Lagoon 420 powered by electric motors !
 

http://www.cata-lagoon.com/420_pres_uk.php

Does this make a lot of sense ?

I like the idea of using the propellers to charge the
batteries while under sail but the extra batteries make
the boat heavy (heavier than a Beneteau 473) and can
only run the motors for 2 hours.

Are there other production sailboats built this way ?

Lagoon 420 powered by electric motors !
 

In article ,
wrote:

http://www.cata-lagoon.com/420_pres_uk.php

Does this make a lot of sense ?

I like the idea of using the propellers to charge the
batteries while under sail but the extra batteries make
the boat heavy (heavier than a Beneteau 473) and can
only run the motors for 2 hours.

Are there other production sailboats built this way ?

I believe more are starting to do this... don't recall the details.

Might be greater weight, but it's more evenly distributed I would
think.

I believe solomon technologies (for one) offers several options as far
as output of the electric motors. There might be a design that would
last a bit longer than 2 hours running the motors. I believe at least
a couple of boats have cross the Atlantic with these type of engines.

They are pretty environmentally friendly, except for battery
replacement issues.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

Lagoon 420 powered by electric motors !
 

I think most of these installations have a large genset to charge the
batteries (besides being able to do so under sail--although reducing your
speed). This replaces 2 heavy auxilliary engines and 1 diesel genset. That
would reduce maintenance, but you do lose back-up reliability.
Not sure how much the battery capacity is, but a much higher voltage is
utilised for the drive motors.

wrote in message
. net...

http://www.cata-lagoon.com/420_pres_uk.php

Does this make a lot of sense ?

I like the idea of using the propellers to charge the
batteries while under sail but the extra batteries make
the boat heavy (heavier than a Beneteau 473) and can
only run the motors for 2 hours.

Are there other production sailboats built this way ?

Lagoon 420 powered by electric motors !
 

"Garland Gray II" wrote in
news:31zzf.11788$CV.2115@dukeread03:

I think most of these installations have a large genset to charge the
batteries (besides being able to do so under sail--although reducing
your speed). This replaces 2 heavy auxilliary engines and 1 diesel
genset. That would reduce maintenance, but you do lose back-up
reliability. Not sure how much the battery capacity is, but a much
higher voltage is utilised for the drive motors.


Patience, gentlemen, patience....Toshiba is bringing you a new kind of
battery, thanks to the electric car biz....

http://www.physorg.com/news3539.html

Will recharge at incredible current levels to 80% of capacity in SIXTY
SECONDS...full charge in 3 minutes!.....if you gots the current, like heavy
dynamic braking in a car will produce instead of heat.

Power density on the new nanocell is much improved, as is life span. After
1000 charge/discharge cycles, it loses less than 1% of original capacity.

Very great news for anyone storing DC power for any device...even electric
boats. No more slow charging ancient chemical technologies from 1910.

Lagoon 420 powered by electric motors !
 

Electric propulsion for boats is a mature and growing industry. The
range is from abysmally simply (and naive) single solar panel
direct-wired to a 15LB thrust Minnkota on a 10-foot plastic-coated foam
Sunflower that I tried in 1988 (worked well until a thunderstorm came
up and I paddled against the wind two miles back to launch point) to
working boats carrying passengers for hire. Most must recharge
batteries dockside after heavy depletion, eight hours or so at 4-5
knots. Most use solar panels primarily for topoff.

Briggs & Stratton made a Permanent Magnet (PM) electric motor from a
high-energy magnetic material that I can never spell that got a lot of
press and use. The draw was that no electricity was required to
energize the field coils. 10HP motor now retails at about $400. B&S
have converted the motor sales to completed electric outboards.

New solar panels with higher efficiency and greater current output are
available. Converting a good sailboat hull of 19-25 feet to carry solar
panels as cabin hatch cover and sunscreen, and battery bank as ballast
can get you an overnighter that is (in lower latitudes, say below 34
degrees North) energy independent. For guaranteed return home, a
dropdown 7 or 9HP longshaft as any experienced blowboater knows is
essential. The electric motor can replace existing aux propulsion
almost as a drop-in.

Hurricane Katrina stripped the rigging from a lot of good small
sailboats here in Gulfport, MS. Since the bottoms of our waterways are
littered with debris and too dangerous to wade-fish, getting out to the
barrier islands is necessary. Fuel prices being what they are, solar
collection seems to offer a path, if you're not in a hurry.

If you are in a hurry, just buy the fish and be done.

Lagoon 420 powered by electric motors !
 

Whil i havent ever used a boat with this setup myself i have read
accounts of people who have, and i believe the advantage has not much
to do with cruising or motoring... the batteries give you enough juic
to get out of your mooring only, not for much more, but things get
interesting when you set these things on 'hybrid mode' (might be called
something else, cant remember)...

In this kind of mode, you set the motor to a certain speed, say 5
knots. When the boat slows down, the motor kicks in instantly. when
it goes above this, the motor goes into generate charge mode. This
might sound pretty useless, but imagine yourself in medium to big
seas... boat sails through a trough, up a wave face and starts to slow
down (sails emptying)... motor starts and *automatically* powers you
up the wave face. you reach the crest, sails fill, you surf down the
other side, motors charge. Its my understanding that this sort of
sailing gets a lot more pleasant with a motor like this whereas people
with diesel only might just be motorsailing constantly. From what i
read i think the batteries would support a whole day of sailing like
this pretty easy.

Lagoon 420 powered by electric motors !
 

I met a guy at the Miami boat show, last year, that bought the full
"electric powered option" on his new Cat. Paid 50% more than "sticker."

It was too early to know anything meaningful but he said the boat was a
dream the first few months he owned it. He was headed to the Bahamas in
almost complete silence. Tafrail log style chargers, solar panels and some
gismos that attached to the hull for additional charging.

I hope they beat all the bugs out and then bring the price down to where
mortals can one. I think it's a great concept.

wrote in message
. net...

http://www.cata-lagoon.com/420_pres_uk.php

Does this make a lot of sense ?

I like the idea of using the propellers to charge the
batteries while under sail but the extra batteries make
the boat heavy (heavier than a Beneteau 473) and can
only run the motors for 2 hours.

Are there other production sailboats built this way ?

Lagoon 420 powered by electric motors !
 

Jonathan Ganz wrote:

In article ,
wrote:

http://www.cata-lagoon.com/420_pres_uk.php

Does this make a lot of sense ?

I like the idea of using the propellers to charge the
batteries while under sail but the extra batteries make
the boat heavy (heavier than a Beneteau 473) and can
only run the motors for 2 hours.

Are there other production sailboats built this way ?

I believe more are starting to do this... don't recall the details.

Might be greater weight, but it's more evenly distributed I would
think.

I believe solomon technologies (for one) offers several options as far
as output of the electric motors. There might be a design that would
last a bit longer than 2 hours running the motors. I believe at least
a couple of boats have cross the Atlantic with these type of engines.

They are pretty environmentally friendly, except for battery
replacement issues.


More batteries. Fewer diesel engines. If you need to motor for more than
two hours then you run on diesel electric - on the single generator.

However, if the wind is blowing. Motor out, quietly. Hoist the sails and
but all that juice back into the batteries. Charge your house batteries
too. At the end of your passage, just motor into your anchorage fully
charged.




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