One of the chief sources of frustration over this season was my docking
ability, single handed. I have teh 2.5 Nissan which just has forward.
Standard procedure would be to motor to the vicinity of the dock or other
target and then cut power and run forward with boat hook/paddle to will the
boat towards the cleats. I'm getting better at it, and don't mind too much
looking like a fool since I still consider myself new to all this. But when
other people's boats are parked nearby, potential victims, some of the fun
is lost.
I find your plan very attractive just to get that forward, reverse, neutral
capability. I guess my Christmas list just got bigger.
Regards,
John Haley
P15 #391 Morgan
Rochester NY
At 10:10 PM 9/8/98 -0700, you wrote:
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> West Wight Potter Website at URL
> http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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>I've ordered a Minn-Kota Riptide RT-70S 70-lb-thrust motor for my P14. The
>motor requires 24-volts so I plan to install a Group 24 size battery on
>each side of the forward part of the CB trunk, which gives me very
>substantial ballast (100-120 lb) down low, which should increase stability
>noticeably. There's room to place the batteries crosswise, leaving me
>enough footroom between the batteries and hatch. (My boat is a first
>generation U.S. Potter, which has no lining and has a footwell in the
>cabin, so the batteries will be in boxes resting on the bottom of the
>hull.) I may add more flotation although I've already foamed in the area
>under the bunks and added foam under the seats and forward of the lazarette.
>
>The 70 lb thrust may be overkill, but some have advised that even a 55 lb
>trolling motor is inadequate if there is much wind or current, so I will
>probably have to carry my Seagull OB when I'm on big water. I intend to use
>the electric whenever possible and mainly at low speed settings to prolong
>the battery charge. I expect to use full power only when I need a little
>extra push to get through turbulence under a bridge, to cope with a patch
>of stronger current, or to get out of the way of the barge that's coming
>faster than I thought. There are several reservoirs south of SF Bay that
>now prohibit gas outboards but allow electrics, so I'll be able to sail
>those lakes without the prospect of paddling home if the wind quits.
>
>Even if I only use the electric to get in and out of marinas and to potter
>around in quiet coves and lakes, I think it will be worth it. The Minn-Kota
>will be quiet and nonpolluting, will start instantly with the flip of a
>switch, and has both forward and reverse - none of which are
>characteristics of my 1967 Seagull Forty Plus, which is noisy, vibrates,
>leaves an oil slick; oozes gear oil; and has no neutral, no reverse, and no
>autorecoil of the starting cord.
>
>But the Seagull drives the Potter strongly, weighs only 28 lb and fits in
>the lazarette, so I can carry it with me when it seems like a good idea.
>Hopefully, having both motors at the stern won't have too much effect on
>the trim since I'll have about 120 lb of batteries forward and low, and my
>lateen mast is 11 inches forward of the original mast..
>
>The RT-70S, like all the more expensive Minn-Kotas, has the Maximizer
>circuit, which controls the power by pulse-modulating the 24 volts, which
>is more thrifty with battery charge and offers continuous, unstepped speed
>control. The Riptide model has added protection against saltwater.
>
>I plan to run large diameter wires from batteries to motor to minimize
>voltage drop since it will be a fairly long run from the transom to the
>cabin. That will be less of a concern on a 24-V system since it requires
>only half the amperage to deliver equivalent power of a 12-V system. The
>two batteries in series at 24 V should give me about the same operating
>time as the same two batteries in parallel on a 12-V system.
>
>By the time I pay for the motor, 3-stage charger, deep cycle batteries,
>boxes, and wiring, I will have spent enough to buy a pretty good gas
>outboard, and it's going to be a lot of work to put it all together, but
>it's something I've been wanting to try for a long time.
>
>I have no previous electrical system in the boat so I plan to use the motor
>batteries for lights and such also. Do any of the electrical experts out
>there know if there would be any problem for me to draw some 12 volt power
>off one (or both) of the batteries, which will be wired in series to
>produce the 24 volts for the motor. That could result in running down one
>battery more quickly than the other, but is that a concern?
>
>I'm also wondering if it would be practical to use my tow vehicle's
>alternator to recharge the boat batteries as I drive. That would be nice if
>I'm traveling and can't always stop somewhere with an electrical hookup to
>power my charger.
>
>Harry Gordon
>P14 #234, Manatee
>Mountain View, CA
>
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------------------------------------
John S. Haley
Systems Manager
Administration and Finance
SUNY Geneseo - 217E Erwin
716-245-5548
eMail: haley@sgenaa.cc.geneseo.edu