Electric Drive

[Frankx]

I may have one season left on my '78 Volvo MD 11C.  I will have to repower. I have been thinking about an electric drive.  Anyone else do this? It has short comings but adding a novel drive system my raise or retain resale price. A replacement diesel would be expensive without any boat value increase. Thanks

[Abaco Joe]

Hey Frank,
I was curious to see if you have made a decision on your engine, I considered going electric a few years ago when I was faced with an unexpected engine replacement (P31-2 Yanmar 2GM20). For me, the biggest factor was how the boat is used. Most of the time I use the boat for day sails or a couple of nights out on the hook so in that case, going electric would be a good option as the batteries can be charged back at the dock. I also go on longer cruises (Bahamas) which presents charging challenges, I didn't want to go a marina every night for shore power or cover the boat with solar panels and wind generators.  Having said that, Sailing Uma on You Tube has been cruising electric for years. In the end I went with a new Yanmar based on my longer range cruising plans. A buddy in my sailing club converted his P30 over to electric about 10 years ago and is very happy with it for local day sailing and racing. Going to electric will probably narrow down your buyer market if you sell the boat, I'm not sure how it will affect the selling price as unlike electric cars, electric boats are still something of an oddity. You might ask a broker what they think on resale value. You'll have to do a trade study between electric vs diesel but I'm thinking electric will have a higher initial cost. A boat with a fresh diesel is going to command a much higher price than one that needs a new motor and will be much easier to sell.
Let us know what you decide!
Joe

[#95]

This could be an interesting thread to follow.

Recently, I acquired a P323 in very good condition for a '78 (or any year for that matter). The Volvo MD11C is. having some problems with overheating, so I've decided to repower her with electric 12KW. Unlike you, howewver, I would like to outfit her with solar panels and a generator for emergency backup. The Volvo starts, runs at idle very well, but overheats with the alarm sounding at about 2500 RPM. It does burn oil.

I haven't pulled the motor yet, and am collecting needed tools get it pulled. With that said. what to do with the V-Drive trans....should I keep it or invest in the Trunderstuck reduction gear. It's winter up here on the Jersey shore and while no snow yet, the temps could be warmer for this job to begin.

[Dolce_Vita]

This could be an interesting thread to follow.

Recently, I acquired a P323 in very good condition for a '78 (or any year for that matter). The Volvo MD11C is. having some problems with overheating, so I've decided to repower her with electric 12KW. Unlike you, howewver, I would like to outfit her with solar panels and a generator for emergency backup. The Volvo starts, runs at idle very well, but overheats with the alarm sounding at about 2500 RPM. It does burn oil.

I haven't pulled the motor yet, and am collecting needed tools get it pulled. With that said. what to do with the V-Drive trans....should I keep it or invest in the Trunderstuck reduction gear. It's winter up here on the Jersey shore and while no snow yet, the temps could be warmer for this job to begin.

The V-Drive is pretty bulletproof.  Ours, on our 1977 P323, has been trouble-free since we bought the boat in 2009.  We've put almost 2000 hours on it since then. And Walter will still support and rebuild them IFF you have the original stamped serial number tag still attached and readable.

[#95]

The V-Drive is pretty bulletproof.  Ours, on our 1977 P323, has been trouble-free since we bought the boat in 2009.  We've put almost 2000 hours on it since then. And Walter will still support and rebuild them IFF you have the original stamped serial number tag still attached and readable.

Thanks for this bit of info. It's a shame that Volvo doesn't support the MD11c with available spares (at least on this side of the Atlantic) Mine starts, runs, overheats at 2.5K RPM, then the alarm goes off. It also burns some oil.

The 323 is a very recent purchase, so I have no experience with her on the water. With that said, a repower is suggested and with no parts available for cylinder/compression, it seems electric would be the best/easiest/cheapest way to get her running again.