msg wrote in
:

I did something similar in '91; drove a military 2 kVA alternator with
an oversized small engine. The alternator's output was full-wave
rectified and drove a Sola 2 kVA switching power supply (72 VDC in,
120 VAC 60 Hz out); I also had a 72 volt 200 AH battery reservoir
drive the supply when the engine was off. It worked quite well. The
engine could essentially run at high idle to charge the batteries for
my average load; the duty cycle was about fifty percent.

Michael



This idea would also work very well using the technology of the hybrid
cars, self-starting the engine only to recharge the high voltage, low
current battery pack much more efficient and certainly lighter than the old
lead-acid monsters that have little power storage. The boat would simply
have a constant supply of AC power to run everything, with several high
voltage charging systems, including the autostarting engine drive. As the
wind charger output increased, or the solar array, the engine would run
less and less. A computer controlling it all taking the power management
load we have now away from the inhabitants.

Of course, many would resist who want their boats to be time machines back
into the 1800's....(c;

If we get rid of the drive engine and go to high voltage traction motors to
power the shaft, we'll only need one engine to power both the screw and the
rest of the boat. It won't matter where the designers put this engine and
the inherent problem of always having to put the engine in the way in the
middle of the boat would disappear. A 50hp traction motor is quite small,
indeed. I think the boats would have more room without the old inline
diesel drives we have now.

Just dreaming. Change comes slow.