[Rhodes22-list] Electric Outboards (2)

Wed May 18 10:54:41 EDT 2011

Thanks to everyone who replied (or might reply). The R22 list really is one of the boat's biggest selling points.

I can't & probably needn't reply to all that's been contributed, but here's a start.

(1) I agree the technology is moving ahead fast & I like the vinyl/tape/8-track/cassette/cd/mp3 analogy. I've been there all the way back to 78s (pre-vinyl) and only skipped the 8-track stage. Most of those media were pretty durable even after technology moved on, but I'd hate to find I'd laid out about 4k for an 8-track outboard. 

(2) I'm grateful for the link to the Yahoo group, which I hadn't yet discovered. Since I tend to over-research things, my question to the list was partly to find out if a lot of research was even worth it at this point. Answer: Yes.

(3) A couple of people have said I need to consider how/where I'll use the boat. Right now all I've got are hunches.
    The R22 will be kept on a lift, with shore power, at my dock in Apollo Beach. I'm on a broad & deep canal which runs about a third or half mile (maybe less) to the point in Tampa Bay where you can cut the engine & sail. My canal runs East-West right along with the prevailing winds, and the channel at the Bay end does have strong tides.
    I sure hope/plan to do some trailering. That will mean unfamiliar waters and overnights, so the question of how far you can go on a charge is a real concern. Torquedo sells a roll-up solar charger, but it's intended for the Ultralight & Travel models.

(4) I wish the R22 did have a compartment under the cockpit suitable for batteries.

(5) Rudder-mounting a small electric hadn't occurred to me & I'll sure look into it. 

(6) Rick asks, vis-a-vis trolling, "Why not just sail?" Not sure if he means troll while sailing or sail instead of trolling. Since I'll be soloing a lot, sailing while trolling sounds like a big challenge, maybe a big pain.
    When I first joined the list I mentioned that I learned on an 18' Bahamian sailing dinghy, a catboat made of a resinous wood called "horseflesh" that's heavier than water. Heavy canvas sail, 21' tree trunk stepped in the bow, no stays, no centerboard or keel--just a big skeg. As if the Green Turtle wasn't heavy enough already, my father added a 5 hp/1 cylinder inboard, mainly for trolling. The boat had a beautiful raised transom, like an old longboat. It would have been criminal to mount an outboard on it. But the GT needed auxiliary power of some kind: in light winds you were essentially becalmed, and it could take half a mile to come about. (Maybe it just seemed like half a mile.)

I'll try to attach a photo of a Bahamian dinghy from last year's Calendar of Wooden Boats. This one's 13'.

Again, thanks for all the insights, ponderables and imponderables.

P

DC/FL

     >>>>>o<<<<<

----- Original Message -----
From: cjlowe at sssnet.com
To: "The Rhodes 22 Email List" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2011 12:08:12 AM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Electric Outboards

I would think the decision to go electric would depend alot on where you
plan to dock and sail. If you dock your boat at your lake house,close to
open sailing waters,you would most likely love going electric. If you have
to power thru currents or tides on your long trip to your sailing
waters,then electric is going to be alot less atractive.You would have to
have shore power at your dock to go electric,solar power would not be able
to replace the lost watts,unless you lived on the equator and only sailed
once a month.
You need to decide how you are going to use your boat to see if electric
is a viable option for you. If you want to coastal gunkhole and anchor out
for a week,it will be hard to make that battery bank last.But if you stay
in a marina every night on that cruise,plug into shore power and charge up
every night , it could be done.It will require more thought and harder
choices.
My experence with electric is with a Com-Pac-16 (1100 lbs.)and a 40 lb
thrust Minncota trolling motor. I'm on a small-well protected lake,with a
1 mile motor to sailing waters from the dock.I would get three trips out
and back on one charge if I ran it on the number 3 setting (of 5),two
trips if I ran it on 5. I tried it on the Rhodes 3 times,top speed was 3.5
knots on high speed.I would charge the battery after every outing.One time
on the way back to the dock,bucking a ten mph wind,I just about didn't get
back.
A neat set-up for a trolling motor on a sail boat is to mount it on the
rudder off to one side.Stan may be able to make you a bracket.

   Jerry Lowe

> Does anyone have thoughts on or experience with electric outboards?
>
> Practical Sailor pretty much says it's too soon. The 01/2010 issue
> reviewed the new Solid Nav 4-hp & seemed to prefer the Minn Kota RT80,
> though they found it "fragile compared to the Solid Nav." They mention a
> Torquedo 6-hp Cruise 2, but haven't tested it.
>
> So I shelved the idea of getting an electric for the R22 I'll pick up in
> Edenton this summer, though I'm still considering carrying a small
> electric (a) as back up for a gas engine and (b) for trolling. Does anyone
> do this? How do you mount a small electric without removing the primary
> engine?
>
> BUT....
>
> About a week ago the 05/2011 Cruising World arrived with a review of
> outboards for pocket cruisers & dinghies & that makes the Torquedo Cruise
> 4.0 sound like a real possibility. 8 hp (9.9 thrust), 38 lbs, but
> expensive: $3800.
>
> The Torqueda is much lighter than any gas engine but--aside from ease of
> mounting/removing--any weight advantage is probably illusory given the
> weight of high-quality marine batteries. PS tested the Solid Nav using a
> bank of 4 (!) North Star Energy 1 Group 24 AGM batteries. They run $373
> each & weigh 59 lbs each.
>
> I'm stumbling around in the dark here. I don't know if I can even define
> volt, amp, watt, etc. I like the environmental implications of electric,
> the lighter weight (I could mount the Torqueda myself), and I'd like to
> avoid the hassle of ethanol in gas  & consequent water absorption (or the
> cost of ethanol-free marine gas).
>
> So if anyone has an opinion or has heard anything about electrics, I'll be
> glad to hear it.
>
> P
>
>
> DC / FL
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