Anyone wanna buy a boat company?!

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South of Heaven

South of Heaven

Guru
Joined
May 11, 2017
Messages
1,167
Location
USA
Vessel Name
Slow Lane
Vessel Make
2005 Silverton 35 Motoryacht
For only $300k you too can own your very own boat company!!! LMAO!

Who among us is gonna step up and buy it?! :) The hull design was actually pretty cool but I also wish they had a pilothouse or cabin style above deck. This design is only good for FL, Caribbean etc. Cool boat but obviously it didn't sell and now the company is for sale for peanuts.

Blue Planet 32E Test Drive - Blue Planet Catamarans - Setting the Environmental Standard - Powered by Torqeedo electric outboard motors



test_11.jpg
 
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How do you make a small fortune in the boat business?
Start with a big fortune!
 
South of Heaven said:
For only $300k you too can own your very own boat company!!! LMAO!

Who among us is gonna step up and buy it?! :) The hull design was actually pretty cool but I also wish they had a pilothouse or cabin style above deck. This design is only good for FL, Caribbean etc. Cool boat but obviously it didn't sell and now the company is for sale for peanuts.

Blue Planet 32E Test Drive - Blue Planet Catamarans - Setting the Environmental Standard - Powered by Torqeedo electric outboard motors
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The map makes it look like it is Jarrett Bay just north of Beaufort, NC. Interesting. I have never heard of them or recall seeing them at boat shows. $300k, huh? not bad if you can find the right people.

**EDIT** Oh... now I know why... They are UGLY :) http://www.blueplanetcatamarans.com/
 
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Hmmm, boat is innovative. 2 heads? Forget to put the lid down you will not be welcome in bed without a hot soapy shower.
I suspect this is real 'hands on company' in other words, you pay your employees and you work for free.
Hey, at least the guy tried, for that, I give him credit.
 
Too bad it has such small windows! I understand small windows for offshore boats but I don't see this design as an offshore boat.
 
When we were on the farm we used to say if we won a million dollars we would probably keep farming until it was all gone. I guess they kept making boats until all theirs was gone.
 
Interesting concept. I don't think it's practical without another means of propulsion. The electric drive setup looks pretty small so it probably wouldn't take much power to move the boat. It would be interesting to see what a diesel electric setup could do for efficiency.
 
BIG CAT said:
Interesting concept. I don't think it's practical without another means of propulsion. The electric drive setup looks pretty small so it probably wouldn't take much power to move the boat. It would be interesting to see what a diesel electric setup could do for efficiency.
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Others have tried and failed. From what I understand, there is too much loss converting diesel to electricity, and driving electric motors to push props. With all the losses in props, apparently you're better off with a direct drive system where the engine runs a tranny and that drives the prop.

On a cat, it seems like having one or two generators supplying house power, charging batteries and pushing the boat along at a decent clip, it seems like it would be better to have one engine pushing both electrically driven props rather than having a yanmar in each hull. But again, I must be missing something...
 
stubones99 said:
Others have tried and failed. From what I understand, there is too much loss converting diesel to electricity, and driving electric motors to push props. With all the losses in props, apparently you're better off with a direct drive system where the engine runs a tranny and that drives the prop.

On a cat, it seems like having one or two generators supplying house power, charging batteries and pushing the boat along at a decent clip, it seems like it would be better to have one engine pushing both electrically driven props rather than having a yanmar in each hull. But again, I must be missing something...
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It's common in large boat/ships. I know there will be some efficiency lose in the generator but I don't know what it would work out to compared to conventional setup. It would be interesting to see what could be accomplished with a dual gen setup like you described. Run one gen for slow speed and greater range and still have the control on both drives or run both gen for greater speed. Iirc a 10kw Diesel gen will burn just over 1 gph at full load. So if you could achieve 12kn you could get aprx. 6nm mpg. Anywho. Just thinking out loud.:whistling:
 
BIG CAT said:
It's common in large boat/ships. I know there will be some efficiency lose in the generator but I don't know what it would work out to compared to conventional setup. It would be interesting to see what could be accomplished with a dual gen setup like you described. Run one gen for slow speed and greater range and still have the control on both drives or run both gen for greater speed. Iirc a 10kw Diesel gen will burn just over 1 gph at full load. So if you could achieve 12kn you could get aprx. 6nm mpg. Anywho. Just thinking out loud.:whistling:
Click to expand...

Put the diesel in RIB and tow it behind you.
 
BIG CAT said:
It's common in large boat/ships. I know there will be some efficiency lose in the generator but I don't know what it would work out to compared to conventional setup. It would be interesting to see what could be accomplished with a dual gen setup like you described. Run one gen for slow speed and greater range and still have the control on both drives or run both gen for greater speed. Iirc a 10kw Diesel gen will burn just over 1 gph at full load. So if you could achieve 12kn you could get aprx. 6nm mpg. Anywho. Just thinking out loud.:whistling:
Click to expand...

