I’ve pulled the trigger, placed my order, and received most of the equipment, with the rest coming next week.
I’m going with the Electric Yacht QT10. I have a mechanic lined up to do the engine removal, and someone who’s going to take the engine off my hands (at no cost to him, and no charge to me) once removed.
I’m planning a battery installation similar to what Tim in St. Louis did in the pictures he posted in response to my last post. The difference is that I’m throwing big bucks at saving my back and buying 8 12V/100A Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries. At 31 lbs each, these are half the weight (but well over twice the price) of equivalent 12V/100A AGM batteries.
As I start planning my installation, I’m now worrying about three questions (in descending order of criticality):
Am I going to have to modify the stringers, or will the new motor be able to reuse what I’ve got?
I’m not sure I can pull off the tidy installation on the binnacle that Tim in St. Louis also showed in his posts. So, I’ll probably mount my throttle control on the pedestal guardrail, do something to cover the wire run, and cut a hole in the cockpit floor to run the wiring into the engine compartment. I partly like this idea because it’ll allow me to mount the throttle higher and more conveniently reachable.
Anyone done this?
Any advice on how best to seal to prevent leaks into the compartment?
Any suggestions about how to make it look best?
Removing all the diesel-related detritus means there’ll be a gaping 6"x9" hole in the cockpit coaming where the Westerbeke instrument panel current sits. Any good ideas for what to do with that hole? I was thinking of putting some small storage compartment there instead of just covering it.
Thanks,
– Bob
Me Gusta
Nonsuch 26U #233
Marina del Rey, California
Removing all the diesel-related detritus means there’ll be a gaping 6"x9" hole in the cockpit coaming where the Westerbeke instrument panel current sits. Any good ideas for what to do with that hole? I was thinking of putting some small storage compartment there instead of just covering it.
Draft beer tap. Only for when back at the dock, of course!
Your most welcome for solving the dilemma;
JohnS, NS26C 046, sometimes a “dry” boat, other times not, Bath ON
I’d been thinking of removing the fuel tank, but I suppose I could steam clean it and fill it with beer instead. Pick up a small pump, and repurpose one of those swimstep shower installations to fill the hole and serve as a beer tap…
While I’m giving this proposal all the attention it deserves, any other ideas, folks?
– Bob
Me Gusta
Nonsuch 26U #233
Facing a lifetime of boating under the influence charges if I listen to John
Marina del Rey, California
Despite previous posts, yep, I’m definitely removing the fuel tank.
The batteries are going to go on a shelf I’ll be building behind the stuffing box, tentatively in two rows of four. The eight of them, at 31 lbs. each, will weigh 248 lbs. The electric motor, which weighs 71 lbs., will be slightly aft of where the old 345-lb. W18 now sits. Thus, I’m hoping the balance on the boat will end up pretty much the same.
That’s not allowing for the loss of the weight of the fuel tank on starboard. I have plans for that space which may balance that out, but we’ll see.
Please remember to take lots of pictures and post a daily report of progress from start of removal to completed installation, so we can all learn from the electric decision. Thanks!
Don⛵
With the warning that following what I do may just be repeating my mistakes, yes, I’ll post pictures and notes.
Part of why I’m posting all these questions and details is in the hopes someone will fix my mistakes before I make them.
As a start on that, here are the sketches I’ve made for thinking about the removal of the old, installation positions of the new, and battery set-up.
As an interesting note: if you look at the picture titled, “Major Components Going In”, you’ll see the new motor shown in red on top of the old diesel in black. Those are actually to scale. I figured out the proportions and made the QT length and width proportionate to the length and width of the diesel footprint in this factory drawing from the 26 manual. The QT10 electric motor is really that much smaller than the diesel. I’m still trying to wrap my head around that.
So, still looking for advice on stringers, installing wiring through the cockpit deck, and filling the hole left by the instrument panel. And, now, also looking for advice on whether I’ve made any mistakes on the plans in the attached drawings.
– Bob
Me Gusta
Nonsuch 26U #233
Trying to keep electrifying from being a shocking experience
Bob,
I did it the hard way and ran the wiring through 1/4" pex that we threaded up through the binnacle. Removing the old throttle and shift controls was the hardest part of that day.
