homemade electric boat motor

[GA_Boater]

Re: homemade electric boat motor

jig - you made me spit on my keyboard and screen twice in this thread! You sir, are on warning. LOL

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: homemade electric boat motor

Thank you for serving our country and giving your blood in it's defense. I'm also a vet, but no combat duty. Thank you very much.

Thanks for the thanks GA, I am quite used to being ribbed because I chose to serve, everyonce in a while I have fun with people and it is always very telling to see how serious some become. I just as most on this system and many others, love to see what I can come up with, when I have parts and pieces laying around, but I have normally found in the long run, it is just cheaper, more effective and less frustration to just buy it, the idea of a 110 electric motor on water in a small boat, is going to cost a ton of money, and be a very heavy operation as you stated. If it was one of the newer 12Volt DC rechargable lawn mowers, then hope would be on the horizon...that would probably be a pretty easy conversion.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: homemade electric boat motor

GA_Boater Thank you your information was helpful, this is what I came here for! Sincerly!

If you took that as information. That was all to convince you to get a trolling motor and get on the water safely.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: homemade electric boat motor

I was not talking about the real military...Sorry you got shot with an AK

I didn't think you were talking about the real military, and I am sorry I got shot as well. Living where I do with a metal hip bone is a real pain when it gets cold!

LOL

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: homemade electric boat motor

If it was one of the newer 12Volt DC rechargable lawn mowers, then hope would be on the horizon...that would probably be a pretty easy conversion.

I like to kid around too. And I have what I like to think is an inventive side. Usually to save money cause I'm cheap. But as you said, most times it is better to just buy it. The rechargable mower is a better idea. But a troller only cost $100 or so - cheaper on Craigs List.

Now about the DC mower and a bunch of power packs....mmmm

 

[homemademotor]

Re: homemade electric boat motor

u did not convince me to buy a trolling motor u only fuleled my desire to make this thing happen and as i am screaming across the lake in my homemade 3hp boat of hard work and dedication i will think of all of you. and i will put it on u tube....good night to all and happy boating

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: homemade electric boat motor

Please post the YouTube link here.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: homemade electric boat motor

That must be a REALLY small Jon boat, if your going to be screaming across the lake with a 3 hp motor!

I look forward to seeing the video!

 

[Silvertip]

Re: homemade electric boat motor

Without getting into the math, one 200 A/Hr battery would cost you as much as a couple of tiller steered trollers that would be a heck of a lot more useful. Now consider that you would need a boatload of these to make the thing worth while. And then there is the speed control issue. Turning down the voltage is a good way to ruin an otherwise perfectly good AC motor so there is more expense. And just to put one more thing to rest -- NO -- a solar panel the size of your boat would not work either. As for me -- I do not want a 120 volt AC motor (3 HP at that) under water with me in a tin boat. That simply defies reasonable logic especially since the rig would be home made. Sorry you didn't like homework. You didn't seem to have a problem finding the IBoats Forum so we know you know how to search the web. Now if you happened to have a 12 volt electric lawn mower motor (obviously it won't be 3 HP) but it would be a bunch lighter, much easier to incorporate in your plan, much cheaper, fewer batteries, no inverter, muich safer and a heck of a lot more practical. But then we are back to why not use a troller. It just doesn't seem worth it to re-engineer some things that already exist (like hammers). Certainly there are little "twists" on those designs but you still end up with a hammer.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: homemade electric boat motor

Couldn't he just cut grass with it instead?

 

[homemademotor]

Re: homemade electric boat motor

Couldn't he just cut grass with it instead?

the mower was junk was sitting in shed for years....missing two wheels and i didnt want to mow my yard with an extension chord..i did plug it up and it does work ..

 

[jigngrub]

Re: homemade electric boat motor

I still say it would make a helluva cake mixer!!!

Realistically, the only way I can see this working is to put a 2500 watt generator in your boat. Find a 5 hp outboard motor with a blown powerhead and remove said head. Mount the motor shaft to the drive shaft of the outboard and use a piece of 12 awg extension cord with the male plug on one end and hook up the other end to the motor. Install a rheostat somewhere on the cord for speed control.

Now you have a gasoline powered electric outboard motor.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: homemade electric boat motor

I wonder how waterproof that motor is. First test would be to drop it in a bucket of water and see how long it runs. Or if the plan is to mount it on a standard lower unit, set it on the driveway and throw a bucket of water on it since the motor will get splashed as it is "screaming" across the lake.

