By James Black, Chesapeake Bay Chapter
After ten years of dedication to restoration, we consider Little Debbie herself to be a finished project. As is, she meets or exceeds all expectations for family fun in and around our lakefront community. However, as a test and evaluation platform for anything old to EV-Conversion, alternative internal systems are on the drawing board for motor control, battery management, improved charging capability and even use as backup electrical power for the home. Improvements in motor power and electrical efficiency, improved motor controller cooling, ease of programming operational behaviors within the motor controller, halving of charging time while visiting dockside, and a CANBus-integrated inverter to domestic 120VAC top the list. Each of these will require significant effort and will bolster our knowledge base further.
An unexpected outcome of the Little Debbie effort and the requested article published in the ACBS quarterly periodical, Rudder, has been our inclusion in a substantial, multi-phase, multi-year, project in cooperation with Morgan State University and Wooden Boat Restoration LLC to design and optimize electric boat prototypes that will transform boat efficiency and improve the health of the bay.
This initiative, funded by Maryland Industrial Partnerships and further supported by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, is already well under way with the conversion of a 1979 25’ Donzi Regazza to 100% Electric. This common “bay boat” configuration features a deep-V hull and was chosen as a more valuable EV-Conversion benchmark, over a new and custom, high-efficiency platform. We believe that, if we can get this right, it will make great inroads toward saving existing boats from the landfill, reducing the environmental impact of recreational boating, significantly decreasing the overall cost of operation and ownership, increasing safety over gasoline engines, reducing noise on deck and below the water’s surface, and assisting in preserving those cherished family boats for generations. In September, the as yet unnamed boat is planned to be shown and demonstrated at ACBS Smith Mountain Lake show, near Roanoke, VA.
Maryland Industrial Partnerships seeks opportunities for business development within the state to support retaining business and jobs in the state.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources has a charter to maintain a clean and safe environment for recreational boating and the preservation of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.