The Lie We Believed About Sailing With An Electric Motor | ep 249
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- Uma's catch phrase is Never in a Hurry to Go Anywhere Ever and before we started sailing I thought it sounded wonderful and true. Now I know it's a Lie!
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We are also an electric boat, presently anchored in Spanish Wells, preparing for an Atlantic crossing, actually using mostly sails except for the last mile, entering the harbor. It is a mind-set that has served us well, wishing you all the best.
Cool! We are currently at Governors Harbor! 😍 We sail as much as possible too. Loved sailing around SW, headed back there when the wind changes.
I agree, sometimes, but the smell, noise, exhaust, soot of diesel ruins it for me, can also cause migraines.
May have discovered since, but. 4:30, I use grey water, from shower (also used to wash boat, etc). Pump blasts through garden reticulation as chain retracts, feeds into a bath with bicarb soda & dishwashing liquid. Bicarb & vinegar if heavy clean required, use a spray bottle on what doesn't go in bath, rotate chain ~every 12 months.
7:00 WD40 to polish chrome post behind. Cleaning the bum is much easier with a suction handle like window installers use.
Hi Tammy! I just found you a few months ago and have been catching up trying to watch in semi-chronological order so I get a good feel for your story, as it unfolded. My hubby and I are retired, and Im recovering from a fall where i shattered my left arm (2 surgeries to fix it) broke my rt shoulder and 4 fibs on the rt. Its bern almost a year, but I just dont bounce back like I used to. I hope you continue to make videos, and showcase family life where you are working toward a common goal in a healthy manner!!!
I also love that your daughter who has a heart issue is treated like normal! One of my sons had a brain tumor removed at age nine. We were give terrible advise (ignored it) on his care, and he is now grown, working, married, and raising a family. If we had put him in a nursing home during his lengthy recovery (comatose and not expected to recover) he may not have recovered. Let your sweet girl do EVERYTHING possible, adapt, and work around the challenges, and continue on living and loving God and your family!!!
😍😍
Your new friend,
Beth
Ooh! That sounds like a hard fall and harder recovery! 😍 It does get harder as we get older. I’m doing a bit of that myself right now. Yes, we’ve been glad we allowed her to be herself over the years. I think it makes all the difference in the big picture. 🥰
Lie is. A little bit strong. You guys are new at this. I agree, an electric motor adds more complication to planning but if you stick with it you will agree with Uma in a year or so. Keep it up. Thank you for the video.
We can agree that we wish it was that way, but the reality would s, as we have experienced it, as much as we’d love to never be in a hurry, weather dictates otherwise in a good many places. Especially in the Florida Keys and Bahamas.
Electric motors are not water-cooled. If you also have a diesel engine, that pipe could be the source of cooling water, so it should e frequently cleared of debris.
I agree with you that weather dictates our schedule. It is more so in the Bahamas from December to March. Have a backup plan and be flexible to minimize inconveniences .
Yep. Last two harbors we’ve stayed a week waiting for winds to change.
Glad to see you making the escape. On to greater adventures. Uma are probably more prepared to take a bit of a battering; they don't have to think about family onboard, like you do.
Yes, this is true.
Uma is fairly happy to sail in a 30 knot breeze.
An ocean going boat should be fine in a force 10 Storm up to 55 knots, reefed down and with storm jib. You could go faster and further with a bigger battery bank and more solar.
30 knot is s gail unpleasant but still only a gail. It don't become a storm before 41 knot.
And that is heck more unpleasant😃.
Keep up the good work 👍
Yes and 50 is terrifying. Been there done that. 😅
Gale
Guys, yall are doing great and looks like your all doing wonderful and having a great time. Safe passage and looking forward to many more videos from you. Happy Memorial Day!
We are having a great time. Thanks for following along. 😍
Very good observation Tammy regarding the practical reality about sailing/cruising with electric propulsion. As with many things associated with this life on the sea, try to be prepared for the unexpected, whether that's weather or seagrass clogging your water intake or ?.
Yeah, it’s true even with a diesel motor. We have come across lots of other sailboats that can’t go any faster than us.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏Its been fun watching you grow with your boat!
Thanks for following along.
