Choosing the Engine (Rebuilding Tally Ho / EP87)

Rebuilding a historic sailing yacht - Choosing the Auxiliary Engine (EP87)

----

EPISODE 87.
I can’t put it off any longer, a final decision has to be made about Tally ho’s engine!
In this episode we start by looking back at the boat’s early Paraffin engines, and then go on to discuss some of the options for a new “power-plant”. Vintage or modern, new or used, diesel or electric or paraffin or... nuclear?! There are a lot of options, and each one has good and bad attributes, but in the end I come to a decision which I hope is going to give all the reliability and simplicity necessary at sea, but with an exciting twist!

----

For sneaky previews of what’s going on in between episodes, follow my

MANY THANKS!

---

Music;
Ratatouille's Kitchen - Carmen María and Edu Espinal
In the Sweet By and By - Zachariah Hickman
Oh Fire - Carmen María and Edu Espinal
Shine Your Little Light - Mini Vandals

87. Choosing the Engine (Rebuilding Tally Ho / EP87)

[SampsonBoatCo]

Thank you everyone for such positive feedback regarding the last video!

Here’s a bit of extra information about the HYBRID MARINE parallel hybrid system that didn’t make it into the video, which might answer a few of the most common questions.

Generator -
The engine can be used as a generator without turning the propeller - there will be a clutch on the prop shaft / belt drive mechanism. This can be disengaged when at anchor to charge the batteries without spinning the prop. The clutch will be simple and mechanical and can be easily accessed to be manually locked together in the event of an issue.

Regeneration -
Yes, I know it will not be possible to power the boat exclusively through regeneration from the propeller. And yes, there will be some speed loss when spinning the prop under sail. I don’t know how much it will get used, but it is a feature which is, by default, possible with this setup - so why not have it as an option.
Personally I think this type of regeneration will be most practical on a long ocean passage. Imagine you are crossing the Atlantic or Pacific with the trade winds, you could be sailing for weeks with more than enough wind to achieve whatever boat speed you feel comfortable with (considering wear on the sails and rigging etc). Even if you only get 250W from regen, over a 24h/day that would add up to 6kWh per day, which is double our estimated daily usage.
It will be interesting to see if / when / how regeneration is actually useful, but I do think it's a nice option to have, especially as it does not require any extra infrastructure.
Hybrid marine have an interesting video about regeneration power, I think they calculated in their trial that they could boil a cup of water for tea every 6 minutes - just enough to keep an englishman hydrated!

Regarding the prop, I may have misspoke slightly in the video when I said Variable Pitch (suggesting that the pitch could be manually controlled). The prop will be of the Feathering type (such as Maxprop or Variprop) which feathers automatically when sailing.
To enable regeneration when sailing you run the prop shaft in reverse which turns the prop blades into their reverse position. They will then be locked in that position by the force of the water due to the forward motion of the boat. It's a bit hard to visualise but of course will be explained properly in a future video.

Belt Drive -
This has been suggested to be a weakness. However, belts are relatively inexpensive and several spares can be hung around the prop shaft to be installed quickly and easily if one is broken. If something is violent enough to break a belt, then I would say that it is better for a low cost belt to be broken than a mechanical part somewhere else in the system.

Batteries -
I know very little about batteries and probably shouldn’t have even mentioned them in this video. There will be a lot more research done before any decisions are made. Safety in this area will be a top priority. Lots to talk about here but not yet.


Honestly although there has been a lot of lively discussion, there has been a lot less animosity than I had expected about this last video. Almost everyone seems to be on board with the plan, and those that have reservations have generally presented them thoughtfully. Of course in general most comments do not influence my decisions, but occasionally they are extremely useful!
I'm very grateful to have such a positive group supporting this project, so keep up the discussion!

[rightmarker]

Boat builder, sailor, artist, communicator, team leader and gentleman. Leo, you are an outstanding role model for your generation. Respect is due.

[Techsus]

15:02 - Leo draws himself being electrically shocked and his hair looks like it always does. 😂

[stampenrangers]

So happy to see a young person in this day and age taking the threat of giant squid seriously.

[AlPence]

Mad drawing skills. Much more entertaining than say, a Power Point presentation.

