A BATTERY SEA CHANGE

It was in 2008 when I converted BIANKA from having diesel auxilary power to electric propulsion. I had four heavy 8A4D AGM lead acid batteries totaling almost five hundred pounds to power the Thoosa 9000 electric propulsion system.

 

The batteries were located below the cockpit and though while accessible it wasn't really comfortable to work on them. This season they are being replaced by a single 48 volt lithium battery that weighs less than a single one of the old batteries.

Even better I will be able to access the terminals for maintenance from inside the cabin. No more squeezing down through the cockpit hatch is going to be a welcome change.

THE SIMPLICITY OF ELECTRIC PROPULSION: LEMCO MOTOR

I was attracted to the idea of electric propulsion because it seemed like a cleaner and simpler system to propel the boat than the hot stinky diesel engine. It is all this and more. Even I was surprised how easy it is to maintain and upgrade which I will do in the next few weeks when I install a new controller box. Which only has a few components in it and is very simple to trouble shoot.  I know this because I have opened it up and looked inside. What I did not know was how simple that even the LEMCO motor that the controller connects to was also very simple and repairable. That is until I came across this video of a fellow who has converted a Cabin Cruiser to electric propulsion. He has had the experience of taking apart and repairing the motor and produced a video of it that I found very interesting:

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.

THOUGHTS OF AN ELECTRIC SAILOR: Lost in the Marine Store

Recently I went to my local West Marine store looking for a shaft zinc. In my wanderings I found myself in the engine supply aisle.  As I looked down at all the fluids, fittings, tools and parts in that location I smiled at how I no longer needed any of them since I converted to electric propulsion.

NOTES OF AN ELECTRIC SAILOR: Tests from the harbor 2011

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When I started this blog back in 2006 I thought it might just be a little online scrap book of travels with some photos. An easy place to put those memories and share it with anyone who happened by. It has since morphed into something a little bigger. In between my thoughts, photos, cruises and travels I also post things about products here and there. Those that work and those that don't work for me. I also use the blog as the name implies as somewhat of a log book of maintenance and boat projects on board BIANKA. This is one of those posts.

I had wanted to do some propulsion tests of BIANKA's electric propulsion system as soon as I splashed her for the 2011 season. But, that did not happen. But one morning a few weeks later I was having my usual 6 AM coffee in the cockpit. The air was still in the harbor, the water like glass and it was quiet and empty of any boat traffic. I thought well why not do some testing. Even though it would was not perfect conditions. It was midway to low tide so there would be some currents running and they do run oddly in this harbor. Probably would have been better to do it at the peak of the high or at low tide when currents would have been minimal. The boat had also been on the mooring for two weeks so I did not know how clean the bottom and prop were which could affect things somewhat. Anyway, I turned on the system slipped the mooring and headed out to the channel.  I made several passes between channel markers that were about 450 yards apart. One pass was made in each direction drawing 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 amps from the battery bank.  I then averaged the speed of each pass and calculated the watts used. Here are the results:

PASS #      AMPS   KNOTS   WATTS

1                  10            1.9           495

2                  20           2.8            984

3                  30           3.3          1458

4                  40           3.7          1933

5                  50           4.1          2417

Again these are the average of the two passes. One against and one with the current. I also did one additional test where I just throttled up to 5 knots and the power used there was 4346 watts. The test data pretty much confirms what I have noticed on board. Especially on pass number two. I can move my 8 ton 30 foot sailboat at about three knots just using power from my Honda 2000 eu generator and the Zivan NG-1 battery charger which is rated at 900 watts. The numbers show I could add an additional 48 volt 500 watt power supply into the mix.  I should then obtain the results of pass number three and still be within the power limits of the Honda 2000 generator. Which is good to know if I ever feel the need to add one. But, since BIANKA is a primarily a sailboat I have never felt the need for it.  I'm also using the same three bladed prop that BIANKA used with the diesel. It has a few dings here and there. I might be able to improve things a bit with a prop optimized for my electric propulsion system. But, I tend to be if it ain't broke don't fix it type of sailor. Anyway I'll try and do another test at the beginning of next season and see how they compare. Also it is good to have this data to compare if I do decide at some point to change the prop at some point. But, I'm very happy with things the way they are and have been for the past four years. So I really don't expect to be making any changes soon.

