On Thu, Sep 22, 2011 at 08:25:03PM -0000, Eric wrote:
> Hi Ben,
>
> This fits in with a common conversation in this group. Electric drive is just another option for boats. However, each owner needs to see what type of system, (diesel, gasoline, outboard, saildrive, battery, hybrid, diesel-electric, etc. etc.) is the best solution for how they use their boat. For some, electric is a reasonable alternative, diesel will be better for others, and an gasoline outboard can be a great solution for still others.
There is, of course, some overlap - the benefits are usually not
orthogonal, and so can't really be compared - but, yeah, there's
definitely no one-size-fits-all answer.
> Every owner that considers converting to electric should think about how they actually use their boat before commiting the time and resources to the conversion. I would also suggest that anybody considering re-powering with diesel should consider electric, but there are so many misconceptions about the actual compromises that come with electric drives, that conversation is more difficult with regular boat owners right now.
True! I've struck up a few conversations about it with people who would
have gained quite a bit from a conversion, given their usage model, but
there's so much fear of the unknown as well as outdated information that
is taken as The One Holy Truth that I just gave up.
> I know that you have done your due diligence in learning what an electric drive can do and what it might cost. If the value proposition of an electric drive doesn't measure up for the way that you use your boat, then you should go with the better fit. In spite of what some people say, electric drive is not the best answer for everyone, it's just a very good answer for some.
Yeah. I'm a bit sad that it doesn't seem to be the answer for me, since
I *really* appreciate many of its benefits - but if the numbers don't
work out, then so be it.
--
Ben Okopnik
-=-=-=-=-=-
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