com .  The rudder efficiency was improved noticeably.

 

I helped build a 40ft steamboat cca 2000 that was twin-15hp steam engine powered.  Behind each prop we had a rudder.  Steering was mostly a breeze and on many trips I manned the engines and direction controls.  The ability to drive one prop FWD while reversing the other prop allowed really tight turning in docking.  This would have been seriously hampered if that boat had a single rudder---I actually can't even imagine it.

 

Anyone else with twin-screw experience want to add?

 

-MylesT

 

 

 

From: electricboats@groups.io <electricboats@groups.io> On Behalf Of maaseidvaag via groups.io
Sent: Friday, January 30, 2026 1:30 PM
To: electricboats@groups.io
Subject: Re: [electricboats] Pocket Trawler Electrification

 

I should add, the rudder as pictured in my last post is as the boat was originally constructed.  It was enlarged by a previous owner and is about 50% larger with area added both on the leading edge and trailing edge.  I may be proven wrong, but I don't believe I'll have any problems with sufficient rudder authority after the prop wash is moved off the centerline and to the pods.   And, as mentioned, I have the cheat-code in the form of a bow thruster, which does seem like overkill on a 27' boat.

 

Lars