Ditch the Diesel: Electric Sailboat Conversion Tips & Tricks | Step 367

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[@jamesaulgur4556]

I spent my entire career in variable speed drives everything from DC, AC, Servos, Steppers and all from fractional to 750 Hp compressor horse power drive systems. I had my own business doing this and am recently retired. I never delt with anything in the marine industry as my focus was in industrial applications. And I have to say that your knowledge and expertise in what you talk about is spot on... I have been a follower for many years and your credo of "Never buy a couch". I wish I knew that some 40 years ago... That being said. I am very impressed. I live vicariously though the both of you and what you are doing. One thing I wish you would have mentioned but it's no big deal is that the larger motor would give you a little more on the regen side. I love your you tubes and always look forward to your episodes.. Take care, God Bless and think of us in your wake... Jim Aulgur and the boys... We will be sailing with you...

[@_instabil]

What a helpful and substantive speech. Others need a script and a teleprompter to present such a topic halfway fluently. It is a pleasure to listen to you!

[@mumblbeebee6546]

I am thinking that maybe the mobile phone they were holding at times was the script :) but that does not take anything away from anything you wrote, I agree! Fantastic presentation, pleasant to listen to, pleasant to watch too! And very kind to share all of those insights!

[@gss7271]

Dan, consider installing two recycle lines into the water tank, regardless of "insulation". If Uma sails into cold weather again, recirculation water from the head or from the salon, into the tank, will help keep your water fluid. It's not a system that would need activation all the time, but it could save the tank and lines from the expansion factor in "cold as ice" climates. Greg 🇨🇦

[@shanefiddle]

Omg! You two are my heros. Absolutely transforming the sailing industry by quietly going out and breaking established norms, and having fun while doing it. And bringing the world along for the ride! I have been watching the sailing forum discussions completely transform around electric sailboat thinking, and Uma keeps being name dropped. You two are making a name for yourself in history.

[@rickcreel3657]

I am a jet fighter mechanic on our airplanes we started from the nose or bow and every foot aft we noted the location of every component, Also according to the clock we noted the direction from the center of the craft to each component. The first number on a wire is the distance from the front and the second number is the direction from the center line, 9 0'clock or 3 o'clock. When you are at the circuit breaker. The two numbers tell you the destination of the wire. Any place the wire can easily be accessed The numbers can be seen. You don't need a wiring diagram. Numbers can be purchased that are like a wedding ban that goes over the wire when you are wiring a boat. Large grey electrical PVC with oval access at the top lets you add or remove wires for the future.

[@beatdizzy]

This is genius.

[@lydiaajohnson]

Cool

[@anthonyrstrawbridge]

✌️👶🚬👍

[@wendywilliams3098]

The fact that you entertained me for 39 minutes, and I know less than nothing about this subject, is a testament to your talent!!! I have connected an inverter to my truck battery to plug in a coffee maker and an air mattress pump. That's it, that's all I know about this. I can not sleep on the ground and have coffee in the woods!!! Love you guys!

[@douglashaag1127]

As an 81 year old with a diesel powered sailboat just two feet shorter than yours, there is no way the idea of electrifying my boat makes any sense. At my age I am not cruising long distances and I can probably count the years of my sailing life that remain on the fingers of one hand.. And yet, you had me entertained and interested for 39 minutes as well. That's a testament to your communication skills. Are you sure you studied architecture and not communications?

[@sabemajeen]

Just when you think you have a naked interior.....then there is more. You both have a lot of patience with all the construction, deconstruction, filming, producing, and camping etc. it's truly quite a feat of accomplishment and determination....very impressive!

[@gsh341]

I love how you're putting so much effort into the design of the remodel to correct issues. It's especially great that you take the time to explain it all. I really think boat manufacturers and the boating industry in general will benefit from your experiences.

[@MaShcode]

Fundational! 😂 I’m glad you always point out - Uma’s a sailboat. She uses sails. That’s her primary function. Everything else is an additional convenience for safety and peace of mind. Good luck with the refit.

[@essendossev362]

learning about this process is INCREDIBLE. I'm still so glad you went the direction of fixing up Uma, and even more so that we're along for the ride!

[@livingwitheart]

You have no idea how much you are helping me right now.. I have an older Allied seawind 35 that I am completely refitting. I was thinking about relocating the panel and after this, I will definitely do that. Thank you so much..

[@surfdiveclimb2914]

I’ve watched you two for years now. But I had fallen off. I come back, and you’re tearing your boat apart. It’s interesting cause I felt like I was there watching so much of it go in, to see it come out was a bit sad. But also very exciting BECAUSE the thing I always loved about y’all as opposed to other “sailor shows” is you guys got in there and showed everyone what and most importantly, HOW you were doing everything. And I also just love how creative you guys were. It inspired me to get my first boat, an Oday 27, which I spent a year fixing up and learning the lines during Covid. I got her for $200 and she was half full of water and sold her for a tidy profit to a guy who, when I asked why he wanted to buy a boat, he said, “Have you ever seen Sailing Uma?” I’m getting ready for boat #2. And I’m super pumped to see what you two imaginative sailor/architects do with Uma next. ❤

[@barilro]

I assume you are being sponsored by Oceanvolt. Reason i am saying this is their are other manufacturers with proven regen performance. We own a Windelo catamaran and have done two Atlantic crossings with no diesel used to recharge the batteries while taking hot showers every night. (Meaning no cut back on confort) Regarding your ratio of dividing by 4, ours is 2 so not sure about the 4. All the other stuff you talked about, we agree with.What is important about a genset in a hybrid system is to have a 48v genset (not common) so if your batteries trip say on temperature, the genset can drive the motor direct while bypassing the batteries. Water cooled motor and controller is important as you said to have a robust system.

