Catalina 22/E-power boat

This is my C22 with an Elco 9.9, and 2 48v 100ah batteries. It runs a nice 5 knots on 1200 watts an hour. Now I'm working on a solar canopy so it will recharge while sitting on the trailer.

 

Interesting project, thanks for sharing!

Can you provide more details on the batteries used and real-life range?
Did you modify the keel and/or ballast?

Please keep us updated on the canopy installation.

 

The batteries are Ampere Time 48volt 100Ah LiFePO4, they weight about 100lbs each. I was able to sneak them into the bilge just aft of the keel. The keel is still in place, and I am still trying to decide if I should remove it. All of the sail gear has been removed. It sits a little low aft now but runs and handles great. With 4 hours running time from idle to full throttle, I can say that the 9.9 is bigger than is needed. 5.6 knots is all it will do, which is just a bit over 1/2 throttle. I held it at steady 5 knots for an hour, using only 1200 watts. There is almost no wake even at 5 knots. That should give me an easy 7 hours running time, with a little to spare, even without the solar panels. The Elco outboard has a whine, but not too troublesome. I am extremely happy so far.

 

We have owned our 1972 Catalina 22 since 1984. As we have gotten older and less agile, we have made the decision that we cannot sail her anymore and are in the process of converting her to a motorboat. I am intrigued by your pictures and wonder if you could provide additional pictures or plans of your conversion. Our boat has a 6 hp mercury, and we have just bought the remote steering wheel and mechanism and remote shifter and throttle, but have not yet installed them. We would really appreciate any additional pictures you might have of your project during construction that would be helpful to me in our project.

 

I was going to convert to a elco 9.9 just as you did, but after conversation with a “expert” at the company, he recommended against it due to the cost and weight so I stuck with my old 6 hp Mercury kicker.