Electric Propulsion

Fugu is finally going electric!

Ever since I bought Fugu, nearly 6 years ago, I have wanted to convert her to electric propulsion.
My "ideal system" has varied over the years, but has converged on an inboard system from a vendor.
That vendor is ElectroProp, formerly known as Propulsion Marine, based out of Santa Barbara, California in the United States.  James Lambden has been (and still is) great to work with.

The system I chose is the PM-20.  It uses the following components:
- Motenery ME0913 brushless motor
- Browning industrial helical gearbox doing a 2.55:1 reduction
- Sevcon Gen4 controller, 48V/110A continuous controller
- 12x13 fixed 3-blade propeller
- Elcon PFC1500 battery charger
- Still working on sourcing the cells, but looking at around 5kwh of capacity
- Still working on sourcing the BMS (Battery Management System)
- Champion 2000W gas generator from Costco) for range-extension serial hybrid.

Together, this should give me about a 15nm range at a 4kt cruising speed.  While this may seem small to most, that is more than enough to get me anywhere on my lake.  If I slow down to 3.5kt, I can get there AND back ;-)  This is an AUXILIARY propulsion system so if there is any kind of wind, then I can use the motor to increase my pointing ability and add a bit more apparent wind to increase my sailing speed.  At that point, my range increases dramatically.  For trips, I can bring along a portable gas generator and run my battery charger as a power supply.  That will allow me an essentially unlimited range.

I have been a member of the Electric Boats Yahoo group since about 2009 and there are a few sailors who cruise their similarly sized boat without issue.  Specifically, there is Bianka, a Nonsuch 30 sailing out of Long Island and Serenity, a Cheoy Lee Bermuda 30, sailing out of California.
The Nonsuch at 8 tons is about twice the displacement of my 7500lb 30' Beneteau and the Cheoy Lee is about 25% heavier at 5 ton.  Most of my estimates of performance are extrapolated from the detailed numbers that Serenity's owner has published.  He is also using the same system from the same vendor, but with a slightly bigger, 4-bladed prop.  My boat should be a little easier to push than his since it has a slipperier hull and a fin keel instead of the full keel and aperture for the prop.

There is still a lot of snow on the ground here and Fugu is high and dry in her cradle, and rather hard to get reach in the boat yard.  There is still a great deal to be done in the lead up to spring.  I am tentatively aiming for a launch at the end of May, early June.  I really want her to be ready for sailpast at our club.  She'll be the first electric auxiliary sailboat at the club and I know there are a few members interested in seeing how the conversion goes.

Cheers,

/Jason