Great episode! Stay safe Spoondrifter crew! Keep rolling along!! 👍👍
Thank you. 😍
@@Spoondrifters 👍👍
To help alleviate your water intake problems, firstly take any elbows out of the hose run ( choke points) and secondly when you replace your through hull , fit the next size up.
Good idea! 👍
Looks like fun. Good job Dan. Time to install an adjustable audible temp alarm on the generator. Mine came with a light. That was too easy to miss. I purchased it at West Marine. I mounted the alarm at the helm. Now I have a light and a very annoying alarm. (Bread bag got sucked up while in the Delta ^*($&*&$&!!!)
Thanks 4 sharing 🙂
Cheers
Definitely something to consider. Thanks for sharing. 😍
Great job on the fix!
Thanks!
I hope you all have a safe passage to the Bahamas.I read your reply about not having a motor or motor boat.About watching the weather and just closing the hatches and everything we be fine.When you are in open water with no protection and a powerful thunderstorm hits you with no motor you might reconsider.If you haven’t experienced that yet you will eventually,It’s the most scary thing that you can imagine!!That electric motor is not going to help in a storm,it’s not enough power to control your big boat when you really need it.What if your anchor drags in a storm?You can’t run your motor to help your anchor not drag.Please be careful 🥴
You’re making assumptions about our motor that aren’t true. Our boat is absolutely designed to heave to in a big storm on the open ocean. As for storms close to shore, that’s where watching the weather is very important, as it is for anyone on the water. We have plenty of power to take care of ourselves and stay safe. We also have good ground tackle and make sure to anchor well. People are more likely to get into trouble when they overestimate what they can do with their diesel than we are, as we are very conservative with the weather.
My electric motor has more power than my old Volvo, which was unreliable. You might be interested to learn more about electric.
@@andrewbrown2063 I promise I don’t need to learn anything about your electric motor😂I’m not happy with 3 knots of hopefully making it to where I want to go.Then my batteries die and I start my gas or diesel generator to keep me slowly creeping along,but I’m saving the environment or gas or money 💰 yea right!my electric motor is for starting my diesel,watch Beau and Brandy drift around in the middle of the ocean.Not me 😜
Can’t argue with them, they’re blissfully ignorant. 😜 Kinda like those guys who cussed out the new fangled automobiles back in the day. Electric still has challenges, much as automobiles did compared to a horse. Someone has to start working out the bugs. We are happy with our electric motor, just realistic about its limitations.
Compressed air (or water) into the inside of the seacock does wonders for this, wash-down hose/pump is invaluable.
We did try a hose, it didn’t work.
I want one! Can't wait for next week!
So much fun!!
Todd I just watched the video with the water problem . I am a retired commercial fisherman and we don’t use basket strainer, we exterior screen strainers made by Greco. Pick the screen size that matches your in hull strainer size. You also might want to replace the galvanize fittings on your bronze thru hulls. Defender sells Greco. Good luck and happy sailing
Thanks for the tip! We’ll check it out. 😍
Todd says the fittings are all bronze, they’re just tarnished. 👍
The underwater ski was something else enjoy your journey to the Bahamas fair wind and calm seas 😊😊
Thank you!
30kts is not a 'Big, giant storm' it's not even a full gale. Storms don't begin until 48kts. Sailing off the wind you should have no problems in 30kts true
spoken like a man, not a father or a mother. We don't sail in that kind of wind if we don't have to.
@Spoondrifters my point is that you are using precise terminology very wrong to be misleading, I'm not telling you when to go sailing.
The boat can take more than the captain. 30 knots of wind, while rather stiff, should not be enough to compromise your boat. In fact 30 knots of wind should allow you to sell that boat quite rapidly. Coming into shore in that wind can be a little spicy. But land is most dangerous to the boat with wind and weather at second place at best, equal to stupid human decisions.
Agreed. But at this spot that 30 knots of wind was while we were still in the shallow waters of the Keys with limited protection options for a boat our size from the direction it was coming.
