HOW OUTBOARD MOTORS ARE MADE

 An interesting video on how Outboard Motors are manufactured.

 

HACKING THE ELECTRIC PADDLE BATTERY PACK

I've been using the Electric Paddle outboard on my Porta Boat dingy for two seasons now. I use it much more than the 35 pound Honda BP2 Four Stroke outboard it replaced. It's light weighing only eight pounds for the motor and eight pounds for the battery pack.  It's well designed and made in the U.S. The company also has great customer service and follow up with customers. As I said the design is well thought out but I thought the battery pack could be modified to make it even easier for me when I use it in my dingy. So I...

A LITTLE MORE RECYCLING

I've given up any hope of selling the Honda BF2 Four Stroke outboard that had been on BIANKA since I bought the boat in 1995. Over two years ago it went to the bottom of the harbor during Hurricane Sandy when the dingy flipped, It had been taking up space in the garage for over two years since I salvaged it of the bottom.  I tinkered with it but, found at a minimum it would need a new

JAMIE HYNEMAN'S ELECTRIC OUTBOARD MOTOR

Speaking of converting electric outboards I came across this video of Jamie Hyneman of the Mythbusters TV show. He also converted an outboard to electric and also discussed some of the economics of doing so. It reminds me I still have my old gas Honda BP 2 outboard that got drowned during Hurricane Sandy sitting in the garage. If I get ambitious and get the time I might just consider converting it to electric at some point. Though my Electric Paddle outboard pretty much suits my all my needs in a much lighter package.

AN AFTERNOON ON THE COLUMBIA RIVER ON AN ELECTRIC SCOW

Well, it's New Years Eve and I'm looking back on some of the years highlights on the water past year. April found me in the Pacific Northwest spending a few days in Portland Oregon. While there I contacted a fellow named Myles Twete who is very involved in Electric Vehicle area and the Electric Boats group on Yahoo. When I converted BIANKA back in 2008  he and others in the group were very helpful with advice and expertise that was not commonly available elsewhere.  I was eager to spend a little time on the water and Myles graciously agreed to show me his twenty six foot Columbia River Scow Reach of Tide built by Sam McKinney . To start things off Myles picked me up in his THINK electric car.  Here's a quick video of some of that day spent on the Columbia River back in April:


It was not a total pleasure cruise. Even though Myles had converted the Tohatsu outboard back in 2006. Being an engineer he was still keeping data it's operation, modifications and charging:

Myles had a movable inductive speed control for the motor that allowed him to operate the motor at the helm position or in the cockpit:

The toggle switch was to put the motor in reverse. BLOG UPDATE: Myles has informed me that the switch actually is the on/off control  for the main power to the controller. Forward and reverse of the outboard is done by the original mechanical shifting of the outboard.

Despite the rain and overcast conditions it was a fine day on the water.

MAKING THINGS: Oar locks

I really need to get a new pair of oar locks for my 8 foot Porta Boat dingy. After 13 years of use they are just about rusted out. Though if the truth be known I am using my Electric Paddle outboard more and more these days for quick trips from the mooring to the docks. Still, the prudent mariner knows it is always good to have a pair of oars on board the dingy even if you are using some type of motor most of the time. You never know when you might need them.  I just wish instead of just buying them I had the skills and the shop to make them like they do at the Mystic Seaport for the Charles W. Morgan refit:

ELECTRIC PADDLE MAINTENANCE

I mentioned in my review of the Electric Paddle outboard a few weeks ago that it looked like the only maintenance it needed was to dip the lower unit in some fresh water and let it drain. But, in rethinking that there is one other maintenance procedure that I needed to do. That was to put some Tef-Gel on the motor lock down screws. Which is easy enough to do even on a mid winter check on the boat. The Electric Paddle is light enough and has no potential leaking fluids to worry about so working on it on the cabin table is possible:

It takes on a minute to apply the Tef Gel to the hold down screw threads:

Then some turns of the screws to distribute the lubricant on the threads and you are done. Like the Thoosa 9000 electric propulsion system on BIANKA the Electric Paddle outboard requires  minimal maintenance. Leaving more time for sailing or working on other projects.

