Sounds like you have solved your own problem, after all, it is a SAILboat, eh? Lenny Smith

On Mar 5, 2017, at 7:22 PM, Wilson Frye <fryewe@mac.com> wrote:

All,

Will any M17 owner who has used a trolling motor as auxiliary propulsion for leaving and approaching the dock, and for short term auxiliary propulsion when winds are light, share what you may have learned from the experience?

I have a 6hp Tohatsu SailPro. It drives the boat at hull speed in benign conditions with very little throttle (perhaps quarter throttle). it sips fuel. It has a 6 amp alternator that is advertised as capability for recharging batteries.

Fact is, the alternator is inadequate for battery charging. We will be cruising with a 50 quart Dometic refrigerator this year, and as a result we’ll be taking a 1000EUi Honda generator and a Noco Genius 26000 (26 amp capability…@14VDC that’s 364W) along to charge the 200AH of deep cycle batteries to keep them near topped up from day to day.

Today it occurred to me that if my 45 pound thrust 12V trolling motor will push the boat at a reasonable speed when needed, why not leave the Tohatsu at home?

Here’s my thinking… - The outboard uses about a half gallon an hour at 6K RPM…about 5 knots under good conditions. - The generator’s 0.6 gallon tank will run the generator at full load for 7 hours. - Useful energy in the batteries is about 40 percent of capacity to avoid discharge below 50 percent…which is about 80AH. - The battery charger will provide up to 26A when bulk charging the battery if it is significantly discharged. - The trolling motor will draw 40A if run at position 5 (maximum speed), 32A at position 4, and about 24A on position 3. - The Dometic draws about 3A when running to maintain temperature, after cooled down, and it’s duty cycle is likely to be about 40-50 percent of the time while cruising in summer in the Gulf. - The Honda generator is quieter than the Tohatsu. - The outboard is a heavy load on the transom when not in use. - Solar panels are not mounted and are stored when underway.