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I have been reading about fuel cells, will they be available for boats any time soon? How big would a cell have to be that would be capable of charging a bank of, say, eight 6vdc golf cart batteries?

Maybe I'm just a bad "surfer", but I have not been able to find anything on the net about electric motors for sailboats.<br>Is this the place? <br>Maybe you can help?<br>I live on my 38' sailboat in the Nederlands Antilles, one of the Caribbean islands.<br>I have a little sailshop here, and obviously cherish wind, water and the sun. <br>My boat is fittet with solarpanels and 1 windgenerator, enough to keep me going on a daily basis, TV, fridge lights, fans etc.<br><br>I'm also the unhappy owner of a 32 year old Perkins diesel engine, ex-40 Hp. (4-107) This engine has seen a lot of saltwater - also in places where no saltwater should be!<br>Rather than exchange the old dear for a newer model with the same smell, noise and polution, I would like to install an electric motor. <br><br>My thoughts are: I only need the motor for getting in and out of harbours and anchorages...and out of trouble. A 1-2 hours range would be fine. After 2 hours I either sail, am back in the marina - or on the rocks.<br>The boat is heavy allready, so more batteries would not really be a problem. And think about all the weight I'll save dumping the old engine with its 40 gallon diesel tank! I figure that the boat weighs 20 ton, maybe a couple more with all my personal junk on board.<br><br>A new diesel is $7-9000.00, so hopefully this crazy idea of mine might even be cheaper!<br><br>Can it be done?<br>Has it been done?<br>Can existing propeller and shaft be used?<br><br>I have used electric trolling motors for a small catamaran, and I loved it! Took tourists up a small river in the Dominican Republic, and their faces lit up as we "slid" silently past the mangroves and listened to the tropical birds!<br>But I'd probably have to mount 10 of those to propel my boat....not very practical!<br><br>Speed is not important, but torque is! Refer to earlier comment about getting out of trouble!<br><br>There might even be a market here - cruising boats are normally not in any hurry, and during 13 years of living aboard, I haven't met ONE boat without the owner considering his diesel as a: nessesary evil / mean of travelling short distances / a charging source / "thing" wich will run different other appl. as freezers and watermakers from it's pulleys - as they have to run "it" anyway once pr. day, so "it" won't sieze!<br>(Need I say, that I'd be happy to provide my boat for promotional purposes...!)<br><br>With solar panels and windgenerators we can be truely independent, especially if we can cut the route to the next diesel filling-station! We are cruising in the tropics with lots of overhead sun, and tradewinds blowing all the time. Most sailboats can fit several panels and windgenerators, we have much more space than a car. And a lot more time available to take advantage of "free" charging.<br>So what, if we have to stop in a pretty anchorage for a week to charge batteries? That's what we do anyway!<br><br>Again a word about pollution: On land it's relatively easy to get fuel, get rid of oil, find a mechanic and spare parts. On the water - not so! Unfortunately I have seen buckets of dirty motor oil in otherwise pretty places, filling the boats tanks with diesel many times lets the vent overflow with big slicks common in marinas. <br>Usually cruisingboats have an unspoken agreement in quiet anchorages: we'll all run our engine at the same time - that way nobody get pissed off because of the noise and fumes.<br><br>Sorry that this got so long, I could keep on writing about this, obviously it's something that has been on my mind for a while...<br><br>Hope to hear from you, and thanks for the opportunity to vent this!<br>kirstidrewsen@...

