Todd,
A faster boat would be great, but if we're talking about 28'-32' displacement sailboats, breaking 6 knots gets more difficult with 1/4 ton of batteries on board. For bigger boats, that speed threshold is easier to hit, but bigger boats take bigger drives, and so on...
The best success stories that I have heard about regen is in the 40'+ catamarans that can cruise at 7 or 8kts even with the extra weight related to the electric system(s).
So how fast do you regularly sail in your boat today?
I know that my 30' ketch has only touched 6kts a couple of times in over 10 years. 5kts takes a solid breeze for my old boat. So I don't expect much from regen from my electric drive, even when headed offshore to our local islands.
Alternatively, my 27' trimaran has hit 6kts boat speed in only 5kts true wind. If I converted that boat to electric, that kind of performance would no longer be possible. I'm not willing to sacrifice my good runs at 15kts+ boat speed to go electric. The 9.8hp outboard is auxilliary power that works for me.
We've got a lot of options and we each get to figure out what will work best for the way that we actually use our boats. Electric is a good answer for some use cases and horrible for some other use cases. Learning the difference before the considerable investment of time and money is why I'm a member of this group.
Fair winds,
Eric
Marina del Rey, CA
--- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, "Todd" <toddbates99@...> wrote:
>
> Regen for short trips is probably not viable. That said it might be nice for longer trips. Or perhaps with larger faster boats it might be more viable. This article gives a nice synopsis "http://www.svsarah.com/Whoosh/WhooshPacificPrepTowGenerator.html". I think regen may be like water makers, you have to be going for longer trips to make sense. I like Capt. Mikes idea of mutual backups. Maybe solar, regen, and generator with a faster boat.
>
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