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Inflatable Catamaran and 40lb electric motor opinions?


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Hi there

I am new to boats and was looking through and was thinking to get a Bris 3.3 catamaran with a 40 lb electric motor.

Hoping to go down the yarra in melbourne and back.

What are your thoughts on this set up?

I'm not sure if this is a good idea cost wise and practicality wise. I chose a catamaran as i thought it would go faster easier, can get in and out of the boat from the front easier; inflatable as it can fit the boot of a car, 40lb as wouldn't need paperwork and registration; the bris seems to have more protection on the sides and bottom compared to a few others and is a reasonable size and weight rating so wouldn't be too cramped. 

Thinking to go fishing one day with it or go along the coast line one day.

All your thoughts and opinions appreciated!

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I'm no expert but the electric probably wouldn't be a good option for a primary motor on an inflatable cat or any cat, I don't think it would drive it effectively especially if the wind gets up and being in a busy waterway full of large vessels. 

 

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Sounds like it would be a fun challenge. However the amp draw is pretty high on a 40, even a 350w (17amp) solar panel and lithium battery would help re-power but not keep up with demand all day. It comes down to how far you want to travel (or run the electric at full power) each day. It could be done but the cost of getting power back to your system gets pretty expensive. Im currently setting up my 4x4 with solar and lithium for lighting and fridge etc (small power draw) and the price for half decent gear soon mounts up.

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I think that given the wind catching ability of an inflatable and the fact you could also have current to contend with, you would be very limited in your range.  Look at the weight of a modern petrol motor vs lecky and battery, and compare power output, you may find your better off going the smelly option?  Ron 

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Similar but different. Many years ago I had a little 10 foot tinny with a 45lb electric that I used to power with a 30 amp battery. 

I used to do a fair bit of flathead trolling with this outfit and took 2 batteries for longer trips as I'd get around 2.5-3 hours and around 7km out of a fully charged battery on about 1/4 power.

The real advantage of this setup was I wasn't reliant on boat ramps and could launch pretty much anywhere I could drag the hull to the water. The negative was it had a limited range, though you'd just choose your launch site for the day and not venture too far. 

As said above, if you want to travel longer distances or through strong currents, a petrol motor might be a better bchoice.

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Thank you for your replies!

I agree the battery in lithium would cost a bit and would only last a couple hours on full speed 

I did stumble across this and was thinking is the Yarra forbidden to use any motor of any kind:

recreational-boating-guide-yarra-and-mar

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On 9/14/2021 at 8:39 AM, Green Hornet said:

Similar but different. Many years ago I had a little 10 foot tinny with a 45lb electric that I used to power with a 30 amp battery. 

I used to do a fair bit of flathead trolling with this outfit and took 2 batteries for longer trips as I'd get around 2.5-3 hours and around 7km out of a fully charged battery on about 1/4 power.

The real advantage of this setup was I wasn't reliant on boat ramps and could launch pretty much anywhere I could drag the hull to the water. The negative was it had a limited range, though you'd just choose your launch site for the day and not venture too far. 

As said above, if you want to travel longer distances or through strong currents, a petrol motor might be a better bchoice.

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img005.jpg

Thats pretty amazing run time from a 30ah battery, was it lead or lithium as lead wouldn't allow you to draw the full 30amp without killing it pretty quick. Also some of the low end electric motors use the same power on low setting as they do at full.

Edited by JonD
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7 minutes ago, JonD said:

Thats pretty amazing run time from a 30ah battery, was it lead or lithium as lead wouldn't allow you to draw the full 30amp without killing it pretty quick. Also some of the low end electric motors use the same power on low setting as they do at full.

It was quite some time ago Jon, but they were Sonnenschein AGM batteries if I recall and always charger on a quality charger. Whatever they were, they definitely weren't lithium. 

The Minn Kota motor had an energy maximiser on it which was supposed to improve battery life and keep in mind, as I stated, other than running out to the drop off the motor was run on a low speed. A slow walking pace at best.

When I zipped from snag to snag up the bream creeks the batteries didn't last as long, but with 2 it still gave me a good 4 hours on the water.

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