Rob: There are many examples of people who have traveled thousands of miles on the seas and continue to travel without any engine at all. Lin and Larry Pardy come to mind. Survival at sea when things go bad on the water does not depend on any particular type of "auxiliary power" you have on board. Survival depends on the skills of the sailor and having a plan to deal with the conditions one finds themselves in. Depending on a diesel as a backup plan does not guarantee a safe outcome any more than relying on an electric propulsion system when the going gets rough. I've had my diesel fail on me a few times for various reasons from antifreeze leaks to a clogged intakes and filters. Luckily these failures did not happen in storm conditions. I also had a YIKES moment when I recently looked into my on board diesel fuel tank as I am converting it into a fresh water wash down tank: I wonder how many other diesel tanks are in boats with this type of tar coating in their tanks just waiting for some rough conditions to dislodge it and clog the fuel lines.
When I was deciding whether to switch to electric propulsion I did think about the ramifications of the limited range due to the battery bank storage issue. Would I be able to cruise the same way to the same places as when I had a diesel. Happily I find I can and the trip is much more pleasant than when I had a diesel. I decided to add the Honda 2000 into the charging mix because of this concern. Though I find that I am using it less than I originally thought I would to get me where I need to go. I think the problem with the Siandra conversion is they were using the 48 volt bank not only for electric propulsion but, to power their house bank too and they just wanted to use their limited solar and wind generator setup to recharge the batteries. I think they expected too much from the technology and were on also sold on the regen too which led to their dissappointment. I think a lot of their problems would have been solved with the addition of a small generator and at a much cheaper cost than going back to diesel. Their issue was with charging the battery bank not the reliability of the electric propulsion system Capt. Mike --- On Sun, 6/5/11, Rob Johnson <dopeydriver@yahoo.com.au> wrote:
From: Rob Johnson <dopeydriver@yahoo.com.au>
Subject: Re: [Electric Boats] Re: Siandra unplugged
To: electricboats@yahoogroups.com
Date: Sunday, June 5, 2011, 12:53 AM
Richard , what is the percentage of people who have died in those situations , to those that survive ?. Over the centuries , millions have died , for no other reason than they had inadequate auxilery power. We , in the Portland CG have 100 +rescues each year , almost all fuel or electrical problems with outboards (never diesels). No backup power , they had to be rescued. That means someone else had to risk their lives , to help them. I say , get it right the first time , don't deal with dreams and romance , deal with facts.
The people on Siandra want to regain their independence , which they had lost with their electric setup.They had been sold a pup. And facts , I'm finding out , are hard to find , in this industry. Time to forget the BS , and deal with cold hard reality. Regards Rob J.
From: Richard Mair <fullkeel2000@yahoo.ca>
To: "electricboats@yahoogroups.com" <electricboats@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sun, 5 June, 2011 10:37:47 AM
Subject: Re: [Electric Boats] Re: Siandra unplugged
With a sailboat an engine is not always needed to get back to land.. Read about Yves adventures here http://www.capehorn.com/sections/dematage/capsized.htm
From: Rob Johnson <dopeydriver@yahoo.com.au>
To: electricboats@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, June 3, 2011 9:02:26 PM
Subject: Re: [Electric Boats] Re: Siandra unplugged
Kevin , when talking about serious ocean going , then you have to consider all possibilities , its not always possible to hide from bad weather. About this time last year , a Czech was getting well in to the last leg of a solo circumnavigation , from NZ to NZ. He was in the Southern ocean , 800 or so NM south of here , when he was hit by a storm , of a severity that he had never experienced before. After 3 days , his boat pitch poled , breaking the mast , and clearing the deck , including his life raft. He had to stay below for another 2 days , before the weather abated enough for him to come up , and survey the damage. He had a boom left , he made up a little jury rig , and there was a fair amount of diesel in his tank , so , over the next few weeks , he slowly made it to Portland , Australia , motoring , motorsailing. Tell me how he could have made it back here , by electric power. The only way I can see is by using a serial , or parallel diesel hybrid , installed in the boat. There is a lot to dislike about diesel , but the reality is its hard to beat , when the chips are down. Regards Rob J.
From: Kevin Pemberton <pembertonkevin@gmail.com>
To: electricboats@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sat, 4 June, 2011 9:30:53 AM
Subject: Re: [Electric Boats] Re: Siandra unplugged
Like it or not, advertising or promoting something like re-gen that has shown makes up little of what is used is a bad idea. I have charmed in on the topic more than once just to remind people it is a pipe dream. It is disappointing to read that someone that went to the trouble of conversion went back to a complete dino system because someone sold them on such a thing. I hope people on this list will continue to discourage the hope of re-gen every time it is brought up. It has little to do with new tech and more to do with selling something that has failed the test more than one time just to make a buck. What you can expect from re-gen is: - Lost WMG that seems to mean little till you are caught in a storm because you failed to make port before the storm.
- finding that recovery didn't even keep the house lit.
- Finding that people that tried to discourage re-gen were right, and no matter, you are disappointed with your results.
Just remember energy has to come from somewhere and all things moving require energy to do it. Most cruisers spend much effort to keep out of natures way. They hide in port for the right sailing conditions, and try to outrun any storm. So why consider re-gen? Sorry for the rant. Kevin Pemberton On 06/03/2011 09:53 AM, acsarfkram wrote: Hey Mike,
I couldn't agree more, for me it would be depressing to go back to diesel or gasoline. Regen is a weak point(so far) and it seems a prop in an aperture is even more of a challenge. I can't shake the idea of a hydro-generator for regen on an electric auxiliary.
I guess they must of gotten one of the older Sevcons that restricts forward/reverse shifting if the shaft is moving. They could have had the controller re-programed or have done what I did with the shaft brake. The brake would have also taken care of the freewheeling prop issue.
Mark
Santa Cruz -- AspireOne Netbook running Ubuntu 11.04 Safe, Secure, Easy to use, Free Open Source Linux OS. Leaving Virus worries to the Windows Users!
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