Really glad to see you guys out and having fun! I have an anchor question...if you were us and have a 35lb CQR w/40' chain for normal anchoring but want to replace our other anchor for a bigger more serious one for high winds, what do we want to buy? Were a little lighter than you guys but still want something a little overkill. Thx in advance
Call Mantus and ask them. I’ll get you a code to save money. If we were you we’d get whatever size they suggest as a cruising anchor for your boat size and add at least 200 feet of chain. We regularly use 120’ to anchor. We had 100’ and it wasn’t enough for several places and we drug once when we had to anchor in 20’ of water and had a storm that was stronger than predicted. This is our home so we want to be sure it’s not going anywhere. Right now we’re in 15’ of water (couldn’t get shallower because of a mooring field closer to shore) and have 125’ out. That’s still only 6:1 scope.
@@Spoondrifters Thanks a lot guys! I did plan on getting mostly chain for the next one but was also unsure about how much length and what size chain too. (I think the CQR has 1/2" (or 12mm). I just need to do a little research. Thx again, talk to ya soon
Success, yeah! Good diagnosis on the no water flow problem. You guys rock!
Thanks for watching. 😍
Awesome video. I can’t wait to see the crossing.
Thanks! Excited to share it with you. 😍
Utilizing duplex strainers is a useful design criteria. This allows swapping and cleaning strainers without shutting down the system.
good idea if one has the room.
Awesome video guys. I had the exact same thing happen with my genny in the same place.
Crazy right?
So exciting to finally leave the country!! That scooter looks pretty awesome!!!!! We need one of those. I tried the backwards summer-salt into the dinghy also. I thought I nailed it 🏆 but everyone had a good laugh at my expense. 🤷♂️ Corey
I feel like I’m drowning and Todd has to pull my legs over. 😜 We started using a small ladder for me and the girls.
Been thinking about converting my “new to me” old boat to electric. My big hiccup is having to motor the boat for hours / days to get out of the way of major storms. I have a generator on board, but realistically, how long can you “motor”?
We can motor using the generator to supplement the batteries as long as we have fuel for the generator. How fast you can go will depend on many conditions, including waves, current, wind, the size of your generator, and the type and size of your battery bank.
It’s never great to be trying to out run a storm whatever type motor you have. Better to plan ahead and not be anywhere close or find a good harbor.
We really like our electric yacht motor and have never found ourselves unable to go where we want to go or be in an unsafe situation. But we always give ourselves lots of time to do what needs doing.
A few days ago we motored all day with the solar recharging the batteries and never turned on the generator but we aren’t fast. But man it was beautiful and quiet and we saw alligators, turtles, and bald eagles.
My first time here and I enjoyed it very much. I'll be here for a while now. I love the family interaction. Be safe always 💞 from the Philippines.
Welcome! Glad you found us. 😍
Safe travels to the Bahamas, and have a Great Time there. I maybe somewhere around there next year, god willing. Best Wishes. Bob in Wales. 👍🏴⛵️🌟🌟🌟
Thank you! Keep an eye out for us and be sure to say Hi as we’ll be there next year too. 😍
Thanks for the link on the scooter. Il prob get one for xmas
Cool! We really love it.
I'm so proud of you guys
Thank you!
Well done guys. I think you have got it. Girls doing good and starting to enjoy the activities. Confidence growing. water getting more interesting. I think you have a future.
Thanks! It’s definitely getting more fun. 😍
great ,do you have both electric and diesel motor ? is it posible to have 2 mottors on sailing boat ?im soon getting my first sailing boat so im kinda a noob
We have an electric motor and a diesel generator. Catamarans have two motors on board.
Everybody wants to tell you how you should do things…In my humble opinion, you are doing pretty well. It’s your boat..you do you! Electric motor and all. Videos are great by the way.
Thank you! We appreciate that. 😍
I've done the backwards flip into the dingy. Looks funny but works. I always get laughs when people see me do it. I'm not sure why, lol.
Todd is really good at it. I don’t have the strength to do it without Todd pulling my legs over and I feel like I’m drowning. 😂
Thanks for the video. I too have an electric motor on a 45' ketch. Regarding being in a hurry I wanted to comment on your comments. Running from weather? Yes, important. Where we live here in the SF Bay we get 30knots regularly. I don't prefer to sail in the 30 knots but it isn't something to run from per se. If I have to run every time it got windy here I'd be running all the time. The other thought I had, and I don't know how you guys are setup although I believe it is similar to me, by running the genny I get 4.2 knots not touching my deep battery bank. So I can motor or motor sail and get reasonably good speeds, similar to or identical to a diesel motor. But I agree with your underlying point that acting like a leaf in the wind without a care in the world or the concern of a schedule is not realistic. My speed boat friends don't check tides, currents or weather - they check when the bars open and close. On the other end of the spectrum engineless sailors live by wind and tide and weather and carry their own bar.
