Quixotic 1
New here
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2012
- Messages
- 4
Hi All this will be long winded but trying to set the context of what I'm asking.
Im partway through building a light, skinny and long catamaran for traveling in remote areas. 7.2 m long 2.4 W and hulls are .4 m wide. Build weight will be under 300 kg so very easily pushed. The design philosophy is about efficiency and seaworthiness and minimalism . 8 HP should get me around 12 knots with 20 HP getting close to 20 knots.
We already live in a pretty remote part of Northern Australia and will next year be traveling into an even more remote area with no other access but boat.. As a person who has lived and worked in some of the most remote areas in Australia for over 40 years I value reliability above all else. It's why I drive a 30 + year old truck that I converted to 4wd as opposed to a modern 4wd simply because modern diesels are no where near as reliable as pre common rail ones.
So the main propulsion system of the boat will be either a 15 HP outboard or a 10 HP diesel longtail I'm putting together. Either one should get me a cruise speed around 12 knots. Once I'm in an area thought I'm happy to cruise along at 6 knots or under. So being in a part of Australia where it's basically too sunny most of the time is a good reason to consider solar.
This is where I hope to tap into the expertise of the group. Broad brush strokes here but I'm considering two brushed DC motors with robust speed controllers. 1-2 kw max each and a Goldilocks battery bank( not to big not too small). Control doesn't have to be seamless I'm happy with a stepped output. My reasoning for brushed is if a controller goes down or God forbid two then I can direct wire the motors to the batteries. I could ever wire up some solenoids or buy a 4wd winch solenoid setup to give me reverse.
Does anyone have recommendations for motors and controllers that are reliable as that's my main criteria. I'm more than happy to diy as much as possible I'm a Diesel fitter and motor mechanic with over 40 years in the trade so not new to wiring stuff up and I love repurposing but whatever it's is has to be real world reliable.
Cheers
Im partway through building a light, skinny and long catamaran for traveling in remote areas. 7.2 m long 2.4 W and hulls are .4 m wide. Build weight will be under 300 kg so very easily pushed. The design philosophy is about efficiency and seaworthiness and minimalism . 8 HP should get me around 12 knots with 20 HP getting close to 20 knots.
We already live in a pretty remote part of Northern Australia and will next year be traveling into an even more remote area with no other access but boat.. As a person who has lived and worked in some of the most remote areas in Australia for over 40 years I value reliability above all else. It's why I drive a 30 + year old truck that I converted to 4wd as opposed to a modern 4wd simply because modern diesels are no where near as reliable as pre common rail ones.
So the main propulsion system of the boat will be either a 15 HP outboard or a 10 HP diesel longtail I'm putting together. Either one should get me a cruise speed around 12 knots. Once I'm in an area thought I'm happy to cruise along at 6 knots or under. So being in a part of Australia where it's basically too sunny most of the time is a good reason to consider solar.
This is where I hope to tap into the expertise of the group. Broad brush strokes here but I'm considering two brushed DC motors with robust speed controllers. 1-2 kw max each and a Goldilocks battery bank( not to big not too small). Control doesn't have to be seamless I'm happy with a stepped output. My reasoning for brushed is if a controller goes down or God forbid two then I can direct wire the motors to the batteries. I could ever wire up some solenoids or buy a 4wd winch solenoid setup to give me reverse.
Does anyone have recommendations for motors and controllers that are reliable as that's my main criteria. I'm more than happy to diy as much as possible I'm a Diesel fitter and motor mechanic with over 40 years in the trade so not new to wiring stuff up and I love repurposing but whatever it's is has to be real world reliable.
Cheers