BLOG UPDATE:  After doing this test I pulled the boat for the season. I found the prop was not as pristine as it could have been as this photo shows just after the boat was pulled:

Usually I would have dived and cleaned it but, it being late in the season the water was too cold. I expect to have even better results in the spring doing the tests with a much cleaner prop.
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END OF THE SEASON THOUGHTS OF AN ELECTRIC SAILOR: 2011

It's that time of year when I look back on how my electric propulsion system did during the past season. Once again I was surprised by it. When I decided in 2007 to repower with an ASMO MARINE Thoosa 9000 system. There were no boats that I knew that had done this and I thought long and hard about it before making the leap. But, after four years of operational experience I'm still very glad I did. The fourth season will stand out because of two firsts that occurred. One was an extended day of motoring. About ten hours to be exact. A rare day here around the Isle of Long when hardly even a whisper of a breeze filled the sail. So after starting out early and motoring under battery power for a few hours I carried the Honda away from the cockpit and fired it up. I could never do that with the old diesel. The noisy diesel was always right below the cockpit vibrating away making for a noisy afternoon of motoring. Fatiguing too! My day of extended motoring was much more pleasant experience with electric propulsion.

Another first I discovered quite by accident was that BIANKA can actually regen power back to the battery bank. I discovered this while electro sailing moving along at about 6 knots. I had earlier in the season decided  that the best way to operate  under sail was to slightly turn the prop under power. This will negate any prop drag when sailing and therefore increase boat speed. Sounded like a good plan and it uses minimal power from the battery bank and no need to buy a folding prop. But, as I found out that if the boat speed under sail starts touch around 6 knots it also starts recharging the battery bank.


 This is known as "regen" where the prop starts to turn the motor backward and it starts operating as a generator. It's not a lot at the low end but, you really don't want a lot charging because you don't want to take a chance on overcharging the battery bank.  I'm looking forward to next season and hope to experience more days where I can see the regen in action. So even after four years my boats electric propulsion system still had some pleasant surprises left to show me.

BUILD YOUR OWN ELECTRIC OUTBOARD

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You say you want to try electric propulsion or maybe your gas powered outboard died and you are tired of getting it repaired. Don't head to the marine store. Head over to the nearest Home Depot or lumber yard and build your own like this fellow did:

 

Though you might want to carry a few spare batteries with you and make sure you have a set of oars as backup. I don't think it would perform like a  Torqeedo or  an Electric Paddle in terms of efficency but, it might work for your needs and looks like a fun project.

BLOG UPDATE: In 2013 Hurricane Sandy sent my Honda BP2 gas outboard to the bottom. I replaced it with an Electric Paddle outboard. My review of the product starts here.
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A FINE DAY FOR AN ELECTRO SAIL

Recently I decided to head off on a little cruise even though Mr. NOAA was only calling for very light winds of under 5 knots for the day. Surely,  I thought with the land temperature in the nineties the usual afternoon sea breeze would kick in. It didn't.
I dropped off the mooring early in the morning and began motoring out of the harbor at about 1.5 knots using around 7 amps from the battery. I use this speed as I work around the boat raising sail etc... before heading out of the harbor. I raised sail and decided to keep the throttle at that position to cancel any prop drag in the light winds expected. As I headed out of the harbor and picked up a favoring current I was soon moving along at about three to four knots. Not bad. I motor sailed or as some with boats using Electric Propulsion systems like to say "electro sailed" for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours in this manner. Interesting thing about electro sailing is that even though I started out in the harbor using about 7 amps as the light breeze filled the sail intermittently the current consumption drop quite a bit as the breeze picked up. When the battery capacity had dropped to 90% I start thinking about firing up the Honda 2000 generator and using the 16 amps from the ZIVAN NG-1 charger to motor along at about 3 knots with very little help from the wind.   I adjust the throttle so there is zero current being drawn from the battery. Since the wind looked like it was not going to be much help at all I moved the generator forward away from the cockpit with the exhaust facing out off the lee side. The Honda 2000 is quieter than my four stroke dingy outboard but, it is not completely silent either but, at 47 pounds is light enough to moved easily. I continued this operation for most of the day for a total of about 37 nautical miles. Finally late in the afternoon about two nautical miles from my destination an afternoon sea breeze finally kicked in and I enjoyed at least some nice sailing up until I was able to drop my anchor. Checking on the battery after the trip I still had 90% capacity left in the bank. All in all it was a fine day for an electro sail.

