Going electric: Part 1: The why and how

Tweet
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.
NEXT GOING ELECTRIC POST
Tweet

Removing a Westerbeke diesel engine

Before beginning to remove the engine I will need to make room. The table needs to be removed and all the cushions removed in what could turn out to be a messy job in removing the engine.


Here is the Westerbeke 27 as it sits in what one mechanic called the tunnel. This is actually the rear of the engine which faces toward the bow of the boat. The V drive transmission is shown at the bottom of the photo. Not a lot of room to work in there so I will

What I have to deal with

Here is the Westerbeke 27 as it sits in what one mechanic called the tunnel. This is actually the rear of the engine which faces toward the bow of the boat. The V drive transmission is shown at the bottom of the photo. Not a lot of room to work in there so I will remove as much as I can before moving the engine.
This is the view from the other side of the engine. The front of the engine which faces aft in the Nonsuch.Where is the water pump? On the other side of the alternator and under the exhaust manifold. It was so much fun to change the impeller. Oh how I will miss doing that. What really bugs me though is before I decided to remove the engine I installed a Speed Seal cover on the water pump and never did get to use it since I have decided to replace the engine.

REMOVING THE TRANSMISSION

I had all my tools and a two day time limit to move the Westerbeke 27 engine into the cabin area to be removed by the yard crane. If I did not get it done in that time the engine would stay on board until late spring at the earliest. There was no time to waste but, I had absolutely no experience in doing this either. I got some helpful advice and encouragement from fellow Nonsuch owners at the International Nonsuch Association list serv. But, I would be on my own once on the boat. First I still needed to get the transmission off of the engine. So I set up my hoist system over the hatch as shown in the photo below:

Then I slid back the shaft that had been that had been the cause of the work stoppage in the previous attempt to remove the transmission.

I tied some strong braided line around the transmission and attached it to hoist. I did this to help lift the transmission slightly and hold it suspended while I worked it of of the engine shaft. Removing the transmission was harder than I thought it would be. It did not slid off the engine shaft as easily as I thought it would. I guess after being mated to the engine for twenty years the shaft and transmission get pretty attached to one another. I had to pry and tap it off for about 45 minutes. All the time thinking that I might be doing something wrong because at first it hardly budged. But, finally it came loose after my gentle nudging. once the transmission was removed it was time to tackle the rest of the engine

NEXT: THE FIRST LIFT

The compression tests and other tips.

Having spent most of July 4th on my knees in front of the Westerbeke 27 in my boat. I discovered a few things. First I bought a DIESEL compression test kit and did another compression test myself. Contrary to Murphy's marine laws it actually contained a fitting that for the glowplug threads of my engine. The readings after two tests were as follows:

190 psi, 290 psi, 400 psi, 375, psi

These readings are in contrast to the mechanics readings of a few weeks ago 170, 170, 180,182. One of us is wrong. I kind of feel mine are more accurate especially since I did mine twice. As recommended by people and books I put a little oil into the cylinder reading 190 and did another test and the reading rose to 250 psi.