10KW Air cooled Sailboat drive system

We've supplied our electric drive systems for sailboats up to 30 ft. and 15,000 lbs. displacement, achieving hull speed. All our systems have reverse on-the-fly and contactor disable features. "Brushless" means that the motor does not have brushes that will wear out over time, nor will it be a dangerous source of ignition for on-board gas appliances. Larger boats may require a higher power AC or brushless motor. In the U.S. and Canada, brushed motors are only legal for marine use if onboard appliances and accessories use kerosene or diesel (not propane or gasoline) due to the potential for internal motor arcing. With Sevcon's Gen4 controller, no reversing contactors are needed. Additionally, the Gen-4 controller has a regen feature than can allow current to be put back into the batteries from the spinning prop while under sail. This does depend on your sailing speed, prop design, and may not be possible in all applications, but is an adored feature for those who are able to utilize it.

A gear reduction is not always necessary, and largely depends on the size, efficiency, prop style, and desired speed of your vessel. However, due to the high RPM of the Motenergy Brushless motor, we recommend you consider a gear reduction rather than direct-drive to improve efficiency, provide proper torque, cooling, and help prevent cavitation. Typical reduction is around 2:1, but this ratio will depend on the required prop RPM needed to reach hull speed. Ideal reduction will enable the motor to spin your prop at the hull speed RPM of your prop when the motor is spinning at its max RPM. This number can be calculated using the 50 RPM / Volt constant:48 Volts * 50 RPM / Volt ~ 2400 rpm max