Going green with Aleutka

[silverhand69]

Hi y'all, being faced with the option of how do I alternately power my sailboat-I am a mechanic by trade and want no engine or gasoline in my little boat. I want to run a golf cart motor mounted to an outboard outdrive. I would like to have a bank of batteries recharged by my Windbugger and one or two solar panels.
Question-Has anyone done this, and how much would it take to have a small fridge onboard too.I have a laptop computer( ix600 VR-1 toughbook) for Nav and entertainment. Any suggestions?-Will

[LooseMoose]

Lots of folks running electric drives these days and the motor of choice is golf cart motors so you are already on the right track! I have the Electric yacht Drive in my CAL 34 and today I was getting 2.9 knots and only using 17 Amps which is seriously frugal but great performance with the throttle just kicking in. http://www.electricyacht.com

There is a yahoo group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/electricboats/) devoted to electric drives which has a lot of good info though you have to sift a bit to get at it.

Bob

http://boatbits.blogspot.com/
http://fishingundersail.blogspot.com/
http://islandgourmand.blogspot.com/

[Amgine]

Hmm... I was under the impression that pancake drives were preferable for efficiency. But I suppose the benefit of the golf cart set up is the availability of parts, and the extensive market testing.

Good to hear about your repower goals, Silverhand69. I'll be interested in hearing how you manage the project, and how it works out for you!

[Chattcatdaddy]

What is a pancake drive? Are electric drives really cost efficient? All the prices I see qouted are pretty high and offer no savings versus a outboard.

I really like the idea of an electric motor, but just haven`t seen a set-up that would justify the initial investment. The electricyacht site suggested carrying a small generator to recharge the batteries. ??? Is that really necessary for a extended cruise of say a few months?

What are the options for electric drives?

[LooseMoose]

It all depends... Electric propulsion is not for everyone!

We just replaced our electric drive with the Electric yacht model so I have over five years of experience with a home brew golf cart type of system and it worked very well. The reason for replacing with the Electric Yacht system was simply I wanted to upgrade to a system that had regen ability.

Motors like the Etek and Mars (pancake) arealso golf cart motoors the main difference between the two styles of motor is the use of  permanent magnet which allows for regen. There are advantages and disadvantages to both systems. But to my mind it still winds up being six of one half dozen of another.

As far as being happy with an electric drive I think the big word is auxiliary... If you are happy with the idea of your propulsion system being an "auxiliary' propulsion system you will be a happy camper. For me that means you use the motor to get in and out of places, motor sail when winds are very light and for getting home when the wind is gone... If you power as much as you sail  or feel the need to make passages under powerit is not going to work for you .

As far as battery capacity goes we have been very happy with a 200 amp battery bank (eight 6V golf cart batteries) and have never found it to be not enough. Because we live on the hook and never charge with shore power we invested in a Honda 2000 generator which allows us to recharge when needful and works as a poor mans hybrid system when we do need to motor for longer than the battery bank can handle... Well that is the plan as we have never found the need to power for longer than 50% of battery capacity.

As to costs... A kit is available or you can put one together for under a $1000 check out any of the EV suppliers. and in comparison to a 5HP outboard that is a bit expensive but in comparison to an inboard diesel however, an electric drive is a bargain.

Bob

http://boatbits.blogspot.com/
http://fishingundersail.blogspot.com/
http://islandgourmand.blogspot.com/

[silverhand69]

 :D Hiyall
I guess for me since I only have a broken out board, and if I bought an out board, I would want the best available outboard, which costs more than I want to spend, when wind and sun are still free. I need something widely available and have the skills to maintain and fabricate a system. I just don't want to reinvent the wheel.
most importantly I intend to be self-unemployed for several years as I sail around the world without a work visa.I want to be able to skip any country I determine to be hostile or unwelcoming. most important is FREE Energy.
I am not totally idealistic, I am bringing a weedwacker engine harnessed to a generator off and ambulance to recharge if needed. I am also considering the option of powering with propane gas if anyone has done this let me know.-Will

[Amgine]

Heh... if you're going to be sailing, you won't be self-unemployed. You'll be well and truly employed, maintaining and operating your boat.

I've spent the past couple weeks full-time employed getting the boat ready for adventures. It amazes me how much of my time is spent tracking down bits and pieces; I'd guess about 3 hours getting parts/tools for every one hour assembling. This week I'll have close to 80 hours in, and the boat is so torn apart I can't leave the dock or sleep aboard. But there's light at the end of the tunnel, and I think I'll have most of the must-finish-before-departure things done tomorrow and only the you-can-do-this-on-the-hook and the next-haulout projects left.

But once I'm out cruising I know I'll have longer lists than I have now. You notice more things which need doing, or improvements which could be made, when you're sailing the boat often and living aboard. I already have lists of non-boat tasks: a list of anchorages I need photographs of, ports which need articles written about them, research on legal requirements for certain navigational options, postcard requests from family members for messages from far far away. Cruising is fixing your boat in exotic locations with fewer tools and parts.