THE ELECTRIC PADDLE: Part Two: Capt. Mike's Review

When it looked like the costs of trying to resuscitate the Honda 2HP outboard drowned by superstorm Sandy were going to head upward by several hundred dollars. I decided it was time to move on. Since I had already converted BIANKA to electric propulsion getting an electric outboard seemed like the logical choice. As I explained in the previous post I did not use the gas powered Honda too often. Using it mostly when the winds would make rowing the dingy tough if not impossible and some occasional gunkholing. Though it was under thirty pounds moving it on board and installing it in the dingy was sometimes dicey. So when looking at the alternatives I had several choices for an Electric outboard. There were trolling motors. Though they required that I carry a hefty battery on board to use it. A Torqueedo outboard which are nice though a little pricy for my needs. Finally,  there was the Electric Paddle made by PropEle Electric Boat Motors. It was an electric outboard I was intrigued with it since I first blogged about it several years ago. It seemed to be the right fit for my needs so I bought one:

As you can see it is small enough to fit on the cabin table along with the battery pack, charger and the spares that come with it. It is very light and compact and is much easier to stow under the cockpit without the worry of leaking oil and other fluids. It was about two hundred dollars more than a new Honda BF2 outboard would be. But, there are no oil changes, zincs, lower lube or winterization costs like with the gas powered Honda. It also means I need to carry less gasoline on board. Indeed maintenance seems to only involve dipping the lower unit into a bucket of fresh water and letting it drain.

It's designed for propelling small yacht tenders, rowboats, canoes, kayaks and sailing dinghies less than 9 feet long and under 800 pounds when loaded. So it looked like it would work well with my 8 foot Porta Boat and it does.

Both the Electric Paddle and it's 24 volt battery pack  fit very nice and compact on the transom. The battery pack hangs suspended on the locking handle out of the way and off the bottom of the dingy. There is no concern it will be sliding around if the boat gets hit by a wake. The motor and battery pack each weigh only eight pounds and are much easier to install on the dingy than the 28 pound Honda gas outboard. I am able to hold it in one hand and still have one hand for the boat. I never felt it or me had the possibility of going overboard while trying to attach it to the transom in rough conditions. PropEle also make a 12 volt Electric Paddle without battery or charger too.

It has a magnetic key attached to a lanyard that inserts into the steering handle and stops if it is pulled out. It also has a safety start feature in that the motor will not start unless the throttle is first turn to the off position. So that there is no sudden unplanned forward movement when inserting the key. Another nice thing about electric outboards is unlike small gas outboards you won't knock out your passengers or spouses teeth when pulling the starter cord because there is none. A turn of the throttle and you are moving. Connection between the motor and the battery pack is with a secure waterproof connector:

 I've left the Electric Paddle hooked in the dingy during several rainstorms with no ill effects. I've also inadvertently left the throttle control laying in water in the bottom of the dingy when I tilted the unit up and it has not caused any problem. That's because the design uses waterproof magnetic hall effect sensors for the control.  Adjusting the tilt of the Electric Paddle is very easy as shown in this video:



Note: You don't have to be in the water to make the adjustment. It was just easier to get a good camera angle for the video.

Another nice feature is the ability to slide the shaft and prop up in the bracket when tilting the motor up:

This makes it easier to reach the prop to clear it of weeds. Though the Joe Grez the Industrial Product Designer who designed the Electric Paddle said usually all one has to do it power the prop a second or two once it is out of the water and any debris goes spinning off easily. Speaking of props the Electric Paddle uses a large diameter, high pitch, high aspect prop like those used on propeller airplanes. But, Electric Paddle uses one that is specifically designed to be efficient at lower RPM's needed for pushing a boat through the water.

When using the Electric Paddle I have recorded speed tests of 2.2 miles per hour using the GPS app on my cell phone:

Which is just .1 MPH below the minimum specs the manual says I should be getting. Though playing around with the tilt angle may improve that. I'm still very happy with it's performance.

The Electric Paddle comes with an extra magnetic key, key for the motor lock, spare cotter pin and prop.

Having used the Electric Paddle during this past season I have to admit I'm getting a little spoiled. I've been using it more and rowing less. In part because it is so much easier to carry and install than the old gas outboard. I've used the Electric Paddle outboard more in just this past season than I have the old gas outboard in the past five years. I'm sure I'll be using it more in the future. I don't miss the old outboard at all. It was a gas guzzler and very noisy. The Electric Paddle is quiet enough to be able to have a quick conversation while passing other moored boats without slowing down. Because it is so quiet it makes great for gunkholing and bird watching.  To charge the battery pack requires 120 volts but, it can be charged with an on board inverter that is only 200 watts or larger.

