Electric generator/charger?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
mahal said:
Don't know much about the ICW, but in the west coast, every boat slip has a plug in station also called shorepower. So we have charging stations all over the place.
Click to expand...

He may be referring to high power chargers that will completely recharge in an hour or so. I think they are called superchargers. Tesla has quite a few of these deployed nationwide but given that most marinas haven't modernized to ATM/Credit Card fueling yet, supercharging stations won't be around for awhile.
 
Starside...You are a brave man. I'd have too much "range anxiety" to even consider this... One reason Pure electric cars are not taking the market by storm, except maybe Tesla who has a well developed system and the infrastructure (in certain areas) to back it up. You'r Hybrid idea is a workable one...Having a gas powered generator to supply charging current to your battery banks to extend range. That would be the only system I would consider as practical. There are some highly efficient Quiet and portable solutions to this (Honda's etc.)......
 
Hi,
Have you seen this thread?
It might have useful info for you.
Interesting but not my method, but I did investigate
steam at one time.
Ted:thumb:
 
Sorry, missed the attachment;

Go to first new post It Begins: Converting Cal 2-27 to...
GrowleyMonster
23-07-2014 10:11

hope this worked
Ted
 
Starside said:
I personally think electric boats are the future of boating. In other countries, they are much more popular. Even here on the Chesapeake, you see Duffy boats everywhere.
Click to expand...


Yep, pretty common in the Annapolis harbor area. I think the Baltimore harbor area, too. And there's one down here in our South River area.

I doubt anybody immediately thinks "ICW" for these, or even "long cruise down the Chesapeake," but they certainly seem to meet their design purpose -- and target audience -- quite well.

I also suspect Elco sells boatloads of 'em to the same crowd, or at least the upper $$ version of the same market :)

-Chris
 
Donsan said:
He may be referring to high power chargers that will completely recharge in an hour or so. I think they are called superchargers. Tesla has quite a few of these deployed nationwide but given that most marinas haven't modernized to ATM/Credit Card fueling yet, supercharging stations won't be around for awhile.
Click to expand...

I am amazed at how often boating and even a particular type of boating is compared to driving or flying.

Occasionally it can be similar, but often there are so many variations on the theme that the comparison really doesn't fit.

Just because the boat is electric....doesn't mean it will be used like a car. Using it for a couple hours to go a few miles in the style the OP prefers trumps all and how quickly it is refueled may be of no consequence.

Any old power source, including a simple 110 V outlet can be used by an on board charging system. If it needs to charge overnight, so what? It might be in the OP's acceptable limits.
 
Duffy offers an optional fast charger that cuts charging time in half. Although many get this option, I really don't think it's needed. A new Duffy with the optional battery bank will cruise for 10 hours and these boats are harbor cruisers
 
Thank you, Mahal. I get it.

Interesting, though, that my initial question as a newbie (& somewhat Green (pun intended) cruiser) who asked a simple - perhaps naive question - gets her entire thread hijacked.

Too funny!!!
 
I know..unfortunately some just aren't hearing what we are saying and must be either frustrating the OP for thinning the thread or making him have a great bunch of laughs.
 
Can no one see my responses?
Indeed. :)
 
sure...but REALLY knowing what's behind the smiley faces is tough...I would say early on some were frustrating, but now some are just comical.

close? :D
 
psneeld said:
sure...but REALLY knowing what's behind the smiley faces is tough...I would say early on some were frustrating, but now some are just comical.

close? :D
Click to expand...

Frustrating initially, yes, but also humorous at this point.

I think what it really says is that this is a hot topic.

I was thinking about doing a separate thread of the actual conversion for those who were interested, but now I'm not sure...may get too many negative responses, so think I'll continue on course, but silently. I'm not here to make enemies, esp. over electric propulsion systems! :eek:
 
mahal said:
Don't know much about the ICW, but in the west coast, every boat slip has a plug in station also called shorepower. So we have charging stations all over the place.
Click to expand...


The ICW does have marinas and most have electric power available at the slips, The problems are:

1) You won't find one every thirty or forty miles so you couldn't possibly complete the entire ICW.

2) Having to spend every night in a marina recharging your batteries would mean no anchoring out and no free docks. This would be a very expensive trip.

3) You might find the marina you planned on staying at full.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
rwidman said:
The ICW does have marinas and most have electric power available at the slips, The problems are:

1) You won't find one every thirty or forty miles so you couldn't possibly complete the entire ICW.

2) Having to spend every night in a marina recharging your batteries would mean no anchoring out and no free docks. This would be a very expensive trip.

3) You might find the marina you planned on staying at full.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the ICW info. I didn't know.

Now let me shed some light on the electric boats that we are discussing here including the OP's. You do not take these boats on long term cruises. These are boats that are intended for day cruising your local waters. No one here including the OP mentioned the kind of cruising that you are describing.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
mahal said:
Thanks for the ICW info. I didn't know.

Now let me shed some light on the electric boats that we are discussing here including the OP's. You do not take these boats on long term cruises. These are boats that are intended for day cruising your local waters. No one here including the OP mentioned the kind of cruising that you are describing.
Click to expand...
:thumb::thumb::thumb:
 
Hey guys... The mod team is seeing some really rude postings in this thread. Please keep your personal and/or underhanded jabs out of your replies.

Thanks you...
 
Starside said:
Frustrating initially, yes, but also humorous at this point.

