Re: Electric Outboard for Manatee

Patrick M Runte (pmetnur@juno.com)
Wed, 09 Sep 1998 15:06:20 EDT


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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John and gang,
I'll also attest to the value of an electric motor on a P15. This is the
first year I've used a MT 37 lbd thrust and am VERYT pleased with it. I
can approach dockings with better "finness". I's far less smoky, less
noisy (almost a whisper), less viberations ... just a less stressfull,
more comfortable ride. I found it powerful enough this past weekend as
it was able to pull me out of a sandbar in reverse. This motor replaces a
2.5 hp Merc.

Pat Runte
P15 2015 Blue Skies
Green Bay (the, soon to be again, "Frozen Tundra)

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>Hello there,
>
>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
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>------------------------------------
>John S. Haley
>Systems Manager
>Administration and Finance
>SUNY Geneseo - 217E Erwin
>716-245-5548
>eMail: haley@sgenaa.cc.geneseo.edu
>
>

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