Freeman 26 Solar Powered Electric Boat Cabin Cruiser.

TOTALLY UNIQUE TOTALLY ECO FRIENDLY TOTAL IDIOT FOR SELLING IT !!!!!! There are 3 main types of boat owner..... 1. A person that buys a boat and goes out in it at every opportunity they have.2. A person that buys a boat and then leaves it tied to the bank and waits for it to rot.3. A person that buys a boat and then spends years modifying it ,re-fitting it, turning it into a thing of beauty ,spending a fortune on it, and then just when it's finished deciding to sell it and do it all again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In other words "my name is Peter and I'm an Engineer" . "Sparks" is a 26ft Freeman cruiser moored in Burscough on the Leeds Liverpool Canal.From the outset it is obvious that I have built a custom made wheel house which is, above all else secure and spacious . It provides very comfortable adaptable accommodation. As can be seen , the front windscreen is raked forward which was inspired by sea going vessels. I believe that when at sea this forward slanting reduces reflection.

In this case however in means that windscreen wipers aren't needed !! The inside of the boat has been totally re-fitted. It has a very usable galley with a 2 ring hob and hinged cover , an oven and grill combined and a full size sink and drainer. Beware tiny sinks without drainer boards.....it makes everything more difficult.There is no shower on board . Boats of this size are often sold with a combined wc / shower...….unless your a 5ft tall ,stick thin ,yoga instructor the shower is a waist of space!!

There is a toilet compartment ,with an as new chemical toilet included. ( it is clean )From the internal photos you can see that there is a double sofa with storage below and a large seating/double bed at the bow.Unlike other boats there is a wardrobe with hanging rail (definitely needed but often overlooked).Unusually for a fibreglass cruiserI've made and installed a solid fuel stove that works well. Beneath is a cupboard for fuel storage . And now for the most interesting bit.... Sparks is fitted with a Smiths electric motor.Cast iron technology both literally and figuratively !!!! At full power she draws about 180Amps at 48Volts so would be rated at 8.6Kw.This is rarely needed but handy if you need to stop quickly!!!

45 to 50Amps takes you along the canal at 4-5 mph.There is a huge battery bank of 4 lead acid truck batteries wired in series beneath the front double bed (4 X 220Ah) . They are housed within a steel compartment that is vented to the outside ( no chances of gasses entering the cabin). Using lead acid (wet) battery design will allow for future possibilities for the development of an engine driven twin alternator generator if required. The other plus is that they are fairly cheap to source There are 4 large solar panels on the roof of the wheel house giving a max of 480Watts of power on a really sunny day. Sparks would not be suitable, without another form of re-charging to go on extended cruising holidays.

But she is perfect if you're looking for a weekend retreat where there is always plenty of battery power for lighting / domestic power. Bringing her home from the river Douglas to Burscough she used about 1/2 of her battery life. 13 miles , 8 locks , loads of bridges and plenty of fun. If you're only doing it once a week the panels will take care of the recharging. I forgot to mention earlier that there is also a bespoke aluminium bathing platform installed which supports a large gas locker at the stern.

Not likely to go swimming in the canal but does make maintenance at the rear possible and even clearing weed from the propeller. From the pictures you will see that the rudder has been extended which allows "Sparks" to be manoeuvred easily at low speed ,even with no propulsion!!! All electric boats receive a 25% discount on their licence!! If you would like to see a video of the boat "in action"please click this link...…. Https://youtu.be/Y-Oa_BP9rXs I hope you enjoy the video.

As said earlier...…. "my name is Peter and I am an engineer" If you have any questions please ring ,text or message me via classifieds board.0phone. I know a guy who could deliver the boat on a trailer to your slipway at reasonable cost and can pass his details on to any prospective buyer. Payment via bank transfer only (NO PAYPAL) If you've got this far......Thanks for reading and sleep well!! In answer to some questions I've received..... The beam is 8ft 10 inchesThe air draft is 7ft 6 inchesThe width of the wheelhouse is 6ft 7 1/2 inchesThe height from water to the lowest edge of the solar panels is 7ft 3 1/2 inches The wheel house is fixed and does not fold.

Options for charging include...running a 240v petrol generator on board and using a 48 volt battery charger directly onto the two power studs directly beneath the steering wheel. There are 20amp 48v chargers here on classifieds board for £50.It is possible to use four identical 12V charges directly across individual batteries providing that the black negative leads are not common to earth.If your lucky enough to have decent shore power available (16 Amp blue plug) you could buy a second hand 48volt single phase forklift charger which will re-charge the boat very quickly. Thinking about it, if you've got space at your mooring for a secure shed ,you could put a decent genny (4.5 to 5KW)and the forklift charger in there and just have two cables running into the boat.Charging is something we can discuss if your genuine about taking ownership .Advice is free As can be seen from the last photo....today I sourced and connected a quality 17Amp 48Volt charger. It works well connected to my onboard 240v generator. If concerned about depleting the power on an extended journey you could run the generator to supplement the batteries.Here is yet another video ….

Https://youtu.be/m8MdZ7ZsSdo It shows my generator and the charger at work.