Re: [electricboats] Solar Electric Boat Thoughts

Totally agree re power vs speed. Our 20ft solar side paddle wheel punt uses just 300 watts at our 4 knots / 7km/hr cruise. We only have 60Ah of 48V battery capacity, but this would keep us going for about 5 hours if the sun isn't shining - assuming we only want to run the batteries down to 50% (AGM lead acid batteries). Opening up the throttle draws ten times the current, generates lots of noise and splash, but adds almost nothing to the speed!

Dave Wiseman
Adelaide, Australia