Electric Motors for Boats
Battery Size and Range Calculations for 33′ Electric Sailboat
One common question I hear when talking about repowering sailboats to electric, is “what kind of range can I expect using just the motor, for moving around without using the sails?” The answer to this question is probably most easily understood by just walking through an example from our very typical 33’ sailboat we use…
Read MoreCatalina Island for Three Days and Two Nights with New Starlink Receiver on our 33′ Electric Sailboat
We recently added Solar Panels to the NEB Hunter 33 Showboat and Test Vessel, along with a Starlink internet receiver, and a new set of SLA house batteries. WOW, now we’re Sailing Electric in style! After making these upgrades, we took the boat out for a three day, two night trip to Avalon, the largest…
Read MoreSpeed, Range and Power Relationships for Electric Sailing…
In a recent discussion with someone considering an electric drive system for his sailboat, I was explaining some of the relationships between speed, power, and range. The amount of power needed to push the boat at a given speed has a cubic, or third order, relationship (at the speeds we’re talking about for sailing). I’ll…
Read MoreNEB-25 Motor Alignment in the Sailboat
Another nice feature of the motor frame on the NEB-25 Inboard Electric Motor, is its ability to be precisely positioned and adjusted to the alignment of the propeller shaft, during the motor alignment stage of its installation. This alignment feature was added to the motor frame in the Q2-2022 version of the motor. The mechanics…
Read MoreContinuous Improvements – Wiring
Over the course of developing our electric sailboat propulsion system, numerous design changes and improvements have been developed, tested, and incorporated into the baseline design. Looking back, we’ve gone though some significant updates of the motor frame, the gear box, the battery pack, and the cockpit computer. Lots of software updates for the cockpit computer!…
Read MoreNew Map Feature added on EVMS
On Saturday, April 23rd 2022 in Southern California, it was a perfect day for sailing. The wind picked up around noon, and maintained between 7-12 Kts, according to Predict Wind ®, my favorite wind monitoring iPhone App. A friend and I left Long Beach, Alamitos Bay in the morning, and we motored out of the…
Read MoreConverting our Test Vessel to Electric Propulsion
This Hunter 33 sailboat was our first vessel to receive a NEB-25 electric propulsion system. The whole process was relatively simple. The old diesel engine was disconnected and lifted out at a shipyard using their crane, and then the crane lowered in the new NEB-25 motor and its 10 kWh battery pack into the vessel.…
Read More