Did you or do you know if any of the other owners installed PV or wind to supplement??? Would PV/wind and/or one more bank help extend the range? How much range did you have on the ICW? Is it a case of not enough wind on the ICW or what? Can you truly "sail" the ICW or are you motor sailing all the way?
I believe the New Orleans boat has wind and solar power or getting ready to add one of them. But this is more than likely on the house bank not the propulsion bank. I'm not even sure if there is a controller system out there for a 144v for wind or solar plus the output of solar is so small you really can't use it for powering a system that uses this much power like 40A or more. Wind would give you a bit more but still not capable of providing enough to power twin 10HP electric motors. Those type systems are best for topping off the house batteries or in my case the genset start batteries.
More batteries would extend the range. In my case you need another 144v bank. Not practical.
The range on the ICW (or any range for that matter) is dependent on the type of power you're using, the speed you're traveling at, and how far you're willing to discharge your batteries. At best under electric alone I can get around 4 hours at 3kts. With the genset I have unlimited distance at about 8kts using roughly 1gph. If I go out into open water I can sail as long as I have wind and regenerate enough power to run all the stuff on board I need to keep the wife happy. Mind you, you still have to conserve but it's not like the dark ages.
There are very few areas you could run the sail out on the ICW. Mostly Bays and they are far and few apart. It's not practical to sail on the ICW do to limited maneuverability, don't forget I'm 41' long and 24'wide. Even small boats would be under limits. Then to the wind is mostly blocked in the small channel ways. The ICW also has a lot of tricky areas with shoals and sandbars ready to grab you. You're best to run the motors and keep up with traffic.
Steve in Solomons MD
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