I think what it really says is that this is a hot topic.

I was thinking about doing a separate thread of the actual conversion for those who were interested, but now I'm not sure...may get too many negative responses, so think I'll continue on course, but silently. I'm not here to make enemies, esp. over electric propulsion systems! :eek:
Click to expand...

I for one would love to know more about your project, and I'll bet I am not alone either.

My vote is that you start a new thread so those who are genuinely interested can follow your progress.

There are several such threads on TF that are pretty popular.:thumb:

Larry
M/V Boomarang
 
Starside said:
I was thinking about doing a separate thread of the actual conversion for those who were interested, but now I'm not sure...may get too many negative responses, so think I'll continue on course, but silently. I'm not here to make enemies, esp. over electric propulsion systems! :eek:
Click to expand...


No, please, definitely do it. I'm sure I'm not alone in being interested to see the conversion process. Please post away, preferably with lots of pictures.
 
HP is Hp, regardless of how its measured KW or anything else.

IF it takes 2 or 5 or 10 or 40 Hp to move it will take that weather it is from an outboard , diesel or electric motor.

To see how well this project will work I would install an outboard bracket , and borrow engines from dinks and other folks to see what HP is required for the speeds you desire.

For long range , all that is required is a BIG DC generator.

Buses use 300A 24V units that can be had at a wrecking yard. A pair may be needed.

Add this to a suitable 15 -30 hp diesel and youre range is not limited , tho the speed might not be normal as a diesel boat.
 
Most people on here, including myself, think that this is not a very good idea. The OP gets it and it's his choice, not ours, to do what suits him best. So, moving past that, I too would enjoy seeing this project in motion. I am looking forward to it. So please - lots of photos.
Is the yard doing everything or just installing the new motors with you finishing the job?
I watched a sailboat go through this same process. It was very interesting.
 
Last edited:
Starside

Please either start a thread of the conversion I really want to see it !!!!!!

Thanks for sharing
 
FF said:
To see how well this project will work I would install an outboard bracket , and borrow engines from dinks and other folks to see what HP is required for the speeds you desire.
Click to expand...


I would think the Elco people she's working with -- Elco built the boat in the first place, and also does the electric motors -- probably already have a decent clue about all that.

-Chris
 
Okay, I'll start another thread. I meet the yard next week to look at placement & will then start taking pics. Elco said they will also post the conversion on their website. They are pleased to have an Antique Elco converting.

TheI actual conversion won't start until December. I'll post the new thread when it starts moving forward so we can actually see the progress as it goes along.
 
I am looking forward to following your conversion project.
 
FF said:
.......... For long range , all that is required is a BIG DC generator.............
Click to expand...

And this would then be a "hybrid" boat. There are some detailed articles on these in recent PassageMaker magazine.

The OP already has a diesel engine in the boat and I suggested way back that coupling it to a generator might be a practical way to get an "electric" boat and still have reasonable range.

I read a review of a commercial hybrid the other day and as I recall it would travel twenty miles on the battery charge before the diesel engine had to be started.

And yes, horsepower is horsepower no mater how you get it. A $1,000 Honda generator driving an electric motor is not going to move this boat.
 
rwidman said:
...........And yes, horsepower is horsepower no mater how you get it. A $1,000 Honda generator driving an electric motor is not going to move this boat.
Click to expand...


+! You are absolutely correct.

I'm going from memory here - too lazy to look it up. I think the rough formula is 746 watts of electricity = 1 HP. Round off to 750 Watts. Too many variables to be exact, but this is close enough for most calculations. The Honda 2K puts out a steady 1500 watts which can be converted to approx. 2 HP of mechanical energy drive. if it went through a battery charger to charge batteries it would charge at a maximum 1500 watts divided by 13 volts DC = 115 amps per hour in an ideal world. In real world, probably around 100 amps per hour if, and only if, your boat battery charger could charge at that rate. If you went directly from the DC output it will only put out about 8 amps if I recall correctly. These figures are close enough for figuring out battery recharge time with a Honda 2K.
If I am wrong, someone please correct me because this info will be important to the OP in selecting a generator size.
 
Last edited:
Starside, I`d be interested in the new thread too. The negative guys can just ignore it. I`m struck by the Elco design similarities to a Halvorsen 25,not that surprising, same era. Old Halvos are collectors items here.
 
When a friend of mine went through the very same process, he said that the biggest problem was removing the old diesel and fuel tank. He did 95% of the work himself. This was on a sailboat with a full keel. He ended up stacking the batteries two high in the keel and along pretty much the full length of the bilge over the keel.
Seems like most major projects I do also seems to cost the most time and labor removing the old stuff. When the old stuff is finally removed, it feels good and cleaning it up. prepping and repainting feels great. Makes the new stuff going in really fun. Looking forward to the new thread.
 
It doesn't seem like a great idea but has anyone considered using batteries for ballast?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

P
Sorting through AC electrical system.
Replies
16
Views
879
PierreR
P
Delfin
Electric Bike Review
Replies
23
Views
2K
Nepidae
Nepidae
G
For Sale: Pair Lehman 225 turbo engines
Replies
4
Views
596
GreasyHands
G
Serene
Adding Inverter to Existing System?
2
Replies
40
Views
2K
Serene
Serene
H
AYBC Electrician in St. Pete, FL
Replies
2
Views
438
twistedtree
twistedtree

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom