Electric Power a sobering story

[thinwater]

Is this situation any damper than an outboard in a well? I don't think so. The well gets plenty of splash and there is always dew. We get about 15 years out of them, after which they aren't that bad and are typically still running, just less dependable. (twin Yamaha 9.9s)



It's a basic failure by Ocean Volt, at least in communication. If they need a bone-dry bilge they need to be clear on that. Say "if you get any water in the bilge the warrentee will be void." I'm guessing that would hurt sales.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by sailingharry

Anybody have any suggestions on "maintenance" that would have kept this motor going for another decade?

Yes, fit a good quality boat cover with ventilation for use when the yacht is stored on its trailer over the winter. Suspect this is the reason it looks so bad, being stored ashore with salt water in the bilge for months in a damp English climate. In southern England we haven't had really cold spells for a while (2018) but excessive rainfall each winter has been moral sapping. Perhaps not leaving it in the garden or boat yard unattended for months might have helped.

Originally Posted by Phil_Fr17

Using a belt is not the right solution either, as it generates even more heat; a direct drive is much better in terms of noise, wear and energy efficiency. A watercooled motor too...

I disagree with Phil, the reason for using the belt is to reduce the prop revs on electric conversions rather than direct drive. Water cooled would be nice, but far more expensive than air cooled on what is a small day sailer, so hardly justified for this application.

Pete

[sailingharry]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

Sailing style is definitely a factor. I know a few sailors that would have to be pretty darn desperate to do that much motoring. In most cases, they'd just wait for better wind whether motoring was an option or not.

Indeed. It was a club event. A trip down the bay to the next river, a band concert, fireworks in the evening, drinks with the boat rafted up to us, and then home the next day. Skipping the weekend would have been an option (and driving would have been an alternative). About half the folks that planned to go did cancel.


It's a problem with Chesapeake Bay summers. LOTS of days where the water is glassy. An argument could be made (and is made by many lifelong sailors who have made the change) that a trawler is a MUCH better Chesapeake sailboat (of course, while having much better summers, they miss the fabulous fall sailing). Trying to plan excursions around the weather is hard, especially for events like fireworks or even club gatherings. But, it can work well for daysails.


Our club has our major invitational regatta this weekend. Boats from up and down the Bay (many motored to get here). We are hoping, but not confident, that we'll get at least one race over the 3 day regatta.

[danstanford]

Originally Posted by sailingharry

Indeed. It was a club event. A trip down the bay to the next river, a band concert, fireworks in the evening, drinks with the boat rafted up to us, and then home the next day. Skipping the weekend would have been an option (and driving would have been an alternative). About half the folks that planned to go did cancel.


It's a problem with Chesapeake Bay summers. LOTS of days where the water is glassy. An argument could be made (and is made by many lifelong sailors who have made the change) that a trawler is a MUCH better Chesapeake sailboat (of course, while having much better summers, they miss the fabulous fall sailing). Trying to plan excursions around the weather is hard, especially for events like fireworks or even club gatherings. But, it can work well for daysails.

Our club has our major invitational regatta this weekend. Boats from up and down the Bay (many motored to get here). We are hoping, but not confident, that we'll get at least one race over the 3 day regatta.

I guess we should quit whining about how little wind we have in the evenings here for racing. Lots of days with decent wind but it can lessen to that 'glassy' stage by after work race time. I always thought the Chesapeake area looked fantastic for sailing principally because there are so many places to go! So often here if some guest comes for a sail we just run out into the lake and back again which they always seem to enjoy.

[sailingharry]

Originally Posted by danstanford

I guess we should quit whining about how little wind we have in the evenings here for racing. Lots of days with decent wind but it can lessen to that 'glassy' stage by after work race time. I always thought the Chesapeake area looked fantastic for sailing principally because there are so many places to go! So often here if some guest comes for a sail we just run out into the lake and back again which they always seem to enjoy.

The places to go is what makes this amazing. Literally, when you sail out of Annapolis, you can pick a decent anchorage 5, 10, 15, 20, or 50 miles away, and you can choose to go north or south. And the anchorages are all in 8-12 feet of water with mud bottom and 360-degree protection. You have your choice of not dozens, but hundreds, of unique places to anchor. You can spend weeks on the Bay, and never anchor the same place twice. I was spoiled there.


I now live 50 miles south of Annapolis. I have a few anchorages right here on the Patuxent River, maybe 3 or 4, 5-10 miles away. After that, your choice is 40 miles south, or 40 miles north. Going south, it's one or two places. Going north, it's maybe a few more (some of those "anchorages" are coves on the side of the Bay -- pick your spot based on predicted winds).


Pull up Active Captain on the Bay, from the Little Choptank River on north, and look at the number of anchor pins. It's amazing. And the Western Shore of Virginia is pretty good until you get to the James River. The lower Eastern Shore sucks unless you have a centerboard (or a trawler), as does the upper Western shore (above the Patapsco).

[SpiritofGlenans]

Originally Posted by Statistical

Your belief there is some other engine room is not supported by the article. For these type of day sailors it isn't uncommon for the enigne to be installed on deck under a housing. The old engine was per the article installed exactly where the new electric motor was.

It is still unsuitable although with a bit of modification it probably could have been made suitable. No modification was done the motor was just plunked right down exposed to the elements. That housing that fits over the motor was unlikely a water tight seal.

My mistake

[SpiritofGlenans]

Originally Posted by PippaB

The author said:

Sorry, I misread the article.

[SpiritofGlenans]

Originally Posted by PippaB

And did you not read the article linked in the OP? As stated in the article, the electric motor system was installed in the same space that formerly housed the diesel engine.

Sorry, I took the author's statement that there was a mid-boat mounting option available to mean that this was a different location to the original diesel.

[sailingharry]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Yes, fit a good quality boat cover with ventilation for use when the yacht is stored on its trailer over the winter. Suspect this is the reason it looks so bad, being stored ashore with salt water in the bilge for months in a damp English climate. In southern England we haven't had really cold spells for a while (2018) but excessive rainfall each winter has been moral sapping. Perhaps not leaving it in the garden or boat yard unattended for months might have helped.

Valid points, that may well have had a positive impact. No electronics involved, but my old Lightning lived under cover 98% of the time I owned it (unless actually sailing -- we even covered it overnight at regattas). It was kind of "after the horse left the barn" as it was 30 years old when I bought it, full of leaves and looking very sad. Indeed, it might well have made a difference.


But I'm not sure I'd call that "maintenance." It's more like "operations." But it's just semantics -- in either case it is a change in how the motor lived.