PocketShip.net

hoping everyone has had a great holiday!

I'm still a long way from installing an outboard on my Pocketship, hundreds of building hour to go, but already toying with some engine ideas.

Background: I've always hated outboards hanging from sailboat sterns. When lifted up they look awful and in use often awkward as you need to reach down to operate them. If they have a shaft long enough to make this easy, when not in use the propeller is far far back. In addition all that weight so far back can't help the boat balance.

Can't really have an inboard engine, but how about something in between? I stumbled on this when reasearching electric outboard motors. It is a Torqueedo Ultralight 1103.



It is meant for a kayak, but I can't really see why it wouldn't work on a pocketship? Imagine a new attachment bracket that is vertical instead of horizontal, the engine pull up arm turned 90 degrees down etc. You could have lines coming through to the inside of the transom to pull the engine up or down, you'd have a cool throttle assembly with infodisplay inside the cockpit and with some wire trickery or other mechanism it shouldn't be hard to have the engine turn with the rudder. Also the battery would be elsewhere moving the weight forward.

Would that work? It seems to be the same 1103 motor that many are using with Pocketships already, so power should not be an issue. Am I missing something?

Pasi

Oops, the link or photo in your post is not visible!

uups! Must be a rights thing with Google Photos.

It should work now, I hope?

Pasi

It's OK now!

It seems like it would have enough power. I wish one could buy just the motor-propeller pod on the vertical shaft with a simple speed/reverse control and no battery. I could see it mounted to a vertical pole so you could just slide it up out of water when not needed. One could put in a nice size 24V battery setup and use it to power the rest of the boat too ( with 24-12 v dc-dc converter). That’s what I’d like to have.

Vertical shaft that could be pulled up or lowered, that is actually a very good idea! Something I might certainly be able to fabricate. I also have an idea how the engine could be engaged and disengaged from the rudder to allow engine steering with the rudder while lowered. Something to think about in the coming months (or years) of sanding

Torqueedo has a cool remote controller that would make the setup easy to use:



And Torqueedo has the added benefit of being very expensive. We have a saying here that if your hobby doesn't take up all your money it is not really a good hobby. This Torqeedo setup would certainly work in the right direction

Pasi