As for the old instrument panel, we built a small cubby there for things like a cell phone or gloves, when we leave the boat we can stuff the mainsheet in to the cubby and out of the weather.
Tim in STL
White O’morn NS26U #216
Harbor Point Yacht Club
West Alton, MO
Hi Bob, can you get into your lazarete to get access to your batteries? I can only barely squeeze into it on the port side and only if I take apart my emergency Whale pump, which is installed right there. Or are you going to install your shelf and batteries through the front of the engine compartment after the engine is removed?
Thanks for the suggestions – I think I’ll do something along the lines of Bianka for the wiring, and something along the lines of Tim for the instrument panel hole.
Regarding Howard’s question of how to access and what order to do the work: I’m expecting to go in from the front after the engine’s removed.
I notice that your signature shows a Classic. My first Nonsuch 26 was a Classic, but my current one is an Ultra. The Ultra has much more lazarette room and better access because what are quarterberths on the Classic are instead dedicated to the lazarette on the Ultra.
So, climbing into the lazarettes is much more viable on an Ultra, and I may end up doing that if the front access turns out to be harder than I think. If front access proves to be hard, I don’t know what I’d do on a Classic.
Joe: my apologies on omitting full signature. I always include location when it’s relevant to the post topic, but I tend to omit it when not. It’s a carryover from pre-retirement work experience.
– Bob (Neches)
Me Gusta
Nonsuch 26U
Trying to keep a low profile in Marina del Rey, California
Bob, White O’morn is also a 26 Ultra. We put the batteries in and partially wired them up before installing the motor. The batteries were too heavy for me to manhandle into the lazarette. A helper slid them in on a board from the cabin while I was in the lazarette scooting them into there final positions. We used a
X X X
X X X
X X layout for the eight batteries. The space in the fwd row gives us better access to the stuffing box.
Tim in STL
White O’morn NS26U #216
Harbor Point Yacht Club
West Alton, MO
Yeah, I’ve gone back and forth on whether to use your configuration vs. two rows of four each. I went back and looked at your picture. You put your batteries with the long dimension athwartships while I’m planning to put mine with the short dimension that way; the difference may be enough that I can get in four to your three. (I’m taking advantage of the relatively small footprint of the Battleborn GC-2 LiFePO4 batteries that I’m using.) Also, mine has a PYI dripless shaft seal, so I don’t have to worry as much about getting in to repack the stuffing box.
I’ll make the final decision after the engine’s out and I can better measure and visualize.
Meanwhile, while I was searching for solutions to running the wiring, I stumbled over what I should’ve thought of in the first place:
I now think I’ll put one of these on the cockpit sole, then run the wiring up the pedestal rail, possibly with some kind of cover to make it look cleaner. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before; I’ve used these on previous boats and they’ve worked very well.
I may decide that it’s too tacky, but I’m thinking of going with this for filling the instrument panel hole:
Tim
Have you looked at the new Battle Born 48 volt 96 AH batteries? I plan to convert BIANKA over the winter to a Lithium battery which were $$$ back in 2008 when I first converted to electric propulsion but, have come down in price finally since then. The 48 volt battery will allow me to access it from the cabin instead of having to empty the cockpit lockers to get to the 8A4D 200AH AGM batteries now. Plus there are no jumpers between batteries to maintain. Ability to upgrade an electric propulsion system is one of the things I like about it.
Bob, That looks like a neat idea, however, you will be surprised at how little room there is behind that panel. I think the aft upper corner has only about 3" of depth. Also I think the height of he opening is greater than the height of the glove box.
Mike, As they say, timing is everything. If I were starting over I would go with lithium, the price today is not that much higher than the AGMs that I went with. The batteries that I have now should be good for at least 5 more years, then I will consider making the switch. I could not find the Battle Born 48v 96AH batteries on their web site, but even the 12V batteries would make the system affordable.
Best wishes to you both let us know how the projects progress,
Tim in STL
White O’morn NS26U #216
Harbor Point Yacht Club
West Alton, MO
report of progress from start of removal to completed installation, so we can all learn from the electric decision. Thanks!