RUNNING WIRES TO THE HELM

Since I was kind of in a rush to finish the conversion to electric propulsion back in 2008 some things did not get installed as well as they should have at first. One of the things that was done in a temporary install was the electric propulsion speed control. Which at first was just secured with Ty Wraps as you can see here:

  Also the wires for the control ran across the cockpit deck into a hole on the side. Not the best way to operate for long. It worked  fine but, a more permanent solution had to be done. But, how should I run the wiring to the pedestal location where the electric motor control would be? The controls for the diesel engine were run through the pedestal and were wire linkages to the engine. I did not really like the idea of running the wires through this same route. It was tight and there were things like chains moving as one turned the helm to steer. If it chafed through the propulsion control cables who knows what could happen. It also would be very inaccessible. So I borrowed and idea from a fellow Nonsuch owner who ran a separate piece of conduit next to the helm for his pedestal mounted Loran unit.  I modified my design a little where as his was aft of the wheel I choose to install mine just forward of the wheel. Here is what I did. First I marked the location where I would be drilling the access hole in the deck next to the Edson pedestal making sure I would not be cutting into any stringers or supports below deck:

Next I drilled the hole and routered out and sealed the deck core with thickened West System Epoxy so no damage or delamintion would occur  if there should be any water leakage:

The fitting I used I was used a standard deck water fill fitting:

I removed the chain and fitted and secured it into the deck.

The photo above shows the fitting before the securing and chalking but, you get the idea. Then went to the local Ace hardware store and found a PVC fitting that would screw into the deck fitting: 

I then glued this fitting onto a piece of PVC pipe of the length I wanted using PVC cement:

I then screwed the pipe into the deck fitting using some Teflon tape on the threads before I did to help seal the threads. From then on it was simply running the wires down the  pipe from the helm. I used the wire pull rods I carry on board to help make this a little easier:

Hard to see in the photo below but, I cut a small slot down the side of the top of PVC pipe to allow for the wires (NOTE: I also created a drip loop so water would not run down the wires into the boat) and fitted the top with a removable PVC cap that allows for the easy installation of more wires or removal of existing ones as needed:

The nice feature of using this conduit is you can add and modify wiring to the helm as needed. Since I did the original install for the electric propulsion throttle control I added wires for a helm mounted GPS and 12 volt power outlet:

There are still a few more projects to follow.

1200 MILES

Well, the third season since BIANKA became the world's first Nonsuch with electric propulsion has come to an end. The travels BIANKA has taken this past season total almost three hundred and fifty nautical miles. Bringing the total miles since the conversion to 1200.  This was the season I thought less and less about the electric propulsion system on board and concentrated more on sailing. I became very confident I could rely on the electric propulsion system. I've also discovered it's usefulness when sailing to be able to help deal with the currents that sometimes keep one from rounding a buoy or other hazards. When I had a diesel engine there was always a reluctance to turn it on for the short time needed to deal with such issues because of the noise and the fact that such short term use is not healthy for diesel engines. With an electric propulsion systems that is not a concern but, even better is how quiet it's operation is when motoring . This makes for a much more enjoyable motoring experience than with the diesel and a better enjoyable boating experience over all. 

Going electric: Part 1: The why and how

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NOTE FROM CAPT. MIKE: IN THE SPRING OF 2008 I BEGAN THE CONVERSION OF MY 30 FOOT SAILBOAT TO ELECTRIC PROPULSION THE 20 "GOING ELECTRIC" POSTS ARE THE CHRONICLE OF THAT PROJECT:



Well the diesel engine that bought both joy and misery to my sailing seasons is finally out of the boat.

I had at first planed to re power with another diesel. But, Westerbeke had no drop in replacement. So I began looking around for other diesels engines too. Finally, I was pretty sure I would go with a Beta Marine diesel. I had heard some good recommendations and I like location of the major items to service were located It would make changing oil filters, and impellers very easy. Unlike the Westerbeke 27 where I had to change the raw water impeller pretty much by feel and hoping I did not drop any screws in the process.
Then one day I was on my boat and heard the whistle of the Port Jefferson to Bridgeport ferry as it left the dock. I recalled a conversation I had with one of the crew a few years ago about what powered the ferry. He said it was diesel electric. It was an "Aha!" moment. So I began to look at the idea of repowering BIANKA with an electric motor.