Kristi:<br><br>You are not alone. Many people are having similar thoughts.<br>I suggest you take a ook at the web page of the ELectric Boat Association of the Americas<br>www.electricboat.com<br>You may find a number of things that interest you, but if -- from the home page -- you click on DEPARMENTS

Kristi:<br><br>You are not alone. Many people are having similar thoughts.<br>I suggest you take a ook at the web page of the ELectric Boat Association of the Americas<br>www.electricboat.com<br>You may find a number of things that interest you, but if -- from the home page -- you click on DEPARMENTS, then on LINKS. You'll find a list of manufacturers of motors and boats and other things.<br>One of them, Ray Outboards, may be able to help you with an outboard.<br>Elco can fit your vessel with electric propulsion as can some others. KTA services can give you all the stuff you need and allow you to use the existing shaft and prop. So can Electric Vehicles of America, but I don't know if they have a web site yet.<br>Checki it out. If you have questions, you can message me.<br><br>Good luck,<br><br>Ken Matthews

Does anyone have knowledge of Where, When, How, etc. of electric boat races here in the US? This is something I'd like to get into, but am having trouble finding out information on schedules, class requirements, etc. Terry

Kirsti:<br><br>I have been going through the same process, trying to engineer an electric drive in a Spray 22 sailboat that I am building. It weighs 4000#s.<br>I have found EV America (EVAmerica@...) very helpful. For my boat it will take a 6hp 48volt motor to propel it to hull speed and have some reserve for bad weather. At hull speed it will draw 162 amps, or 7776 watts. With eight 6 volt batteries ( 70#s each), there would be approximately 1 hour at hull speed. I would think that it would be very difficult to recharge the batteries just with the solar panels and wind generator if you did very much motoring. It is best to recharge batteries with a high amperage bulk charge, ( like from a DC generator, (www.polorpowerinc.com)), and then finish the charging with the solar panels. I am not too familiar with the wind generator, maybe someone else would know if it could produce enough amperage to do the bulk charging. I am considering using a dc generator in conjunction with the batteries. With this combo, I could motor all day on the generator, if necessary (going up a river or in one of the deep canyons in Lake Powell), charge the batteries, and have a reserve in case of an emergency ( batteries and generator together would produce around 20 hp). But most of the time I would run off the batteries in silence. <br><br>These are just some of my thoughts to start you off, I am no expert and have only started learning about this stuff recently. I have no commercial interest in the companies mentioned.<br><br>Bill

Has anyone done any experimenting on battery recharging using a system other than solar or a gas engine hooked up to an alternator? When a kid in the 50's I had a small generator that attached to the frame of my bike and turned by rubbing against my front tire producing electricity to power my headlight. It seems to me, something like that could be rigged up to recharge a battery much like that of an alternator on an auto???????? Terry

I guess this message is primarily aimed toward those members who are builders or experimenters, but anyone interested can enter into the conversation or possible events. <br>I've been encouraged by a staff member of the IEB to research the feasibility of having events whereby builders and other interested parties could show-off their latest innovations in electrical boat propulsion. Not racing, since speed is not really what electric boating is all about, but some sort of competition to make the events interesting and fun. Ideas,comments?????

Doug,<br><br>I'd look into sailboat hulls,particularly catboats,as they are extremely wide for their length and are true displacement hulls. In the size you're after, I'd suggest a Marshall Saunderling. Try www.catboats.org..... a classified listing.<br><br>Maybe you'd better not mention your plans! Some sailors are "anti powerboat"!!!!!!!!!<br><br>Good luck..........Frank

Does anyone in the USA compile a listing of Regatta's for electric boats? If so - I would be interested in finding out where / who and obtain one. Thanks. Paul Preuss

Just a reminder:<br>An electric boat workshop will be conducted Saturday, October 2, at the Chesapeake Bay Small Boat Festival in St. Michaels, Maryland.<br>Several of the well-known personalities in the world of electric boating will be on the panel.

The EBAA meeting at St. Michaels, Md., was well attended and successful. The ELectric Boat Journal will contain a full report with photographs.<br>Perhaps we can put up a photo or two on this club site when we get the scanner cranked up.<br>Just thought you all would like to know.

