Green Emergency Power

Carrick · 08 June 2010, 18:15

Anyone any opinions as to the usefulness of these electric outboards for an emergency/auxiliary motor?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ELECTRIC-OUTBO...item1c1325ef05

The 55 size seems to manage several thousand pounds of boat weight that could be in my Humber Destroyer 5m ball park.

Fed up with my room taking-heavy-not transom friendly-petrolleaking Seagull “anchor”.

I can see headwinds and tide being an issue, but strictly a getting to shore facility.

I could never stand the embarrassment of calling Coastguard/Lifeboats for a main motor failure (which did happen, not the RNLI, just the engine failure – just me!

Nos4r2 · 08 June 2010, 18:38

You can't 'refuel' it without your engine running

Mike B · 09 June 2010, 08:14

I had heard that 17 lbs of thrust = 1hp, but don't quote me on it.

But I like the idea - if anyone has tried it would be great to hear their point of view.

Thanks

Mike

9D280 · 09 June 2010, 09:14

Remember that umpteen thousand lbs of "slippy" yacht or a fibreglass fishing dinghy is a vastly different drag factor to a few hundred lbs of transom dragging rib in displacement mode.

Then you need to carry enough battery power to keep it going....... Their quoted 3-4 hrs running time on an 80Ahr has the disclaimer "we presuppose you do not drive all the time on full speed." I'd check that statement out in a bit more depth for a start, because your 55Lbs thrust will be at full chat, and based on running my rib with a 4Hp petrol burner, to get more than a couple of knots, its not far off WOT.

VERY rough calcs: say 3 hrs on an 80AH, that's (80/3)*12 = 320W in 1 hr. Using a random online converter, 320W = 0.429Hp

The only "truly eco friendly" aux is a setr of oars.

Nasher · 09 June 2010, 11:59

I like the idear of these too, but have always thought I would run both batteries down trying to start the main engine before swapping over to the aux.

Nasher.

Pete7 · 14 June 2010, 20:23

Surely green emergency power would be a mast and a sail

Pete

Screaming04 · 15 June 2010, 01:20

I've got one and use it on my 10ft sib. It's ideal for that with about a 2 hour run time with a deep cycle battery.

They have decent thrust but are very slow. The prop is pitched very fine... a 2hp outboard would out run it.

Here's a video I found before my purchase...again small sib ideal, get home for a real boat...no way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dda0UM1N1x4

On the upside, beautifully quiet. I can pass swimming ducks, they don't even flinch.