After much research and mulling it over in my mind and going back and forth on what the implications of going over to electric propulsion. It would require some rethinking and precautions when planning for trips. But, always in the end I reminded myself that BIANKA is a sailboat. So I decided to do it. It may be the best decision or an expensive mistake. So come along with me as I turn BIANKA into an electric powered Nonsuch.
Because I missed out on sailing all last season I did not want to spend to much time tinkering with components. So I decided to go with a Thoosa 9000 system from ASMO Marine. I looked like the best route for me to go and pretty cost competitive with a replacement diesel and much better for the environment and those who will be sailing on board. So after contacting the ASMO Marine rep here in the U.S. I started down the road to spec the correct ASMO system for my Nonsuch and my needs. It took a few months to convince myself that this was the route to go down. There were not any comparable boats to mine that had done this. But, as the fuel prices continued to rise and my less than pleasant experiences with repairing the former diesel I decided to take the plunge and order a Thoosa 9000 electric propulsion system.

OH JOY!

When it's a damp drizzly April in my soul there is nothing like the feeling of pulling into your driveway and finding two 45 lb packages that represent the entire new propulsion system for your boat. Well not exactly entire system. As the TV ads say "batteries not included" still I was happy to see those boxes rather than a four hundred pound diesel sitting there.
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Going Electric: Part 2: The engines out! Now what?

What a relief to get the motor out of the boat and gaze at all the room now that the diesel engine has been removed.

The first thing I need to do is a little cleanup. After over twenty years of oil leaks and other spills a good scrubbing is in order to get things smelling less of diesel, oil and antifreeze and more like clean. For cleaning jobs around the boat I like to use a product called Simple Green. I buy it by the gallon at Home Depot and can use it in various dilutions depending on the cleaning job at hand. I might have to use it full strength to start the cleaning process here.

Next I'll start looking around for all the items I will no longer need as I convert the boat to electric propulsion. I can start with that spare yellow diesel container in the photo above. I carried this on board when cruising because I could never really trust the fuel gauge on the boat. I would show full or nearly full for a long time then drop fast suddenly as it emptied. I carried this diesel jug as insurance knowing I had at least six hours of fuel in case the fuel gauge played tricks on me.

When you have a diesel engine you've got hoses. The hose situation on my boat was also more complicated because a previous owner had installed a Frigoboat Series 500 engine driven refrigeration system. Which I'm sure cost a pretty penny when it was installed but, has not worked in a few years and when the engine died made repair of it moot. Below is just a sample of the hoses that were no longer needed:

Also in the photo above is the Groco raw water filter which was connected to the now missing engine. This item no longer needed and cleaning it is one less maintenance chore that no longer needs to be done when going electric. It will be nice to get this mess of hoses off the boat for good. Here's another item that will no longer be needed:

The Engine Shutoff! This essential item was needed to stop the diesel engine but, could also cause a lot of cursing when I forgot to to push it back down and it then prevented the engine from starting. It also has ripped and ruined a number of shirts on it's metal bracket as I climbed down into the engine area to work on the engine. I am very happy to see it leave the boat.

To be continued.....

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GOING ELECTRIC: Part 4: Still they'll be more

There is a Procol Harum song that ominously tells of all the bad things that can happen and the chorus is "still they'll be more".


Well that is kind of what happens when one starts the electrification process on a boat. Most of us don't spend a lot of time underneath the cockpit in and around the engine if we don't have to. But, at the beginning of the conversion to electric propulsion you will. As you look around you keep finding more and more things that you can or need to remove off the boat.

The photo above shows additional parts of the Frigoboat 500 marine refrigeration system that I removed. The red item is the water condenser for the refrigeration system. This was connected to some of the items removed that were shown in Going Electric:Part 3. I still don't know what the purpose of the grey canister almost hidden underneath the red condenser is for but, it's going out too. You can see the white hoses which actually cover copper tubing that contained the refrigerant. These go off to the right to another canister that will also be removed. Then there is the sight glass in the lower right which was used to monitor the flow of the refrigerant. Lot's of hoses, wiring, connections and complexity. Finally there is the coolant container that held extra antifreeze for the diesel engine that was attached to the exhaust manifold that will be gone too. Looking around in other areas what do you find:

MORE HOSES! In this case they are the fuel lines that once provided fuel to the now removed diesel engine. You could leave them if you make sure they no longer contain any fuel. But, why carry extra weight that is no longer needed.

As you can see the Coast Guard and Marine insurance companies are very picky (for good reasons) on making sure boat fuel lines are securely installed. Once the electric system is installed you will no longer have as easy access to this area as you do now. So you might as well remove the obsolete fuel lines and other items while you can get at them easily.

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GOING ELECTRIC: PART 9 WHERE TO BEGIN?

