Baller dleenhouts Posted January 26, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 26, 2011 Behindpropellers has a great point. A lot of folks seem to overlook the fact that our electrical grid can't handle the power needs of everyone charging their vehicles (cars, boats, team of sled dogs, whatever). Sure you're not spraying exhaust into the air from an electric engine, but you'd damn well better believe the coal fired plant down the road is. That said, maybe this will have an effect on our mindset. You are limited to 6-8 sets at a time; instead of whining for more, why don't we make those limited sets count? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clemsondave Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I highly doubt a few electric ski boats will even make a dent in the overall grid system. What about nuclear power? Much cleaner and side benefit of skiing in warm water in the winter! ;-) I was kidding about the overhead trolley system..... I bet a high torque boat would feel great to slalom skiers. You would reduce the boat RPMs going up and down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller behindpropellers Posted January 26, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 26, 2011 Dave- A few electric boats...and cars...and trucks...and ??? Seen the price of copper and other precious metals lately? Rare earth elements are what makes these batteries. If we want to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil) we need to replace them. Replacing them with technologies (old and new) are what we need. Hydroelectric plants and nuclear energy. Basic physics tell what is the most efficient use of energy. If we wanted to make a difference today....stop putting garbage in the ground. Almost everything is recyclable. The amount of "disposable" plastic containers that are sold today is rediculous. My mom has a bunch of rubbermaid containers from the 70's and 80's....still going strong. All of the stuff sold today is junk.  I'm all about new ideas and technology but we need to lay the foundation for success first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller scoke Posted January 26, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 26, 2011 give money to charities! it's for the children (and the suits of course) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123811160845153093.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clemsondave Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Oh, so this is a terrible announcement because what CC should have done is invent cold fusion and biodegradable plastic instead of just an electric boat. I get it. Is it summer time yet??? I wanna go ski. Shelby and OB, I'll be at Okee Feb 10-13 if ya'll want to come. P.S.Thank you Brent. Not only that, it's just friggin cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ral Posted January 26, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 26, 2011 OB, what did you get as compensation for it? More water days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller scoke Posted January 26, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 26, 2011 gonna be funnier when the miracle baby comes out with red hair, weighs 255 and can drink a case of beer in one sitting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ForrestGump Posted January 26, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 26, 2011 OB, you puss. I know a doctor who "snipped" himself, then went fishing. LOL True story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clemsondave Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 just call him, OB(GYN). Wow, I think we strayed a little off topic! ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boarditup Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Real men jog home.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Laz Posted January 26, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 26, 2011 I think it's very clever what CC has done. Right now their boat is impractical for most people because of the limits of current commercial batteries. However, they have now demonstrated that you can build a great ski boat powered by a battery. There are a million companies out there working on the future battery. As this technology improves, CC will be first in line to benefit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
east tx skier Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I remember that first shot. Uncomfortable stuff for sure. That Valium they gave me about an hour beforehand was a lifesaver for my nerves though. I'm coming up on my one year anniversary of my reproductive retirement party (tomorrow actually). My only advice other than taking it easy and frozen peas is to go back for testing. My doc required two rounds of blanks before he gave the all clear. I went back four times before I twice succeeded in not succeeding (about 10 weeks post surgery). Sorry for the threadjack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old MS Accout Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I hope they had hot nurses in the donation room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Bulldog Posted January 27, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 27, 2011 How much further from the topic can a thread get??? "Do Better..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ral Posted January 27, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 27, 2011 It is that "electricity" feeling MS gets in his spine when facing hot nurses... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller lff Posted January 27, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 27, 2011 goodbye swimmers, hello epididymitis .