I have been lurking around here for a bit and this is my first project.
I had a 14' old town canoe with an old refurbished Minn Kota 36lbs trolling motor, and a worn out battery that I got on CL several years ago for dirt cheap.
Now I have made several upgrades:
Minn Kota Endura Max 40 (with the built-in digital PWM controller)
55amp hour deep cycle sealed battery
300 Watt solar panel
MPPT charge controller
Cheap Chinese watt/amp/volt meter between the battery and motor
upgraded APC 12X8P prop
40 amp DC breaker
I have taken it to the water twice now and I am impressed with the results as timed over a 1,000 foot course:
At 100 watts I can hold 2.8mph, 200 watts will get me 3.9mph, 300 watts 4.2, and if I open the throttle wide open with the APC prop, I pull 475 watts and can max out at 4.6mph. (The original minn kota prop would max at 320 watts at 3.7mph) Looks like I may be up against my hull speed over 4.5 mph. The hull speed estimation of 1.34xsqrt(14') is around 5 knots, however my canoe is quite wide and banged up so I expect a little less.
The panel/mppt combination is doing great as well. I have only been out in the mid to late mornings, (Texas is a bit hot in the afternoon) but I am still reading 240 watts around 11 am from a flat orientation. Even the occasional cloud only drops to around 80-100 watts, which is still good for 2.8mph from above.
I spent several hours on the water, and the power gauge read 60+ amp hours consumed, while my battery was still above 12 volts by the time I got out of the water. So the 300 watt panel is working as intended, the MPPT is doing a great job and if I keep the load and supply power balanced my battery doesn't draw at all! The only weak link is the Chinese power meter. It was rated for 100amps, but only has 12 gauge wire. Over 300 watts, those get quite hot. Are Chinese amps different? :wink:
Next up I plan to make a run down the Brazos river from Whitney dam to Waco in one day. It is 36 miles, and usually an overnight trip, however with plenty of sun and a constant 4-5 mph with current, I should make it home with plenty of time to spare.
Next steps:
I am trying to get javaprop to work for me to refine the prop selection. So far I can not get the downloaded app or in browser to play nice. In the mean time if someone wants to run the numbers for me and help me select the closest OTS APC prop, well that would be great: I would like to get the maximum speed/efficiency for 300 watts with my stock motor.
Much later after I learn all the basics, I am going to work on reducing weight, and increasing speed, cut the battery size, custom build a lighter panel, work on system efficiency, a more slippery boat, etc...
Also is there a solution for regulating motor power to keep the battery above a safe voltage? For example, if the panel is producing 100watts, and the motor is drawing 300 watts, I would like a system to cut back on the power to 100 watts once the battery hits 50% SOC. I have no idea what that system would look like or even how to Google such a device. I have looked all over the forums but have not found an answer. Right now I must monitor power production, power consumption, and a battery voltage that is being buffeted by being pulled from and charged at the same time. HA.
Thanks!
EBAO
Video Link
http://youtu.be/IpBpYCHk3P0?list=UUDFA9vJBF5bMErgXiLAbXCg
I had a 14' old town canoe with an old refurbished Minn Kota 36lbs trolling motor, and a worn out battery that I got on CL several years ago for dirt cheap.
Now I have made several upgrades:
Minn Kota Endura Max 40 (with the built-in digital PWM controller)
55amp hour deep cycle sealed battery
300 Watt solar panel
MPPT charge controller
Cheap Chinese watt/amp/volt meter between the battery and motor
upgraded APC 12X8P prop
40 amp DC breaker
I have taken it to the water twice now and I am impressed with the results as timed over a 1,000 foot course:
At 100 watts I can hold 2.8mph, 200 watts will get me 3.9mph, 300 watts 4.2, and if I open the throttle wide open with the APC prop, I pull 475 watts and can max out at 4.6mph. (The original minn kota prop would max at 320 watts at 3.7mph) Looks like I may be up against my hull speed over 4.5 mph. The hull speed estimation of 1.34xsqrt(14') is around 5 knots, however my canoe is quite wide and banged up so I expect a little less.
The panel/mppt combination is doing great as well. I have only been out in the mid to late mornings, (Texas is a bit hot in the afternoon) but I am still reading 240 watts around 11 am from a flat orientation. Even the occasional cloud only drops to around 80-100 watts, which is still good for 2.8mph from above.
I spent several hours on the water, and the power gauge read 60+ amp hours consumed, while my battery was still above 12 volts by the time I got out of the water. So the 300 watt panel is working as intended, the MPPT is doing a great job and if I keep the load and supply power balanced my battery doesn't draw at all! The only weak link is the Chinese power meter. It was rated for 100amps, but only has 12 gauge wire. Over 300 watts, those get quite hot. Are Chinese amps different? :wink:
Next up I plan to make a run down the Brazos river from Whitney dam to Waco in one day. It is 36 miles, and usually an overnight trip, however with plenty of sun and a constant 4-5 mph with current, I should make it home with plenty of time to spare.
Next steps:
I am trying to get javaprop to work for me to refine the prop selection. So far I can not get the downloaded app or in browser to play nice. In the mean time if someone wants to run the numbers for me and help me select the closest OTS APC prop, well that would be great: I would like to get the maximum speed/efficiency for 300 watts with my stock motor.
Much later after I learn all the basics, I am going to work on reducing weight, and increasing speed, cut the battery size, custom build a lighter panel, work on system efficiency, a more slippery boat, etc...
Also is there a solution for regulating motor power to keep the battery above a safe voltage? For example, if the panel is producing 100watts, and the motor is drawing 300 watts, I would like a system to cut back on the power to 100 watts once the battery hits 50% SOC. I have no idea what that system would look like or even how to Google such a device. I have looked all over the forums but have not found an answer. Right now I must monitor power production, power consumption, and a battery voltage that is being buffeted by being pulled from and charged at the same time. HA.
Thanks!
EBAO
Video Link
http://youtu.be/IpBpYCHk3P0?list=UUDFA9vJBF5bMErgXiLAbXCg