Chandler, Glad that my ramblings were useful. Honestly, I do think that electric systems are the way of the future and with an engineering background it should be entirely doable for you. I am a mechanical engineer and work wind wind energy so I have a pretty good grasp of the fundamentals although I am no expert in batteries and controllers - in any case feel free to run things by me if you want. Sounds like an exciting project and I would love to follow along and see what you decide. I also didn't know that Rob Ball had converted his 34 to electric so that is encouraging and a nice data point! Starting with a good motor and controller and some cheap batteries that can be upgraded later could be a good way to go. Maybe I'll start putting together the specs for a system for my boat this winter ...
Anyhow, if you can limp the old engine along, getting to head out and sail your new boat a this season while you figure it out sounds like a great plan. Definitely the best to get out sailing and then see what things you want to change/improve. I suggest you invest in a US Tow Boat gold membership (something like $250/year I think) so if your engine dies and there is no wind you can get a tow back home without breaking the bank. BTW, Stu (who manages the list) requests that we all trim out the previous messages from our replies so as not to fill up the list server storage faster than required (otherwise every message gets stored multiple times). Nathan S/V Wisper 1981 C&C 34 Lynn MA
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