T-Pain Is On A Boat: [Electric Boats] Nice electric boat tour in Montreal, Canada

Friday, August 21, 2009

[Electric Boats] Nice electric boat tour in Montreal, Canada

Hi all!

Le petit navire ("small ship" in french) is offering electric boat tours
in the Old Port of Montreal.

http://lepetitnavire.ca/en/index.html
<http://lepetitnavire.ca/en/index.html>

Vexcel Yachting (http://www.vexcel.ca <http://www.vexcel.ca/> ) modified
2 rescue boats into nice and comfortable excursion boats. The 2 boats
are a not exactly the same. "Le Petit Navire I" (16 passengers, 26
feet) was the first to be put in service. At that time, Transport
Canada was reluctant to certify a boat that was 100% dependent on
battery for propulsion, so they required having a hybrid boat:

- Diesel: Yanmar 2GM (11.8 Kw at 3400 RPM), max speed: 6.5 knots

- Electric: 48 volts motor, max speed: 4.5 knots

A few years later, "Le Petit Navire II" (30 passengers, 34 feet, 8 knots
max) was put in service. Based on the track records of the first boat,
Transport Canada didn't require having a hybrid boat anymore, so the
second boat is electric only (no diesel), but it's a twin screw, which
is unusual for an electric monohull. I was on that boat for the tour.
I was hoping to have a chat with the captain before the cruise (and
maybe have a look under the seats to report technical details...), but I
was so late that I almost missed the departure. I briefly look at the
control panel and saw 2 Sevcon battery monitors, so I assume it's using
Sevcon controllers.

Nice eco-friendly business!

All yours,

Pierre

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