[@derekvanderbyl4]

Thank you, that is really helpful, I've been considering an electric conversion on my Beneteau 305 for a while. Some of the real world comparisons were great food for thought, impressed how much you guys achieved with early technology. Best of luck with the rest of the project, love the Land Rover too 😀

[@srgraham9172]

Watching the cockpit locker portion, all I could think was “these funny fools deserve each other” and “damn this is such a fab couple”

[@sviriecat]

Thanks, great video. You guys inspired us to go all electric. We went with 2 Torqeedo motors, 20kw of batteries, and 2.2kw of solar charging. 7 months in and it’s working out wonderfully. We charge our 12v house with a 20a dc to dc from the motors 48v bank. Also, works great!

[@marcbarash6045]

You both are just incredible. I have been watching your videos since you began posting. You have come a very long way and lots of energy to keep going.

[@mpetrino7330]

Kika and Dan hi from Calgary. I've had the pleasure of following Sailing Uma since before day one. One thing the industry as a whole has failed to acknowledge is that Uma One is the very first all electric propulsion mono cruising boat out there. Makes this rebuild project make so much sense now with all the water that's passed under your hull. From a lot of extreme locations with very short or zero day light hours, you guys know what you are speaking of. While everyone else was talking, researching and lab bench testing you were out there doing it for real collecting real on the water information. Combine your on the water success with some of the power industry improvements UMA Two will be the all electric drive/living yacht on the water to catch up too. No doubt both of you will bring your architectural degrees to the overall design concept and finishes, watch out IKEA and Home Depot 😄 Any consideration given to investing the time, talent and capital into a slightly larger hull to work with?. nothing nuts 8' max maybe. I know making it all work within the constraints of Uma one will be a tremendous success for both of you. Whatever you choose to do I'm excited for you can't wait to watch it all come together. Great choice to acquire the truck as living quarters during the renovation. Always nice to not eat,sleep and recreate in the middle of your renovation. Almost always the first suggestion I'd provide to my clients "do yourselves a favor rent a corporate apartment for 6 to 12 months and charge the cost to financing your project you won't regret a single dollar of it. Wishing you the very best going forward".

[@darwinmerryfield477]

Outstanding, understand better the layering Uma has gone thru over the years. Looking forward to more vids on where the improvements are coming from and why!

[@jvphelan1]

Bought a 1967 LeComte 33 with an Atomic 4. Watched your conversion a few years ago and got excited. I have been driving a Tesla since 2013 so I’m a convert and remain one. This winter removing A4 and installing an OceanVolt system. Rick at OceanVolt says hi. Lucky to have him doing conversion work. We discussed your work. Looking forward to having this done and ready for 2024 season. Thanks guys for your leadership!

[@johnnydfred]

So interested in this subject! Hope you do another in-depth ep on this.

[@JustFlyIt09]

We just finished the electric conversion of our Catalina 400. Your videos now and in the past really helped our decision making process. We went with Electric Yacht QT 30. Its a 30kW motor (liquid cooled) supported by 540 Amh lithium batteries. The cost kept me up at night for a while but wow, what a great ride. Quiet, smooth, no maintenance...its just awesome! We picked the much larger motor trying to future proof our system a bit...we should be able to take advantage of the battery tech improvement that you have mentioned. As you mentioned though, regen is a bit of the holy grail for us...our motor and current configuration doesn't regen for crap but we are working on it🙂 Forgot to mention...we kept our motor system and house system separate for the reasons that you have just mentioned. The simplicity of the separate systems has been nice and reduce the conversion pain. Thanks for your videos...they really inspire me. No, I won't be doing the Artic Ocean/Iceland runs but knowing the potential helps me set my own goals.

[@dennisbrok9335]

At what kw do you run the motor to get boat speed

[@JustFlyIt09]

I have to admit it…I don’t remember but we will be out this weekend and I will recollect some numbers. We only use the motor to get in and out of the harbor and we generally run at 4kts.

[@robthompson7174]

Wow, 30kW is a huge system for the size of your boat! I'm curious what size cabling you have, because that is about 625 amp draw at WOT, and not even 150mm2/ AWG 0000 cable would carry that current.

[@chrisellsay5480]

Oceanvolt doesn't Regen either so good choice

[@JustFlyIt09]

Yeah, 30kW is big and I’m glad that we did it. The other week we got grounded in the channel. Just for grins I went full reverse. That big motor is yanked us out of there almost instantly. It was nuts!

