One of the first sailboats to be fitted with an electric Thoosa 7000-HT 48V system was a classic 34 foot 1978 Ericson. This sailboat was originally outfitted with a Universal Atomic 4, four cylinder gas engine that produced 30 horsepower@ 3500 RPM. Under the direction of Michael Whatley the motor was replaced with a Thoosa 7000 HT (high torque) 48V inboard electric motor – the equivalent of a 17~25HP combustion engine.
Below are some pictures we snapped during the process. The gas tank and the engine were replaced with a compact battery bank (stored under one of the seats) and a clean accessible room for the electric motor.
The First Test Run
The first test run lasted for 1 hours and 15 minutes, maintained an average speed of 4.5 knots and hit a top speed of 6.7 knots!