Skerry with Trolling motor

I know, I know, I cringed when I typed it. The Skerry is a beautiful rowing craft and a spirited sailor ( or is that a beautiful sailor and spirited rowing craft) - why propose a prop? I currently have the plans for the PassageMaker. I am building w/ my 10 year old son and his interest perked when he saw the PM with a motor.

The current plan is to build the PM as a family project, than at some hazy point in the future, just over the horizon, build my Skerry. But I was wondering if anyone had a picture of a Skerry under power. I am thinking a canoe mount w/ electric trolling motor would be just the trick.

I found a reference in a for sale ad to a Skerry with "invisible" motor mount but it was truly invisible - no pictures.

Any help would be appreciated.

John

 


4 replies:

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RE: Skerry with Trolling motor

I saw what you describe at the Gravenhurst boat show a couple years back.  My buddy was getting married and part of our gift to them was we rented a row boat and I rowed the bride to the church (it was a small log cabin church in the woods complete with dock) and then the newly married couple rowed out after the ceremony for some pictures. 

 So, the guy we got the boat from builds then and he has an electric motor option, and it is truely invisible.  He hides the battery wiring etc. under the seat (box instead of a plank) and the lower unit if the trolling motor complete with propeller is integrated into the skeg at the back.  It is a very elegent installation.  I have included his website 

 http://www.muskokaartsandcrafts.com/Members'_Studios/Members/Eatock/eatock.htm

RE: Skerry with Trolling motor

Dave, them are beautiful boats!  Thanks for the link.

I think the web page you cite has an error in it, though.

It says that the 15 foot boat can carry four people over forty hours at 4 mph on a single charge.

Does anyone out there have the formula for rough calculation of operating time of a electric boat on a single charge?

I don't.  But "over forty hours" sounds like the author may have misplaced a decimal point somewhere.

Also, the page says the boats are made of "mahogany plywood".  Given the extraordinary cost and scarcity of that material, I am very surprised to hear this.  Is it possible he meant to say okoume plywood? 

RE: Skerry with Trolling motor

I'm thinking those numbers might be accurate considering how they drop when you add 1MPH... I think he is running into a hull speed issue, resistance increase by the square of the speed... you will notice the extra effort needed when rowing and you want to go that little bit faster. 

 Give Albert a call/eamil, I suspect he came up with these numbers by trial and error.

RE: Skerry with Trolling motor

I have done a similar thing for my son on a 13' S&G row boat.  I use a single deep cycle battery (about 40 lbs) and he can usually play for most of the afternoon before running out of juice.  So I think that the guy meant 4 hrs, not 40 hrs. 

It is a very nice setup, extremely smooth and quiet and goes quite fast when the power is cranked up. 

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