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To do or not to convert to electric

hanareddy

hanareddy

Member II
I am a new owner of a 1973 E29 with a non-working, but repairable, atomic 4 and a Johnson 30 outboard. I don't really want either one and would prefer to convert to electric. I am seeking some insight on electric conversions and am also hoping for some good sources to educate me more about this. My intention is to sail the boat up and down the Chesapeake Bay with a longer term goal of taking it down the coast. Thanks. Also, if anyone has insight about selling the atomic, please let me know.
 
JSM

JSM

Member III
Sell the Johnson, use the money to fix the A4 and go sailing. I may be wrong but a solid Ericson with a solid A4 will always be easier to sell when it's time to get you money back and upgrade.
 
Christian Williams

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Electric evolves. Our forum guys are candid about where it is. We have a couple currently on an Ericson in the South Seas, electric only.

Development and hard-won info is now well chronicled on YouTube. I've been following Uma, who are committed to electric and continue to revise. Videos of their saga so far may be of interest.

 
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gc_sailor

gc_sailor

Rule of Thumb, Electric E34-2
I converted my 34-2 to electric last year. Installed an Electric Yacht Quiet Torque 10. I did it to get rid of pollutants and odors. The unexpected benefit was sailing most of the winter due to not having to winterize. Had the whole upper Chesapeake to myself. If you ever want to take a look I am on Bodkin Creek. Cost with AGM batteries was considerably less than a new diesel and I hoisted and installed the 60 lb engine myself.
 
hanareddy

hanareddy

Member II
gc_sailor said:
I converted my 34-2 to electric last year. Installed an Electric Yacht Quiet Torque 10. I did it to get rid of pollutants and odors. The unexpected benefit was sailing most of the winter due to not having to winterize. Had the whole upper Chesapeake to myself. If you ever want to take a look I am on Bodkin Creek. Cost with AGM batteries was considerably less than a new diesel and I hoisted and installed the 60 lb engine myself.
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Thank you for sharing this. I am interested in taking a look at the engine and how it sits in your boat. Will send you a message.
 
gadangit

gadangit

Member III
For a boat this size I think electric is a great option to replace your current selection of secondary propulsion. Getting all the old fuel tanks and lines out of the boat will be very rewarding. I'm not sure if boats with Atomic 4 motors have an "odor" like a boat with an old diesel does, but when it is gone it feels pretty good.

Be prepared for having to solve lots of little things during the installation. Having a local resource like gc_sailor will be invaluable and will save you a ton of time.

Know that you are on your own adventure. There will be lots of encouragement from those who went before you, but your journey will be unique and hard to support from afar.

Very early on all of my troubleshooting was with a multimeter. So get a good one (or two.) Also invest in the best electrical tools you can as you will need to become the best boat electrician on your dock.

I would start with AGMs, they are relatively robust and will last you a couple years. But LiFePo is really what you will want to venture further afield. No reason to start there though, you will have plenty of other things to learn and think about before taking on a whole new subject.

Good luck!
Chris
 
Mark F

Mark F

Contributing Partner
Blogs Author
Hi hanareddy,

If you plan to keep the E29 for a while switching to EP could be a very rewarding upgrade. There are always the limitations to be aware of - limited range and how to "refuel". If you are in a slip with shorepower its a pretty straight forward setup. Like Chris wrote above starting with lead acid batteries is probably a good approach. You might consider regular deep cell LA batteries for cost if you plan to change to Lithium (or whatever magic is out there at that point ;-) in 3-5 years. Lead acid is a way easier install. Lithium is a way better performing install.

I wrote a blog awhile ago here; https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/ubs/blog/electric-repower-of-lotus-flower-a-1976-ericson-27.773/
 
hanareddy

hanareddy

Member II
gadangit said:
For a boat this size I think electric is a great option to replace your current selection of secondary propulsion. Getting all the old fuel tanks and lines out of the boat will be very rewarding. I'm not sure if boats with Atomic 4 motors have an "odor" like a boat with an old diesel does, but when it is gone it feels pretty good.

Be prepared for having to solve lots of little things during the installation. Having a local resource like gc_sailor will be invaluable and will save you a ton of time.

Know that you are on your own adventure. There will be lots of encouragement from those who went before you, but your journey will be unique and hard to support from afar.

Very early on all of my troubleshooting was with a multimeter. So get a good one (or two.) Also invest in the best electrical tools you can as you will need to become the best boat electrician on your dock.

I would start with AGMs, they are relatively robust and will last you a couple years. But LiFePo is really what you will want to venture further afield. No reason to start there though, you will have plenty of other things to learn and think about before taking on a whole new subject.

Good luck!
Chris
Click to expand...
The idea of getting rid of the tank and lines and workhorse engines is super exciting. This sort of project feeds my super nerdy self. Thanks for your insight and for the specific advice, because I need it.
 
hanareddy

hanareddy

Member II
Mark F said:
Hi hanareddy,

If you plan to keep the E29 for a while switching to EP could be a very rewarding upgrade. There are always the limitations to be aware of - limited range and how to "refuel". If you are in a slip with shorepower its a pretty straight forward setup. Like Chris wrote above starting with lead acid batteries is probably a good approach. You might consider regular deep cell LA batteries for cost if you plan to change to Lithium (or whatever magic is out there at that point ;-) in 3-5 years. Lead acid is a way easier install. Lithium is a way better performing install.

I wrote a blog awhile ago here; https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/ubs/blog/electric-repower-of-lotus-flower-a-1976-ericson-27.773/
Click to expand...
Thank you for steering me to your blog post. I may reach out again with more questions, but right now, compiling all this information is super helpful.
 
Sailingfun

Sailingfun

Member III
If you think to keep the boat for more than 5 years, electric is a very good option.
Add at your combo any inexpensive honda generator and you have a hybrid option and better range.
My Ericson comes with a tired Volvo MD7 and could be the perfect example to switch engine but I decide to sell it.
On my other boat (a Cal 34) I will install an electric motor with 200 amp battery. I will have 4 hours range and half the problems.
Besides, lithium batteries are lowering prices year after year; in 5 years change the pack will be way less expensive than now.
 
eknebel

eknebel

Member III
JSM said:
Sell the Johnson, use the money to fix the A4 and go sailing.

I lean towards JSM's advice. But with the current covid boating restrictions, maybe now is the perfect time to start a big project, since we cant go sailing anyway. I have often pondered about going to electric propulsion if my diesel died. I love the concept.
Especially in the summer on the Chesapeake, about 50% of the time is spent motoring if you are wanting to move each day. With that range consideration, a hybrid would be intriguing. No concerns about charging the fewer batteries required, power for autopilot, refrigeration, air conditioning(be still my heart!). It seems using off the shelf parts for a hybrid would cost about as much as a new 16hp diesel. Having personally fitted a WWII surplus electric motor to a VW bug, I know it can be done cheaper by scrounging. Again, sailing vs working on the boat. A true hybrid setup would be a tight fit in a 30ft boat. Instead of a true hybrid, a portable generator would extend range some, but couldn't likely keep up with continuous motoring. That might extend the range enough.
My other concern is would it have enough power to keep my family off a lee shore? On the shallow Chesapeake, thunderstorms are a daily occurrence in the dog days of summer.
Please keep us posted, I hope to see you out there soon!
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