Alrighty then! I've removed and cleaned out the area where I will need to install the Thoosa 9000 Lynch electric motor. The question for me is how? As you can see in the photo below there is not a lot of room here:
I sketched up some ideas on a napkin. I showed some of my ideas to some coworkers who are more mechanically inclined than I am. They were greeted with mixed results. So I decided I probably needed some professional help. While I have done some simple fiberglass repairs over the years. I was not about to learn fiber glassing and stringer fabrication 101 on my boat by myself. So I turned to a local fellow named Malcom who I had first contacted when I was considering replacing the Westerbeke diesel with a new Beta Marine engine as he was the local representative for Beta. But, he also refurbishes yachts of all sizes and does repairs. To me he was exactly the guy I wanted to help me with this part of the electrification project. So here is what he came up with:

The first step was to extend the existing stringers all the way to the edge of the cabin as shown above. The existing stringer edge was routered out and the new stringer additions were glued and screwed to them.

Here's a shot from above showing both extension stringers installed. The next step was to rough up the area around the stringers to remove the paint and provide a surface that the epoxy would better adhere to when fiber glassing begins:

The above photo shows another angle. Notice the bilge blower hose in middle of the picture. Here is a tip: As I mentioned in a previous post using the bilge blower came in handy to help remove the dust and particles created by grinding down the surface around the stringers. It will also help with the removing the fumes involved with the next step: Fiber glassing.


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GOING ELECTRIC PART 11: THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST

So the epoxy has done it's job and has firmly attached the extension stringers to the hull and existing stringers. The next step is to cut them down to size. But, first we need to transcribe the angle of the prop shaft onto them so we know what angle to cut as shown below:

So the prop shaft angle has been transcribed onto the stringer. All that we have to do is cut the stringer so we can move on to installing the motor mount brackets, motor mounts and of course the motor. But, never, never forget Murphy's Marine law of modifications on board and that is:

If there is a nail or screw in the piece of wood you are cutting the saw blade will find it and attempt to cut through it. In the above case it found two. Mike's Going Electric Tip: Make sure you have extra blades for your saw.

Now that's more like it. It is starting to look like the motor once it's installed will actually line up with the shaft. But, in this installation a lot of the new stringer and part of the old stringer setup was removed as you can see by the piece laying next to the shaft in the photo.

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GOING ELECTRIC PART 14: Before and after batteries

Now that the motor is installed it's time to move on toward the next phase of the electrification project which is installing the batteries. But, first let's take a before and after look at where we are:

BEFORE:

AND AFTER

Now that's so much better. That's the installed motor in the foreground and lot's of room aft. Of course you can't tell in the photo above but, the area not only looks clean but, smells clean now that the last traces of diesel and oil have been removed. At this point I would have liked to repaint the area a nice white color. But, it is mid June and I have to make a 200 mile trip to Newport Rhode Island starting in about two weeks to attend the Nonsuch Rendezvous. So there is not a lot of time to finish the electrification project, get launched and do some shakedown cruises. So I am skipping the painting. It's really not a critical thing to do and besides most of the area shown will be covered by the battery installation. I've not removed the existing stringers because they are integral part of the hull and removing them I feel would make the area somewhat weaker. But the stringers also prevent me from installing the size batteries I wanted. So I will use the stringers to my advantage along with some other existing items. I decided to build a battery platform on top of them. Here is where I began:

As the above photo shows I first installed a strip of wood that was level with the top of the stringers. This will help support that end of the battery platform. Note: This is secured to the area where the noise foam was previously installed and is one of the reasons why I removed the foam. Also by using a battery platform I am also raising them over the level of the raw water sea cock. Which I am keeping because I may use it as part of a raw water washdown system in the future. Raising the batteries will also keep them dry and easier to access for maintenance.

I next move on the the stringers which need to be prepped before installing the battery platform.

Here I filled the holes and cut outs where the diesel engine brackets were once installed. This was done to seal the grain and strengthen the area.

I then moved on to the platform which was made in two pieces so that I could fit them through the hatches. First I installed some strips of woods to serve as braces on the backside of the platform pieces.
Now that the braces have been installed it's time see how the platform fits.

Not bad. For the battery platform I used scrap pieces of wood I had on hand. The front section is pine the aft section is some marine plywood. Before installing the plywood I put on a couple of coats of West System Epoxy to help seal it. Also notice the cut out at the rear that allows access to the sea raw water sea cock. I am happy with the fit next I will secure the platform.

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