On cooling, I can run my motor at 1kw and not have issues. With single loop cooling, the difference is I use a little KTM motorbike radiator and also have it heat hotwater for the boat, so dissipate heat much better than the fans. I'd highly recommend a heat exchanger for better passive cooling.
Hello, I am following your electric experience with a lot of interest. You inspired me so much, that I've decided to replace my old diesel engine by a Goldenmotor 10KW electric motor last spring. I sailed the whole summer with it, but I am still facing a regen problem.
thx for the feedback. going electric isn’t for everyone but for me i would not go back to fuel. i don’t sail (generally speaking) far enough for regen to outpace the solar but it would be handy at night to have it. i appreciate your feedback and i hope your setup is going great for you.
Interesting to hear your experience. I've had electric for 2 years now, what a change. Like you pointed out having no gas or diesel is a treat. Induction cooking so much better. What you didn't mention with power, is that when you are full or 90% charge, you can use the excess solar to run the motor, this means you can motor sail in silence. I get about 2knts extra like this.
appreciate the comments and hearing your experience. with my 800 watts under a noon sun i have amazing results and can motor at 3 knots under sun power. i think it will work for longer hours the further south i get but even offsetting the battery consumption really starts to stretch the distance. i have a generator hookup for cruising as backup however. no sun at night. i have not found a good wind alternative/option either. thanks again for the comments and the ideas!
Really great breakdown - thanks for the details! After watching a few of your videos, I decided to buy the same motor you have. it drives Monday! I have.a 1985 Morgan 36 with the original Yanmar diesel, and I can't wait to tear out the old fuel tank and engine! I have a few questions if you don't mind... 1. where did you get the drive shaft coupling? 2. Where did you get your motor mount? 3. Did you notice any weight distribution issues after you removed the original engine and fuel tank?
hi good luck on your project! i got my drive shaft jar coupler at princess auto. it was available on their website. i hand built/welded the motor mount myself. when i removed the fuel tank i gutted the boat and started over. i rebuilt the layout so my weight distribution was almost 2000 lbs lighter. i moved the water to the vberth and the batteries where the engine used to be so i could roughly keep the weight balanced port to starboard and bow to stern. my waterline is 3 inches lower with all the weight i removed so i can pile quite a bit more in for cruising provisions etc. now i have a galley i like and more room as i rebuild her. thx again for the note i hope you get your conversion working well for you!
This is a very interesting video. I'm in the process of converting a 50' ~20000 lb catamaran to electric. I'm thinking about using 4 of these 6.5 kw motors to push it. I've noticed that electric motors are most efficient at like 20% of their output hence 4 motors running at 1 kw each would provide much more thrust than 1 motor running at 4 kw. Probably due to torque and cumulative prop size.
thank you for the comment and good luck on your project. At the time of my conversion i had little real world info available which is why i started creating these. also to document and share so i can remember what i did too ;) getting older lol. i have live test data in ep84 too. according to golden motor test curve chart peak efficiency is at 5000 watts for my motor but at 1800 watts its over 80% and i’ve found that 1600 to 1800 watts to be a good spot for speed, battery consumption etc. it seems thats the sweet spot for me but i often motor at 1000 watts and its still more efficient than my old atomic 4. i would concur with your 20% statement. you’d also have redundancy with multiple motors which is a great advantage. sometimes power in compared to power out isn’t the only factor as some props behave differently at certain speeds so gear ratio is important to consider as well. getting the rpm efficient and motor efficiency to align i think is a worthwhile goal to put time into. cheers and good luck!
i bought in 2020. no maintenance. no wintering. motor feels solid. controller i had a bad one initially but after swapping no issues. wish it was smarter to get data like heat onto nema2000 network. thats something i have created workarounds for like sticking temp sensors on various parts. aside ill never go back to fuel but my style is im not in a hurry i’ll get there when i get there. going electric is not for everyone.
Thanks for the practical insights! I'm considering repowering my S2 11.0 sailboat with an electric motor when the time comes so your experience if very interesting.
Have you been able to use the regen feature to be able to charge battery back when sailing. I would appreciate a lot that you would share with me all tips on this topic. Many thanks
i was unsuccessful with regen. i have that feature but the controller ‘beeps’ when regeneration is engaged which is very annoying. aside i experimented with it and couldn’t figure out how to get it to charge without beeping. if you go the same route and figure it out i would appreciate knowing how you got it to work. once i put enough panels in my setup generates more power from solar than i need (at the moment)
that’s interesting it wasn’t available when I originally did my electric conversion almost 4 years ago now. it looks like they are using the same motor and vec500 controller but housed it tight together and still offered the liquid cooling as an option. the smart phone app is new and a neat feature but i am still looking for ways to get that info onto the nmea2k network. good luck with your project!