Yes, our boat is set up similarly. And yes, my point is not that we are running from weather but that it dictates our schedule. 😍
There are several pleasant oceans & seas to traverse - would you prefer the Pacific Islands; Mediterranean Sea or the Caribbean?
Can some kind of garbage disposal cross with a blender to take care of the sea grass and other things?
I don’t know if something like that exists???
I use an 8" drywall puddy spreader to shave the bottom to not rub the paint off. Any place you find the clear thin coat of slime, work around it because it is a natural growth defense like on a fish.
Put a slotted cover over the intake hole to keep the grass and fish out.
Have FUN!
Todd uses this one of those too! 😍 Might consider that on next haul out.
What's this about not scraping the thin slime, what's exactly is the thin slime that protects?
@@anthonyellis9804 its a living organism just like the slick covering on fish. It's a natural growth barrier. Much better than bottom paint.
That wasn't white smoke coming out of the generator. It was steam. Good thing you caught it.
Yes, we figured that out but at the time we thought it was smoke.
Look up an Aussie cost effective maintenance solution it’s a decarboniser you add to diesel we had a gen that smoked so bad it covered the boat and that was over 70 ‘, we used it and it causes enhanced combustion temps I think that removes carbon it was clear after a tank as a side advantage it converts growth in tank to inert that goes thru combustion process and is eliminated without mechanical effort. Also it extends efficacy of diesel about 10% , tried other solutions but it seems that running a gen at under its rated load is just going to cause carbon , if you want to strip down the engine and mechanically remove carbon then dive right in or try this , and continue to under run your gen , it just won’t carbon up ,
We’ll look into it.
It's not a lie @sailinguma is never in a hurry they plan their trips different or maybe even better than you guys 🤷🏾♀️
Sorry, I don’t believe it. I’m sure that they plan accordingly to compensate for their slowness. But the weather waits for no one and doesn’t care who you are. You only see what they show you. 😜
@@Spoondrifters Every time you try to explain, you are digging yourself a deeper hole.
Calling an idea you disagree with "a lie" reveals that either you don't understand how ideas work, or you don't understand the definition of a lie.
Guess you guys don’t understand the UA-cam game. 😂 Go read some of Umas Titles. Geeze. 🤦🏻♀️
@@Spoondrifters Titles where they accuse others of lying? Because that's no game. Do tell!
Negative titles do get the most clicks! Who knows why? You guys doing a great job love it and we are still in boot key harbor saving some money up to take off to the next place!
If you get a duplex strainer you can run on one side and clean the other. So you always have water flow.
Interesting idea👍
Why can you only go 3kts with electric? Can you not reach hull speed or do you not have enough battery capacity? If its the battery capacity, how many KWh do you have?
We can only go that speed in this situation to maintain our batteries while motoring a long distance. It’s different depending on the wind, currents, and sea state. At any given time we can reach hull speed (8 knots) but cannot maintain it for a long distance.
How many KWh are your batteries rated?@@Spoondrifters
Instead of a scotch bright pad. Try taking a piece of old carpet and invert it inside out so you have the carpet bottom on the outside, makes a great mitt just slightly bigger than your hand. Works best for me when I leave the finger end open, by just sewing the two nice sides of the carpet together, cause the carpet end works as a soft scrapper for a while till, the carpet gets soft.
Interesting idea! Thanks for sharing. 😍
I think Uma have a larger solar array, and use that as their primary energy source. Sounds like you’re using a generator as a primary energy source. Given all the small engine issues I’ve had over the years, that sounds like a headache.
We have 960 watts of solar dedicated to the motor bank. They have lithium for their motor bank and we don’t. We are using generator to power motor when motoring all day, which Uma claims they don’t do. We have family and friends who we place a high value on being with when they choose to visit and kids on board so we motor to make deadlines or keep our family out of bad weather that’s coming. We AREN’T unattached or only only worried about ourselves as a couple. 😂
@@Spoondrifters Hmm. You sound defensive. I’m just pointing out that batteries and solar panels are about 10x more reliable than small engines in my experience. If you really value getting your family out of harms way, I know which route I would go. Just remember lightning suppression!
you need a motor big enough to push at hull speed , electric or diesel or both
Yep
Important distinction. Pushing along at 2 kn won't help entering à bar with strong current. Try sailing thru Bass Straits, in south of Australia... you'd be going backwards to Perth...