It also seems to me that the prices for electric boats (and parts) are far higher than they need to be. I have rationalized this by saying they are small production models and can not benefit from the savings of mass production. Many electric boats also have much fine woodwork which adds to the cost - yet the electrical components themselves do seem to be high priced. I think this will be a major handicap in getting more folks to buy into the electric world. Paul Preuss

I am in the process of installing a 36V propulsion system in my newly built fantail launch. One of the components is an "Emergency Disconnect Switch" (Albright 250LB). It is mounted immediately downstream from the main fuse which is, in turn, wired directly to the battery bank POS. The switch allows one, instantaneously, to remove power from the remaining components of the system.<br><br>Question: Why doesn't the fuse take care of this or, put another way, under what emergency circumstances would one throw this switch?<br><br>Larry

I have been away from the club for some time and am delighted to see that the conversation continues and grows. I promise to log on each week so I do not have to review all the messages at once and I can also take part in a timely fashion. The Electric Boat Club is 13 months old and appears to be providing an electronic forum for discussion. Great! Ken - Glad to hear that the gathering in Maryland was a success and I will be looking forward to reading about it in the EBAA Journal. Sorry I could not attend but my schedule didn't permit. One of these days I will be there. Paul Preuss

I have been away from the club for some time and am delighted to see that the conversation continues and grows. I promise to log on each week so I do not have to review all the messages at once and I can also take part in a timely fashion. The Electric Boat Club is 13 months old and appears to be providing an electronic forum for discussion. Great! Ken - Glad to hear that the gathering in Maryland was a success and I will be looking forward to reading about it in the EBAA Journal. Sorry I could not attend but my schedule didn't permit. One of these days I will be there. Paul Preuss

This weekend I hope my electrically-powered prop will spin for the first time!<br><br>After 4 years, my cold-molded fantail launch hit the water for the first time in August. This was the second boat I'd built--by far more complex than the first--and it was a great moment.<br><br>But the propulsion system was not only not installed, but not even received yet. So now, while the boat has been laid up in the boathouse for the winter, I've been puzzling out the installation of my first electric propulsion system.<br><br>Unlike many of you, I've never owned an electric boat before. My "experience" consists of a couple of rides in boats of friends. And yet I now find myself in the position of installing a propulsion system from scratch.<br><br>I bought the individual components (as opposed to a dedicated system from someplace like Elco)and have spent the last few weeks installing them in the boat. There's a separate 12V system for the "house"--meters, lights, etc.--and a 36V propulsion system. The meters are now all wired up and at least I can say that when I throw the breaker on the circuit panel I have dash lights! And the stereo doesn't even go to half-speed.<br><br>But now I'm now running lines for the propulsion system. Lots of welding cable everywhere. I can't say enough good things, so far at least, about the support and direction from KTA Services from whom I purchased the components.<br><br>At some point this weekend I should be ready to throw the switch and see if that prop actually goes 'round. Wish me luck, please!<br><br>Larry

I am impressed!<br>The prices of electric motors are something else....<br>If I'm going to get one (and I'd love to....) I'd expect it to at least be competitive with a new diesel.<br>Not so!<br>Anybody have any suggestions on sites/companies?<br>To me a price over $8,000.- for just motor and controller is rediculous.<br>Then comes batteries, charging,installation, etc.etc.<br>hope to get some hints.......

I am in the process of building an electric outboard motor. Unfortunatly I am not knowlegable about props. Does anyone out there have info on how to calculate the touque required for a given pitch and diameter of prop. I am an electrical engineer with over 30 yrs expierence in controlling DC motors. I will be glad to offer any help in this area if someone has specific question.

Hi Folks,<br>My names Joe Peek, I've lurked long enough to read all the posts and find out whats "up" with the lister here..and I've enjoyed all of the posts and peoples endevors. For myself, I own a new company called "Electro Cruise Boats", In a few months we'll bring a "New" Electric Boat into the market. I don't intend to "sell" my product here on the list, just exchange ideas and enjoy hearing others stories of what there doing....E-boat wise. I should have introduced myself before I posted a replay to the question about sizing a motor for a hull. The method I described works very well (it's fun to do) and deliver good data on power requirments...(real world) no guess work. I did the same test's about 3 months ago and the stuff to do it cost $65.<br><br>Joe