T-Pain Is On A Boat: RE: [Electric Boats] Station keeping Azipod -- was Re: Multidirectional Docking Electric Motors

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

RE: [Electric Boats] Station keeping Azipod -- was Re: Multidirectional Docking Electric Motors

There was a catamaran here some years ago. Whangarei NZ. With a propeller turbine directly coupled to the prop that could go to windward.

Also a similar setup in wooden boat magazine, on a monohull.

From: electricboats@yahoogroups.com [mailto:electricboats@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Steamboat Willie
Sent: Wednesday, 10 November 2010 2:44 p.m.
To: electricboats@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Electric Boats] Station keeping Azipod -- was Re: Multidirectional Docking Electric Motors

Bear in mind that wind turbines have a LOT of wind resistance (you don't get the power for free) and it will take more power to hold the vessel in position with them running. But there has been an idea kicking around for the past 20-30 years, and that's to have a wind turbine connected to a propeller and drive a boat DIRECTLY UPWIND... You might be the first!!!

Willie

--- On Tue, 11/9/10, Galstaf <richard@atlrent.com> wrote:

From: Galstaf <richard@atlrent.com>
Subject: [Electric Boats] Station keeping Azipod -- was Re: Multidirectional Docking Electric Motors
To: electricboats@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday, November 9, 2010, 10:32 AM

To clarify: I am indeed seeking an anchorless solution, and this is going to be a *non sailing craft* with 15-20kW of vertical wind turbines. More turbines may be added later.. they are not nearly as large or heavy as I had originally anticipated.
The Azipod does pretty much what I am looking for; I just wasn't aware of the name. Ideally I would like that to be the principle drive for the boat also.
Can anyone recommend a manufacturer for boats in the 50' (25000 pounds) range?
Is anyone using anything like this?

--- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, danbollinger <no_reply@...> wrote:
>
> It is possible, but I'm guessing you'd have to do most of the development work yourself. Good station-keeping, as in drilling rigs and research vessels, is done with a thruster on each quarter. Not a very good solution for a sailboat. Another way would be a single azi-pod mounted near the center of the boat. It would turn to face away from the direction of drift, and the thrust until it returns to station.
>
> I like the idea of anchor line strain gages, but the OP seemed to say he wanted an anchor-less solution.
>
> --- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, "leemurs72" <jt.yahoo@> wrote:
> >
> > What you are looking for is called "station keeping" in autopilot speak. http://www.yachtingmagazine.com/article/Best-New-Autopilots has some tidbits on various autopilots. The ComNAV autopilots have station keeping abilities, but I think that requires a bow thruster...
> >
> > I am sure you could spoof a stay-put request by feeding a tight circle of waypoints to your autopilot over and over again. Of course, your anchorage neighbours would not be too pleased.
> >
> > How about adding a strain gauge to the anchor line feeding info to
>