I just found you guys today and I like you and your family a lot! I've been off the water for far too long. It's time to fix that :)
Thanks for watching. It’s an addictive way of living. 😍
@@Spoondrifters At this point its a matter of making my budget work
Sailing Uma also said to don’t buy a couch but they have family’s that have children so they need seating, so people with children should not listen to that because they need a place for their children to sit. And yes you either have to move fast get ahead of the storm are sit their and wait til the storm is over. Be safe out there.
Truth! 😍
I think that's the whole point to not being in a hurry. Weather will dictate so just roll with it. If you're in a hurry you'll go despite bad weather conditions and that's how you get yourself in trouble. Also, boats have settees, couches are for apartments and houses. so don't buy one if you plan to sail.
Weather in the Florida Keys and Bahamas dictates that you move to be safe. Unlike other places who have protection in multiple directions, they don’t. Which means moving, sometimes quickly to find shelter.
@@Spoondrifters the very concept of "being in a hurry" in a traveling device that move at an average speed of 5 knots is hilarious to me.
Hurry or not, your view is better than mine at the moment. Enjoy!!!
A diesel won’t out-run a storm either.
I got a coat hanger, cut it, and ramped it down the seacock. That’s not enough water. You have ell grass down there.
When you were thinking of becoming nomadic (RV or Boat life), did you make a plan on how you can make a living, a timeline, your future plans for possibly transitioning back to a traditional life, etc? I thought this life was a non starter with my wife until yesterday, when I made a crack about how moving aboard would solve a problem she was dealing with, and she said, "I have never seen a plan from you on how to do "those things"."
Yes, I (Tammy) did. Todd was the one that wasn’t interested when I was dreaming about traveling years ago. I had to show him how it could be done, what the exit strategy would be if we didn’t like it, etc. After six years in an RV it didn’t take as much work convincing him to buy a boat. Now he’s the one that helps me stay committed when I’m unsure of the future. 😍
Click bait title, you didn't even answer the question of what the lie was.
You must have missed it. Yes I did, in detail.
The lie is that you can get away with an electric motor if you're not in a hurry. That as long as you plan ahead youll be fine. The truth is that weather determines your scheduling and that sometimes you need to be in a hurry
"Lie" is a pretty heavy-handed word for "i didn't understand what they were saying" and "i call myself a blue water cruiser but don't consider myself competentt to handle a 30 knot breeze"
You undersized your electric motor and called it a lie.
So, the Northern East Coast port you are staying at is ... Panama? I have been through the canal a few times. When I was there, they were using American dollars, but calling them Balboas. The change was very similar to American money as well, but had different faces.
We were in Florida in this video.
@@Spoondrifters, I think you need to ask your husband. The comment was not about this particular video.
In South Africa boats and sail boats 2 Nd hand very expensive. Make own sail boat. 8.5 Meters long.
Big Strainers are essential to any of your water cooled motors! And yes your water flow is impeded for sure!
Yes it is! 😍
You could maybe have a closed cooling system with a radiator, fan and heat extraction blower
Safe travels withmany adventures.
Thank you! 😍
It's the diesel engine that gave you issues, not the electric.
I run, and maintain two diesel engines for propulsion on my cat. They require more maintenance than electric, and they make the boat smell of diesel, however, like you said when you need to get somewhere, or just need to get out of a bad situation I believe they are the best option. In most cases electric should be sufficient, but there may come a time when constant power will be required to avoid being driven by current or weather to an unfavorable location. Stay safe out there.
Yes the electric motor is a lot less maintenance and we do have sufficient power to handle what we will most likely encounter. But we do exercise more caution and are conservative when looking at weather, waves, and current. We can however, motor for extended period of time with our 5KW generator.
@@Spoondrifters Didn't know you had a genset...that makes a big difference.
It definitely does.
Makes the boat a hybrid.
No temp gauge on generator???
