waterproofing the motor

[santanateek]

So I am highly modifying my old electric yamaha so I can drive it about 5 feet deep into salt water to launch my sailboat on the beach. I'm rerouting all the cables and everything up onto a frame about 5 feet above the frame of the cart, which I will be sitting on. Sounds crazy, I know. Has anyone ever made one of these carts totally waterproof? My plan is to wrap the motor and gearbox in multiple layers of fiberglass. I am extending the steering column and moving the batteries up to the top of the frame as well. Any advice? I will post pictures later.

[SpoiledRotten]

Sounds crazy, I know.

Yep!

I'm not a cart or a motor buff, but I would think you are setting yourself up for overheating a motor if you are going to isolate it. Maybe not, but just my thinking. Not only that but how long do you expect this cart to last dipping it in the ocean like that?

[Volt_Ampere]

I would not do this! Make yourself an extension between the cart and the trailer or dolly so that the cart doesn't have to be submerged. Nothing in a golf cart is designed to be immersed - especially the motor.

[santanateek]

An extension would be nice, but it would have to be about 80 feet long, which is obviously prohibitive. I realize nothing on the cart is made to be submerged. That is why everything electronic will be up on the frame, high and dry. The motor overheating is definitely a concern, all wrapped up in fiberglass the heat wont be able to go anywhere. I'm only going to be using the cart to launch and retrieve. It will maybe go a quarter mile at a time, if that. Ive also though about using mineral oil. Once the gearbox and motor are all sealed up, drill a small hole just through the fiberglass and fill the whole inside of the motor with mineral oil, which conducts heat but not electricity, then seal off the hole. This is how people commonly make small electric motors waterproof. Mineral oil is pretty runny, but it would probably still be viscus enough to slow the motor down, so I'm not sure it this would gain anything.

I have also thought about the rust. I have several other trailers and toys that I use down there that go in the salt water a lot. Washing immediately with a salt neutralizer goes a long way. So does sanding and paint. I know it will rust out eventually but if I could get a few yeara out of it I'd be thrilled.

[Volt_Ampere]

Can you use a winch attached to the cart? I still wouldn't submerge it.

[cmar143]

I work on an island here in fl where only electric carts are allowed and deal with saltwater on a daily basis. I can say from experience that it will take less then a year for the frame and anything else that is not stainless to rust and fall apart. Club cars are the only cart that will give the owner more then a couple years of use out there and that is just from the salt water exposure not driving directly through. And even those people with club cars who drive through the areas that flood in the summer have differentials that rust entirely through and leak oil in about a year. The ends of the motor studs rust out making it impossible to remove the nuts, springs don't last, steering racks get sloppy quick. And on top of all that I doubt the stock motor and controller will pull a decent size boat up the ramp. I would stay away from salt water with a steel frame cart.

[santanateek]

Originally Posted by Volt_Ampere

Can you use a winch attached to the cart? I still wouldn't submerge it.

I wish. This would be fine to get it out of the water, but I need some way to get the trailer about 80-100 feet out into the water to get it deep enough. Pushing it by hand with a dolly with beach tires would be possible, if I always had several big guys there who didn't mind getting wet and cold. The sand slopes very very gradually and the boat has a keel so I cant just dump it on the sand. The nearest launch ramp is 15 miles away, which is 3 hours by sailboat.

[santanateek]

Originally Posted by cmar143

I work on an island here in fl where only electric carts are allowed and deal with saltwater on a daily basis. I can say from experience that it will take less then a year for the frame and anything else that is not stainless to rust and fall apart. Club cars are the only cart that will give the owner more then a couple years of use out there and that is just from the salt water exposure not driving directly through. And even those people with club cars who drive through the areas that flood in the summer have differentials that rust entirely through and leak oil in about a year. The ends of the motor studs rust out making it impossible to remove the nuts, springs don't last, steering racks get sloppy quick. And on top of all that I doubt the stock motor and controller will pull a decent size boat up the ramp. I would stay away from salt water with a steel frame cart.

Thanks, thats good to know. Like I said though, the nuts on the motor will be completely encased. If the frame starts to rust out despite being washed with neutralizer after every use and painted, then that is a separate issue that I will have to face. I have several other quads and trailers that I've had down there for years so I'm less concerned with the rust battle.

It sounds like nobody has ever tried to make their motor waterproofed like this. Anyone havee experience with towing in sand, or with using paddle tires on an electric cart? I don't see why that part of it wouldn't work. I think my biggest threat is shorting the motor with saltwater.

[cmar143]

Brushed motors need to breathe to release dust otherwise all that dust will eventually get trapped between stator and armature and lock it up entirely. The drive doesn't have many high amperage upgrades for sand and stuff like ez go and club cars do because of the throttle and regen system. With a series style motor-controller combo you could have way more options to make a torque and speed monster. Even with a regen club car or ez go you could do something that would have no problem pulling a boat through the sand. We have a 48v series cart with 700a ge controller and 13hp motor that we use to launch and pick up boats and that is driving through sandy roads because there are no paved roads on the island. The drive is limited however with options for high amp outputs unless you are willing to change your throttle system and then purchase new controller/motor combo.

[Volt_Ampere]

If ANY water gets inside the motor, it will rust up the brush holders in no time and you will have a ruined motor. By the way, I have a Snipe and I am working on similar issues for launching it when the lake level is low.