Th

Starting on page 71 BRP shows the project ghost has been in works for quite some time. It's certainly not a loss of market share, instead they are attempting to revitalize the boating industry with engines below the transom. It's kind of an inboard motor approach but with a lower unit.

http://ir.brp.com/static-files/4158acfd-80cd-482d-a657-29bd8420c6d8

That will make service and repair much more difficult and $$

 

Th


That will make service and repair much more difficult and $$

welcome to ski-doo. they do this to everything they make. over engineer and clusterf*#@! everything up.

 

Huh? Doesn't seem very practical for a bunch of reasons.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Michigan Sportsman mobile app

 

They are not looking to target the consumer that would just pull the cowl off and figure out what is wrong if the motor doesn't start when the key is turned. They are targeting the pleasure boat crowd that will just call the local marina for service if something isn't right.

Pretty much the same people that lease a vehicle for the sole reason that they are always covered by the factory warranty by doing so.

 

Starting on page 71 BRP shows the project ghost has been in works for quite some time. It's certainly not a loss of market share, instead they are attempting to revitalize the boating industry with engines below the transom. It's kind of an inboard motor approach but with a lower unit.
http://ir.brp.com/static-files/4158acfd-80cd-482d-a657-29bd8420c6d8

Thanks Straight....I appreciate you doing the work to look this up and share it. It sure does look good, but not sure what the benefits are outside of the appearance.

 

From the way I'm reading it, it says "integrated outboard". So I'm thinking it will be a motor designed to be outside the boat completely, but beneath the boat and submerged to allow more fishing room on the back like an I.O., but also no doghouse inside. More or less a short designed outboard recessed beneath rear of boat right from the factory. Sounds pretty cool of that's the concept? Maybe it could be trimmed up at the dock to the left or right?

 

I would believe that it'd be integrated into the hull/transom so as to provide the most room possible. I imagine that access to it would take a a back seat to providing room. Yes, no dog house also. Oil, spark plug, air filter changes would be less than fun. May virtually eliminate the ability to swap motors, as the cost/time/structural integrity may be prohibitive. A plus for the boat manufacturer and a con for the consumer.

 

BRP is a company that can go out on a limb and have success. What I'm seeing is that they are essentially taking the design of jet skies and rolling it into boats with motor under deck. Certainly lowers the center of gravity, allows more stern room. Yet while keeping the weight off the transom, where it might allow more plastic reinforcement (relieve wood transom). I believe the lower unit will be like you see today on I/O's, as it would be needed for the higher HP pontoons.

i like them all...except ski-doo. View attachment 543997

I don't ride Ski-doo either, but you must keep in mind that Ski-doo was the first company to revitalize the snowmobile industry with changing the riding stance from low seating where pressure point goes to your spine/back to taller forward stance to put pressure point on your legs instead. They also own the snowmobile market with #1 sales in the world. Yet, keep in mind BRP bought Evinrude/Johnson before they went belly up to use their injection system in the two stroke snowmobiles to meet clean air emissions. (I do not know if trading patent infringements settlements have allowed Polaris to use their fuel injection system.) But let yourself be aware that Polaris now too owns a few boat companies so it will be interesting to see where Mercury will end up in 8yrs or so... left in the dark or moving ahead.. And yes, Mercury is affiliated with Brunswick

 

BRP is a company that can go out on a limb and have success. What I'm seeing is that they are essentially taking the design of jet skies and rolling it into boats with motor under deck. Certainly lowers the center of gravity, allows more stern room. Yet while keeping the weight off the transom, where it might allow more plastic reinforcement (relieve wood transom). I believe the lower unit will be like you see today on I/O's, as it would be needed for the higher HP pontoons.



I don't ride Ski-doo either, but you must keep in mind that Ski-doo was the first company to revitalize the snowmobile industry with changing the riding stance from low seating where pressure point goes to your spine/back to taller forward stance to put pressure point on your legs instead. They also own the snowmobile market with #1 sales in the world. Yet, keep in mind BRP bought Evinrude/Johnson before they went belly up to use their injection system in the two stroke snowmobiles to meet clean air emissions. (I do not know if trading patent infringements settlements have allowed Polaris to use their fuel injection system.) But let yourself be aware that Polaris now too owns a few boat companies so it will be interesting to see where Mercury will end up in 8yrs or so... left in the dark or moving ahead.. And yes, Mercury is affiliated with Brunswick

again, fully aware of all this. I've been in the industry my whole life. 2003 is a long time ago.

acquisition of ETEC from evinrude was their biggest success IMO. Allowed them to stay in the 2stroke game (much better performance per pound IMO). In sleds, thats very important....as well as boats. That 2stroke innovation is what forced polaris (cleanfire) and arcitc cat (Ctec 2) to develop their ETEC versions. Sad to see them leave the outboard market.

that being said. ski-doo may have the trail market and overall sales (because so many trail riders)....they do not own the mountain/deep powder market. Polaris has that tied up very easily. Innovation has been coming from polaris and arctic cat last 3-4 years...not much coming out of the brp camp except blown belts.

 

BRP is also the slowest to react to their customers request for changes. 2017 they had a blown belts issue on g4 chassis....they refused to acknowledge it was a problem....heck, til this day they don't admit it...but yet if you look at the changes made by the factory each year....are in the clutch design. lol. engineers are very stubborn there.