Nope
Do you regret the conversion?
Nope, but it does mean being cognizant of its shortcomings.
@@Spoondrifters Thanks. Yes, always trade offs. I'm glad your don't regret the conversion.
Very funny tod getting into the boat 🚤 😂🎉❤
Yes! 😝😂
On my Manafold, I have the Fresh water pressure hooked up too it, thus at anytime I can backwash the salt water intake , so that too also lay up my engine every time on fresh water, also have another line too the bilge so that you can use your generator too pump out the bilge, I also do not have a generator just my 28 hp diesel Volvo, by the way it has a hand crank, which I have used. When all my batteries were dead, in a morning learned that a hurricane was coming, in my 7200 nm of travel up and down the North East Coast in 12 years of sailing my Beneteau Oceanis 350 1989 , None of the Electronics Available back when I got Starlight, so in 1995, installed an 8D and 4D , being a pilot , I knew how to Dead Reckoning, and also a sextant, which you need, I also used Paper charts, so, Yes, understand the new navigation systems but have also seen the devastation of a Lighting Strike on my friends SeaRay. My Fuel tank is only 21 gallons and in the 20 years have only used 150 gallons and only 760 hours. Mainly generator with a police alternator I installed with 110 gallons of water and an engine coolant powered water heater, which turned out to be our main reason we could only last 4 days at a time on the hook. Way too expensive for a watermaker, we only sailed her in the summer, she was our summer home, took my sons from boys too men, I am doing a refit on her now. However, in my years of sailing, I can tell you at anchor with Nor Easter’s, even though I did not drag, I still started my Engine and ran it for 6 hours straight at 1725, she likes that RPM at Anchor through the height of the storm creating hot water, but more having her running if I needed her, she only burned .5 a Gallon per hour at that RPM and 14 hp load from the over sized 125amp alternator. Often on the great Gunk holes we would love too anchor in there was sea grass that would clog up the intake having the fresh water back wash was a life savor, also laying up the heat exchanger with fresh water every time I used the engine left the heat exchanger with no Growth and, the Exhaust elbow not all rusted up. Get a Crash pump, get a DC powered Crash pump. Anything can put a hole in your Boat, in the Ocean that you can hit. Have a good water proof tarp. You can put it underside of the boat again too limit the water coming in. More fenders and big ones, at anchoring many people drag during storms the can hit you etc. More spring lines, save your running rigging. More blocks, spares , chandeliers are few and expensive in the Caribbean, the boat is constantly breaking something. Get a 5 min Spare air , comes with a tank and regulator all in one. Leave it with your easy too grab, that and a good bar knife Marine issue, nets , pots other things can grab a hold of your boat make very dangerous times, if you cannot quickly cut them away, you will not be able too hold your breath. God Bless, Fair winds.
Good idea.
I just finished my largest solar project .4 MEgawatts. ( 1 single business). I own zero
Cool 😎
A channel I won't mention got caught in a storm in the Atlantic. Their electric motor was too weak to push them against the wind current and waves once they wanted enter a harbor. They had to have a rescue boat come out and tow them in.
That’s not uncommon for sailboats, even with a diesel engines. Often the diesel gets gummed up in the storm and quits completely. It’s why paying attention to the weather is so critical. In our boat we can batten down the hatches and stay offshore at a safe distance until it blows over.
Electric engines and vehicles are a joke ,I'll take a diesel engine over Electric anyday good luck on you travels
@@Spoondrifters yes I agree. Especially heavy displacement boats will alot of windage. Unfortunately in this circumstance that wasn't the case.
You need a motor to go as fast the boat can go.always overpower.
Nah, you don’t need that, you just have to plan for the limitations. Sometimes that means motoring slowly when you can’t sail.
Probably will never be in the South Pacifuc, trying to enter an atoll in Polynésie or Port in Australia with huge current over the bar. Having 5,6 knts to the rescue has always given me peace of mind. Man, at 2 knts, you couldn't even enter Melbourne harbor!!!! Not that you intend going there, just saying.
It's hurricane season so expect continued storms.
4 of 10 C'Mon Man would be proud of you.
👍
I’d be worried that water scooter might go the same way as e scooters and catch fire.
Never know but that problem’s not as common as one would think with modern media.
