Bull City

It's the right thing to do - for everyone.

OK. I thought I was doing something wrong.

Was the SA website screwed up until about an hour ago, or was it just me? Thank you, thank you.

Those auction rules are kind of funny. I had a rather chatty appliance repair guy work on our dishwasher a few years ago. He regularly bid on abandoned/unpaid storage units. Sometimes it was a jackpot, sometimes not. I cannot imagine paying $400 for a boat like that without being able to inspect it. You know it's no jackpot.

Well done, Gouv.

^^ That is a beefy boat.

Let me know what you think about the quality. I'm close to pulling the trigger on an ePropulsion pod drive.

Casting lead at home:

I guess I was mistaken: You never hear any allegation of wrong doing by a Russian pharma company.

I thought it was going to be interesting when I started the post, but it didn't end up that way. I thought I was going to find apples-to-apples comparison of electric pods or outboards to a gasoline outboard. How naive of me.

This is kind of interesting. Whatever HP I'm getting from my Torqeedo, I should get 2X from the ePropulsion Pod, based on static thrust. HP Power: Input/ Propulsive Static Thrust (lbs) Torqeedo 1003 3.0 1000/480 W 68 eProp Pod 3.0 6.0 3000/? W 132

I ran across this on the web, and I wonder if we can conclude anything from it. This from a forum where they were talking about electric vs. ICE for a saw mill: Horse power - plain and simple - the more HP the quicker the task gets done. 1hp = lifting 33,000lbs 1 foot in 1 minute (this is how HP is figured). A 1 hp electric motor can raise 33,000lbs 1 foot in 1 minute. A 1hp gas engine can raise 33,000lbs 1 foot in 1 minute. They are equal in horsepower, but may require different gearing to do the task. Here is the part when other people join in to conflict physics. Horse power – you can't beat it. A 10hp electric motor cannot get the task done quicker than a 18hp gas engine. Output shafts are not equal rpm's. So the gas engine has to reduce the gearing to equal the rpm of the 10 hp motor. That multiplies the torque. And if the 10hp motor geared up to meet the gas engine it would lose torque. Honda specs for 2.3 HP OB include: Full Throttle RPM Range 5,000-6,000 RPM Rated Power 2.3HP (1.7 kW) eProp specs for 1.0 pod drive include: Power 1 kW/3 HP Static Thrust 316 N / 71 lbs Rated RPM 1200 rpm

The ePropulsion dealer put me in touch with a fellow who has a 1KW (3 HP) pod drive on his sailboat. I had a chat with the guy who installed it several days ago, and then spoke to the owner yesterday. He bought the boat, a Sakonnet 23 (2,000 lb. daysailer with a fixed keel and centerboard), a few years ago. The PO had somehow rigged up a trolling motor like a pod drive. It was unsatisfactory, hence the upgrade. I noticed that the Sakonnet builder offers the ePropulsion 1KW pod as an option. He and the installer told me that the installation was challenging. On a Sakonnet 23, there is not very much room between the hull and cockpit sole, so placement of the pod was tricky. He sails on the Chesapeake, and he's very happy with the pod. He didn't recall how many Amp Hours his battery has, but he has had no range anxiety, even though he has to motor a few miles to his sailing area. The horse power has been fine, he can easily travel at near hull speed in windy conditions. He's had no malfunctions. The only issue he has is that the when he's sailing, and the prop is spinning, it makes a noise that he found annoying. He was able to stop it by just barely engaging the throttle which stops the prop from spinning. The noise being audible could be the result of the tight area under the cockpit. Anyway, it's another reason for getting the folding prop. A few other things. His pod drive has been painted with anti-fouling paint. He hauls his boat every winter.

It doesn't get wet, but like every place on a boat, it can be damp. Plywood would could work for the tray itself, but I think G10 would be better for the ledger board and "joists." Even that would save a lot of money. That looks very nicely made. I should be so fortunate.

Battery Tray I had thought to use PT wood, however, a very smart friend suggested that I make this out of G10 rather than wood. It's much more expensive, but probably wise. This is where the tray will go: It's 26" across from one red line to the other, and about 24" front to back. The through hulls will not interfere. That is large enough for the 108 lb. battery. I'm thinking of using a 26" X 24" piece of 1/2" G10 to span the space. I would stiffen it with two or three 1" joist-type beams that would rest where the bunk riser meets the hull, where the red dotted line is. I think I will glue a ledger board against the bunk riser, shaped so that the bottom edge follows the red line, and the top edge is level. I would make notches in the ledger board to receive the ends of the joists. The tray and joists would be secured with SS screws rather than glue, in case I need to remove it. The battery would have to be secured to the tray. I thought I might use some strong nylon strapping that could pass under the tray through some slots, and perhaps some G10 strips glued to the tray running along the side and rear edges of the battery, and maybe one along the front edge, fastened with screws for removal. I'd be interested in your comments and suggestions. Thanks.