Living on a solar boat - or how to live self-sufficiently far away from populations that can't swim

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CRkVhG2pNFI1Qmzv5MXJfe dijo:
With pure electric solar, you don't incur: oil changes, spark plugs, fuel filters, belts, fuel system maintenance, engine winterization, or fuel costs.
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Solar panels don't have a ton of output, and the panels themselves have a lifespan. Used to be like 10 years, now it's closer to twenty. The batteries need to be maintained, so if you're using lead acid, you also need to top them up off an alternator or dock power every so often or they don't hold their full capacity. You can idle a little diesel engine for hours and not use a gallon of diesel. It'll also put more power in your battery bank than a couple solar panels will in a day. The biggest power draw on the boat is going to be engines, so sails have a purpose, second behind that refrigeration, but you can use propane which brings the power draw down considerably, then lighting, you can get pretty efficient with LEDs but it's still significant. Forget running a gaming machine or satellite Internet.
 
Raven of the Burning God dijo:
Unless you're a big fan of multiple single points of failure and dying, you're back to having an engine, all the maintenance and logistics that entails, and ruining the whole Silent Yacht aesthetic.
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All examples I can find except the 30k DIY home build have two completely independent electric systems: batteries, motor, and solar. There is redundancy, and it does not require an engine.

Taser Confetti dijo:
Literally the only way this would work would be as a house boat that never leaves its dock.
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Those exist too, but to me the ability to cruise or relocate with very little friction is an extremely important aspect of it that I would not want to give up.



Leylon Sneed dijo:
The batteries need to be maintained, so if you're using lead acid, you also need to top them up off an alternator or dock power every so often or they don't hold their full capacity. You can idle a little diesel engine for hours and not use a gallon of diesel.
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Adding a combustion generator can definitely be useful and is much more efficient than an engine since you can always run it at max efficiency RPM instead of having to rev it to match the present torque requirements. Most systems I've seen use lithium iron which do not require the kind of regular maintenance lead acid would. As for hotel energy consumption, it would be very important to have enough solar to more than cover for 24 hours worth of consumption - of course you'd have to use many more panels than sail boats use for their few electronics. You can see in the videos in the OP just how many they tend to run to satisfy this.
 
CRkVhG2pNFI1Qmzv5MXJfe dijo:
of course you'd have to use many more panels than sail boats use
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Power in general is easier to burn than it is to store.. but instead of thinking conventional sails, think something a little more like this:
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Those aren't classic sails that you have to keep to the wind, rather they are wind turbines that generate pull (I forget the effect name). Did I mention they're wind turbines, pretty big ones?

Not trying to shoot the idea in the foot, it would be great, but until we have pocket nuclear reactors you aren't getting away from sails as the most efficient/cheapest way to move on the ocean. You may be able to cover some convenience, but you still need propane and diesel, though not as much.
 
Leylon Sneed dijo:
but instead of thinking conventional sails, think something a little more like this
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Yeah, it seems like these new wing-style sails are taking off at the moment - here's a yacht version of it, seems really compelling. They're retractable and computer controlled: you command longitudinal velocity and it adapts to current winds to accommodate. The key trade when adding any meaningful amount of sail is that you have to enormously increase your draft when adding a ballasted keel or daggerboards to resist the lateral force of the sails.



Leylon Sneed dijo:
until we have pocket nuclear reactors you aren't getting away from sails as the most efficient/cheapest way to move on the ocean
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I think we've reached the threshold where pure solar and battery is feasible for island hopping and staying close to the coast, but you're absolutely correct when it comes to ocean crossing in any reasonable amount of time.
 
Taking the mast off a catamaran to replace them with solar panels is retarded and people who do that shouldn't be allowed to breed.

I think that the government should setup a system where they create a honey pot offering mast removal services for catamarans and then if anyone signs up for it they should be black bagged and their assets seized to pay for social security.
 
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