Welcome to boat life... it is NEVER ever simple. You must have heard the age old refrain... "Cruising is fixing your boat in exotic locations." Well, it's "an age old refrain" because it's true. =]
The thing is... do you enjoy the benefits, the "exotic locations" enough to make the never ending maintenance and repairs worth it to you? That's the rub... is it worth it.
I know it is for us, I grew up on the bay and have been messing about and working on boats my whole life. But it is often a real shock for those who only know life on land.
And yea... "weather" is now your god (small "g" but still...) and the weather cares naught for man's "schedules", and never has. Again, welcome to boat life. =\
So, Good on ya! Keep at it, and keep your eyes on the prize... A different life than the "norm", a life lived for adventure. Ya'll know about that after all those years spent "cruising" on land. =]
CJ&JD =/|)=
Yep! Definitely worth it! 😍
Let’s start a UA-cam “docu-fib” that sea grass contains an intoxicating effect when consumed. I predict a worldwide massive reduction of sea grass.
😝
Just tell people it's illegal.
Well you CAN pull DMT out of it 🎉🎉
@@captvaghunter
Yeah I've heard that. Takes ocean plastics though.
Weed blocked your generator strainer ....same weed would block a Diesel engine up.... moving your intake deeper and introducing a closed Keel cooling type loop would be the only way round the blockages.. ...🤔 If you could hang a large enough coiled copper pipe in the water and loose enough heat by transfer to the sea water that might get you through...
But the Dutch tend to build coolers into their steel boat keels ..or run a pipe along the side of the keel.🇬🇧😉 .
The other way is to run a fan and radiator system like on a car ....and try loosing the excess heat to the air.
Can’t make it deeper. Solid lead ballast keel and it’s already on the bottom of the hull.
@@Spoondrifters
Then you might be able to tow a heat exchanger off the back of the boat though a pressurised backwash might help..
This time its seaweed but ive seen plastic bags and jellyfish all block small area intakes for both engines and generators..
I know its a pain but your not alone and its going to be an ongoing problem so perhapse you might want to consider and experiment with some alternatives..
Thanks for the ideas.
Or have a small Honda petrol generator that runs on the deck as a back up.
I don’t like the look of that old through hull; when I bought my 30 year old Westerly one of those bronze fittings literally broken in my hand on day one, luckily it was on the hard. I would change any old shit especially when it is so critical to safety. A cover on the outside and a regular dive to check and clear it should be fine.
If I remember, you are not using lithium batteries for your motor. If this is true, you will never get to the potential of your QT30. We have 540Ah of lithium on our boat and we have seen some great performance numbers. Admittedly the cost was BOING!
Like most cruisers, we’re on a budget. So we’re doing the best with what we have and it’s working just fine so far.
@@Spoondrifters agreed but we you get to the point of adding lithium batteries the “lie” won’t be as annoying 😀
Uk weather is rubbish hardly ever get to sail my prospect 900
"do I need to repeat myself?"
Dude you need to talk to your wife with more respect 🤷♂️
😅
I agree.
Safety rope sighting...woo hoo!!
Yes!! We love it!!
Running a generator to generate electricity for an electric motor instead of having a diesel engine makes no sense.
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It does make sense if it is just to recharge lithium batteries as a back up to Solar, regeneration and shore power.
30 knots of Wind is not a storm. Not in Sweden anyway. 50 knots is storm. 30 is normal high wind. And in cooler climat the Windows power is harder than in worm climate. But I guess that you are not used to that Winds.
Since I have no context for this comment, it’s difficult to respond. Do you live in a house or on a boat? Living on land in Alaska we regularly saw storms with gusts over 70 mph but it wasn’t a problem as we lived in a nice stable house. Moving from place to place along unprotected shallow water like is found in the Keys, 30 knots makes life a bit uncomfortable and if not anchored well could put you on the rocks or beach. Out at sea, far from shore 30 knots from the right angle, in a big boat would push you along nicely, but if it’s coming from the wrong direction it’s gonna suck. So… it’s all relative to where you are, where you’re trying to go, what size your boat is, etc.Misery is optional. We choose comfort and safety for our family.
Nina , Pinta , Santa Maria
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Best remove your outboard off your dingy, for the trip.
