Saturday, March 16, 2013

Re: [Electric Boats] Re: New member, new electric & solar powered motorboat

 

Yme,
 
I have several reasons for my preference for twin screws. The fact that they would be simpler, less expensive, more reliable and easier to fix are the main ones. With a pod you have all your eggs in one basket so to speak, and then you're keeping the basket underwater. If you have a problem, which you will at some point, you'll have to haul the boat to work on it. It all just seems like a formula for long term, expensive difficulties to me.  
 
A pod might be marginally more efficient but I'm not even sure about that. It all depends on who's motors your comparing and how you design the mechanism. A straight shaft to a simple pully system with an electric motor doesn't have much friction in it.
 
It's the custom boat of your dreams so follow your heart, but my heart says there's nothing like twin inboard screws for ease of mantenance, performance, versatility, and safety. Plus, it would probably be less expensive depending on how you did it.
 
And I'd also consider going with rigid framed monocrystalline solar panels. You typically get 3 times more power per unit area and amorphous has a bad habit of going soft over time. The manufacturer's have been claiming they've solved this problem for years and maybe they finally have but my experience is that after a few years the amorphous technology starts to degrade. I've got some old Sovonics panels that don't even work anymore.  It's great technology when you have plenty of space, want to mount it on a curve or you're dealing with partial shading issues but you have non of this on your dream boat. With some 15% efficient mono panels you might be able to push that boat 3 mph on a sunny day strictly off solar. Not so much with 6-8% eff. flexible amorphous.
 
Carter
From: Yme Bosma <mail@yme.nl>
To: electricboats@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, March 15, 2013 3:30 AM
Subject: [Electric Boats] Re: New member, new electric & solar powered motorboat

Thanks for the feedback Carter.

As for the (expensive lightweight Solbianflex) solar panels, I don't expect to run on the panels only. Not enough sun around here... But my battery range should be enough to get to a charging station in time (we have many). And when going slowly (restricted to 3-4 knots) through the Amsterdam or French canals for instance, panels should do fine. I have a portable Honda generator as a backup.

Would a twin screw setup not be a lot less efficient than one pod with a large prop? Are you worried about the pod not being watertight (seals)?

--- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, Carter Quillen <twowheelinguy@...> wrote:
>
> First thing: Awesome concept! And I like the basic design of the vessel.
> �
> But you don't have enough solar collection area. Cover every square inch you can find and then some with the highest efficiency solar cells you can find if you want to push that boat with solar energy. If you plan on making it a diesel hybrid with a token solar panel then you're fine�but if you really want to get around on the Sun, you'll need�a lot more solar panels.
> �
> Also, I'd forget the pod and go twin screw with inboard electric motors. Will cost less, give you more redundancy, and perform better. That's just my professional opinion.
> �
> Cool project, go for it!
> �
> Carter
> www.archemedesproject.blogspot.com
>
> From: Yme Bosma <mail@...>
> To: electricboats@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2013 3:17 PM
> Subject: [Electric Boats] New member, new electric & solar powered motorboat
>
>
>
>
> After having sold our Lagoon cruising catamaran on which we just finished a 1 year and 10.000 mile trip to the Caribbean, it is time for something different...
>
> We are now in the process of designing and building a fully electric and solar powered 33ft motorboat. Trailerable, easily maintained, minimum (air) draft, comfortable, ready for all seasons, safe at sea. She will be powered by a 10kW steerable pod, running on a 30kWh lithium battery pack and 2kWp solar panels. We are currently finishing the design, selecting the (Dutch) yard where she will be built, and finalizing the specifications with several suppliers. Hull number 1 will be ours, but I'd like to see whether there's a broader interest in this project, especially when prices of solar panels and batteries are coming down.
>
> If you have any feedback, tips or comments, I'd love to hear them! For images and more information on what we are doing, please visit http://www.arviro.com/.
>
>
>
> Basics
>
>     * Length 9,99m / 32.8ft����
>     * Beam 2,50m / 8.2ft����
>     * Draft 0,75m / 2.5ft����
>     * Air draft 1,80m / 5.9ft����
>     * Headroom 2,00m / 6.5ft����
>     * Weight 2700 Kg / 6000 pounds����
>     * 10kW steerable pod����
>     * 30kW lithium battery pack����
>     * 1500Wp solar panels����
>     * 1200 liter / 320 gallon water����
>     * Built in 5mm / .2 inch aluminum����
>     * Cruising speed: 6 knots����
>     * Battery range: 50 nautical miles����
>     * 100% made in Holland
>




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