[@sawomir9030]

Amazing episode! I don't have any boat or anything but I'm electronics engineer and watching how much knowledge you gained and the way you present it, is just great!💪 Just a small notice: You might be a bit too optimistic about lifecycle of a lithium batteries 😉

[@soggybottom3463]

Great (and very educational) unmissable content. Take your time guys, have confidence in yourselves (we have) and do this right. You are (and have been) trail blazers for the electric boat revolution. God bless and thanks again 👍👏👏👏.

[@bulldog6925]

Both of you being technically savvy (i.e., educated) has resulted in great videos where each contributes to the overall theme of the video as well as making for interesting discussion.

[@jongdt]

Dan and Kika, we really enjoyed your video and it is absolutely spot on. We are following your channel from the beginning and you are our inspiration for going electric as well, for which we are very gratefull. Our Jeanneau 30 sailboat has a 7.5kW WW motor, 10.5kWh 48V LiFEPO4 (would like to have 15kWh) and induction stove. This setup works very well., and we are sailing in the Netherlands. We also run a DC-DC converter for the 12V systems, but with a separate 12V/60Ah LiFEPO4 battery as an emergency/backup battery. This battery is normally only connected to the bilge pump, but can be connected with a simple switch to the 12V supply in case the 48V system is switched off or has failed. We need to charge this battery separate and heavy loads tops out the converter which is not ideal, so perhaps your new system will also end up in our boat in the future.

[@markkennedy5547]

Great video! About the battery life. Lithium Ion batteries are rated for 300-500 cycles. BattleBorn and others are typically Lithium Iron Phosphate, which are rated for 3,000 - 5,000 cycles. Plus Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries don’t pose the fire risk that Lithium ion batteries have.

[@stevenichols4639]

LFP batteries also can be fully charge to 100% at all times they don’t have a problem with the dendrites, that conventional lithium ion batteries have

[@Explore_RC]

​@@stevenichols4639Sorry, don't agree. I've seen articals about this. All batteries will have a shelf life, regardless of use.

[@andreasarncken8309]

love your series. Have been servicing boats for over 25years and just had a flashback when I saw the steering wire sheaves when you were sitting below the cockpit: I understand that Uma is a bit older. Have you ever changed the stainless steering chain? You are vivid sailours and while sailing under harsh conditions, these tend to break, specially when 10 years or older. I have had a total of 5 chains broken in the Caribbean, some during races, some during delivery trips... you cannot see if a SS chain is going to fail, unless it already started to give. SS gets brittle over time, specially when stamped during manufacturing, which is why you should change your rigging every 10 odd years as well. Might be well worth considering if you have not yet done so

[@SailingUma]

We haven’t changed it yet. Probably a good idea. But also the helm is only one of three ways we have to steer. So it would be inconvenient, but not catastrophic if it broke.

[@Sam_Sung_White]

Thanks for your informative tips. I research hundreds of hours while designing the system for my boat. Now after using it for 6 months I now see things that could have been done better.

[@nearlynativenursery8638]

Guys thanks for the tons of good information concerning lithium power, electric motor options, and general planning and designing the lay out of ones boat for ease of sufficient access. All the Very Best! Jim Rodgers

[@feedurheadhesaid]

Wanted to share my experience running victron systems with 48v lifepo4 house bank with the 12v side. First off i still had a diesel engine and genset so i did have one 12v agm battery for starting. For my 12v charging i had the victron 20a 48/12 dc-dc converter but also had their 20a ip67 ac to dc battery charger. The efficiency (according to specs) between the dc-dc and the dc-ac then ac-dc end up being within 1% of eachother since their 48v inverters are so efficient. I set the dc-dc converter to .1v below float voltage and just left them both connected. Liked the redundancy and with the agm never had an issue with heavier 12v loads like my electric heads or windlass. I would definitely keep a small 12v agm battery in a full electric boat set up, with the battery charger and ir dc-dc converter always hooked up it will rarely cycle and last for a very long time

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

This is the kind of episode I was looking forward to with the resurrection of Uma. Oh and Kika's got impressive guns.

[@ArcticSeaCamel]

This was great. You pretty much confirmed my thoughts of electric propulsion and things around it. For my boat, I’m currently leaning to 2-4 big and separate 48v banks with individual BMS’s in them. If one fails there’s still another bank to use. And all this without any unnecessary complications. Bigger prismatic cells can offer the currents needed for propulsion and it much easier to keep them in balance that way. IMO there’s not any point to make battery bank for usage like this from 12V individual batteries with separate BMS’s. Keep it up!

[@patrickfalter4487]

Great episode, hope you guys get a consulting gig on electrical systems with your sailboat, you have the best knowledge, living it or what we called back in the day, hard knocks. A few weep holes in those battery boxes would work wonders, no matter where they go in the future. Would have loved to be the guy walking by your boat and hearing a full blown conversation coming from the cockpit locker :)

[@teedub1990]

I didn't understand most of what you talked about but weirdly, I still enjoyed the video.

