"Current Situation" DIY Efficient Solar/Electric Powered Newport 17 Project

Thanks guys. I didn't even realize the motor rotation! I don't mind to order some new CCW rotation props(small selection) but I have an almost endless supply of cheap, used, CW rotation props, right down the street at the local hobby shop. Plus my current collection... Any reason we couldn't swap the motor leads around to get back to clockwise rotation?

This is the first time I've seen APC marine props! Very cool! Hopefully they'll keep expanding that line. Which "electric propulsion thread" are these being discussed?

 

No, the motor uses a digital controller so you do not want to swap leads.

For testing, just run the motor in reverse for forward propulsion when testing a CW prop.

Keep in mind you want to monitor the amperage draw of the motor under load when testing props. You can damage the motor controller if you operate the motor with too aggressive a prop trying to push a large displacement boat through the water.

If you don’t have a amp meter, you can fuse the motor and size it to the 50A max load which is a wise thing to do anyways.

I don’t know if the Haswings have the same motor controller features of the Caroute motors which have a low voltage and high temp “protection modes” that limit the amp draw to 50% to protect your batteries and motor, or weed tangle protection which reduces it to 6A. They also have reverse polarity connection protection.

Unlike a brushed motor, these motors have variable forward and reverse thrust, and typically they are set up to have equal thrust in each direction, unless it is a programmable feature allowing for limitation like some fancier motors.

So running it in reverse should be fine with your props.

If you stick with a CW prop and get tired of remember forward is reverse and reverse is forward, it should be easy enough to open up the tiller and reverse the leads on the potentiometer if it uses a standard style.

 

You have to open up the motor head and switch the wires that exit the speed control that go to the motor, ( may require cutting and splicing) you cannot just switch the battery leads. The most efficient way to run the prop is with rotation in the direction of the the thickest part of the airfoil and the thin part of the foil will be trailing afterwards when it rotates. Sometimes that means the front face of the prop faces forward and sometimes the front face will face backwards (like with some ccw pusher props). If you mount the prop backwards, it still gives you forward propulsion, but the performance will be considerably lessened. Sometimes people will not notice it until they try it in the other direction, and see the difference in performance!

Some people consider full power capability running in Reverse to be a liability, because of the possibility of quickly swamping a square transom boat upon an accidental or deliberate fast start, like when trying to go to planing mode.

Using multiple electric trolling motors on a 34' catamaran https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/using-multiple-electric-trolling-motors-on-a-34-catamaran.66270/


Also explore this thread,

Trolling Motor & Battery Advice Required https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/trolling-motor-battery-advice-required.65185/page-4

 

@ElectroDanO
you will find additional information in this thread:
Electric motor types https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/electric-motor-types.66282/

 

Alright, let's get back to it!

I found a smokin' deal on some carbon props and ordered them up. The cool factor and curiosity was way too much for me not to at least try them out. They're crazy light, stiff, and have no foil shape to them at all. We'll see how they do...


I've been out a couple of times so far and really liking the new brushless motor. It does have a slight "hum" that wasn't there(at all) with the MK30. Other than that, it's an upgrade! It's more powerful, more efficient, runs cool and hasn't given me any trouble. Just like I'd hoped for. Prop testing has started and I'm getting some good data this time. I'll work on putting it all in a spreadsheet. "Skinny props rule"!

Gosh, it's good to be back on the water!

 

Looking forward to your results!

I've found that APC Electric props are thinner in cross-section and tend to be more efficient compared to the thicker IC APCs, so long as they are not pushed so hard that they Bend significantly under loads, while in operation. So I'm guessing that if your carbon fiber props are thinner cross section compared to the nylon ones, they will be more efficient, Plus the stiffness of CF means they won't Bend under heavier load. The general shape of an RC prop also has an effect on efficiency, sometimes wider RC props are more efficient, from my experience. The RC props in your picture do appear to have a foil shape from what I can see, I would need to see a picture along the edge side, to be a little more certain. My impression is that RC props without a true foil shape are equally symmetrical along both edges, and run at almost equal but reduced efficiency in both forward and reverse directions, something like these:

9x4.5R-RH - APC Propellers https://www.apcprop.com/product/9x4-5r-rh/

Just my humble experience with RC props being used for electric water propulsion...