My cheap electric dinghy experiment

[Bruce K]

Small cheap Weatherproof panel controllers are available on ebay. I have had one on my dinghy for a few years, no problems, except it is starting to look a bit ratty, UV is getting to some of the case. Programable via a small IR remote which I have long since lost! Remate enables case to be watertight.

[Lepke]

I use a Livingston as a dock utility boat and switched to a Minn Kota from an outboard. For one thing, it starts every time. The battery is no more trouble than a gas can and the Minn Kota is lighter than the outboard. When the battery is left aboard, I use a solar charger from Northern Tool. I paid about $25 on sale. Probably others like it at Harbor Freight, Amazon, Ebay. Keeps the battery up for the use I do. I also have one in the I/O I haul on the big boat.

[SecondBase]

Originally Posted by Lepke

I use a Livingston as a dock utility boat and switched to a Minn Kota from an outboard. For one thing, it starts every time. The battery is no more trouble than a gas can and the Minn Kota is lighter than the outboard. When the battery is left aboard, I use a solar charger from Northern Tool. I paid about $25 on sale. Probably others like it at Harbor Freight, Amazon, Ebay. Keeps the battery up for the use I do. I also have one in the I/O I haul on the big boat.

Lepke,

Are you reporting 100% reliability over a year's time or more?

And what have been your total maintenance hours & dollars?

I'm kinda leading your questions into my thesis which is: Shouldn't serious Cruisers should be using electric propulsion on the dink not gas?

How come this isn't more common?

[brownoarsman]

Originally Posted by SecondBase

How come this isn't more common?

I think it will be in future, but right now there are huge gaps in the product line/manufacturers

Torqueedo: motor is in the prop hub (I believe) and apparently the water proofing hasn't been very good. So they cost a lot with questionable reliability, according to some reviews I remember reading.

Minn-kolta: low thrust application, not enough power for most dinghy users

Elco: has put the motor in the power head of a traditional outboard, and uses stock lower units. Probably the best application of the available tech as it keeps the sensitive electric bits out of the water. However, elco focuses on 15 HP and above equivalents if I remember right, and leaves the low power to torqueedo. Toured the elco facility this summer though, and it feels like they are running on a shoe string.

Other than that, it's always about range and weight. How many people do you know that run their outboard below WOT? Running like that destroys range with the electrickery.

Originally Posted by SecondBase

Lepke,

Are you reporting 100% reliability over a year's time or more?

And what have been your total maintenance hours & dollars?

I'm kinda leading your questions into my thesis which is: Shouldn't serious Cruisers should be using electric propulsion on the dink not gas?

How come this isn't more common?

[a64pilot]

We used to often go on a dinghy cruise in the afternoon, maybe run 10 miles or more averaging 20 kts. Don't now where we are, cause there is nowhere to go, nothing to see or do.
However those long distance "cruises" just wouldn't be possible with electric.
At the Naval Air Station in Key West many cruisers would go bar hopping as a group in their dinghies, again long distances at decent speed.

[SecondBase]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

We used to often go on a dinghy cruise in the afternoon, maybe run 10 miles or more averaging 20 kts. Don't now where we are, cause there is nowhere to go, nothing to see or do.
However those long distance "cruises" just wouldn't be possible with electric.
At the Naval Air Station in Key West many cruisers would go bar hopping as a group in their dinghies, again long distances at decent speed.

Ok a64 so it sounds like you're saying range plus reasonable speed, is the problem to solve to gain electric dinghy adoption.

So if electric can go 10 miles at 20 knots plus the clearly better reliability then it'll make sense for more people?

[Peregrine1983]

Originally Posted by Bruce K

Small cheap Weatherproof panel controllers are available on ebay. .

Awesome. Thanks Bruce. Found some.

[Peregrine1983]

Originally Posted by SecondBase

Lepke,

Are you reporting 100% reliability over a year's time or more?

And what have been your total maintenance hours & dollars?

I'm kinda leading your questions into my thesis which is: Shouldn't serious Cruisers should be using electric propulsion on the dink not gas?

How come this isn't more common?

With a cost of $200 for the trolling motor, if the thing s***s the bed after a year or two (which I hope it doesn't of course) I can replace it for $50 more than a carb rebuild... which I've paid for twice in the last year.

[Peregrine1983]

Originally Posted by SecondBase

Ok a64 so it sounds like you're saying range plus reasonable speed, is the problem to solve to gain electric dinghy adoption.

So if electric can go 10 miles at 20 knots plus the clearly better reliability then it'll make sense for more people?

20kts is fast... A64 you probably have a more substantial dink than I do. I have a pretty high tolerance for speed, but 20kts in my Takakat with that heavy 9.8 on the back is terrifying air gets under the flat floor and it feel like you're going to backflip. It's clear to me that motor is oversized for that dink. I'm looking forward to having a more even weight distribution - heavy battery in the center and a light motor on back.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by SecondBase

Ok a64 so it sounds like you're saying range plus reasonable speed, is the problem to solve to gain electric dinghy adoption.

So if electric can go 10 miles at 20 knots plus the clearly better reliability then it'll make sense for more people?

I'd say if that day ever comes that you could get that kind of range and speed, that may be the day the gas outboard becomes obsolete.
However, and this is the thing people don't seem to realize, that kind of electrical power is way in excess of what the whole big boat uses likely in a week. Where would that enormous power come from to recharge?

Same argument for electric automobiles, if we all woke up tomorrow with electric cars in the garage, it's going to take a whole lot of new power plants to recharge them every night.

I'm not saying you can't replace fossil fuel with electricity, just need to realize just how much power we are talking about is all. The stupendous amount of fossil fuel that is burned generates an incredible amount of power.

[a64pilot]

According to this article 1 gl of gasoline is equalivent to a little over 33 KWH.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaso...lon_equivalent
If you had 1000 watts of panels and if you average 500W for 5 hours a day of output, then that is 2.5KWH at 100% charge efficiency. In 13.2 days you can collect from a kilowatt of panels the same power of 1 gl of gasoline.
You really can't as that ignores charge efficiency and I have never seen that kind of power from my panels either, likely take three weeks

[hamburking]

With such a small panel, you might consider NOT having a charge controller. I doubt you will ever actually get the battery full.

I tried a similar setup on my boat to charge the house battery, and never got the battery close to full. The solar panel was stolen before I was able to really get it sorted though. Thats something you may want to also consider...solar panel and charger all setup in a nice portable cooler...it may grow legs...

[Mango51]

I was running a sit in kayak with a 55thrust electric engine and a agm 32 amp battery. At half speed (3kts) I could run 30 min. Very little resistance on the kayak. My aluminum rib and torqeedo are a horrible match. To much drag. But the taka cat aslong as the floor doesn't touch the water should be more efficient. Good luck.

[Hunky Dory]

Inter State has a spiral wound battery. it has a higher capacity than conventional lead acts batteries because of the spiral design and no alloy in the plates. This battery is sealed and has no vents so it does not off gas and can they work in any position i.e.. on side or upside down.

[SecondBase]

Originally Posted by hamburking

With such a small panel, you might consider NOT having a charge controller. I doubt you will ever actually get the battery full.



I tried a similar setup on my boat to charge the house battery, and never got the battery close to full. The solar panel was stolen before I was able to really get it sorted though. Thats something you may want to also consider...solar panel and charger all setup in a nice portable cooler...it may grow legs...

That's a good point. Speaks to less expensive components to start with and maybe built in or hidden.