[@jimb348]

Another KZbin channel, Emily and Clarks Adventure, has some really good videos about having lead and lithium. Clark is an electrical engineer and created a bank management system that lets you safely combine lead and lithium. I like that he fully explains what it does and how it works, totally upfront and no BS. He doesn't make unsupported claims and really just explains what situations it is good for and doesn't give any hard sell. The exact situation you ran in to is one of the main reasons for it. Also if you do have a diesel engine with high output alternator or a gen set and you are charging your lithium and suddenly the BMS turns off the batteries you can blow out the diodes in your alternator. Also lately he's been disassembling cheap LiFePo4 and testing them and rating them.

[@SailingElectra]

Very interested in how you got to your divide hp by 4 to get the kw you need to go different speeds. My boat originally had 2 x 10hp diesels which I've replaced with 2 x 6kw electrics. Unfortunately i never used it with the diesels, so it's hard to compare, but i seen to get around hull speed with 7kw combined on both motors. Interestingly i find that running two motors gives more efficiency than one motor with twice the power. Another bonus is that I'm on a small catamaran which means loads of space for solar. I've got 3200w on a 30 foot boat!

[@hmk..]

Great video. Uma at its best. talking & explaining technology . I have never listened to each word on a video like this. This is one of the best uma video. thanks a lot. Good Job !

[@avoirdupois1]

I like the cute new watermark! This project has taught me a lot about boat maintenance and planning.

[@Happ465]

Just did a quick calculation. Based on an average 24 hr speed of 6 knots you would travel 144 nm. Based on a 1/4 of a knot drag you are talking about .04% loss. If you average 5 knots you would have a .05% loss. That is minuscule. I think that proves your point.

[@Norskarkansas]

I think you mean 4%

[@keyem4504]

As soon as the boat reaches hull speed all additional energy created by the sails will be wasted anyway. You wouldn't notice the additional drag of the regen. I'd assume that it's most noticable in low wind conditions.

[@wora1111]

Congrats, kika even makes the advertorials fun to watch.

[@arthurtopilow2409]

I particularly like the way your videos are so professionally done. You could could teach video/film editing in Hollywood.

[@rubn12345]

Hi guys - are you forgetting E-propulsion Pod motors? They have 1-6kw motors with super easy install, all very focused on regent as well with up to 1040 watts (at 10knlts, and 500 watts at 7 knots). Great video though :)

[@billspalding9993]

Even a small Daysailor has many more options for electric in the last few years. I started with a 12-volt electric Trolling motor after I had a gasoline spill in the boat. Not enough "thrust". So I got a 36-volt trolling motor with 3 35-ah AGM batteries. (Torqueedo was just hitting the market back then). Those batteries were heavy and needed to be carried ashore in the dingy for charging. I just use the motor on and off the mooring or dock so I found a smaller AGM for a mobility scooter that was really too small for peak load. I burned two of those up over a few years. Then that one was unavailable so I ganged up 3 12 volt AGM at 12ah I think. Worked for a while. I'd still lug the big 35-ah pack if I thought I needed more range. Then I tried a new 12-volt trolling motor with more thrust than my original using a lithium 60-ah battery rated for a lot of current. I also used a 10-watt solar panel for charging. the solar worked great. After 2 years the thrust was really still not what I needed. So I bought a new 36-volt 60-ah battery and went back to the 36-volt trolling. Series 3 12-volt 10-watt solar panels to charge it. Really an ideal setup except I think the solar peak voltage burned out my small cheap 36 to 12-volt power for the bilge pump and 2 lights. The solar peaks at 18 volts each so 54 volts goes over spec. I need to replace with it a 48 to 12 power supply that has a wide enough band to go from 30 to 60 volts on the high side. Really about the same cost (under $30) so it was just bad engineering on my part. But If I was starting from scratch there are "electric outboards" available today which would be the way to go. The ability of a relatively small solar panel to keep up with the occasional short use of the motor over the season is a game changer. Nothing to haul out in the dingy, and the motor runs immediately every time with just a twist of the throttle.

[@couttsw]

Just after I installed my present batteries into my wheelchair, Victron came out with an upgraded LiFePo4 battery system that includes built in BMS per battery and a Battery protect system that is bluetooth programmable with alarms capability which will cut the loads to the motor but not prevent charging. In your case for critical loads like communications and autopilot, I'd recommend tapping the batteries rather than a lot of DC/DC Converters. Determine how much power is needed for the critical load and then take a 12v or 24v feed directly off 2 or 4 or 8 batteries at 12v just to feed those loads. Your BMS will balance all the cells regardless of how you pull power. But you have the battle borns there already, so use some of those for the hotel loads and for emergency power / communications, radar and Autopilot. I have a battery protect on my batteries which is programmable to .1 of a volt, and an alarm relay so that once the batteries get to a point in the discharge cycle I am alerted it's time to call a taxi or get out and push well before my batteries drop below 3.1v per cell. Go talk to Victron Marine and get their input.

[@idreecemian2192]

Thank you so much for all your experiences put together of whats and whats not with all the do and don't do information that is well needed out there in the wide expance on the blue. Looking forward for more and more of very educating times to come with you guys

[@r_aria]

The commitment to quirky camera spots is inspired

[@barryinkpen6026]

Running wire in conduit is awesome! I always leave a string in each conduit in the event you need to run the odd wire in the future. Yeah yeah; you probably already know that LOL !

