So if I governed as , say for examples sake a 14hp engine, to produce less hp at lower rpms that would reduce fuel consumption wouldn't it??
And by using a larger engine the noise would be less?

it's all guess and estimates james until there are figure's of

hp needed to power hull
engine used/type  
hp
rpm

no-one  really knows.

just have to wait and see what is needed to power the hull, and go on from there...
then you can work out all the rest from that..
ta

Just a thought or two on using a chain drive.....
Motorcycles mostly do use a chain drive but the speed it runs at is not too high as it has already been reduced by the gears inside the engine unit - particularly the crankshaft-to-clutch gearing. Having said that, lambretta scooters and most older british motorcycles (Triumph, BSA etc.) have a chain from the crankshaft to the gears and I never heard of one breaking, though of course they run in oil and, at least in the case of the lambretta, they use a multiple (duplex? triplex??) chain....
Whatever you do, remember it'll need to be able to reverse to stop the boat...

Way back, I am sure that Sean floated the idea of using a ride-on mower engine.  I don't know how many gears a typical one has, but the gearbox does include reverse.  A motorcycle doesn't include reverse.

One thing which did deter me from buying a beautiful 13 m paddle vessel, which was available, was the amount of mechanical complexity it had, all needing mainenance.  Another problem was finding an affordable mooring.


Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

Thinking of our ride on mower, it is really noisy I have to wear ear muffs to mow the lawns and I dont want anything noisy...
It would be a good thing to have the reverse with out needing a clutch though.. Still undecided

Want something quiet?

use a couple fo electric wheelchair motors to power the boat - almost silent in use. Then a small petrol generator to top up the batteries if necessary... Problem solved.

Quiet is what I am aiming for on the SJ, and electric power does sound good, how long do you think that the batteries would last powering a boat?? And then if I charge the batteries it could work very well!!

Most wheelchairs use 12Ah batteries and have a top speed of 8-12 MPH and a range of around 10 miles, so in other words they can probably run for 2-3 hours if your careful....

Now if you ditch the 12Ah batteries and use one (or maybe even two) 60-100Ah leisure batteries you should be able to run all  day before recharging...

If you got hold of an old wheelchair/invalid scooter, you would get the motors (complete with their gearboxes), and a speed controller as well. Even allowing for the cost of buying the whole thing and just using it to rob the parts from, it should still be a viable alternative to petrol/diesel in terms of cost.

Just make sure you buy one that has reverse - Some of the cheaper ones are forwards only control.

Yes, it definantely has to have reverse in the gears, or I will never stop!! And with the larger battery running for a day would be ample I would think!!
I will keep looking for a wheelchair motor and make sure it has reverse.
Anything is better than petrol, being in Ararat 1.29 per litre (I think?!?)
Thanks Eddy!!

Duck Flats offers an electric option on the Mundoo, with solar panels on the roof.
There is a ~20 seat electric cruise launch on Lake Tyers which has enough range to get to Nowa Nowa and back on an all-day cruise (google on Rubeena)
There is an electric tourist-cruise launch on Lake Burley Griffin.
And there is Gnatty: try contacting that website for some guidance.

I suspect that the micro vessel which I posted somewhere in Paddleducks (jokingly dubbed 'Grebelet' by me) is electric.

I have seen a plan for using a kitchen beater as a cheap outboard motor; the cost was in the extension cord, and cruising was restricted to semicircles of at most 100 m radius.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

and you could call it  P.V beater

Really, well that is all they basically are, Big Beaters!!!! If you had and Electric Paddle Vessel, would it become EPV Sarah-Jane!?
Also I am going to really look into electric power for the SJ, I will contact Duck Flat Wooden boats, and Gnat Riverboats. If I were to have solar panels, I could attach them to the roof of SJ, or the tops of the paddle boxes if I decide against the roof. All day quiet cruising is really what I am after and Electric power so far sounds the best!!

Electric wheelchair does sound good, the noise of a petrol engine was always going to be an issue....
If you could find one of the older types (ie. an actual motorised wheelchair with joystick control like these - http://www.spinlife.com/critpath/match.cfm?categoryID=56 - as opposed to a 'mobility scooter' with handlebars) it most likely has independant motor drive for 'tank style' steering...

I should say that I can't really take the credit for coming up with electric wheelchair motors for a small paddler. Walter Snowdon and I were talking about it over a couple of beers the other day, and he came up with the suggestion...

Though I have to admit that the more you think about it the more practical it seems...