Thanks for sharing, very informative and inspiring. I have thrown out my diesel now and looking at GM and thinking that maybe 5kw with a gear 3-1 is enough for my 30fot 3.5ton sailboat. You seem to seldom go over 2kw. Im only a weekend sailor. Would it be enough with a 5kw motor for your boat if you had a 3-1 gear?
thx for the comment. i am not certain there is a right answer as your prop and hull shape have a lot to do with it. the 5kw is probably plenty for your boat as it would be fine for mine (hughes 35). the gear ratio is really dependent in your prop. i had 2:1 on mine but i found it using too much energy. after running 1:1 for me 1.4:1 is probably the right ratio so i just changed my prop and dropped the pitch 2. i will test this season. so i would guess that the power is good but i couldn’t comment on the gear ratio. best common sense and testing doesn’t hurt anything. good luck!
@@TheNeds thanks for reply. I was reading up on the data for the 5 and 10kW motors. The motors are most efficient at around 4k rpm so I suppose both motors are made to run at higher rpm? That was my reasoning about a 3-1 reduction to keep the motor at its most efficient rpm. I also noticed that the 10kW is more efficient at 96v. And if you look at torque between both motors at 48v and around 2500W it’s actually more torque on the 5kw and that is because it’s more efficient at 48v and lower W than the 10kW motor, that is how I interpret the data.
Hi, I would like to know the caracteristics of your propeller (Size). I have installed a similar golden motor in my boat, and would like to change propeller. thanks
my old prop was the original prop on the atomic 4 gas engine, a Michigan 2 size 16RH14 i changed it this year to a Michigan 3 size 16RH12 to gain more torque while docking. my old 2 blade did not slow the boat down in reverse very well. big difference with the 3 blade. the 2 blade is better under sail as it tucks in nicely behind the keel offering low drag. the 3 blade starts spinning at just over a knot boat speed so increased drag. need to install a brake.
it does have that ability however the controller programming is not very intuitive and i haven’t had much success. i will try to run some tests to get this reviewed. it has regenerative braking for recharging under braking but i don’t have brakes on the boat and when i sail in the harbour there isn’t much distance to run tests. ill have to take it out on the lake to verify this.
![Off-Grid Boat - [DIY Electric Boat Motor | Motor Assembly - Ep.1]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wHFoyxXglfY/mqdefault.jpg)
On cooling, I can run my motor at 1kw and not have issues. With single loop cooling, the difference is I use a little KTM motorbike radiator and also have it heat hotwater for the boat, so dissipate heat much better than the fans. I'd highly recommend a heat exchanger for better passive cooling.
totally agree with the heat exchanger i am looking at how i can try and heat up sink/shower water and provide some cooling.
Hello, I am following your electric experience with a lot of interest. You inspired me so much, that I've decided to replace my old diesel engine by a Goldenmotor 10KW electric motor last spring. I sailed the whole summer with it, but I am still facing a regen problem.
thx for the feedback. going electric isn’t for everyone but for me i would not go back to fuel. i don’t sail (generally speaking) far enough for regen to outpace the solar but it would be handy at night to have it. i appreciate your feedback and i hope your setup is going great for you.
Interesting to hear your experience. I've had electric for 2 years now, what a change. Like you pointed out having no gas or diesel is a treat. Induction cooking so much better. What you didn't mention with power, is that when you are full or 90% charge, you can use the excess solar to run the motor, this means you can motor sail in silence. I get about 2knts extra like this.
appreciate the comments and hearing your experience. with my 800 watts under a noon sun i have amazing results and can motor at 3 knots under sun power. i think it will work for longer hours the further south i get but even offsetting the battery consumption really starts to stretch the distance.
i have a generator hookup for cruising as backup however. no sun at night. i have not found a good wind alternative/option either.
thanks again for the comments and the ideas!
Really great breakdown - thanks for the details! After watching a few of your videos, I decided to buy the same motor you have. it drives Monday! I have.a 1985 Morgan 36 with the original Yanmar diesel, and I can't wait to tear out the old fuel tank and engine! I have a few questions if you don't mind... 1. where did you get the drive shaft coupling? 2. Where did you get your motor mount? 3. Did you notice any weight distribution issues after you removed the original engine and fuel tank?
hi good luck on your project!
i got my drive shaft jar coupler at princess auto. it was available on their website. i hand built/welded the motor mount myself. when i removed the fuel tank i gutted the boat and started over. i rebuilt the layout so my weight distribution was almost 2000 lbs lighter. i moved the water to the vberth and the batteries where the engine used to be so i could roughly keep the weight balanced port to starboard and bow to stern. my waterline is 3 inches lower with all the weight i removed so i can pile quite a bit more in for cruising provisions etc. now i have a galley i like and more room as i rebuild her. thx again for the note i hope you get your conversion working well for you!