[@richardwallinger1683]

Around 32=02 bleedy thumb . ok one cannot create an omelet without cracking eggs ..OPTISANA fabric injury plasters from LIDL are a great GO TO .. small injury must go to list.this video is awesome .So much quality knowledge and hands on advice . being able to move forward in time 10 years is a wonderful opportunity . for you .

[@EricBuissink]

Enjoyd the video as usual. To me another big advantage to chose for 48V is that you can run thinner cabling for the heavy users. Less copper, less money and weight.

[@dc1544]

I can remove 1 of my battery banks easy and still use the other 3 for checking them or whatever reason is needed. That is another reason why connecting each bank to a bus bar with a cutoff switch is huge. I turn off BMS then flip a breaker to isolate each battery bank. Using AGM and Lifep04 cells together only is needed when using wind generators with solar. AGM is not needed if you do not have a hybrid setup.

[@michaelkearney7923]

Just a suggestion for that space under the cockpit. A stack of drawers on stainless drawer gliders that open both to port and starboard. That way you can easily access the drawers and items in them. Lock the drawers to prevent them opening while at sail. Drawers should be waterproof with holes for water drainage.

[@GreenWitch1]

I’m just stunned at the amount of wiring in that boat! Rather shocking. I would lose my mind trying to figure all that out 🤯

[@olafschermann1592]

48V - i totally agree! On my wish list are native 48V refrigerators, washing machines, … Would be much more efficient than converting down to 12V or use 230V sinus inverters.

[@JohnHansen-n7v]

Hi Guys, really enjoy your videos - also caught you on the sailing podcast where you spoke about your preference for a faster boat over a heavier boat for your style of sailing - all extremely interesting. It was great to just listen as the presenter picked your brain. One of the many interesting points you made was that your weather forecasting equipment is your most important safety piece of kit on the boat. I was wondering if you would do a video on how you guys predict winds etc do you rely on certain apps or are you looking at base data like synoptic charts and interpreting those ? I feel like you guys would have tons of valuable knowledge to share with us and it might be a deep vein of content for your channel? Just a thought - thanks for all the videos !! Did someone say aeroplane ??????

[@QWTrucker]

Love you guys this episode has a ton of knowledge in just a short period of time thank you to sharing your experience about batteries and electric motors it was awesome to learn from you guys.

[@beakyturbot]

Outstanding. I have never thought having electrics potentially exposed to the elements is a good idea. Similarly, all that ballast being put to good use, rather than being a handicap, seems extremely sensible. Plenty of additional batteries for the truck now as well 🙂

[@happyscottman]

Love your videos. It's so great seeing you two cuddling up while you're making this video. True love is very hard to find and it's obvious you two have found it. I'm still trying to talk my wife into getting out there. We've got the true love thing down...I'm just hoping she'll have the same nomadic ocean home living desire I think I'll have.

[@salimufari]

Love what you two have been, are & going to do soon. Anchors aweigh friends. 18:00 Have you looked at the off gassing or vapor that can come from batteries? May need a ventilation answer in that battery locker if it's going inside the living space.

[@SailingUma]

Off gassing is incredibly minimal. You'd have to seal a pb battery in a box and over charge it for hours then light a match. In real world uses, it's not really an issue. But also AGM are sealed, so no off gassing.

[@ernestoquintero747]

I recommend wrapping your wrenches in electrical tape to minimize electrical short if it were to be dropped. Looking forward to the whole rebuilt, don't forget the chalkboard.

[@RenegadeADV]

Those Battleborns are great in a 12 volt system, but specifically they are not supposed to be used in 48 volt systems because the internal BMS can only see what is going on in that battery, not the entire bank, the lack of a CANBUS on them means that when one shuts down the others immediately overcharge and then shut down. It can actually shock and destroy the cells. The reason for this is when you have batteries in series to raise the voltage, the first battery in the chain experiences the greatest draw, thus it is the first to discharge, first to recharge, when you get into an extended high load situation like motoring, that battery can overheat causing it to shut down. This is why at times your boat would just straight shut down on you. Also when you put the boat back together, I would strongly recommend building bulkheads that isolate your cockpit lockers from the rest of the boat and then have just a small weep hole to allow water to drain, this is so if you get knocked down and the locker comes open water cannot quickly rush into the boat flooding and sinking her.

[@rolanddunk5054]

Hi,a very well structured and informative episode that was explained in a clear and precise manner It was thoroughly enjoyable and I am looking forward to future episodes as the refit proceeds.Thank you,cheers Roly 🇬🇧.

[@froller]

Uma's guts look like pure gremlin's paradise! :D Re-fitting and rewiring everything is a pain. But when you're done you feel such a satisfaction. Honestly I'm little bit jealous. ;-)

[@andypughtube]

As an alternative to wood for things like battery boxes, maybe look at the recycled plastic garden decking. I have used it for a few projects now, and it pretty nice to work with, if the available sizes work for your application. (There is stuff made as actual plastic "lumber" too, but the decking seems to be cheaper. It comes in both a solid form (which is pretty heavy) and a lighter-weight with holes down the middle.)

