total newbie in need of advise

[juganort]

Hi, totally new to this and in need of some advise.

what i want to build is a little run-around, wood construction for shore or lake use.

i'm thinking of fitting an electric engine with solar re-charger.

i'm thinking flat bottomed 'u' shaped hull with raised and shaped bow.



am i living in a fantasy world or will this work? anyone have experience of building with electric engines? any advise would be greatfully received.

cheers

Originally Posted by juganort

Hi, totally new to this and in need of some advise.
what i want to build is a little run-around, wood construction for shore or lake use.
i'm thinking of fitting an electric engine with solar re-charger.i'm thinking flat bottomed 'u' shaped hull with raised and shaped bow.
am i living in a fantasy world or will this work? anyone have experience of building with electric engines? any advise would be greatfully received.cheers

The electric power is no problem, Minn Kota or Torqeedo provide much power for your intended use.

But recharging with a photovoltaic panel will not work.
First point, it is rather expensive, next, it will be much too large to be installed on a boat that size.
If you would have a shoreside recharge station, where the boat is moored, that might be a option though.

Otherwise you will have to take the batteries home, and charge there.

The boat should´nt be the problem. Many proven designs are on the market for a few quid.

Lookup Glen -L or http://www.bateau.com/

Regards
Richard

[juganort]

just to clarify, i'm thinking a trickle solar power charger. they take about 8 hours to fully charge a battery so when out for a pootle and moored up the battery will be re-charging.

also thinking fitting a motor mid-sections/rear and shaft to the stern is this possible?

also fancy designing it myself rather than buy a plan - is this crazy?

cheers

[hoytedow]

Buy a plan. It will be cheaper in the long run. Solar trickle won't give enough charge for power used.

[Ike]

I agree, buy a plan. Plans are cheap and save you a lot of time and heartburn. I have design experience and yet when I built a 12 foot rowboat I simply bought an off the shelf plan. Believe me it's worth it because someone else has worked out all the problems.

Try Bateau,com http://www.bateau.com/

[messabout]

Find a copy of the book: Electric Boats by Douglas Little. ISBN 0-07-038104-6. Very good basic stuff in the book. A valuable source of pertinent information.