Boat
 

I'm in the process of Side-Grading my boat partially in the name of saving fuel.

Previous boat (still have it) 1976 14' Boston Whaler with 1990 Evinrude 40. The only 2 times I was able to calculate Fuel mileage it was between 5 and 6 at 60~75% throttle (yeouch)

New Boat 1983 14' Lonestar which is a super light weight Aluminum with V hull.
I've got a few outboards for it

2008 Mercury 3.5 Very quiet, but hasn't spent enough time out of the shop to accurately judge fuel economy.

1983 Honda 2 Unfortunately this engine threw a rod 2 years back and has not been the same since. Previously I could get 6 hours of WOT on .6 gallon now I get less than 2 at part throttle on .6 gallon (err)

1956 (?) Evinrude 10 hp Which is in need of a water pump; but it looks mighty cool.

2001 36 lbs thrust Minn Kota Electric If this thing had a taller prop on it it would be killer (does anybody have a source for tall trolling motor props?) It moves a buddies 21 foot boat at about the same speed as my boat.

Oars for Extra Green Cred

Edit: All of the Pics I have right now http://gallery.me.com/dremd/100158

Boat + fuel_economy = sail.

Agreed.
I wish I could get away with a sail boat; unfortunately I have an array of situations at my cam that rule them out.

1) 2 foot draft is actually to deep.
2) in several spots 4 feet wide is very tight.
3) 3 low bridges to go under before getting to the swamp
4) Heavily forested on both sides of the bayou nearly assures very low wind.

One day I definitely want a sail boat.

Kayak? Or are those regarded as gator treats in your neck of the bayou?

that is actually a very good idea that I didn't think of.
Gators don't bother us much.

When I read "side grading" your boat, at first I thought... "Hmm, dremd knows some kind of hull efficiency modification I've never heard of!" Then I figured it out. :)

Way OT, but this summer I'd like to "side grade" a little catamaran I picked up for 20 bucks a couple of years ago (minus some key components) by adding a recumbent pedal powered prop drive. Just for kicks.

http://metrompg.com/posts/photos/proa-s.jpg

(I won't jack your thread though. I'll start a new one when the warm weather comes and messing around in boats becomes possible once again.)

After many years in the pedal-boat drive business, I think I'm making my last unit. But, I still can't figure out what "side grading" is.

I think he means: not an upgrade, and not a downgrade.

Nailed it.

Same size boat, same capacity. Less comfort, better accessibility to small water ways, less speed, much easier to carry over the levy.

I wish I knew enough about hull design to do modifications, but I don't.

I hope one day someone builds a pedal boat that is fairly effective (Read Propeller, not Paddle wheel). Maybe that was you?

I'd love to have more electric range I "need" 8 miles each way to get to where I like to fish. I Think I'd get better range if I had a taller prop . . .


Awesome little Cat; I always wanted something like that.

You can probably get some more speed out of that trolling motor with a model airplane propeller. They come in a wide range of sizes. If you find a size you like, you can copy it in carbon fiber and add a good hub fairing. A 10" X 3" might be a reasonable place to start comparisons. Mind your amperage if you go for more pitch. I have a friend who uses his on a canoe - maybe we'll experiment next summer.

Wide, shallow-dipping paddle wheels have done pretty well in the European HPV boat races. In shallow water, they can be fine, but less so in waves. If I were going back into Human Power boat drives, I'd improve on the Hobie Mirage system. A drop-in unit could get your legs to operate the equivalent of a whale's pectoral fins. They would shed weed and even work while grounding. Prop units have high parasitic drag during the part of the pedal stroke where the fin would be turning at the end of the strokes, so that is a nice bit of serendipity. The fastest pedal boats look like Olympic shells, and can cover eight miles in about an hour, at racing effort.