[@peterhendry2154]

I read an article a while ago about a guy who installed twin electric motors just like yours. No rudder drag. More Regen. Better directional control in Marinas. While she's stripped to the hull just a little bit of wonderful FIBREGLASS ?

[@bartpijpers3844]

What about steering when you are sailing? Ah no. Sooo overrated😂

[@psychotimo]

On going electric, I haven't really done a deep dive into it. But on the practical side, I'm not so sure how they actually compare to diesel when it comes to cost/utility/..? Yeah the upfront vs slow trickle was talked about. as well as the limited lifespan, but the electric motor will draw a lot more power on top of what you're currently using, which also impacts the battery lifespan. like, I might be missing some updates on them and current day electrical sailboat motors might be a lot less greedy, but in general electrical motors do use a ton of power, limiting the lifespan of the charge, increasing wear on the batteries and needing a lot more solar/wind to refill them. so a standard motorboat would be ridiculously handicapped with electrical as compared to diesel. meaning that a sailboat for people that barely use their engines is basically the only situation I'd see the benefits of going full electric (basically, you barely use the motors so you change fuel tank to batteries and have tons of extra electricity for the 'house part' of the boat, without really sacrificing anything). and another important aspect IMO is troubleshooting/repair, unless you're an electrical engineer it'll be an issue to try and fix an electric motor. so you either need a spare motor and a way to exchange them. or need outside help and buy a new motor/send it in for repairs which takes time and costs more than self-repair. whereas basic mechanic and maintenance skills tend to be enough to fix most small issues on a diesel engine. (like, the entry point for self repair/maintenance seems a lot higher for electrical engines) Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to bash on electrical motors, like I think it's a good idea in general. I'm just not sure whether we actually reached a point where they provide enough benefits to replace diesel engines. And I'm just trying to gather extra info on their current viability :P

[@SkylinersYeti]

I have a couple of travel trailers both with Lithium iron phosphate batteries. One manufacture's BMS is accessible via Bluetooth the other not. The Bluetooth is so nice to monitor each battery.

[@TheBowen747]

lol i did that 15 years ago , had projector ontop the golf cart along with a laptop windows pc w/ movies on it, and displayed on my neighbors camper side with no windows.. worked great solid white camper he had 5th wheel like mine , im going to boat not van. now.. i did that already wasnt that fun for me.. enjoy and stay safe out there....

[@G11713]

Wow, those battery tray needed drainage holes. I had though the batteries were covered by a tarp. Incidentally, a heat pump is apparently ideal and reliable for both heating and cooling the boat interior. It would be interesting if it could also heat your hot water tank and perhaps dehumidify your interior.

[@dc1544]

One thing to remember is what is your max draw from battery bank/banks? If its 10kw and you have 1 battery bank with each battery being 100ah that means you will draw 2C to achieve that 10kw. If you have 2 battery banks made of 100ah cells in each battery then each will pull 1C. if you have 4 banks then .5C will be pulled from each bank. Using busbars or Lynx distributors from each bank will divide the load. Its more efficient to have more battery banks even if they are smaller. C rating is how long it takes to drain or charge your batteries in 1 hour per bank. 100ah @ 48 volts means 5kw is 1C. The less the C rating the less heat their will be and less loss of energy and it also means longer life of your batteries. Lithium breaks down faster with higher C ratings. Same as only using 10-90% of the rated capacity helps prolong the life of lithium. if you make 1 large battery bank where every battery is connected via daisy chain then that adds more stress on each battery in that bank. having 4-8 battery banks is much better and means you can distribute the load around the boat better. Then you can use smaller wires which must be equal lengths to the busbar from each location. if you can use 1 location makes it even better since you save on wires. I have 4 14.3kw battery banks which are 280ah cells in each bank. so when I use 10kw each pulls 2500 watts or about .2C max. my wires never even heat up so I do not loose energy to heat loss. I hope this helps explain why to have multiply battery banks is important. Also oversize your inverters and wires. You do not want to run a 5kw inverter at 4kw which is its max continuous load all the time you want to use 25-50% max under normal conditions. Electronics break down faster under higher loads.

[@maarten_notjustagrip]

Great Tech video, thanks. WRT the splitting the storage thing... I think I would only have the essentials, like basic lighting and instrumentation, radios etc on a separate battery. Leave the heavier, non essential loads, like induction cookers and the like, on the main battery. I'd rather eat cold food than have to guess where I am, in the middle of the ocean, without instruments. Just my 2c

[@nuthenry2]

i would do what atomic voyages does with his conversions, create multiple water tight bulkheads wherever possible. This this will protect you in case of a crash as the flooding would be resigned to a smaller area

[@jonhansen100]

Being technically challenged in electronics, I am fascinated by the benefits and 0ff-grid independence offered by the electrical systems you're building. However, for me and I assume most average bears, the complexity and technical savvy are mind boggling obstacles.... and all that wiring looks like an explosion in a spaghetti factory to me. I shared this video with a good friend who sells aviation battery systems to fleet aircraft entities worldwide ie; airlines, military etc. He remarked that "LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate) are the most popular now and offers energy and power density. More power / weight and more power to volume requirements. Making a lot of things possible." As a lifelong sailor and certified instructor I thought I was a fairly checked-out mariner. Watching all this makes me feel like a hopeless novice. It begs the question, how the hell have humans been sailing the world for millennia without all the current and evolving electronic technology? This is not a negative criticism... indeed I salute you both for your tech savvy and fortitude in all that you do concerning UMA. Fair wind and following seas as you progress.

