On 10/15/20 10:40 AM, Dave Scobie wrote: ...
More ocean crossing sailors are converting to solar when their inboard diesel dies. These folks don't like to motor. These electric ocean crossers have solar but have simple low power draw electric systems as they cant run a generator/motor for four hours a day. So they use the electric motor getting out of harbor and have the crossing to recharge - multiple days or weeks of time.
There's also a regenerative charging option. They recharge while sailing, the motor becomes a generator turned by the prop. Slows down your sailing a little bit, but if the trades are going solid it's not that big a loss and as soon as batteries are full they turn off regen. Can be on or off, like in some hybrid and electric cars where regen is adjustable. I knew a guy in Hawai'i who replaced his diesel with an electric motor system with regen system, on a ~35 ft. bluewater boat...this was 10+ years ago, it's not brand new technology. Not that useful for day sailing though... cheers, John -- John Schinnerer - M.A., Whole Systems Design -------------------------------------------- - Eco-Living - Whole Systems Design Services People - Place - Learning - Integration john@eco-living.net - 510.982.1334 http://eco-living.net http://sociocracyconsulting.com