This is a very interesting video. I'm in the process of converting a 50' ~20000 lb catamaran to electric. I'm thinking about using 4 of these 6.5 kw motors to push it. I've noticed that electric motors are most efficient at like 20% of their output hence 4 motors running at 1 kw each would provide much more thrust than 1 motor running at 4 kw. Probably due to torque and cumulative prop size.
thank you for the comment and good luck on your project. At the time of my conversion i had little real world info available which is why i started creating these. also to document and share so i can remember what i did too ;) getting older lol. i have live test data in ep84 too. according to golden motor test curve chart peak efficiency is at 5000 watts for my motor but at 1800 watts its over 80% and i’ve found that 1600 to 1800 watts to be a good spot for speed, battery consumption etc. it seems thats the sweet spot for me but i often motor at 1000 watts and its still more efficient than my old atomic 4. i would concur with your 20% statement. you’d also have redundancy with multiple motors which is a great advantage. sometimes power in compared to power out isn’t the only factor as some props behave differently at certain speeds so gear ratio is important to consider as well. getting the rpm efficient and motor efficiency to align i think is a worthwhile goal to put time into. cheers and good luck!
@@TheNeds they say these motors are hermetically sealed. Nothing is ever maintenance free but what’s your impression on the build quality?
i bought in 2020. no maintenance. no wintering. motor feels solid. controller i had a bad one initially but after swapping no issues. wish it was smarter to get data like heat onto nema2000 network. thats something i have created workarounds for like sticking temp sensors on various parts. aside ill never go back to fuel but my style is im not in a hurry i’ll get there when i get there. going electric is not for everyone.
Thanks for the practical insights! I'm considering repowering my S2 11.0 sailboat with an electric motor when the time comes so your experience if very interesting.
thx for the note and best of luck with your project!
Have you been able to use the regen feature to be able to charge battery back when sailing. I would appreciate a lot that you would share with me all tips on this topic. Many thanks
i was unsuccessful with regen. i have that feature but the controller ‘beeps’ when regeneration is engaged which is very annoying. aside i experimented with it and couldn’t figure out how to get it to charge without beeping. if you go the same route and figure it out i would appreciate knowing how you got it to work.
once i put enough panels in my setup generates more power from solar than i need (at the moment)
Hi I am looking to put one EZ-IB15,
In my 28Ft
that’s interesting it wasn’t available when I originally did my electric conversion almost 4 years ago now. it looks like they are using the same motor and vec500 controller but housed it tight together and still offered the liquid cooling as an option. the smart phone app is new and a neat feature but i am still looking for ways to get that info onto the nmea2k network. good luck with your project!
Thanks for sharing, very informative and inspiring.
I have thrown out my diesel now and looking at GM and thinking that maybe 5kw with a gear 3-1 is enough for my 30fot 3.5ton sailboat. You seem to seldom go over 2kw. Im only a weekend sailor.
Would it be enough with a 5kw motor for your boat if you had a 3-1 gear?
thx for the comment. i am not certain there is a right answer as your prop and hull shape have a lot to do with it.
the 5kw is probably plenty for your boat as it would be fine for mine (hughes 35). the gear ratio is really dependent in your prop. i had 2:1 on mine but i found it using too much energy. after running 1:1 for me 1.4:1 is probably the right ratio so i just changed my prop and dropped the pitch 2. i will test this season. so i would guess that the power is good but i couldn’t comment on the gear ratio.
best common sense and testing doesn’t hurt anything.
good luck!
@@TheNeds thanks for reply. I was reading up on the data for the 5 and 10kW motors. The motors are most efficient at around 4k rpm so I suppose both motors are made to run at higher rpm? That was my reasoning about a 3-1 reduction to keep the motor at its most efficient rpm.
I also noticed that the 10kW is more efficient at 96v. And if you look at torque between both motors at 48v and around 2500W it’s actually more torque on the 5kw and that is because it’s more efficient at 48v and lower W than the 10kW motor, that is how I interpret the data.
Hi,
I would like to know the caracteristics of your propeller (Size). I have installed a similar golden motor in my boat, and would like to change propeller.
thanks
my old prop was the original prop on the atomic 4 gas engine, a Michigan 2 size 16RH14 i changed it this year to a Michigan 3 size 16RH12 to gain more torque while docking. my old 2 blade did not slow the boat down in reverse very well. big difference with the 3 blade. the 2 blade is better under sail as it tucks in nicely behind the keel offering low drag. the 3 blade starts spinning at just over a knot boat speed so increased drag. need to install a brake.
Hi,
hi!
Do you get any regen from the golden motor?
it does have that ability however the controller programming is not very intuitive and i haven’t had much success. i will try to run some tests to get this reviewed. it has regenerative braking for recharging under braking but i don’t have brakes on the boat and when i sail in the harbour there isn’t much distance to run tests. ill have to take it out on the lake to verify this.