Abdullah,
If babycakes is willing to go all electric, that's by far the cheapest and least maintenance moving forward. Range anxiety is real though. If you are going to motor near hull speed for more than 30 minutes, you are going to need diesel. Motoring with only electric is like leaving port with 1 liter of diesel.
Some of the great advantages of electric, in no particular order:
1. post petroleum economy (future proof)
2. no more stinky boat and clothes
3. wildlife gets closer
4. when well sized and installed, near zero maintenance
5. best maneuvering boat control ever! with infinite fwd and rev speed control
6. instant on, for emergencies
7. with the right prop, near zero vibrations, near zero sound
8. encourages sailing skills
9. refuel on the go (solar, wind, regen (barely measurable at 7kts, helpful above 9kts))
10. nurtures planet-positive planning, (identify forces, work with them to accomplish your navigation goals; never fight mama)
Some of the current dis-advantages of electric:
1. demands planet-positive planning
2. range
3. range....
So it takes some cultural buy-in to go all-electric; specifically living with constraints. We humans are such great boundary pushers, that time management has become culturally ingrained, and measured in seconds. The microwave cooking era. Electric auxiliary sailing is stepping back into nature-time, making plans with the time granularity of days or weeks, not seconds/minutes/hours. The weather becomes our clock, not the ground state of cesium-133 atoms.
More germane, you need at least a 48v, not 12v traction (drive) battery pack. Higher voltages are much much more efficient, and if you're leaving port with only 1 liter of diesel, you need to get great mileage (0.5L/100km). Your current diesel mileage is likely closer to 5L/100km, so your boat needs to be an order of magnitude more efficient (big prop, 1/3 hull speed cruise).
Many boaters choose 48v, since higher-than-48v potentials jump through your skin easier (electrocution). Marine wiring above 48v has to be magic wire, installed my wizards, and insured by sorcerers (it may seem). There are many 48v brushless DC marine systems, and a few 72v AC systems. The 72v AC motors are more in line with your 5 minute emergency thrust demands of your 30,000# boat (loaded). Higher voltage AC systems would be a bit more efficient and a whole bunch more expensive.
Finally, if your personal time is worth more than $1 Canadian per day to you, hire a pro who has good recommends on this forum.
And there is so much more. But the big pieces are:
1. big initial outlays (dollars or time learning)
2. near zero future costs
3. range (live with Gaia constraints)
Good on ya' mate.
Mark Stafford
e-cars, e-bikes, e-kayaks, e-sailboats, e-houses....
Posted by: mstafford@natca.net
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