Hello all!

[Caveman405]

Brand new boater; brand new sailor; brand new 1989 Ericson 34 owner.

My story in a nutshell... I made it to 55 with no wife, no kids, no debts, and no other responsibilities. Watched too many friends and family die before fulfilling their life's dreams. So quit the job, sold everything, bought a boat, and here I am .

I did find what I was looking for: a really nice boat with a worn out engine that I could learn to solo and go that direction (point whichever direction you like).

About to pull the original Universal 25XP and go all electric. 10kw motor with too much battery and solar.

I am going to search through past threads and try to find discussions on this repower plan before starting repeat threads.

Until then, Just wanted to say hi!

Real name is Casey, friends call me Caveman.

 

[p.gazibara]

Welcome mate! There are a few electric sailors in the Ericson crew.
-p

 

[Dave G.]

Welcome Caveman ! Lot's of good stuff here on the site.

 

[Sean Engle]

...My story in a nutshell... I made it to 55 with no wife, no kids, no debts, and no other responsibilities. Watched too many friends and family die before fulfilling their life's dreams. So quit the job, sold everything, bought a boat, and here I am ....

Welcome!

I think you'll find lots of friendly folks here, and lots of support when it comes to information on your boat.
Congrats on the boat; your background/path is interesting, and we're very happy you've found us!

//sse

 

[jtsai]

If the Universal 25XP can get you in/out the slip, why not just go cruising a bit, enjoy the nice TX winter, and get to know your new boat?

 

[Bepi]

If the Universal 25XP can get you in/out the slip, why not just go cruising a bit, enjoy the nice TX winter, and get to know your new boat?

I second that, I have read to many stories where life intervenes and the owner never ends up sailing at all.

 

[David Vaughn]

Welcome.
I agree with Bepi and jtsai. If there's a safety issue with the engine, or the boat, fix it. Everything else can wait a bit.
Go sailing. You won't really know what the boat needs and what you need to be content on the boat, until you've sailed it for a while; said someone who is stuck in the marina repairing a dubious chainplate mount.

Oh, and, we repowered our previous boat, a Beneteau 235, with an electric motor. Loved it. Look forward to hearing details. But go sailing!

 

[Pete the Cat]

I may get some flak here, but I really think that electric cars are much further along than electric boats in terms of reliability and satisfactory perfomance at this point. I would agree with the other folks here about getting familiar with the boat and sailing before doing a major power conversion. Drive systems on boats are complicated by propeller pitch vs torque at various shaft speeds (complicated because water is not a concrete roadway), and the lack of electrical regeneration systems means short run times, and the sophisticated gear technology that cars have been working on for years just is not yet with us. The 25XP diesel is dead simple to fix and operate by any shade tree mechanic. Think carefully before committing to the project before learning about sailing and figuring out what you are going to do with the boat. Welcome to the group there is a lot of help to be had here no matter what you choose to do.

 

[Teranodon]

Welcome to the forum, Caveman. You have yourself a very sweet boat.

If you search the threads you will find a considerable diversity of opinions (and that's putting it mildly) about electrical repowering. . Please think carefully about how you plan to use your boat before you make a final decision. Like you, I bought an E34 that was basically in very good condition, but with an engine that was nearing the end of its life. I happen to be in a big, magnificent cruising area where the winds are variable and the currents are strong. My decision was completely straightforward: diesel for diesel. I hired an expert to walk me through the installation. I now feel confident about maintenance and simple repairs, plus I have plenty of range and power at the helm. That translates into safety on the water.

 

[Caveman405]

Welcome!

I think you'll find lots of friendly folks here, and lots of support when it comes to information on your boat.
Congrats on the boat; your background/path is interesting, and we're very happy you've found us!

//sse

Thanks much! Happy to find y'all!

 

[Caveman405]

If the Universal 25XP can get you in/out the slip, why not just go cruising a bit, enjoy the nice TX winter, and get to know your new boat?

If the Universal 25XP can get you in/out the slip, why not just go cruising a bit, enjoy the nice TX winter, and get to know your new boat?

Thanks, jtsai, that is exactly what I am doing. ... but I am also looking to the future. My goal is next June to be proficient enough to head out to the open the seas all alone. ... I have lots to learn between now and then, as well as this project I am undergoing with my boat, 'Sea Breeze'.

 

[Caveman405]

I may get some flak here, but I really think that electric cars are much further along than electric boats in terms of reliability and satisfactory perfomance at this point. I would agree with the other folks here about getting familiar with the boat and sailing before doing a major power conversion. Drive systems on boats are complicated by propeller pitch vs torque at various shaft speeds (complicated because water is not a concrete roadway), and the lack of electrical regeneration systems means short run times, and the sophisticated gear technology that cars have been working on for years just is not yet with us. The 25XP diesel is dead simple to fix and operate by any shade tree mechanic. Think carefully before committing to the project before learning about sailing and figuring out what you are going to do with the boat. Welcome to the group there is a lot of help to be had here no matter what you choose to do.

Thanks Pete! I am still focusing number one on learning to sail. (And to sail safely), As a former school bus driver, safety for my passengers, myself & my surroundings will always be number 1. I do love my boat & am so excited that everything that I have dreamed of is less than a year from beginning.