 

[homemademotor]

Re: homemade electric boat motor

see when everybody calms down how much we can accomplish, I appreciate all the advice it is very helpful to me. ...i think everyone thought i was being an *** and thats fine, its all in good fun to me.. its not like i was combating the advice i was just searching for advice i have no problem pissing someone off if it leads to them giving me information and advice other than telling me to give up and buy a trolling motor...i dont need to buy one i have one and no doubt i will use it until i can make this motor do what i want it to do....i will not be screaming across the lake at 4 or 5 mph all day it will be to get to my fishing hole and then i will use a smaller trolling motor i have....the boat is bout 9 feet i am going to make it into a luxury one man bass boat half of it will be decked....u just wait til the video u may want to buy it..... it may take me a little while as i am busy but it will be done...ps grub we dont own a cake mixer

 

[bassman284]

Re: homemade electric boat motor

ps grub we dont own a cake mixer

Whoa Dude! You live without cake?

 

[NYBo]

Re: homemade electric boat motor

If it was one of the newer 12Volt DC rechargable lawn mowers, then hope would be on the horizon...that would probably be a pretty easy conversion.

Precisely. The idea of using an AC motor for this makes less than zero sense. Homemademotor, I sense our collective lower appendages being tugged.

 

[dccordell]

Re: homemade electric boat motor

I sense our collective lower appendages being tugged.

My thought from the very first post............................

Make sure to post that video dude..

 

[TerryMSU]

Re: homemade electric boat motor

i have a 3hp electric lawn mower motor and want to build my own boat motor for my little john boat if anyone has any plans or information it would be really helpful. i just need some input on parts i need and things of this nature.....any info will be appreciated

As an electrical engineer with a masters degree in electrical engineering (plus over 30 years of experience), I did do the math and the research.

1. 3Hp is 2238 watts.
2. That means that for the AC side you need either a 3000 watt inverter or a 3000 watt AC generator (3000 watts is 3 kilowatts). Alternatively, you could use a very long extension cord. :facepalm:
3. On the DC side, if you use batteries to drive the inverter, you will need at least 162 amp capability at 12VDC. That means that you will need size 0 wire (approximately 5/16" in diameter plus the insulation)
4. Assuming that you use the biggest deep cycle battery I could find (Interstate SRM-4D, approximately 200 amp hours) you will get approximately an hour and 15 minutes run time. That battery weighs about 120 pounds and I bet it costs an arm and a leg.
5. Most likely that motor will run too slowly to drive the propeller at the right RPM, so you will need to buy a gear box to change the RPM to match what you need.

Be very careful, because when that 115 volt motor gets wet, you may have created your own electric chair. On the positive side, the inverter will not be anywhere near 100% efficient, so you can use it to cook your catch on or to keep you warm if you fish in the winter.(See the comments above on the ice auger.) All the numbers above do not acount for this inefficiency.

So yes, in theory you could do this, but it will be very costly and inefficient. Oh, and unless I am mistaken, the motor has no throttle capability, and as a result, you will have no speed adjustment. Finally, for the 1 hour and 15 minutes run time, you will probably need about 8 hours charge time. Also, the battery will have only a very few charge cycles before it fails. One other thing... Many inverters are not capable of driving AC motors, so when you buy one read the specifications first. So, you see there is no alternative to doing the research. Sorry about that.

TerryMSU

 

[ve3rpm]

Re: homemade electric boat motor

Someone just got spanked!

 

[Borgey401]

Re: homemade electric boat motor

see when everybody calms down how much we can accomplish, I appreciate all the advice it is very helpful to me. ...i think everyone thought i was being an *** and thats fine, its all in good fun to me.. its not like i was combating the advice i was just searching for advice i have no problem pissing someone off if it leads to them giving me information and advice other than telling me to give up and buy a trolling motor...i dont need to buy one i have one and no doubt i will use it until i can make this motor do what i want it to do....i will not be screaming across the lake at 4 or 5 mph all day it will be to get to my fishing hole and then i will use a smaller trolling motor i have....the boat is bout 9 feet i am going to make it into a luxury one man bass boat half of it will be decked....u just wait til the video u may want to buy it..... it may take me a little while as i am busy but it will be done...ps grub we dont own a cake mixer

Or you'll end up getting electrocuted with that sweet redneck motor and won't have a chance to post it. Let's be serious here That'll never work.