My wife and I race a Ranger 22 sailboat around the buoys. We recently put a Torqueedo 1003 on her for propulsion. We are real sailors that sail blue water races(example Annapolis to Bermuda) in our other sailboat a Swan 38. My first keel boat (about 30 years ago) had it's second tank of fuel still in it when I sold it three years later. We hate using the diesel for all the reasons cited but I must agree with John Bortner. ICE is not the enemy and electric is not here "yet".
We thought the Torqueedo was perfect for our around the buoy day racer because we just "needed to get out of the marina". We'll what happens when you truly don't have any wind and the race committee sets up the starting 3 miles from the marina? The race has a starting time so you may need to "steam all ahead full" and use up more battery then you originally intended. How do you get back with limited battery……… again, assuming no wind. This was the real life experience we had this weekend when racing the Leukemia Cup Regatta @ Riverdunes. Good news is that we made it. Good news is that we will buy a second battery and that WILL solve our problem but to say that the Torqueedo is a perfect solution would be inaccurate.
Don't bash ICE. It's done a lot of good historically although it's time to be replaced may have come. Don't be a cult "electric"; you won't convince the rational ones. Electric is progressing rapidly. It's going to be great. But it's not "there yet"………………………….sailor or not.
Just my opinion,
George Homme
S/V SPIRIT and TENACITY
From: electricboats@yahoogroups.com [mailto:electricboats@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of bill garrison
Sent: Thursday, June 09, 2011 3:17 AM
To: electricboats@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Electric Boats] Newbie
correct me if I am wrong, but if you have a sail boat you usually only need it for entering and leaving the marina until you get to the open waters. If this is true, then you don't have to have a killer system that you will rarely use to its full potential. The exception is if there is a reason that prevents you from using your sails to cruise and need the electric motor to get back home. That is my two cents.
Hello, E boaters. I'm fishing for opinions and technical info in my hopefully pending conversion of a 40ft sailboat. Its a big heavy cruising boat (with a dead engine), and I shudder at the thought of putting another diesel engine in the thing. The problem is where I live in Puget Sound the wind is fickle, so i'm trying to reconcile changing my cruising habits with available technology. Now that I can get a powerful enough AC motor, my issue is how to make a defacto diesel electric. I'm thinking lotsa 8D batteries and a 10kw genset would allow me to cruise 3 to 4 hours a time with a 10kw draw at 80% of hull speed. |
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