solar boat/s ?

[skip53]

hey everybody,
i am thinking about getting myself (and my family of course) a boat for daytrips.
the thing is i'm new to boating and now i'm doing some research. i found a lot so it's hard for me to understand what is the best suited. among others i found a lot on solar and electric boats. what can you tell me about that? are they already reliable enough for such trips? i found this one (www.aequusboats.com) looks nice but are these kinds of boats really working out?
would be nice if you could tell me more.
i'm not planing big cruises just little trips with my family mostly lakes.

thanks in advance,

ben

 

[superbenk]

Re: solar boat/s ?

That's interesting, I've never seen something like that. Obviously you'd be at the whim of the weather & I don't think I'd want to take that anyplace I'd be concerned about needing significant power to get out of. 7 knots is a bit too slow for me. I'm all for cruising around, but being stuck in the no-wake zone regardless of location would get old fast in my opinion.

One thing that struck me is that a boat like that would be ideal for canal boating where you can't cruise fast anyhow.

 

[Lrider]

Re: solar boat/s ?

In the SoCal marina's you see a lot of them putting around, can't say that I have seen any in open water, not sure I would take one out of protected areas, not enough power if you get into wind and chop

 

[Silvertip]

Re: solar boat/s ?

I wonder how the panels would withstand a hail storm with softball size hail. Ignoring cost, there are a number of things to look at. The ad says 4-8 hours at 5 knots. That depends to a high degree on the size and number of batteries on-board. I would guess this is at least a 48 volt system so it requires a minimum of four batteries in series, double that if you add another set in parallel. This makes for a hug weight and cost penalty. Unless you live in an area with few clouds, those panels only make power during the day and full sun. So my thoughts are this is a toy for the person with deep pockets who wants to show people how eco-friendly they are (when not tooling around with there 300 HP go fast boat). For an "only" boat it would not even be a consideration except for perhaps an electric only lake. And even at that, why would one need a cuddy on an electric only lake since they tend to be small in size.

 

[Aviator5]

Re: solar boat/s ?

This technology still has a lo-o-o-o-o-ng way to go, before it will become something practical, but I'm affraid it won't be eco frandly then. I'm not sure if it is now.

 

[security6]

Re: solar boat/s ?

Interesting idea, I'd like to know how much they are charging for one. My bet is that you could get a 21' pontoon boat with a small outboard (probably still have better performance), brand new, for a whole lot less than they're charging. I think their market is people who have lots of money, are really concerned about style, and like to flaunt that they are "green".

 

[tschmidty]

Re: solar boat/s ?

Think of it in terms of a golf cart. Certainly useable in limited areas and with limited speed, but it's not going to be an everyday vehicle. Great for putting around an beach island or a resort but not up to demanding conditions.

These would be perfect for a harbor tender or something like that, but would be a bad choice for an only boat.

The solar panels more than likely are not meant to run the motors directly, there is no way to generate that wattage. But they would be fine for keping the battery usage low and recharging in between trips but not is you used full charge every day.

Weight of the batteries is not a consideration in a displacement hull. Think sailboat with giant lead keep underneath. Electrics make a lot of sense if you are OK with displacement hulls. Personally I am excited to see where they go, there are big strides being made and they can be pretty interesting. I ran an electric trolling motor on my sail boat after one too many times pulling the starter on the outboard. The simplicity and reliability is great.

 

[mbgaski]

Re: solar boat/s ?

There's no question that electric motors can move a boat (that's what almost all trolling motors are), but honestly, the most eco-friendly and efficient manner of solar power was discovered thousands of years ago: the sail.

It'll take a bit more skill to operate, but if you're truly wanting to go the 'green' route I think it'd be worthwhile to learn.

 

[hostage]

Re: solar boat/s ?

There's no question that electric motors can move a boat (that's what almost all trolling motors are), but honestly, the most eco-friendly and efficient manner of solar power was discovered thousands of years ago: the sail.

It'll take a bit more skill to operate, but if you're truly wanting to go the 'green' route I think it'd be worthwhile to learn.

Yeah, why not get a sailboat? We use to have a Catalina 22 and it was a great boat. It will also have a better resale value. You also won't have to replace the batteries. Get a small OB and I bet you will still have a smaller "carbon footprint". You also won't have to plug the boat in to recharge and a good portion of electricity that is used to charge batteries is lost in heat, etc.

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: solar boat/s ?

Where are you located? That boat is in France. Google Tamarack Lake Electric Boat Co.

 

[njrextreme]

Re: solar boat/s ?

How can these electric boats/cars/bikes-whatever be so eco friendly? The batteries do not last forever and need to be disposed of. If its not the pollution in the lake, its our ground/drinking water contaminated. How much would new batteries cost? Prob close to what the boat is worth. I would like a hydrogen boat that makes it own hyrdogen from the water, that would be the *-*-*-*-*!

 

[BobnAbout]

Re: solar boat/s ?

You want a solar powered boat? You got money? http://www.dsehybrid.com/