Planning on it. 👍
SailingUma are an inspiration and you guys just seem to whine a lot.
We agree sailing Uma is inspiring, but inspiration at the cost of reality does no one any favors once they’re inspired to buy an old boat and start rebuilding it. Doing what they and we have done takes a level of grit and determination many people don’t have. The difference between us and them is truth in advertising. We won’t tell you not to do it, like Atticus did when they gave up on Atticus one, but by darn you’ll know it’s not all rainbows and sunshine. We don’t want to gloss over the real challenges on the path to learning how to do this. We’ll encourage and help people reach their dreams and share how we got here, all of it. Even the hard and ugly parts.
Can't wait to see your reaction when you finally leave the United States and see clean water for the first time! You will never swim in Florida water again after seeing the rest of the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The way we allowed corporate farms to poison our water for decades has been terrible here. The only people who vacation in Florida are ones who never saw the Bahamas.
I believe that could be true, everything looks dirty after this amazing water.
nothing is better than old good diesel engine
They are stinky. 😂
And break down easily, and noisy
Our electric setup is awesome
I love that you are calling this out. Even in this thread I see the preening presumed superiority of people who see this is more than just a method of propulsion. I remember when Sailing Uma was doing like their 3rd motor/system refit, I innocently asked about how much distance they could go on motor between the generation capabilities and the batteries. I mentioned that there are many circumstances when one has to get somewhere when doing long range cruising, such as illness, weather, injury/illness, schedules - a guest has to get a flight - etc. I got a reply claiming they were real sailors and I was not. Lol. It was so unexpectedly obnoxious and arrogant, I was surprised. I was literally just trying to understand the range in a worst case. I realized there is something more going on with such folks. It totally ruined their channel, which tbh had always seemed just a bit too 'precious' to me but I ignored that. But at that point, I realized how arrogant and political they actually were. I wonder if they ever looked at how the lithium and cobalt for their batteries were mined? How about those solar panels?
I also watched a lot of sailing Uma episodes. One day I commented about lightning risk as I recollect ... got a dismissive snarky comment in return and so have mostly ignored that channel since.
It is a challenge with electric propulsion and other boats with undersized motors. We can compensate by being ultra conservative with watching the weather and planning for being slow. It’s a different way of sailing than those who have a strong diesel. I don’t think it’s better or worse, just different. We are different than Uma in that we have chosen to use a generator to supplement our motor when needed for situations you referenced.
What speed would you do when supplemented by the generator?
@@hesseldijkstra5327 another good question. What speed can you even maintain in a moderately big sea? Power consumption goes up dramatically. The autopilot is working overtime too. I’m not at all opposed to electric power. I’m just actually concerned about safety and they environment vs. virtue signaling in the extreme. A coastal sailor can manage electric boats safely. As of now, going offshore in one is too risky to me. Lithium, solar and a diesel with a hi capacity alternator is the way to go as of today. Done properly you can run electric range and stove to get rid of propane, reducing risk. ACis very doable. Rely on solar day to day. Keep the diesel to a minimum. And buy a fast boat, you’ll find you’ll motor much less in a boat that can point and move fast in good wind. Changes sailing utterly. But when everything else goes wrong, crank up the iron jib and run for safety.
We have gone 7 knots but not indefinitely. We can do 4-5 for hours.
Her heart condition?! She's just a kid!!
How sad..
She was born with a congenital heart defect and has an artificial valve.
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Title says ...Sailing with an electric motor... and not one second in the entire video did ye lot mention anything about electric motor 🙄 such let down. Bait-click, honesty no need for that, just be honest. Once bitten twice shy so no more 4 me, I'm done. 👎🏿
Title reads “the lie I believed about sailing with an electric motor” and since I told you exactly what that lie was and why it’s a lie I guess you’re the one with the problem. 😜
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😢 generator could be from China. Bad quality.
You all ever regret not buying a motor boat?
Nope. With our diesel generator we can get where we need to go if we can’t sail but need to be more conservative with weather.
100❤
All electric propulsion is an error in Judgement, in my opinion. Its well intentioned, but there times when you need lots of power. Crew injured, weather issues, current issues, and many other issues. Electric is fine for a weekend sailor but a big mistake for a live aboard world cruiser.
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So, what's your point?
What’s yours?