 

[Caveman405]

It seems that maybe I have brought up a touchy subject. ... I see there are many discussions about whether going electric or not is a "fill in the blank" idea. I have indulged in a few of those discussions elsewhere, and maybe I will here, but this is really not even a question for me.

Let's just I have a ... well a phobia... is the wrong word... but a complete and utter dislike and disinterest in learning anything about internal combustion engines. I made the decision early in life, that I never wanted to be an engine mechanic. I don't mind getting dirty and gritty and into almost anything else, but internal combustion I have never needed to know and never wanted to.
When I made the decision to leave my life and start this voyage, I knew that my goal would be to get a nice boat with a bad engine at the right price. That was set in my mind, and it worked out that way.
Whether anyone likes it or not, I am not a tree-hugger, I am not too worried about global warming, I do not think going electric is ever going to save this planet from whatever may be to come.
I simply want to turn this boat into all-electric for me. That is my desire & I am in a position to go for my desires. Nothing against and pro anyone else's thoughts.
Now, for grease time, as I still need to get this engine out, which I think is going to be as close I ever get to an ICE.

 

[David Vaughn]

I hear ya.

While I agree, electric is not good in some scenarios, it made sense for us. My wife, like you, had NO interest in being a mechanic, no interest in dealing with a recalcitrant outboard, but she wanted to singlehand the boat. Electric won - partly for that reason alone, but add to that, we used the boat for daysailing, so for us range was never an issue. Motor away, sail, motor back into the slip, plug in if needed (usually didn't need to more than about once a month), and go home. No oil, no filters, no fuel dock, no fuss.
And then there's the quiet. OMG, the quiet. We sail because we like the serenity. Electric maintained that for us.

So good luck with the conversion. Let us know how it's going.

 

[Loren Beach]

And then.... there is our site member presently in the South Pacific, having sailed there (literately) from Seattle. Ericson 35-2, electric aux power, with some solar panels. I wonder how many sailors who consider this alternative ever consider just how vitally important it is to start with a boat designed efficiently for actual sailing like your Bruce King Ericson's? That's big deal when considering a change to electric propulsion, imo.

 

[Christian Williams]

For electric, there's a bit of study. A lot more study than maintaining a diesel takes.

I recommend starting with Sailing Uma, who for years have gone through every issue there is, with very complete explanations of the challenges and successes.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=electric+uma+episodes

 

[Mark F]

And then.... there is our site member presently in the South Pacific, having sailed there (literately) from Seattle. Ericson 35-2, electric aux power, with some solar panels. I wonder how many sailors who consider this alternative ever consider just how vitally important it is to start with a boat designed efficiently for actual sailing like your Bruce King Ericson's? That's big deal when considering a change to electric propulsion, imo.

I totally agree with Loren's take here. Start with a good sailing sailboat! Also, setup your boat for light wind sailing so you have a larger sailing window. Anything will sail in 20knot winds but when the winds are light you need some good easy to deploy light wind sails. I personally think any EP auxiliary sailboat is well served with a furling a-sail on a sprit.

 

[Pete the Cat]

I totally agree with Loren's take here. Start with a good sailing sailboat! Also, setup your boat for light wind sailing so you have a larger sailing window. Anything will sail in 20knot winds but when the winds are light you need some good easy to deploy light wind sails. I personally think any EP auxiliary sailboat is well served with a furling a-sail on a sprit.

A good boat is important. Another perspective on light air sails: my experience is that many folks overdo sail size and often make themselves unnecessarily uncomfortable by buying big head sails. Most of the power is in the first third of the sail luff and the bigger size of sail can be a problem in managing windward or beam reach performance when the breeze comes up. Pay attention to what you local sailmakers and experienced sailor friends tell you. I have seen a lot of newbies buy sails that were too big because they "wanted to go fast" and it did not really work out for them--except in areas with extremely light winds. I was one of them 40 years ago. You do not necessarily go faster with bigger sails, and sailing around reefed is almost always suboptimal for the speed you could have with a smaller head sail. I learned all this the hard way.

 

[hanareddy]

Brand new boater; brand new sailor; brand new 1989 Ericson 34 owner.

My story in a nutshell... I made it to 55 with no wife, no kids, no debts, and no other responsibilities. Watched too many friends and family die before fulfilling their life's dreams. So quit the job, sold everything, bought a boat, and here I am .

I did find what I was looking for: a really nice boat with a worn out engine that I could learn to solo and go that direction (point whichever direction you like).

About to pull the original Universal 25XP and go all electric. 10kw motor with too much battery and solar.

I am going to search through past threads and try to find discussions on this repower plan before starting repeat threads.

Until then, Just wanted to say hi!

Real name is Casey, friends call me Caveman.

Hello Caveman!

Love your intro and as I read it, I thought, red flags all over the place! (Just teasing, or am I?)

I agree with a bunch of people on this thread that you should sail. I understand not wanting to be a mechanic, but electric seems far more complicated than just sticking with what you've got. Once you identify how and where you will sail, then you can consider power systems. In October, I took a brief class offered by the Annapolis School of Seamanship and it provided some invaluable advice. You might consider taking a similar class or hiring an electrical consultant for a primer.

Good luck out there!