Commander 227

[Lucky Dawg]

http://pearsonariel.org/discussion/s...4&postcount=15

THAT is what a marina should look like! Not that I spend a lot of time lounging there, but Torresen - bless its little heart - looks like a dirty old truck stop. Maybe a good thing - if it looked like that, I might not leave the dock as often. Very appealing.

I admire your dig-in-and-blast-it-out rennovation motivation! Wanna come fix my cracking deck paint/gelcoat?

[Commander227]

THAT is what a marina should look like! Not that I spend a lot of time lounging there, but Torresen - bless its little heart - looks like a dirty old truck stop. Maybe a good thing - if it looked like that, I might not leave the dock as often. Very appealing.

Thanks! Check us out at;http://shorewoodyachtclub.com

[Commander 147]

Have you checked out EVA, Inc.? This link is to the website and below is a quote that they gave me for the same kind of electric motor repower.

http://www.ev-america.com/EVACatalog.html

[Commander227]

Willbe,
My first intention was to go with a brushed shunt wound motor and controller. I figured I could pull them out of an old gulf cart or pick up something on the cheep from ebay. (I think the scrapping of a gulf cart is probably a pretty good way to go as you would get virtually everything you would need all in one shot and I think the performance would be acceptable.)
I think however that if I'm going to go through all the work of designing and installing the system, I should spend a few bucks and buy shiny new things.
I've decided to go with the Mars brushless motor, Sevcon PMAC 48 volt controller, Sevcon DC/DC converter to power the boat's 12 volt systems.
I have not had a chance to look much into chargers yet.
I'm 90% sure I'm going with Thunderstruck motors, for at least the main components.
http://www.thunderstruck-ev.com/sailboatkit.htm
This link brings you to a kit that is close to what I am planning to install, but I want a few different components and wish to make the wiring harnesses myself to get the neatest possible installation. Curtis makes a throttle Pot (wd-45)that goes 5 ohms-0 ohms-5 ohms so I won't need a fwd/rev switch, I can just move the throttle back for reverse and push forward for forward.
The Mars brushless motor weighs only 24 lbs as opposed to 100 plus lbs for a shunt wound motor of equal power and the brushless motors are also quite a bit more efficiant as well as being maintanance free.
The motor is actually A/C 3 phase and the controller converts the D/C power by sending pulses to the motor. This system is set up for regenitive braking, so the controller can be programmed to start charging the batteries once you get up around hull speed and free wheel before that.
Many sites have the motor for about $450.
About the same for the controller,
Contactors, fuses, throttle pot, switches will probably add up to another $400.-$500.
Unlike IC engines that have a narrow power band, the nature of electric motors is to have tons of low end torque. this system should not have any problem pushing my Commander around at hull speed, the only question is range. you need about 400 lbs of batteries to give you the same BTUs as 6 lbs of diesel fuel. Being I sail a inland lake and can charge from shore power at my dock, I am selecting batteries to give me one hour @ hull speed, (enough to get back from the bars and restaurants in Wayzata Bay fast, without going below 80% depth of charge) I would like to keep the weight down as much as I can. I should be able to keep the weight about the same as with the outboard, and way below the weight of the Atomic 4, fuel, engine battery & house battery.
I dunno... it looks O.K. on paper. We'll see how it looks under the bright lights of reality.
An article in the March/April Wooden Boat Magizine about a guy who built an electric launch is what got me going on this whole deal, after doing my own due diligence and research I re-read the article and found I had come up with pretty much the same system and components.

[mbd]

Here's another site I ran across: http://www.elcoelectriclaunch.com/drives.htm

and another: http://www.electric-boat-association.org.uk/

[Commander 147]

The more information the better.

[Commander 147]

Commander 227

Do you have any idea how much electricity you can generate with the Sevcon PMAC 48 volt controller setup? Obviously the more you can generate the less battery weight you need to carry. I would really like to avoid needing 8 batteries. Going out long channels to get to deep water in the gulf makes my future repower a little more demanding than your inland lake sailing. I will also be looking at photovoltaics as a possible method of getting some juice back before I get back to the dock. The upside is you don't need wind to charge that way but the downside is you need a lot of them to get a significant amount of recharging capacity. Solar cell technology is improving by leaps and bounds and the problems may soon be overcome.

I was unable to find the Curtis WD-45 throttle you mentioned. I found a WP-45 but it only works up to 30 volts. Can you give me a link to the throttle? Will it lock in the center so you don't accidentally bump it into forward or reverse? I guess a key switch would make bumping the throttle not a problem however.

Have you given any thought to where you will locate the batteries? I would like to keep them as far forward as possible without making the cable excessively long.

Will you use a folding prop or a fixed prop to maximise regenerating capability?

Like you I hate using an outboard on my sailboat. I am determined to use an electric inboard drive. So when you have completed your repower I would like very much to fly up to see your setup. Would you be willing to show it off to me?

[Commander227]

Commander 227

Do you have any idea how much electricity you can generate with the Sevcon PMAC 48 volt controller setup?

I was unable to find the Curtis WD-45 throttle you mentioned. I found a WP-45 but it only works up to 30 volts.

Have you given any thought to where you will locate the batteries?

Will you use a folding prop or a fixed prop to maximise regenerating capability?

So when you have completed your repower I would like very much to fly up to see your setup. Would you be willing to show it off to me?

I really do not yet have a handle on the regen capabilities. There are so many variables such as prop slippage, prop size and come in speed. I think I'll just have to play with the programming once the system is installed. A few sites selling similar systems claim to be able to regen while at anchor in a current. I don't think I would want it to come online and start inducing drag until I was near hull speed, but I'll have easy charging in my slip.

My mistake... it is the WP-45. Keep in mind it is not using the full line voltage, just the 10.5v controller circuit voltage. Anyway I'm off the WP-45. The Harbor 20 uses a Motorguide electric motor set up and has a very neat key switch and throttle in a nice recessed pan that will mount flush. It is 5-0-5 K ohms, it does not have any feel or neutral detent, but I've found it to work great the few times I've sailed a harbor 20. I just ordered the pictured set up from Schock.

Batteries will be kept as low and close to the C/G as possible. I had to place a couple of sand bags in my anchor rode compartment this summer to balance the 9.9 O.B. Before haul out I pulled the O.B. and the sand bags and the boat still rode bow high and took almost 100# to level out the boat. Being the I.B. motor will sit about 6' aft of the C/G, I know I'll need at least 2 batts well forward. I will not build the battery boxes until all systems are in place and I can float the boat to get the balance right.

A folding prop will not work with the relief cut into the keel and rudder. I am debating on 2 blade vs. 3 blade. If I use a 2 blade I can mark the shaft and pin it inline with the keel when racing, but it sure is nice to have that 3 blade bite when you are accelerating or stopping. I'm on vacation next week and have Dave Garr's "Propeller Handbook" for my beach reading.

I'd love to show it off if it works and I don't end up pulling it all back out and hauling it to the scrap yard.

[Commander 147]

Here's hoping it all works and you get the opportunity to show off your handiwork. I'm VERY interested in your progress on this mod. and the inclosed head project. The electric drive for me and the enclosed head for my admiral

Please keep us informed on your progress for all of your mods.