Powered Engine Tilt System

[Ron Halbrook]

Looking for ways to control engine tilt from helm, anybody done this? TomKat, soon to be Sandy Bottom, has two navy e6 electric outboards, the motors are hydrogenator's, when cruising on one engine the other engine can be charging itself, at 4.5 knots sailing speed you can have both engines charging. We're thinking there will be a lot of tilting, setting up a power tilt that can be controlled from the helm is something we would like to try.

[doubledutch]

I did a modified set up of the Yamaha power tilts where I relocated the tilt cylinder up ahead of the engine. I did this to get away from having the tilt cylinder set up contacting the water. Switches near the helm control the position. I posted some photos in the discussion re new engines.

[Ron Halbrook]

thank you

[thinwater]

Interesting.

Do you know the maximum speed with one engine and with two engines? I know that they "claim" equivalent to 9.9 hp, but on other electric outboards there has been a lot of advertising exaggeration going around. So please report, we'd all like to know. I recall two engines would get about 7.5 knots and one engine about 6.4 knots. Fuel consumption was about 1 gph for one 9.9 at WOT.

I hope cruising on one and generating with the other was intended as a joke. it would be more efficient to raise the second motor and throttle down the first. Lots of drag and waste would be averted for the same energy balance.

The charging at 6-7 knots looks like about 200 W. That will also be equivalent to running 1-2 hp in the wrong direction, slowing you down by a knot or so. If you bought a PDQ to actually sail, I can't imagine this is a feature you would use very often. Only if the solar was really falling short. It would be sort of like (but considerably worse than) never lifting the engines when sailing). I think you would be better off with one more solar panel.

The only time hydrogeneration is going to make sense is when the boat is sailing at hull speed (> 8 knots) so you won't loose much, but much more wind and you would be reefing instead.

[thinwater]

The other thing to watch out for, which may not apply, is that some power tilt engines require a larger bracket, which then drags in the water some, slowing the boat all the time. That was the main reason I never got power tilt.