T-Pain Is On A Boat: Re: [Electric Boats] No sailed, solar powered cruiser (40-60 feet)

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Re: [Electric Boats] No sailed, solar powered cruiser (40-60 feet)

Jim:

Nice looking boat ! When you plan on taking it out for spin?

Capt. Mike

--- On Thu, 8/18/11, James Sizemore <james@deny.org> wrote:

From: James Sizemore <james@deny.org>
Subject: Re: [Electric Boats] No sailed, solar powered cruiser (40-60 feet)
To: electricboats@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thursday, August 18, 2011, 7:30 AM

Your basic goal is similar to mine, and to the owners of the Dragonfly (http://cshare.psu.edu/projects/sunboat/default.aspx) both 40 foot live aboard boats in the 10-15 ton range. The Dragonfly just completed the great loop, so has hefty real world experience. But like the site you quoted your real source of information is going to be European. Where they have a large number of solar ferries (http://www.solarlab.org makes my favorite the Serpentine, ferrying people since 2006) and has a few large solar boat clubs like (http://www.electric-boats.org.uk/solar.htm) who publish the fantastic "Electric Boat News" Magazine. Which is filled with pictures and stories about solar powered pleaser craft and ferries. Get all the back issues, they are really well done and worth the trouble. My project is at the half way point (http://www.deny.org) I will be installing my motors soon so stay tuned for real world numbers on a cabin curser gone electric. One thing I can help you with right now is pricing as I have either purchased or have priced all the major components.

The motors, batteries and Solar cells will run you around $45,000 not including labor to install them. If your boat does not include a generator add in another $10,000. This will get you two 18 shaft HP motors( $15,000), 800AH of lithium batteries ($18,000), and a 3000 watt solar setup ($10,000) plus odds and ends like cables and BMS. Now like you I would have preferred a catamaran but in your $100,000 price range that leaves you trying to find a catamaran in good condition for under $65,000. Which might not be imposable, but will be highly unlikely. You might want to look for a trawler or triamaran on yachtworld the pickings on cats in that price range are pretty sad: ( http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listing/cache/searchResults.jsp?cit=true&slim=quick&ybw=&sm=3&searchtype=advancedsearch&Ntk=boatsEN&Ntt=&is=&type=%28Power%29+Power+Catamaran&man=&hmid=0&ftid=0&enid=0&fromLength=38&toLength=50&luom=126&fromYear=&toYear=&fromPrice=1000+&toPrice=65000&currencyid=100&city=&pbsint=&boatsAddedSelected=-1 )

Prices for the above:

http://www.electricyacht.com/

http://lithiumstorage.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=&products_id=40&zenid=i92g73ucddgr7o1l1a4gb1u561

http://www.sunelec.com/

Now for your expectations. From your list below is " 24 hours of motoring at 5 knots." Slow down to 3 knots and sure 24 hours with the help of solar for half the day is doable for $100,000. If you must really have that 2 extra knots, then you will need about $150,000. All assuming you find your $65,000 catamaran.

As always Have fun!

On Aug 17, 2011, at 12:07 PM, Galstaf wrote:

Hey folks,

I have posted occasionally but follow the discussions on the list with great interest in advancing battery and solar technology.
I am still looking to build my live-aboard cruiser in the 40-60 feet size range.
I know most of you guys are sailors, but the knowledge of solar and battery tech would be applicable.. so I am looking for recommendation on recreating this German solar boat on a budget. This is pretty much exactly what I want, a solar powered catamaran.. no sails, no regen, etc.
Please check this out

http://www.solarwaterworld.de/index.php?id=69&L=3
http://www.solarwaterworld.de/fileadmin/pdfs/SunCat-46-prospect-english.pdf

My current idea is to take a used aluminum or Fiberglass passenger ferry preferably with a blown motor(s) and strip out the engines and seats and convert it to a live aboard with electric power and a large solar array over the entire top of the boat.
This will be augmented with a larger genset when needed for emergency reasons.. but ideally the genset will rarely need to be started.
I would want battery storage to allow for 24 hours of cruising at around 5 knots.
The boat will be designed to hop between the islands in the Caribbean, and this should allow plenty of time for the array to top up the batteries if consumption has exceeded the solar array capacity.

So.. if this were *your* project, what would you recommend for brand and sizing the electric motors, what brand and type of batteries would you buy (Lithium or equivalent technology), what controller and what and where would you get the solar panels from?
How tall would you make the vessel, what should I consider in terms of weight and positioning of the array?
Is there a practical way to make an array of this size "directional", i.e. follow the sun.
The more detailed you can be the better. If you know of someone else that has put together a non-sailed cruiser in this sort of size range and has a blog, that would be awesome too.
I want to keep the cost of the whole project considerably under $100K. :-)

Many thanks!

Kind regards,
Bill