Saturday, December 5, 2009

[Electric Boats] Electric Catamaran

 

Hello Group!

 

I just joined today. The reason for my interest is finding help in planning out an electric alternative to conventional internal combustion engines on a catamaran I'm beginning to conceptualize.

 

The dimensions will be ~ LOA 36', Beam 22', Mast Height 60'. It will be a light, fast, demountable sailboat that will fit on a trailer ~ 8' wide for towing anywhere. I may consider going into production if this works as I plan. The first one will be used to do a lot of fishing in the Pacific Ocean from Mexico to Panama. Weight is critical! Reliable power is critical. The boat will have all the necessary systems to sustain 4 adults for extended voyages, maybe even an ocean crossing some day. 3 or 4 knots in calm waters is of no use to me. I have to be able to control my boat in high winds and surging ocean currents and troll or motor at above 6 knots for extended periods. I have a couple things most sailboats do not, twin hulls = less weight for a much larger usable space and a huge hard bimini top for solar (~13'X14'). I'd like to cover this bimini with something like the Uni-Solar (http://www.uni-solar.com) PVL-68 laminates. I figure I can get 8 of the them up there and they'll weigh less than 100 Lbs.

 

It looks like my bogey is battery weight. There is no way I'm adding a ton of lead to this boat! I can get great performance from a couple 20HP outboards that weigh less than 120 Lbs each. Is there any hope of electric propulsion or am I dreaming?

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