[@SailingUma]

We could, and can sail without any electronics at all. It's quite easy. But no one would ever see, or hear about it. Because there would be no camera to film it, no computer to edit it. No sat comms to upload it.

[@colleenbalch328]

Little Uma, sitting so high in the water, what a sight to see!

[@MikeBanks2003]

Oh--if you wish to prevent the light dim as a sudden load comes on to your battery system, Use a fairly substantial capacitor across the battery terminals. There is a trap to this one though--a capacitor takes such a sudden surge of current that the battery management system thinks it is being short circuited and cuts the battery off. So I use TWO switches to turn on the capacitor--one is a ten amp switch connecting the capacitor through a 40 watt FILAMENT lamp of whatever voltage your battery is--say 50 volts (most telecom stuff is fifty volts nominal). The other is a 200 Watts mercury switch,. When time to add the capacitor, one switches on the ten amp switch and the bulb lights, then goes out as the capacitor reaches the same charge level as the battery, One then turns on the 200Amp switch, and the capacitor is now connected for high loads and is parallel with your main battery--ready to augment any sudden loads thereon.

[@jerrycooke6511]

I'm a marine techie here in Canada and around. I've kinda been getting bored which is weird with all the new tech. I'm just switching my 3rd boat to electric...but even with new stuff, not exciting. On the RR yachts that Gone with the Wynns are buying...new way to do electric..I'm sure there are other systems. Essentially it is power points spread around the boat and electronics to turn things on and off, rather like a bus and addresses. I think of it as a network essentially of mini solenoids. It really will change things. About to rewire a tug for a client and will see if they will go for it. Thought you'd be interested. An expanded computer bus for all the peripherals. And a course fault checking to dream of.

[@SailingUma]

I believe you're referring to remote switching. It's very common on yachts to cut down on weight of all that wiring. It is pretty cool tech. We're considering installing a system on Uma, but it also comes with many downsides. Like trouble shooting. The systems need to be really well thought out and programmed to work well. Otherwise you're left in the dark not able to turn you lights on because there's bug in the programming for the light switch. I believe C-Zone is the most well know. But also expensive and old tech. Some manufactures like Daz Cat just build their own systems. We'll see if we can find a good enough system to instal on Uma this year and if we do, be sure to make a video all about it.

[@reinhardtwildschut1093]

Great job. Engenuity, love, and sharing. What a story you have already shared. Thank you!

[@archivemanager2734]

1 horsepower is equal to 746 watts or 0.746 Kilowatt. Electric motors develop their turning-force "Torque" at low speed. so you can easily increase your propeller size by an 1-inch or 2. The propeller pitch angle can also be altered to apply more relative thrust per revolution. Electric motors definitely need cooling so go for liquid flow cooling model, either recycle oil as the cooling fluid with fully enclosed system or ensure you have a very good quality seawater cycling system " stainless steel tubing etc. and install a water intrusion detection system in case it leaks

[@laurentzavaro3862]

HI Dan and Kika, nice Video as always, thanks possible For the rest, I tend to agree, get yourselves some real good batteries, preferably certified, and are at least ip65 that will not let you down... if you can, better think about how to evacuate thermal runaway gases when you install the batteries, not after. Regen is a issue for a lot of compagnies, not for Transfluid (Bellmarine) or Oceanvolt. and complete packages are a must. Note that a good sized propeller is key to a good regen (that is also possible with folding props :)) Best of luck with UMA .

[@jazz1on]

Great explanation guys. Can't wait for your rebuild strategy. Glad to hear about the electric motor possibilities and battery management. Good information for the average person.

[@alejandrovanags4948]

A lot of work for a couch! Thanks for sharing!

[@whitneylake2107]

Great info ! Thank you from Montana and Happy Hallowe'en !

[@aaronr.9644]

18:37 Question for the future video about batteries. Keeping the weight low intuitively makes sense. But I imagine you increase the risk of them coming into contact with water. How are you guys dealing with that? Also, in an emergency situation where water might be gushing in (knock on wood), having the batteries available may buy you some extra time to deal with it. You might be able to run your pumps for longer, for instance. So in the grand scheme of things, does it make sense to keep them above the water line?

[@SailingUma]

If water is gushing in though the companionway, it means we're upside down. If we're upside down, then batteries in the bilge will now be in the ceiling, far away from any water coming in. But honestly, that's what a manual bilge pump is for. Relying solely on electronics on a sailboat is foolish. You're surrounded by salt water, electronics will fail at some point.

[@darrencoile]

So, by my count this will be UMA 3.0. The first being when she left the factory. 2.0 was when you first got her and rebuilt the keel with incremental upgrades along the way.

[@GordLamb]

My dream has always been to one day repower my 46' ketch (currently Perkins 4.236M @ 85HP) with 150kWh of lifepo4 and a 30kW electric motor with regen, paired with a 16kW genset. 8 or so years ago when I priced such a system out, it was like half a million dollars, lol. Now I could build the whole system for around $50k.

