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PROPULSION MARINE Energy solutions for your boat
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Electric Propulsion Explained, by James Lambden I have been installing electric propulsion systems in boats for 5 years. I am a licenced marine electrician and marine electronics installer. My own boat, a Catalina 30, is electric powered. Here are a few of my observations. Electric powered sailboats are better sailboats, diesel powered sailboats are better motor boats. Here are the advantages of an electric powered sailboat: 1) minimal noise 2) no pollution, either for the world or for you! 3) no diesel smell no the boat, either exhaust or fuel - your boat smells fresh and clean all the time 4) less incidence of seasickness. Both the vibration and smell of diesel causes seasickness 5) instant power on demand. You do not have to check the oil, open the through-hulls, or warm up the engine. 6) bias against the elements. Motor sailing is as pleasant as sailing itself. The smallest amount of power can get rid of a luffing sail. I look at a luffing sail and say, thats a 200 watt luff. It is a different way of thinking about it, but getting rid of a luffing sail has many advantages. 7) you can treat the electric motor as another sail for your boat, completely controllable by you. 8) the true magic of an electric sailboat is in the low power bands - less than 500 watts. (0 -300 prop rpm) Small amounts of power increase the pleasure of a your sailing experience tremendously. This is an area where the diesel engine cannot even go. Minimum idling of a diesel engine is 600 rpm, a 2:1 gearbox makes minimum prop speed 300 rpm. 9) being able to finesse the prop speed makes docking so much easier. you don't have to shift in an out of forward or reverse. You have complete control over the boat at all times. 10) you won't get stuck in irons. Power tacking is easy. Just turn on the motor and the boat goes through the wind the way you want it to. 11) your electric boat can capture the energy from the propellor turning under sail. You can fill up your battery banks and use the power for propulsion or for house loads. 12) a small genset can be added to an electric boat, outside of the living spaces to minimize the discomfort associated with diesel. Diesel Electric Hybrids have the range of a diesel and the control and finesse of an electric drive. 13) the drivetrain lasts longer and requires less maintenance. A small diesel can rock back and forth on the engine mounts sometimes by as much as an inch. That puts alot of strain on the stuffing box and cutlass bearing. Stuffing boxes require less maintenance. Electric drives do not move at all. 14) electric drives can power larger propellors at slower rpms. This eliminates much gear noise and wear and tear on the drive train. Large propellors turning slowly are more efficient than small props turning fast. 15) the addition of solar panels can substantially increase range in sunny locations
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For more information, please type the following email address in your email program or call 805 455 8444
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