Problem solvers and mechanic gurus, i need a hand here...electirc powered boat...

Shift518 Automotive
1

My finace has a camp on galway lake and it’s electric motors only, so naturally i want to make a fast electric boat. There are a couple people up there with pontoon boats and 3-4 electric trolling motors on the back of them but i want something that can actually move. I’m shooting for a 16-17’ bowrider that i can make fully electric and have something fast enought to pull a skier. I’m thinking this would be a good winter project since boats are cheap as hell in the fall (especially without an engine) so i’m in no rush, just compiling how i can make this actually happen.

I’m thinking maybe an inboard with a gm ev motor? i am not a electic motor guy, but i am very mechanical and like projects so i’ll need a hand with this one.

ideas/thoughts/solutions?

2

http://www.electricmotorsport.com/store/ems_ev_parts_marine.php

i think getting enough power to pull a skiier and enough energy to last any length of time might be difficult. cool project though, id cover the boat with solar panels

3

TBH the worst part is going to be the weight of the batteries required to get any kind of power and distance. Not saying it can’t be done, but that bitch is gonna be HEAVY. Just put a detroit in it and be done.

4

Galway Lake has always been super uptight about everything, pretty sure the lakes restricted to 3hp electrics.

5

i will have to read the by-laws

6

get a bunch of illegal immigrants to paddle for you and whip them if they dont paddle fast enough.

7

PJB with the racism today.

how about an industrial motor powering a jet drive? with a single or pair of impeller generators, it could recharge the batteries while pushing itself around.

8

Someone sig this shit ASAP

9

how do you know Im not talking about people that illegally crossed the border from Canada?

If so theyre white, therefore that wouldnt be racist, right?

10

Canadians don’t bother crossing their border illegally.

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Im sure its been done a time or two

12

oh i wouldn’t doubt it, but nowhere near the scale of the mexicans.

13

now who’s racist?

14

it’s not racism when you hate all the races equally.

15

Jet drives are not allowed either

16

Oh yeah, that works really well :skid:skid

17

It takes a lot of energy to push a boat hull through water. Im sure it can be done, but the weight of the batteries and the cost and the limited amount of run time is going to be a struggle. Best of luck if you do try it out…

18

:rolf :skid Someone’s confused.

19

It wouldn’t work. The energy you’d use to spin up the generators is energy that could have been more efficiently propelling the boat. Regenerative braking only works on electric cars/hybrids while they are already slowing down. Pepetual motion and all that.

But yeah, covering the decks with solar panels would probably help, but you probably aren’t getting a boat on-plane pulling a skiier too easily. The only thing I can think of that could work reasonably well would be to start with a lightweight outboard hull, and replace gas engine with the biggest electric motor you can fit under the cowling. I’m thinking wherever you put it (outboard or I/O), the motor out of a crashed prius could work. Then you just need to get a lot of batteries.

20

This.