Pure Electric C-Dory

[capt. meares]

I thought this was pretty interesting....

http://juneau.craigslist.org/bod/5204977003.html

[rogerbum]

[thataway]

$30,000! The Torqeedo cruise 4 is equivalent to 8 hp outboard, and the Torqeedo 1003 is about 3 hp equivalent…

There are 4 of the 26-104 Torqeedo Lithium Ion 24v batteries. for the Cruise 4, and I have to assume the standard pack for the 1003.

I guess if you want to do limited distances, it would be fine. But more of a gimmick right now.

[breausaw]

I would love to see Elon Musk branch out into e-boats or e-outboards. My approach would be to replace the power head on an outboard with an equivalent high output low-voltage, high-torque, permanent-magnet dc motor powered by lithium ion battery's or next Gen Aluminum ion. The aluminum ion are years away but show extreme promise.
So what if on my 25 I replaced my 100 galon fuel tank with lithium ion battery's meshed to a high output e-outboard. I could envision GPS assisted readouts linked to power draw giving range and other associated statistic.
Perhaps a dream, perhaps not. My thoughts are it's the direction we are heading whether we like it or not.

[RobLL]

Because boats require sustained high power output electric boat are problematic. And because their motors are produced in much lower numbers than cars they will have to wait for a car application that lends itself to boater needs.

I could see a 90 horse electric motor powered by batteries and/or motor, the motor of course centered, batteries on one side, engine the other. Gas tanks where ever for best balance. With a well muffled motor and batteries a several inches forward in the cockpit the fore and aft balance would be improved. And it would be quieter.

Could the motor be made small enough to be submerged? Or would in need to be topsides with mechanical connections to the prop. The first would be a more elegant solution if it worked.

[breausaw]

This outfit has inboard electric systems for boats up to 85 feet, quite impressive for sure. Seems 3 phase AC Motors are the way to go. They even produce outboards up to 9.9 horsepower equivalent, appears they retrofitted these with their Motors. Impressive comparisons and statistics for sure.

http://www.elcomotoryachts.com

Check up the link for electric engines 101.

[srbaum]

What I find interesting about using the term "zero emissions" and this applies to all electric that require a recharge of batteries, they simply forget where the power comes from that is used to recharge the batteries. It may not be gasoline, but some power plant with an AC plug outlet is most often using some sort of power generating source that does leave a carbon footprint, sans the energy of turbines, powered by dams.

[RobLL]

Source of electricity is of course a concern. But remember that good anti-pollution technology is far less expensive at the source than on each application.

And we here in the Northwest are mostly on a hydro-grid.

[Robert H. Wilkinson]

Anybody interested in electric boats should check out Montreal Classic Boats. I saw one of their retro gentlemans launch at the boat show one year. Called a "Bruce 22" - it is a beautiful boat and can perform. A 135kw motor capable of sustained speeds of 35mph with a top speed of 44mph. Can pull skiers and has a realistic range. The one I saw had the batteries mounted on a rail in the centre of the boat and they could be rolled forward or back on the rail to trim the boat. It can also be ordered with a 4.3 MPI

Prices range from 100, to around 140,000

Regards, Rob

[ssobol]

The problem with electric boats is going to be the same as with cars, where do you recharge it. If you are up in Desolation Sound or SE Alaska where are you going to find a high voltage charging station?

Yes, you could rig up some sort of solar charging setup. However, it will either take a LOT of panels or a LONG time to get a reasonable charge.

With a hydrocarbon fueled boat, if needed, you are much more likely to be able beg/borrow/buy fuel from a passing boat than get a high amp recharge.

If you want a day/picnic boat, Duffy boats have been making electric boats for awhile. There has been one for sale in my area for awhile. It goes 6 knots and costs ~$30K.

[rogerbum]

I think for someone with a dock on the water who can put in their own charging station AND who primarily uses the boat for local cruising, electric might be ideal. I can especially see it for lakes where perhaps combustion engines are not allowed or where it's a long hike down to the dock and there's no local fuel dock. In some places is might be a comparison between running electricity to the dock once or running fuel from the house to the dock multiple times per cruise.

It's certainly not ideal for many (most?) applications but I think there's a good niche market. A 40kwh battery can be recharged from a 15A circuit in a little under 24 hours. On a 240V 40A circuit, it would only take about 4 hours. The Montreal Classic electric model claims 150km (~90miles) at 4-5mph on a 40kwh battery and 74km (~46 miles) at 12-13 MPH (on plane). So for a slow cruise (or trolling), that's a full 12 hour day with some capacity left over or 3-4 hours at the higher speed (hours goes down with even higher speeds). For many, that would suit their needs at the lake.

[RobLL]

Large heavy duty batteries are dropping in price very substantially, and are expected to do so for the next several years. At a certain tipping point the disruption will extend to the boating world. I expect to see these things happen sooner rather than later.

I suspect that pure electric, no hybrid, will begin looking very attractive with about 100-150 mile range. A majority of boaters would likely find it sufficient. Maintenance, repairs, and reliability not to mention simplicity and less noise would also hasten the changeover.

[Sea Wolf]

As far as a Do-It-Yourself jober/ electric boat for now, here's one for sale in New York State.

It could be improved upon in several ways, but you get the idea, one that has occurred to me many times for an inland lake fishing boat.

Consider it a project in development to be continued...............

http://albany.craigslist.org/boa/5195191518.html

[ssobol]

Duffy boats:

http://www.duffyboats.com/

[Sea Wolf]