"Rick & Linda Bernard" wrote in message
...
I have often thought about a DC drive for a boat. I believe you can buy a
48V motor, a bunch of 8D's, controller, and a charging system. Should be
able to get out of the slip and back without to much fuss. Don't forget a
genset to charge the batteries while out. Net cost probably about 2-3K
for
the electric drive and 5+K for the genset (assuming you do all the work
yourself). Gee, why not buy a diesel inboard or at least a long shaft
outboard.

"Lloyd Sumpter" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 26 Dec 2003 21:07:10 +0000, noah wrote:

On Fri, 26 Dec 2003 08:22:10 -0800, "Lloyd Sumpter"
wrote:

So, I'll visit the bank as soon as it's open and see if they like
me
enough
to lend me more money, then get the new one ordered and pull the old
one. I'm
thinking of various ways to power Far Cove "between engines". I
thought
of
mounting Near Cove's electric on the stern ladder, but I think it's
too
far to
the water. Or bolt some temporary engine (electric?) to the propshaft
plate...

Lloyd Sumpter
"Far Cove" Catalina 36

A good electric would certainly get you out "into the wind", if you
have
the
battery capacity. Another thought would be a transom adapter for a
"used"
kicker. Either way, it'll cost a few bucks, but will get you back on
the water.
I prefer the idea of the transom adapter and kicker. It's more
versatile, and
upgrade-able, and the "lift" types pull clear of the water.


I do have a "9.9" (some say it's a 15, but if it was 15, I'd have to
license
it!) Johnson on the Tin Boat, but it's a short-shaft. Far Cove's transom
is a
foot or so out of the water, so the engine would have to mount right at
the
bottom of the transom, out of reach from the cockpit. Also, at 36 ft,
ANY
wave
action and any outboard would be alternately out of the water and
submerged.

I was just thinking of the electric to get me around the marina, to
the
lift,
etc. But...if it is a while before I get the new engine...Hmmm...I still
like
the inboard idea, but donno where to get an electric for that (don't
want
gas -
not set up for safety!)

"Far Cove" Catalina 36


Some general electric boating links:

http://energy.sourceguides.com/busin...s/eboats.shtml

http://energy.sourceguides.com/busin...boatcomp.shtml

An excellent resource to find all sorts of electric drive components:

http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/geobook.html

One of the most interesting items listed are the Solectria 2700 f
Ultracapacitors. These look to be the ideal alternative to lead-acid
batteries. They are a *very* pricey right now but the virtually infinite
lifetime make these a good long term solution. I expect super capacitor
technology to come down in price as usage ramps up.

One of the more popular electric drive motor suppliers:

http://www.kinetekinc.com/companies/....adcmotors.com

Their 9 inch motor is by far the most popular motor found in EV conversions.
Some of their smaller motors may be ideal to power Far Cove.

Some specialized links regarding ultra-efficient use of electric drives:

http://www.engin.umich.edu/solarboat/bdtheory.html

http://www.electricboats.co.uk/keyfactors.html

http://pages.intrstar.net/~brb/

Mark Browne