Electric motors on a Woods Flica 34' sailing catamaran

mariobrothers88 · Dec 7, 2020

Hey Rumars, thanks for the link and input!

That brushless AC motor looks interesting, is there a good saildrive and propellor that would work well with that motor that you recommend? Thanks again for all the tips!!

Rumars said: ↑

Their own published technical specifications, it says there for the EP-12 "Kilowatts (continuous output kW rating) - 5.1 kW", and the EP-9.9 "INPUT POWER (WATTS) 4,704W". This is a marketing trick called " electric horses are bigger", but they are not, a Watt is a Watt regardless of generation source.
As for regen, yes both have it (as does any AC or PM motor) but they don't mention it because it's not important for their customers, wich are mostly inshore poweboaters. Regen is a function of fitted propeller and boat speed, and the result is not very predictable without actual testing. Anyway, before you spend big money on Elco you can also look at something like this Curtis 1236SE-5621 HPEVS AC-9 Brushless AC Motor Kit - 48 Volt, EV West - Electric Vehicle Parts, Components, EVSE Charging Stations, Electric Car Conversion Kits https://www.evwest.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=8&products_id=341&osCsid=4rfsf0m390jppqe86htn0nha02

You need to understand power consumption and generation: 1.76kW of solar will make you energy independent with fridge, freezer, watermaker, broiler and autopilot and have energy to spare. If we take 50% efficiency over 8 hours of sunlight we have a generation of 880W×8h= 7040Wh for the day. Stop thinking like a hermit, there is no need for it. Once the battery is full, power is free, you can't "save it for the engine" anyway. Your bigger problem will be how much battery you can afford to stuff all that free energy into.

Yes, you don't need a generator, there are 48V alternators available, up to 5kW. As for how much diesel to carry, that is personal preference. Just don't overload the boat, cats don't like that.
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kerosene · Dec 16, 2020

Sail drive - Oceanvolt https://oceanvolt.com/solutions/systems/sail-drive/

you might not like the prices.
But you cannot compare diy hack system on electric side to a proven professional diesel option. I mean you can but it's not very objective way of looking at things.

I wouldn't recommend other lithium Batts than LFP / LiFePo4. they are much safer.

There have been plenty of LiPo fires on manufactured, let alone DIY systems.

Rumars · Dec 16, 2020

mariobrothers88 said: ↑

Hey Rumars, thanks for the link and input!

That brushless AC motor looks interesting, is there a good saildrive and propellor that would work well with that motor that you recommend? Thanks again for all the tips!!
Click to expand...

Any saildrive (or marine gearbox if you want a conventional shaft) will work, the rpm range of that motor is similar to combustion engines. Mounting the motor to the saildrive will require some custom fabrication.

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Electric motors on a Woods Flica 34' sailing catamaran

mariobrothers88 Senior Member

kerosene Senior Member

Rumars Senior Member

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