In short if you are use to speeding across the harbor with a 15 HP outboard doing 15 knots in a 12 foot inflatable sitting over the gas tank with a cigarette dangling from your mouth. Then the Electric Paddle is not for you. But, if you need a quiet,reliable, low maintenance,  easy to store and carry electric propulsion system for the dingy to get back and forth to the dock at speeds that won't get you in trouble with the Harbor Police then it might be just the thing. You can also use it on your  Kayak or Canoe too so it's more versatile than the gas outboard too . For my needs the Electric Paddle gets the Capt. Mike thumbs up. It's a welcome addition on board BIANKA. One that I'll be using more than the old gas outboard.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ELECTRIC PADDLE PART ONE POST

THE ELECTRIC PADDLE: Part One: What's in the box.

When I bought BIANKA in 1995 she had on board a Honda BF 20SA outboard a 2 HP four stroke outboard for use with the dingy.

 I did not use it a lot and most of the time it stayed down below in the cockpit locker. It weighed only 35 pounds and was small enough to fit there though one it was a little awkward to lift out sometimes. The outboards metal fins or handle would sometimes catch on stored lines and other items stored next to it. Since I did not use it all that often it was not a big issue. I mostly rowed the dingy. On occasions when I actually used it I found it noisy (especially after having converting the mother ship to electric propulsion) and a real gas guzzler when compared to the on board Honda 2000 generator I used for charging the electric propulsion system. Still it was nice to have on board and be able to use it when the need arose. Like other Honda products it was pretty reliable so it stayed on board.

At the end of October 2012 I was preparing BIANKA for what would become super storm SANDY. The winds the day before while I was on board preparing for the storm were blowing 20 to 25 knots from the northeast and the dock I needed to bring the dingy back to was located northwest. I was not sure I would be able to row the dingy in the docks direction without first being blown across the harbor. So I decided it would be prudent to bring out the Honda outboard and have it available on the Porta Boat dingy in case the winds prevented me from rowing to my destination.  It turns out I was able to row to the docks crabbing the dingy with just the oars and never needed to fire up the outboard. When I got inside the marina I tied the dingy to one of the docks protected by high bulkhead. I left the motor on the dingy just in case I would need to use  it once the worst of the storm had past to get back to the boat. I thought the dingy would be protected from the worst of the storm but, I was wrong. The dock it was tied to broke apart:

When it broke apart it flipped the dingy and sent the Honda BF 20 outboard to the bottom. I spent a few days with a grapple until I finally snagged it and brought to the surface. A few crabs and small fish had already tried to make a home inside the cover:

I quickly rinsed the outboard in fresh water and sprayed it liberally with WD-40. I spent a number of days over the winter trying to remove one or two screws that had over the years became severely corroded even before Sandy. It took several attempts using  PB Blaster . to remove them. By then the carburetor had signs of severe corrosion. Still I continued on the taking it apart:

 In the spring I started to look at the economics of trying to resurrect the thirteen plus year drowned outboard and decide it might not be worth it on such an old engine. So I started to look for a replacement.

I had done a post about a small electric outboard called The Electric Paddle back in 2011. I was intrigued with it's concept and it seemed like it was really what I needed for my dingy use. But, since I'm a "if it ain't broke don't fix it sailor" and the Honda BF20 was still working for me it did not pass the "want vs need" test. The drowning of the Honda outboard during Sandy changed all that. So earlier this season I decided to buy the Electric Paddle. It did cost more that replacing the Honda outboard but, my experience with converting to electric propulsion on BIANKA and it's low maintenance and high reliability tipped the equation toward buying it. It was also cheaper than other electric outboards like the Torqueedo's. It arrived just a few days after ordering it. It's made in the U.S.A built in the Pacific Northwest by a family run business. When it arrived I took the box on board here's what I found when I opened it up:



In the next post I'll share my experience with using the Electric Paddle.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ELECTRIC PADDLE PART TWO POST

DECISIONS, DECISIONS!

You may recall that BIANKA although being dragged a thousand feet across the harbor during superstorm Sandy there was very little damage to her. The same could not be said for my dinghies  Honda BP2 outboard. Which sat on the harbor bottom for several days after the dingy flipped over at the dock.  I was lucky enough to snag it with a grapple borrowed from the boatyard and bring it up on the dock:

A couple of fish and crabs fell out of it as I bought it up on the dock and I discovered more after I took off the cover and rinsed the motor down with fresh water.

