Hello electric boaters,
My wife and I bought a 1982 Catalina 30 about 4 years ago and we have had a fine time sailing it. Alas, around a year ago, the original Universal 5411 diesel engine broke down, and after what seems a very long time of looking at it, the mechanic says it's beyond saving.
A used replacement diesel would cost $3k, not counting labor & incidentals, and a new one is over $6k. I'm not thrilled at putting in another raw water cooled noisy thing at such a premium, and we're seriously considering an electric repower for the next season.
We live in Maine, work full-time, and have a young family---we are day sailors for the foreseeable future. We generally have used the engine to power in and out of the harbor and get canvas up. Of course, a bit of extra power for the doldrums & emergencies is a good idea.
We have a mooring (shore power is not something we have regular access to) and were thinking of a 10kW brushless DC motor & controller, etc, a ~10kw battery bank (probably AGM), and some solar panels to mount off the stern. What research I've done suggests that this would be enough to get a few hours of power at ~3-4 kts every few days, which seems adequate.
So, I'm looking for advice if this sounds like a good plan, and for some tips about the size & type of solar panels we should consider. I'm looking at the 10kw brushless kit on Thunderstruck. I'd really prefer to keep the parts cost at $5k-6k, which seems like it might be possible.
I'm also curious about hydrogenerators; our mooring sits in an estuary that experiences strong currents at midtide and I'm curious if the prop as genset or a secondary hydro turbine would be a wise supplement to the solar.
If we go this route, I would probably do some of the installation work under the guidance of a knowledgeable boat mechanic.
Thanks and I look forward to learning a lot from you folks.