 

US Marine tried this concept in the 1990's on Bayliners with something called "L Drive".
Fail.

 

Starting on page 71 BRP shows the project ghost has been in works for quite some time. It's certainly not a loss of market share, instead they are attempting to revitalize the boating industry with engines below the transom. It's kind of an inboard motor approach but with a lower unit.

http://ir.brp.com/static-files/4158acfd-80cd-482d-a657-29bd8420c6d8

Thanks for posting this. Have been looking for more details on project ghost for awhile now.

If this concept lets water drain out like an outboard so you can use it in freezing temperatures, it doesn’t hurt draft or performance, this could be a game changer if it allows a full swim platform on the back of a fishing or pontoon boat. The concept art has a deck higher above the water, but getting something lower would a fishing boat to be used as easily as an I/O runabout or bigger boat for family time on the water, and even grandma and grandpa can swim and reboard. Try that with an emergency reboarding ladder common on fishing boats today and it ain’t happening.

 

and even grandma and grandpa can swim and reboard. Try that with an emergency reboarding ladder common on fishing boats today and it ain’t happening.

I had to make a three rung rope ladder extension for my Rangers OEM folding transom ladder. The E ladder is still on the port side of the motor, mounted on the motor mounting bolts, where it was when I got it. Even my 19 yr old 5'11" 195# gym rat has a tough time climbing that useless POS. I would be better off saving time and take a deep breath under water.

 

If you noticed, I mentioned Tesla. So I know electric can be fast. The question is......are there going to be floating recharge stations, or is Tow boat going to make a mint when they're all having too much fun and the juice runs out..:lol:.

Hows it any different than when the gas runs out on a combustion motor?

 

It differs greatly. There is no gauge to determine how much distance you get out of a full electric charge. People will push it until they get used to them. It would be something that would be trial and error, which means an increase in towing for sure if that were the case. It wouldn't be as easy as pouring in gas to get going again. You'd need time to recharge.

Maybe they will put the motor up front (hidden) with a drive shaft to propellers or just make it jet drive. Weight counter balance in back plus gas & batteries.

If you look at the info back a ways, it sounds like an outboard that's recessed under rear deck. They even mentioned the word outboard I believe.

 

If you noticed, I mentioned Tesla. So I know electric can be fast. The question is......are there going to be floating recharge stations, or is Tow boat going to make a mint when they're all having too much fun and the juice runs out..:lol:.

i hear ya. i don't think we are there yet either but i think brp is looking down the road with this dev.

they are close. there is power at the docks...actually much easier to actually due nowadays vs. installing pump station.

if they use a standard for the batteries, nothing says towboat USA doesn't carry backup cells on board just like they would with gas can.

the tech is almost there. i think right now duration of current power is the limiting factor...maybe hybrid style powersource would be best. idunno. be interesting to see where it goes.

 

Maybe they will put the motor up front (hidden) with a drive shaft to propellers or just make it jet drive. Weight counter balance in back plus gas & batteries.

 

You guys apparently forget how far behind the times about electric motors we are in the US. Pretty much every complaint or “what if” brought up in this thread has already been addressed and worked out in Europe, where most lakes have been electric only for the better part of two decades already.

 

Please share your unique information on the widespread use of electric propulsion systems in Europe on recreational boats comparable to the full catalogs of Alumacraft and Manitou that can easily cruise at 30-40 mph for a range of 100-200 miles.

 

only place i've seen electic motors used or even learned about them is on sailboats...they run them on their dingy's. lol. and a little 5 or 10hp motor is $10,000. i don't think "most" is proper use of words then talking electric boat motors.

 

I deliver dock on occasion and had a conversation with the owner of a boat/Etec dealer regarding the above. He believes/knows that BRP does indeed have something in the works. He thought that they were developing an engine that would fit directly into the pontoon log. It would be propless and jet driven.
Interesting to contemplate as it us hard to believe that they would just shutter Evinrude

 

Not too far off with the electric outboards. Look up evoy this is a 150hp they are currently working on and testing since 2018.

 

Building an electric outboard is easy. Making a whole system with batteries with cost, performance, and ease of use parity with combustion engine based systems is still a long way out. At the bottom of the picture you showed said charging would be maxed at 11 KW. That’s a typical maxed out whole house load. So you have to put in a separate electrical service just to charge the boat. To get to range parity with a 40 gallon gas tank, battery capacity is probably over 200 kW/hr. But even at 200 and the Mac charging rate, it’s over 18 hours to charge, not counting the start charging and finishing routines. So if you want to use the boat every other day, someone could make it work if gasoline outboards were banned on a particular waterway.

 

Good points Pike and Big Davee.

With BRP now owning more boat brands....you have to think that boat design will play a big part in the success of future electrics. Reduce the drag by 20-50% and the whole thing gets closer to winning to. Or replace fiberglass/aluminum with carbon fiber.....etc...

 

I hear ya. I was just saying it's not as far away as people think. Definitely far from perfect imo. Besides the exact performance specs etc arent out yet so it will be interesting when that info comes out.

There's a few players

https://electracraft.com/182tr/

https://randboats.com/boats/supreme-27-e/