[@glencrandall7051]

You have the right idea. You appear to have a good plan. I will be curious to see how well you can implement your plan. Thank you for sharing, Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂

[@harrisonandrew]

That was a fabulous episode. Loved it ❤️

[@gwenmarshall587]

The motor sailer that I used in the 1980's had two big batteries and a selector switch. The problem was that t was miss-wired and we didn't know it and switching between batteries if you turned the switch in one direction it would blow a fuse in the selector and the batteries could not longer charge. It really matters how these are wired.

[@over-there]

Have you checked out the EG4 powerpro 14.3kwh outdoor waterproof battery unit, I think 48v 200 amps continuous, talks to victron. small profile, looks like it will drop right into that cockpit locker wall mount type. And only 300 lbs, will fit under companionway hatch. I was going to go with 48v server rack style battery banks(5kw each) till this came out, will have to check it out. Glad you brought up the shutdown thing, with three server racks at 48v 5kwh each if one shutdown I still have two online. There are also EG4 inverters. There are other brands like SOK and others, but looking at these lately.

[@williamgarry2635]

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do your selves a favor and get a dust collector for your sanders before you work on the cockpit lockers. Love watching you and I can’t wait to see Uma 2.0!!!

[@WSallai]

It is good to have two battery banks for vital (radios & nav aids) and non-vital (propulsion & windlass) loads. You definitely need to invest in tools that are insulated for working on the electrical system/batteries. A short would definitely burn your boat down to the waterline.

[@dennisbrok9335]

I would put 2 seplos mason 280A packs in easy on a rack mount so you can place them under stuf and easy pull them out they have 14,4 kwh each 200 amp bms with all the connectivity to be directly connected to the victron system each pack will put out 10,4 kWh of power so if you would lose one the other one will pick up the slack and both can be made for about 6000 dollar

[@markchodroff250]

Wow ! I was a forklift mechanic for 50+ years the last 20 or so years was mostly electric machinery with Regan systems the technology has gone through the roof as far as motors, control systems and batteries, we would run a machine all day 8 hrs, the problem was always the battery and charging time , when the geniuses find a power source that is not batteries the world as we know it will change forever, car, trucks, boats, all kinds of transportation, the answer is in the atom NOT nuclear power but a form of continuous energy if that makes sense? your boat has become a real job good luck .

[@MarkLawrenceKiefer]

If you use a 48 VDC system to drive the motor, windlass and other major loads that you can buy in 48 VDC (AC or reefer?), you can use a DC to DC like you have been doing and float a 100 amp or 200 amp Lithium battery on the 12 VDC side to run the small loads so that you can run navigation, radio and other loads if the 48 VDC system goes down. That will keep you safe. If that 12 VDC battery is the same as the ones in the 48 VDC system, if a battery goes bad you have a spare you could swap in. Can you build the 48 Volt side so that if the battery goes down the Solar, and regen will still charge the 12 Volt side through the converter? Could you build the 48 Volt side with a combiner switch (off, port, stbd, both) where you are normally in both? You can do all of that. How expensive are you willing to go? Do you want that much complication?

[@Martee234]

As you making such a makeover of UMA maybo you should consider installing a bow thruster steering, it's gonna be so easier to maneuver in marinas :) regards from Poland!

[@SailingUma]

Uma is a 36ft . She does not need a bow thruster. 😹

[@cosmicinsane516]

Lol you guys are nuts taking on this project. Thankfully crazy people are entertaining.

[@DB-hy9wl]

Could be interesting to mention LiFePO4 vs e-car Li-ion: no risk of fire, much longer cycle number!

[@gavinberry1796]

It would be very useful to have your list of "stuff" that is in Uma, suitable as a checklist for us on where would we put "stuff" - even if we don't currently have it, we may decide to add later, and then at least we would have thought about it . . . . if it is easy

[@PetePools]

great content!!! how do you think your electric motor system will do going through the Panama Canal? thanks so much!!!

[@grumpyjohntxredneckrc6346]

Howdy Y'alls, I'm A Professional In Off Grid Solar Sales+ Installer For 30+ Years Now, I Would Highly Recommend Not Using Those Individual + Higher Costing RV Style Batteries! I've Been Installing Rack Style Lithiums For Years Now! They Come In A Few Great Brands, Butt I Luv The Regular EG4s 48v - 5.12kw Per Battery x 6 Pack Rack = 30.72kws... Simple To Wire, Less Wiring, Breakers + BMSs Are Already On Each 6 Batteries, Plus Are Independent Of Each Other In Pre Buss Bared Rack, Well Made Heavy Duty Metal Cabinet, Cost Today Is Only $8900 w/ Free Rack & Free Shipping Thru Signature Solar... I'm Also A Boat Captain, Own 10-Different 15' Up To 33' Right Now & As Long As These Were Installed In The Living Area - Above Waterlines, I Simply Don't Foresee Any Problems In Using These Rack Style Batteries At All & I'm In Process Right Now Of Converting - Electrifying All My 10-Boats, 2-Jet Skis + A Few Older Cars-Trucks... 😁😎