Sorry somehow I hit the send key before I finished :-).
What I was trying to get at is the fact that electric sailboat auxiliary businesses were just getting off the ground with engineered, affordable units when the economy tanked. I think if you look into any Marine Business you will find pretty flat sales.
And to finish my thought on my setup;
Yes, I have been operating my electric auxiliary sailboat nonstop since April or May of 2008 and have never had a range or operational issue. I don't cruise much, mostly daysail multiple days per week with overnights within 35 miles, but that is more than I see most of the sailboats doing around here.
Mark
Santa Cruz
--- In
electricboats@yahoogroups.com, "acsarfkram" <acsarfkram@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Eric,
>
> I'll agree with the idea that powerboats are a niche group for E-propulsion. Although even for a strictly motorized boat (no sails) electric or human-power is increasingly the only way people are going to be able to access certain lakes across the USA.
>
> There are three other electric sailboats boats that I know of in the Santa Cruz Harbor. I think one of the reasons that there are not more electric conversions on sailboats is that the economy has been so bad pretty much since the latest Unfortunately the electric auxiliary .
>
> Yes, I have been operating my electric auxiliary sailboat nonstop since April or May of 2008
>
> --- In
electricboats@yahoogroups.com, "Eric" <ewdysar@> wrote:
> >
> > No, I was referring to the fact that there are many more power boats than sailboats in the US. According to the USCG 2009 statistics, registered power boats outnumber auxiliary sailboats by about 98 to 1. Looking at just the sailboat population, we know that the 26' to 40' range is the sweet spot for electric conversions. Now we're down to less than 51,000 boats in the US out of over 12 million mechanically driven boats (boats with motors).
> >
> > Many of the people I know that own boats of that size would not accept the limitations that we have all accepted by trading to electric. I own two boats in this range and won't convert one of them due to the performance hit while sailing and motoring, and I'm a big proponent of the technology.
> >
> > Just for sampling, I know that you've been operating your boat very successfully for a few years. How many other people in your marina have tackled a similar conversion?
> >
> > I still beleive that electric drive is a very good answer for some sailboat users, but it no more of a universal answer than ICE is.
> >
> > --- In
electricboats@yahoogroups.com, "acsarfkram" <acsarfkram@> wrote:
> > >
> > > >Show them how the compromises can be a good choice for some users. >With their
> > > >feedback about your boat, you'll find that electric is not a good >choice for
> > > >most boaters, both pleasure and commercial. This is a niche industry >and I'm
> > > >glad to be a contributing part of it.
> > >
> > > >Eric
> > >
> > > I've seen some negative posting here lately, but this one I can't let stand. Without a doubt MOST sailboaters that I see out on the water would be better off with an electric drive. Cheaper to operate, more reliable, more pleasant to be around...
> > >
> > > Eric, are you talking about commercial fishing boats?
> > >
> > > Mark
> > > Santa Cruz
> > >
> >
>
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