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old MS Accout Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Only Mrs.MS can "shock" me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller scoke Posted January 27, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 27, 2011 horton shocked you when he put his hand on your tip at JD's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller thager Posted January 27, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 27, 2011 Goodbye swimmers? How about see ya squirt? Tap, tap is this thing on??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Bulldog Posted January 27, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 27, 2011 See my previous post………(Can it get any further?) "Do Better..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller thager Posted January 28, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 28, 2011 Sorry Bulldog but yes it probably could. Numerous versions of the same negative or positive viewpoint stated slightly differently by different entities gets pretty boring and people start to drift. Guilty. My apologies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller AdamCord Posted January 28, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 28, 2011 It looks like LTS is using 2 drive systems from this company, TM4 in Quebec: http://www.tm4.com/electric_powertrain.aspx I haven't found anything out on the batteries but currently there are no lithium battery manufacturers in North America AFAIK, so most likely those will come from somewhere in Asia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Bulldog Posted January 28, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 28, 2011 thager, thanks for the apology I was not offended in anyway…. my post was more tongue and cheek as I liked how it when from one end of the spectrum to the other. I am a big fan of different ideas and think this electric boat is very cool. I do not think it will be practical but it is cool to dream of a boat with little noise and no fumes. "Do Better..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skiray Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 It looks like you all have covered everything on this post. I do want to add my 2 cents.  This is very exciting. I'm 38 and I hope only half way through my skiing years. This is the first boat concept that I have seen that might provide an opportunity for skiers to buy their "last boat". Let's face it, once the wood was gone the boats were built to last. An all electric boat seems like it could stand the environmental test of time. I think it is a good sign and it looks like water skiing is going to continue to adapt to potential regulations instead of just drifting away. Let's face it, we are not going to be able to burn gas forever.  Make it last a little longer (8 - 10 sets), get the price close to the current market (within $5k - $10k for elec. option) and sign me up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Horton Posted January 28, 2011 Administrators Share Posted January 28, 2011 You guys see the front page? Brent is the man! (for about 10 miuntes) Goode ★ HO Syndicate ★ KD Skis ★ MasterCraft ★ PerfSki Radar ★ Reflex ★ S Lines ★ Stokes ★ Baller Video Coaching System Drop a dime in the can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller 6balls Posted January 29, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 29, 2011 Cool interview. If batterty tech is moving as fast as claimed, I would think there may be some reluctance to buy early on. If one year is going to have 50% more charge life, what if I wait one more year? If I wait one more year, will the battery be smaller, charge quicker, last longer? Will I wish I would have held onto the gobs of money I invested only to be obsolete very soon? What will the resale be on the obsolete model? A few years old and the battery performance may not even be comparable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SM Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 I share the same concerns, especially since you are making a 10 year (1000hr) investment in the battery to amortize the cost. The ideal situation may be one where you lease the batteries so that you can upgrade them every 2 or 3 years if you want. From a sales perspective, that would make buyers less fearful of buying into short term obsolescence. Beyond the battery issue, which is clearly the big hurdle, the idea of having a very quiet ski boat is amazing. I could start skiing at least an hour earlier at my cottage than I do now. The idea that the motor is off when it isn't pulling you is cool as well, aside from not wasting energy, you can easily talk with people in the boat between passes, no carbon monoxide etc.. Regarding price, what I understand is that the current battery pulls 4 sets or roughly the equivalent of 5 US gallons of gas. 20 litres = 5.2 (US) Gallons or 25 dollars (CAD) for 4 sets vs 2 dollars (CAD) of electricity. (I'm using Canadian dollars and prices as that is what Michel quoted for the price of electricity, which is relatively cheap here.) That represents $5.75 savings per set based on the current price of gas (CAD). I'm assuming that even if you triple the capacity of the batteries, the cost relationship remains the same, that is the batteries will work longer but the motor still consumes the same amount of electricity per set. So even when you get to 12 - 16 sets per day of battery capacity, you are still paying $2.00 for 4 sets in electricity. If you are to assume 400 sets per year (100 Hours) that's a savings of 2,300 dollars per year or 23,000 dollars saved on fuel over 10 years if the price of gas and electricity stays the same. Certainly electricity will not remain cheap as more and more electric cars etc increase the demand for it in the next few years. Percentage wise, I'm sure the price of gas will outpace the price increase in electricity. So if you are taking a $50,000 boat (not loaded) which is already expensive for most people and making it $75 - 80 thousand dollars, I think the price of gas needs to be much higher or the price of the batteries will have to come down before people are going to jump in in any significant way. I'm looking forward to when this technology is widely available at a reasonable price. (Please note that these prices reflect a $5.00 gallon of gas.) Someone please tell me if I screwed up the math. