Re: Electric Trolling Motor

SolarFry@aol.com
Thu, 5 Nov 1998 12:40:18 EST


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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In a message dated 98-11-05 01:24:01 EST, you write:

<< Subj: Re: Electric Trolling Motor
Date: 98-11-05 01:24:01 EST
From: hlg@pacbell.net (Gordon)
To: wwpotter@tscnet.com

>Michael
>P19 Traveller
>Columbia SC

wrote:

>Have you looked inside the forward berth area? It's mostly hollow in my
>Potter. I figger I can mount 2 pair of series 27 batterys one on each
berth.
>I agree this will add a LOT of needed forward ballest for the Potter! <G>

Four #27 batteries is a lot of ballast. My series 24, 95-Ah deep-cycle
batteries weigh 45 pounds each. I bought them at Costco for a little more
than $40 a piece. They are Costco's Kirkland brand, but they are made by
Johnson Controls. Johnson is one of the two or three companies that make
most of the batteries. Most series 24 are only rated at 85 Ah.

The forward berth area is an option. On my old boat it is a plywood deck and
is filled beneath with pour-in foam that I added, so I'd have to make
cutouts and scoop out some foam to make a place where battery boxes could
be dropped in. The batteries would not be as low as they are now (maximum
stability) but would be further forward (better trim). They would also
require longer cabling (more voltage drop). The batteries would protrude
well above the bunk deck, and thus intrude on leg room when sleeping in the
boat (which I seldom do). In their present location they also are higher
than the bunk deck and will have to be neatly covered to avoid shorts and
acids. The batteries in the footwell make it harder to get in and out of
the cabin, which doesn't have the sliding hatch the later models have.

>Polypro Strapping is acid safe. I used Rubbermaid containers for a battery
>container. I STRONGLY DISLIKE rolling batterys and leaking acid!! The lid
is
>excellent for preventing shorts!

I bought two sets of battery boxes and they both came with Polypro straps.
I will probably return the boxes from West Marine because the covers take
too much room. The two boxes I'm using now (from Walmart) didn't come with
covers. I'll look into Rubbermaid containers.
>
>A smallish inverter (about 500 watts) makes a great addition for those
>little home comforts.

My P14 will never be comfortable. I will have to get a P19 to achieve
comfort.

>I am unaware if you have any concerns about Y2K, but if you do, the boat
>camping ability of your potter is reasurring. I was involved in the LA
Riots
>about some dude getting beaten up by police. I do fear the human aminal
>that can erupt if the Y2K does but 10% of the expected problems. Just a
>thought.

I'm not worrying much about Y2K, but I will stay off elevators and
airliners on New Years (2000) Eve.

During WWII I lived on the corner of Florence and Raymond in LA, one block
from where the riots began at Florence and Normandie.

Getting back to reality testing of the electric motor, I hauled the boat up
to Redwood City Marina this afternoon. It was almost 3:30 when I left the
dock. I motored around for a little over an hour, but the sun sinks early
this time of year so I had to haul out or I would be derigging in the dark.
(I had the lateen rig set up as a backup but didn't need it.)

The motor takes some getting used to. At first it was dissappointing; I was
hoping for a little more power at lower settings. The absence of sound
makes me think nothing is happening until I look at the wake or the passing
shoreline.

It was a new experience having a motor with reverse capability, and to be
able to stop and go without recranking the engine.

The motor has the Maximizer feature, which is pulse-width modulation,
claimed to be more efficient than the stepped resistance control used on
economy models. The twist-grip throttle is graduated for percentage of
power from 0 to 100. I found I was using mainly the 50 to 75 range. It's
slow cruising at 50, about like sailing in a 5 kn wind. At full throttle
(45 amps) it feels pretty good, leaving a satisfying wake, but the
batteries would probably only last for an hour or two at that setting. But
the power might be sufficient to get out of short term jams (to get through
turbulence under a bridge or to get out of the way of an onrushing barge,
for instance) At the 10% setting the prop is barely ticking over and
doesn't provide enough drive to maintain steering. I had about a 15 kn wind
this afternoon but I could maintain any heading at higher settings. I don't
have an ammeter or state-of-charge meter yet, but they would be very
helpful. I don't know if the graduations on the throttle are actually
proportional to the amperage being drawn. A setting of about 30 is okay if
you're just observing nature and not in any hurry to get somewhere.

I put the charger on as soon as I got the boat back in the driveway, and
the charger, in its automatic mode, was indicating about 12 A initially,
about the middle of the dial on the charger ammeter, but it quickly dropped
to 10 A. I switched to the 2 A rate, which is easier on the batteries when
you have plenty of time. As of 7:40 this evening it is still charging,
which is not surprising. I'll check it in the morning.

Harry Gordon
P14 #234, Manatee
Mountain View, CA
>>

Harry:

Quite and experience motoring without the usual racket! Makes you wonder if
you are really moving... Also makes you wonder if you are sailing or not...

Enjoyed your report on your experience with the electric.

My Minn Kota 65T (35AMP- 36lb Thrust) series 27 - 125 Amp battery on the 13'
Sovereign Island Express sailboat used to charge back up in one hour at 10 AMP
after a full day out. The most it ever took was 2 hours at 10 AMP. You can
check it with the battery meter on the Minn Kota but you have to disconnect
the charger for a minimum of 5 minutes to let the batt set.

The point is... You might not need to charge overnight...

I use a charge-pro 0.6 (6/10) amp trickle charger on it when not in use...

Best

SF