Wye Island Marathon Results 2008
The eCanoe entry in the 2008 Wye Island Electric Boat Marathon placed FIRST in
the single-hull category, leading the field when the competition either didn't
have the speed capabilities in the wave conditions or didn't have the battery
capacity to finish. eCanoe also placed first in the marathon in 2005 with
an average speed of 5.81 MPH.
eCanoe entered a 20-ft Old Town Tripper XL
canoe powered by two MinnKota Endura-30 motors with stock 2-blade props driven
by the patented eCanoe 1236D dual motor driver system. Nine 55 Amp-Hour
12V Batteries weighing a total of 351 lb provided the juice for the win,
configured for 36 volts in triple parallel. No battery changeover was needed in
this configuration. The Endura-30 motors are generally driven by 12 Volts, but
permanent-magnet DC motors are actually heat-limited by the electrical rotor
current, not voltage. The eCanoe 1236D driver, rated for battery voltages from
12 to 36 Volts, controlled motor current using pulse-width modulation (PWM).
The driver electronics could thus match the battery power to the motor load,
allowing the use of stock propellers without limiting the top-end speed of the
boat.
Al Sutton occupied the front seat of the canoe as crew and
spotter, looking out for the Chesapeake powerboat traffic, flare pistol nearby
to warn them away if needed. Luckily all went well, and the eCanoe covered the
course in 4hrs:53min:59sec, travelling 22.7 Miles (via GPS trip measurement) for
an average speed of 4.63 MPH. The slower speed was due to the adverse wind and
tide conditions experienced this year. One mile into the marathon, the eCanoe
was running 5.7 MPH (GPS) using 1120 watts (1.5 HP) in heavy chop with a strong
tailwind. But entering the Wye River, despite the same tailwind, speed dropped
to 4.8 MPH due to the outgoing tide. Steve Voorhis lead the single hull category
up to Wye Landing despite the eCanoe's ability to cut the corners inside the
channel buoys and stay right on his tail. After the 10-minute break at Wye
Landing (12 Mi point) the eCanoe departed before Steve, who was having problems
with battery hookup. We saw Tom Hesselink just approaching the landing as we
rounded the corner into the Wye East River. The return trip was slowed by a
substantial headwind and chop. GPS speed was only 4.7 MPH with a power of 1.25
HP at the 15 mile point, but we plowed ahead, having lost all sight of any
competition. Speed had to be further slowed in the open water of the home
stretch due to the headwind, "lumpy" water conditions, and dropping battery
voltage. To keep the voltage above 30 volts, motor power was reduced to 2/3 HP
for the last mile, and boat speed reduced accordingly to 4.1 MPH for the finish.
We quickly tied out the eCanoe at the yacht club docks and put the tired
batteries on recharge while we recharged with a bit of Guinness.
That
night the dinner at the yacht club was attended by almost all the marathon
competitors as well as the chase-boat pilots and crew. We had a lively
discussion as to the future and promotion of electric boating. The eCanoe "E"
Code Flag Award was presented to Charles Iliff for his daring 2007 Wye
Marathon run in an electric-powered 58-ft rowing skull, where he set the course
record with a run of 2hr and 20min. - a record that will probably stand
for some time! We continued talking so long that we closed out the club
dining area. Then, after checking on the canoe's battery chargers, we
headed back to the motel for a good night's sleep, our heads still rocking with
the waves.
The electric boat demonstration at the Chesapeake Maritime
Museum's Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival the following day was well attended.
The weather was sunny and warm. A lot of people took rides in the boats and
asked all sorts of questions. We were tired and hungry as we rinsed off
the gear back at the club and loaded the canoe on the car for the trip home on
Sunday. It was the end of a fine weekend of electric boating.
Come
join us for the 2009 Electric Boat Marathon.
Jim Campbell
eCanoe LLC
Al Sutton pilots
the eCanoe 2008
Marathon Winner