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller 6balls Posted January 29, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 29, 2011 The leased batteries is a good idea, but if they become smaller or shaped differently, could be an issue as well to retrofit. I'm still saying 10 years to overall practicality, all things considered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller danbirch Posted January 29, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 29, 2011 Excellent interview! Great information. I'm not buying the $2.00 for 3-4 set cost for everyone's electricity, though. The reason is that electric companies (here, at least), charge customers based on how much you use. So, if you are a person who can stay within baseline rates (near impossible, as you could never use your A/C or heating), you will receive a very low price per Kw used. If you are a person who has a pool, spa, uses plenty of A/C, Heating, etc, you may well be in the 5th+ tier. That means you pay an enormous price per Kw more (they "punish" you for using too much electricity). Therefore, if you plug in a 10 amp charger for 4-5 hrs., and were already in the 5th tier, you'd get to pay a much higher electricity bill, and may well be paying MORE than the price of gas.....Solar on the roof starts to make more sense, combined with the electric boat. Now, if they can just come down from the price of solar, we'd have a great, viable option. On a footnote, here is an example of what I mean. I compare electric bills with a neighbor. He typically uses about 1.5 times as many Kw's as I use. He gets nailed for 3x my bill (punishment). Neither of us use a lot, compared to the Heavy A/C, Pool/Spa/Salt Water fishtank/etc. owners... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skiray Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 If what he said in the interview is true, I can't wait to see the 2013 lineup from CC. I will worry about the battery pack being obsolete when I replace the original one at 1000 hours. I bet it will be less of a pain to convert the batteries than it was putting ZO on my 2006 196... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller skibug Posted January 29, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 29, 2011 One cool thing about the electric boat concept is the lack of noise. Can you imagine being able to hear coaching from the boat while you are skiing your set? It may not be optimum; but, it may be a benefit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller danbirch Posted January 30, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 30, 2011 I understand that the Prius batteries are lasting much longer than originally anticipated (in fact, they are still not failing, and have come down in price). Hopefully, that will translate into the boat's batteries as well. It is great that CC is trying to advance with this technology. It is also amazing that they would be doing it with "ski" boats, since it seemed as if these boats haven't been selling very well since the recession began (08). I would assume that they cannot do this (very well) with wake board boats, due to the high load they need (wake). Maybe this could help promote water skiing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCskiFreak Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 At the speeds and loads a wakeboard boat is going to see while loaded down it would pose a problem because of the high drag while at semi planing and displacement speeds. As for not needing to go very fast most of the x-stars and sante 230's etc I see on the lake do a lot more cruising and running at high speed than they do pulling boarders or surfers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller danbirch Posted January 30, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 30, 2011 They are way heavier boats, have a lot more drag, and use a lot more gas than ski boats. Gas = Power. Therefore, More power = more electricity need....much more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller rayn Posted January 30, 2011 Baller Share Posted January 30, 2011 This is really cool stuff, I look at it like a concept car right now. Not quite ready for prime time for most of us.  The next gen or gen after that is going to make it more main stream. Hopefully with all the research going on the battery technology will zoom in the next couple of years.From the video on the main page, I am not sure I like the argument, We are giving you xx gallons of gas to justify the cost diffential, but I like the ski school/tournament thoughts on just have 3 battery packs and change them out and charge off boat. Not sure how that would go for all of us on public lakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Andre Posted February 6, 2011 Baller Share Posted February 6, 2011 Some more interviews with the Nautique guys.http://www.emiliepoirier.com/Didn't watch them cause of my super slo-mo dial up connection but they're in english. My ski finish in 16.95 but my ass is out of tolerance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmccavit Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Why not put a Honda 2000 watt generator in the boat to give the battery a continuous charge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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