Joe Anderson

That is brutal. Take it easy on yourself. I am having trouble getting much done and it is still in the eighties here.

Interior looks very nice. Is that the pecan trim? I am very impressed with what looks like the ease with which you were able to turn the boat. She must be pretty substantial at this point. Did Graham give you a rotational axis so you would know where to establish your pivot points? Could you post a close up of what exactly the boat is pivoting on?

Thank you so much for your reports on range. Part of me would like to believe the manufacturer but their claims are so wildly different from your results that they can not be true. It is invaluable to share realistic information. Do enjoy your vacation, but how can you vacation without a boat? When you have the opportunity I would appreciate your measuring the width sans battery.

Wommasehn, The Epropulsion website lists the Spirit runtime at full throttle as 75 minutes. 1/2 throttle runtime is listed as 10 hours using the 1276wh battery. Something doesn't add up. They must be using a lot less than 500 watts at 1/2 throttle? Completely depleting the battery, 1276 divided by 10 hours = 127.6 watts at 1/2 throttle. Does the motor tell you how many watts you are using at a particular throttle setting? I would like to store the motor in a locker with a 22cm opening. The motor width is listed as 27.5 cm. Could you let me know what the width is with

The following is an excerpt from my blog for that trip. http://sundogboatbuilding.blogspot.com/ The tidal range around the Martha's Vineyard and southern Cape Cod is a fairly modest 3 to 4 feet. Yet the currents in and around the islands are strong. And sometimes the direction of those currents have not made sense to me. But now I think I am beginning to understand. The currents of Nantucket Sound are driven not only by the rising and falling of the tides in the area, they are driven primarily by changes in the ocean level in the Gulf of Maine and the Mid Atlantic Bight. Cape Cod

In the main I agree with you it can be dangerous to depend on an auxiliary to get you out of trouble. The belief that you have an auxiliary to rescue could lull a boater into getting into a situation from which the auxiliary can not save you, either because it lacks sufficient power or it malfunctions. I think sailing without a motor has helped me become a better sailor. I am OK with having the motor stored away. However I can remember sailing off Martha's Vineyard in an area with strong currents and heavy ferry traffic and the wind died out. I think a motor would have been a big help t

28 × 14.7 cm / 11 × 5.8 inches Is the listed diameter and pitch for the Spirit 1.0 it is the same for the Plus. The pitch is listed under specifications in the owners manual. The pitch is the distance the propeller would traverse during one revolution if the propeller was moving through an unyielding substance if that makes any sense. I suspect it could be easily calculated by someone with the necessary math skills. In this case it is 14.7 cm. That is obviously related to the angle of the prop blades but I don't know how or what the proper formula would be. In your test you could ru

That is always alarming having pieces of boat float off. It sounds like you handled the situation well. To my eye it looks like the outer veneer of the plywood is very thin. It is that outer veneer running vertically that gives the rudder its strength. Some cheaper plys make the outer layer quite thin, or it may have been sanded thin. It should not have failed so readily. You could build a new blade out of solid wood as Steve suggests or you could sand and add some glass. Could you check to see how thick the outer veneer is?

What are your criteria for electric propulsion becoming a viable solution? I don't have any data but I think electric is at least potentially more reliable.. Spirit plus gives a 1/2 throttle run time of 10 hours Torqeedo 1103 has 1/2 throttle run time of 6 hours I am not sure what kind of range to expect. And of course range is highly dependent on boat and weather conditions. Wommasehen is reporting 6.5 nautical mile range on a 6m centerboard boat using a Spirit Plus with I presume the 1200wh battery. Gas outboard lets say $1,200 Spirit Plus

I have a 22 foot sailboat a BandB EC22. I have been eight years now using only oars or a paddle for auxiliary power. I am only considering electric. I was pleased to find this thread. I started out looking at trolling motors but have slowly gravitated to the Epropulsion Spirit Plus. I have not had a motor hanging on the transom all these years and I don't think I could get used to it, for aesthetic reasons and because of fowling the mizzen sheet. I wonder if it would be practical to stow the motor in a locker and only mount on the transom when needed. The Spirit Plus motor is 11k

What a joy to be able to sail together. Thanks for sharing the photos and video.

Have a wonderful trip. It would be great if you can post a trip report and let us know how it went. You were right the paint did dry.

I first painted LPUs outside under a tarp with the 3M respirator in the foreground. This time I have been painting inside using supplied air and a hood. The hood is a bit of a nuisance and overkill for rolling and tipping. On mornings when it was between 50F and 60F with 50% humidity it was like visiting heaven but having to wear a hood. As the ambient temp and humidity increase you reach a point where the supplied air needs to be temp and humidity controlled. It is a strange experience to be working very close to paints and solvents that you know have incredibly strong fumes and the air smel

Perhaps you are aware of this. If you have a sensitivity to epoxy and probably even if you don't. It pays to be cautious when you are sanding epoxy, especially if the epoxy is not completely cured. (Potentially several days.) Contact with the incompletely cured epoxy and epoxy sanding dust could be problematic.

Could you post a couple of photos. I don't think that marine plywood readily delaminates so I would want to know what the transom is constructed of. Also some clue as to what caused the problem. I have used a syringe with a heavy guage needle to get epoxy into narrow areas but if there is an underlying problem the cure may not be that simple.