[SootHead]

Auction those drawings for fundraising! Also, this was a VERY well crafted episode!

[frankhartranft]

I am a retired consulting engineer, retired after forty years in energy conservation, and yes, I have my own ideas about engines and batteries and energy technology, and I don't see how you could have made a better choice than the decision you've made to install a parallel hybrid system with a Beta Diesel engine combined with electric motor/generators and LiFePO4 batteries. I'm excited to learn how much battery charging power this system will generate with a given wind condition, perhaps comparing your boat speed with the prop set for minimum drag compared to your speed with the prop set for maximum input amperage to the batteries. The higher-than-average amount of sail you can hoist on a pilot cutter should make it particularly well-suited for this energy solution. Great choice. Congratulations on a wonderful project. I love it.

[totalutternutter]

Paraffin engines can be very reliable if they're only used as an anchor.

[DerLaCroix]

When she was built, it was done using cutting edge technology (no pun intended) of that time. No reason not to continue that original idea.

[sloanemactire]

The drawings really lightened up the "talky bits, " making it far more accessible. Great job Leo!

[RobertoDonatti]

Your choice of engine for the boat is not right, it's PERFECT!

[stuartround]

Added bonus, you can then taser the giant squid. They won't see that coming!

[carstenaltvater]

One of the best videos I've seen in the last weeks. And about tradition: "Tradition is the passing on of fire, not the worship of ashes!" (Gustav Mahler) Carry on!

[jimward]

A very wise decision on your power pack, far better than a straight diesel.

[ukulelefatman]

Kubota parts can be sourced globally as well, solid choice.

[glennmiles]

Hello Leo, Brilliant, as usual. However, I do feel compelled to add my two cents worth here on your choice for a power plant. I’ve worn the mechanic’s/engineer’s hat for more time than any other profession I’ve practiced in my 76 years, and several of those years were spent as engineer on working boats (packers) of similar size to Tally Ho, back when there were still some fish left in the 80’s. One of those boats was a 65 foot Halibut Schooner powered with a Volvo Penta built from old growth fir in 1909, and was still Lloyds A1 at the time. And, a 65 foot new steel boat tasked with the same role but powered with a Cummins. My comment/advise on your power choice is related to your selection of a diesel with a turbo. I did some research on the Kubota Beta series and the 85T seems to violate some of your well thought out principles on the criteria governing your choice, as follows. 1) enough power to keep you off of a Lee shore in an onshore blow, and 2) as simple as possible. My argument is for the Beta 75 over the 85T for a couple of reasons. 1) I don’t think the power difference is significant enough for the Beta 75 to give you any more grief keeping the boat off the shoals, and develops its power at a lower rpm 2) the Beta 75 is naturally aspirated, and does not burden you with the noisy and potentially dangerous and expensive complication of a turbo. Turbos have a couple of special needs and characteristics that natural aspiration does not have. 1) When you shut down a diesel that has a turbo you have to keep it running for a period of time sufficient to bring the oil temperature in the turbo down far enough so as not to turn that oil into carbon inside the turbo. This can shorten its very expensive life. 2) The rpm the engine operates at while pushing the boat will be different than the rpm that will be used when charging batteries. and 3) turbos make a lot of noise and radiate a lot of heat you don’t need and are very expensive. Sorry this so long. Have a very nice Christmas. Glenn Miles the Old man who lives a short ways away in a kinder place, Vancouver Island.

[tony]

Leo, I have never seen you draw before, your a skilled artist as well. Thanks bro.

[lifeat.milesanhour]

Beta engines are fab - mine is 20 years old with 7000 hours on it and its still going strong. Bombproof and has never missed a beat.

[clintgossett]

I remember when Leo first started his uploading. Very much reserved when it came to having tech in his life and nearly apologetic when it came to asking for support in exchange for a few youtube videos.

Look at him today. His videos are a priceless archive of knowledge for those of us interested and a regular part of our entertainment / learning time.

He's really hit his stride and found his voice. He's mentioned the generous support his subscribers provide and I do believe he's responded in kind.

[R.E.HILL_]

He is getting homesick, even the drawings depict the white cliffs of Dover... 😉🙂 Oh... the fast charging part... will only be possible with lithium batteries...