I was hoping to be able to remove the carburetor ASAP but, found some long rusted nuts prevented that from happening. So after removing what I could and spraying the unit down with WD-40

and hitting the rusted nuts with PB Blaster , heat and whatever else I could think of. I had no success. So I  left it for a while. The winter was cold and the idea of spending it in the cold garage was not that inviting. So when it warmed up I again started to work on the engine. I found that over the winter the hard to remove corroded nuts were able to be removed and I was finally able to get at and remove the carburetor. Which by this time had started to corrode rather badly:

I could buy a new carburetor for about under a hundred and fifty bucks. That's just to start. So I started thing maybe it's time to just stop trying to revive the outboard and move on. Maybe sell the engine for parts and get a new outboard. I don't really use the outboard much in fact it's been about two years since I last had it on the dingy before Sandy dumped it onto Davy Jones locker. The outboard came with BIANKA when I bought her in 1995 so it's not like it's a new motor.  The corroded nuts attest to that! I thinking perhaps it's time to make BIANKA an all electric boat with a new electric outboard for the dingy too! Decisions, decisions.

ANOTHER LESSON FROM SANDY: Securing the dingy

Another lesson I learned after Sandy is when to use and when to secure the dingy outboard.  I was on board the day before Hurricane Sandy hit. Due to the pressure gradient between the departing high pressure and the approach of Sandy the winds piped up to 25 knots with gusts to 35. I was concerned that those winds out of the northeast might make rowing back to the docks northwest of the mooring impossible. Turns out I was able to row the Porta Bote fine in that direction in those conditions without using the engine. But, the big mistake was leaving the outboard on the dingy after I reached the calm conditions inside the marina basin. When I tied up to the dock it was very calm as the the land and bulkhead protected the area from the blowing northeast winds. I thought the dingy would be fine there. I left the motor on because I thought I would need it when I would have to get back on BIANKA at some point before Sandy had totally departed the area.  I tied it on the northwest side of the dock so I also thought the dingy would also be secure even when the winds backed around from the southeast later in the storm   I did not expect the docks to break apart and flip the dingy sending the Honda BF-2 outboard to the bottom.  Below is what it looked like after spending a week on the bottom.

Luckily, I did take my oars with me when I left so I was still able to get back to the boat after the storm. So the lesson learned was to remove the outboard and everything else in the dingy if you are going to leave it at a dock. Though removing it some place secure on land might be the best solution if it can be easily done. I'm in the process of try to revive the drowned outboard which I will post about here in the near future.

ELECTRIC PADDLE

  When I bought BIANKA in 1995 it came with a four stroke Honda BF2 outboard for the dingy. I still have it and use it occasionally to propel my 8 foot Porta Boat. I never had a problem with it. In fact I've never had much of a problem with any of the Honda products I've owned. Thank you Dr. Deming! But, the Honda is showing it's age and a bit of corrosion so at some point it is going to have to require some repair or replacement. Since I converted my 30 foot sailboat to electric propulsion I find that in spite of  the Honda being a four stroke it is still rather loud and more of a gas guzzler than the Honda 2000i generator that I use for the main electric propulsion system. If it should die I am leaning toward an electric alternative. I have been looking at something like a  Torqeedo. But, I just recently came across another  new electric outboard that may fit my needs very nicely. It's called the ELECTRIC PADDLE:


 While I mostly row my Porta Boat there have been times when the wind was really blowing that I put off going to shore because I did not want to row into the strong headwinds. I also did not want to pull out the Honda outboard fill it with gas and hope I did not drop it overboard while trying to manage it's awkward 27 lbs into the dingy. The Electric Paddle at just 8 lbs just makes a whole lot of sense to this sailor. It's also made in the United States. You are not going to get up on a plane in an inflatable but, having a lightweight electric propulsion outboard to get you to a dock or assist when rowing into head winds just makes a lot of sense. Also a plus  the two hour battery pack weighs just eight pounds and floats too! All these features make the Electric Paddle just to good to ignore as a possible replacement for my Honda BF2.

BLOG UPDATE:
Here is a more detailed video on how to setup the Electric Paddle: