Its time for electric seagulls (E.Gulls)

[Oyster 49]

Exactly Keith. Original poster seems to not have realised how much CO2 is created making modern products v reusing old ones..

Add that re-use to a bio degradeable oil that John has mentioned then you have a low environmental impact. Batteries used in Hybrid cars are massively polluting to manufacture and even worse if not disposed of correctly..

Whats the saying about feeding trolls?

[headdownarseup]

The way i see it is it's not really down to the individual (although by now it should be these days) to look after and regulate how or what we use, but more down to governments that puts regulations on certain things.

I'm as guilty as the next person in all this and i'll hold my hands up and say that i use a 50cc 2 stroke moped to get to work every day. Why, because it's the cheapest and most efficient way for me to get through all the traffic jams in Bristol at the moment. I could have chosen a 4 stroke moped but for costs alone a 2 stroke worked out more affordable all round. I bet that even though it's a 2 stroke it puts out far less pollutants than your average white van man or rep sitting at traffic lights or in cues for hours on end. Oh, and like John i also use bio-degradable semi synthetic oils so perhaps a bit better than your average scooter owner or rider. On occasions i also like to use some of my seagulls even with a 10:1 fuel mix. Still not great, but it's how they are (although when i'm pike fishing from my boat i borrow a small electric trolling motor for those stealthy moments)

The trouble is we've all grown used to having petrol or diesel readily available to us over the last 50-60 years despite the costs going up year after year, and it's probably the latter part of the 20th century is where a lot of the damage has been done. It's only now in the last 20 or so years that we've realised something needs to change sooner rather than later. Unfortunately the internal combustion engine has a lot to answer for, but for many of us it's an evil necessity that we can't live without.

Electric power (for me anyway) is still in its infancy. Good in principle, but in reality it's often got a flaw somewhere. Batteries have come a long way over the last 20 odd years compared to what they were like and so have motors. Lead-acid type batteries (heavy) are slowly being phased out in favour of newer Li-ion and gel filled types (still heavy) but all the time technology is improving within the automotive trade. Motors have also been improved massively compared to those of old. Let's hope that others in different industries start to take notice. Maybe in the future we might see more affordable and more importantly more durable and powerful forms of motive power coming along that will win favour with a lot more of us.

In the meantime we could all do our little bit here and there.


Just my thoughts

Jon

[Sandro Picchio]

I prize Egull for practically making something. I also confess to envy a little the pleasure he got in designing and making his experiment and whish him the best result of his next tests.
What is not shown in the post pictures is the big issue of the matter: BATTERY.

Technology is slowly and steadily making progress but a good solution for energy storing is not yet found under both economical and practical points of view.
We are still far from an electric equivalent of what is in a glass of petrol. Sorry but the thermal motor, especially in the lower power range, is still the most practical, economical, reliable (yes, reliability includes refueling possibility), easily repairable mean of propelling a small boat.

From the "green" side, I also am worried about our future but, as already told in the thread, the whole picture must be taken in count, not just the thermal motor direct polluting exhaust: electric energy generation, battery making and disposing, possibly poisonous components, etc.
As already told, what is generally overlooked when supporting a new "greener" engine or car , is the pollution made by making it and disposing of the old one compared with the slight polluting improvement by using the new one.

Back to our Old Dears, we should not feel any guilty by running them a few days in an year, compared to the general continuous pollution by normal living and working of mankind - and ourselves.
Many other ways could be followed for reducing man made pollution: most green purists renew and discard their clothes every few weeks, their shoes every few monthes, their cars every few years, let alone cell phones. This is where a good deal of energy and Co2 could be saved. And in vacation flies to far away tropical places too.
Nonetheless never mind, we can't help much. Let's keep on with our everlasting small Seagulls and hope for the best.

Sandro

[EGULL]

Hey there this link is for you guys to see first wet test https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VnG59A ... e=youtu.be

[headdownarseup]

Looks quite promising so far.
How robust are those gears though?

But again, it's those damn batteries. They must weigh a fair bit, although if they're wired in series you could use this to your advantage for a bit of ballast and help trim the boat.

Time to get it onto a boat for a real work out.
You could be onto something here E.gull.
Nice work so far.
I'm watching your progress with interest, even though i'm still a petrolhead at heart.

Jon

[Hugz]

Lots of good fabrication gone on there. Well done. Be a bit wary of the nylon gears stripping rather than the sheer spring sheering. I have a relo on the Broads that had an electric canal boat back in the late eighties.

You have probably seen this vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzfYAeXTOUk

Interesting the waterproofing and heat factor.

[EGULL]

I know the nylon gears are an issue but this a budget build. Until there comes a time where or if i was to produce my own outboards i would build with quality at the for front of my design. and thanks for feed back i will keep an eye on them.

[John@sos]

Well done Darren!

You have got a lot further than many!

The Motor looks well put together and nicely displayed, though the 'elf and hasty' people will cry out in horror at a set of exposed gears and a flywheel whizzing round, (like our older Seagulls!!) when it gets to a real one doubtless a simple cover.....

Will be interesting to see it in action afloat later, when it warms up a tad!

Make sure boat has enough bouyacy for the weight of all those batteries, and you!

good job!

John
SOS

[Charles uk]

Getting home it's always a great fear with electric power.

64cc Seagulls produce around 3/4 of a kilowatt & the 102cc ones just under 1.5, so it might be worth trying a prop suitable for a large Seagull with the same ratio lower unit as the increased pitch will offer some increased efficiency with the lower revs required to get to point B in the same period of time!

What's the maximum revs of your power unit?

[EGULL]

thank you john for that i hope to pop over soon and as for safety if ya dont touch ,it wont bite yes i could make a cover but then thats more investment so for the time being its only me that will use it and im not that worried plus i also want people to see it .
Charles i have spoke with john about using a century prop but need to test original set up first if dont make 3 knots then why upgrade,ive also spoke to my local harbour master and secured two vessels to test on, one is a skiff and the other is 14 ft speed boat so two very good test subjects and one seagull enthusiast, he hasnt seen it yet, but im hoping we can do a back to back and see whats faster the old or the future.

[EGULL]

hugz ive seen this vid many many years ago when i made my electric jetski it was about the same time, and as back then to now i still like it, great work ..have you done any more since.

[Hugz]

Crikey charlie...not mine, vid that is.

[Sandro Picchio]

Very well done!

Why do you need gears to increase speed? Usually in all appliances the problem with electric motors is the high RPM and the need of reducing speed and gaining torque.
You have two pairs of gears (one in the foot gear box), the second one undoing what the first one did. Perhaps another motor with the same power at higher RPM could drive directly the vertical shaft, and also be lighter.
Please feel sure that I am not criticizing. I understand that the search and the choice of the motor and drive probably has been the hardest part.
Next (easy) step is reversing. But the prop shaft must be made able to take the trust in both directions; food for the experts here.

We wait keenly to see the Egull pushing a boat. Then the choice of propeller will start. And may be also changing the gear ratio. A lot of experimenting is waiting for you.
Keep us update also with videos.

Sandro

[EGULL]

Thanks very much sandro, the reason if you havent read the posts im using this motor its a junk parts build i own three electric scooters two i stripped removed the wheel 10 inch then cut the rim off , stepped up 3 to 1 . i konw i could of bought new motors but why would yeah do that when there so many out there as toys we consume so much cheaper, i hope it all goes well to as this a 1500watt motor with 66 flb of torque so just hoping ive got more power than i need only testing will tell.

[Charles uk]

How many revs is this motor rated at? ignoring the 3:1 uplift.