Thats some good "thinking out loud" I can use that info. I have an 8K Westerbeke generator and am thinking about putting a 4 K electric motor clutched to the main prop shaft for emergency propulsion if the Volvo ever fails.

If I can get 2 knots and do it with diesel its better than a gasoline outboard for "take me home" and will be in full control, on entering my slip, from the helm. If I can get 0.5 gallons per hour I will have a range of 400 hours.....if the generator could hold up to that at half load.

Thanks.
 
jimisbell said:
Thats some good "thinking out loud" I can use that info. I have an 8K Westerbeke generator and am thinking about putting a 4 K electric motor clutched to the main prop shaft for emergency propulsion if the Volvo ever fails.

If I can get 2 knots and do it with diesel its better than a gasoline outboard for "take me home" and will be in full control, on entering my slip, from the helm. If I can get 0.5 gallons per hour I will have a range of 400 hours.....if the generator could hold up to that at half load.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Half load for extended periods of time is no problem. The electric clutch/motor idea is definitely interesting. The only thing you may want to think about would be a way to control speed of the motor when you engaged it. when you do an across the line motor start. The amps is something like 8x rated amps. It also is hell on gens to start if not properly sized.
 
BIG CAT said:
Half load for extended periods of time is no problem. The electric clutch/motor idea is definitely interesting. The only thing you may want to think about would be a way to control speed of the motor when you engaged it. when you do an across the line motor start. The amps is something like 8x rated amps. It also is hell on gens to start if not properly sized.
Click to expand...

Would that starting current be that high if the electric motor was not loaded (clutch open)? I would have the option of either a DC motor or an AC motor since the gen set puts out both. One or the other might be easier to speed control. I built a "chopper" control for a DC motor back in the 70s when I built a hybrid car. Dont know about AC speed control.
 
Years ago there used to be something called a 'cruise generator'. It was installed on the main shaft. I guess if you rewired it, it just might run as a motor. SHRUG
 
jimisbell said:
Would that starting current be that high if the electric motor was not loaded (clutch open)? I would have the option of either a DC motor or an AC motor since the gen set puts out both. One or the other might be easier to speed control. I built a "chopper" control for a DC motor back in the 70s when I built a hybrid car. Dont know about AC speed control.
Click to expand...

The load would be minimal with the clutch open but as soon as you engaged it the amps would spike not to mention it would be the marine equivalent to dumping the clutch on a street car. The best option would probably be a vfd. You would be able to use a bias signal to control the speed. So you can engage the clutch then use basically a throttle lever to bring up the speed. Only down side would be trying to reverse the direction without a lot of complicated wiring/controls. DC is pretty easy to change direction with just a couple of contactors. Down side is high amps compared to the ac motor plus having to figure out a way to control the voltage/speed. One possible way would be to setup the gen with rectifiers to make DC and use the voltage regulator to vary the output voltage. Most avr have a on board voltage pot at the very least. Some may have an option for an external pot. Or worst case swap it for one that does.
 
In the garage I have a "AC-Kontrollbox mit AC-Start Booster" that came with a 4K Panda gen set that is now history. Perhaps this could be used to alleviate the start up current problem.

I havent the foggiest idea what it does but I did open the box and there is a 4x6 circuit board and a bank of capacitors. I havent tried to trace out the circuit on the board so dont know exactly what it does. But the name has a promising sound to it.

There is a cable entry, but the cable is not there. If I could find some instructions on how to use it it might solve that start up problem. Whether the Westerbeke 8K would run an accessory for a 4K Panda or not is another question.
 
Controlling DC speed is relatively easy. You just chop up the DC into variable width pulses and control the width of the pulses. On my hybrid car I used a DC motor driving as witching circuit and could vary the smaller DC motor speed with DC amplitude thus varying the pulse width. These days with ICs it would be MUCH easier than it was back in 1972.
 
jimisbell said:
In the garage I have a "AC-Kontrollbox mit AC-Start Booster" that came with a 4K Panda gen set that is now history. Perhaps this could be used to alleviate the start up current problem.

I havent the foggiest idea what it does but I did open the box and there is a 4x6 circuit board and a bank of capacitors. I havent tried to trace out the circuit on the board so dont know exactly what it does. But the name has a promising sound to it.

There is a cable entry, but the cable is not there. If I could find some instructions on how to use it it might solve that start up problem. Whether the Westerbeke 8K would run an accessory for a 4K Panda or not is another question.
Click to expand...

It sounds like a start capacitor setup the key would be to find a diagram and the specs. It should help but it's hard to say how well it would work. But it's definitely worth looking into.

jimisbell said:
Controlling DC speed is relatively easy. You just chop up the DC into variable width pulses and control the width of the pulses. On my hybrid car I used a DC motor driving as witching circuit and could vary the smaller DC motor speed with DC amplitude thus varying the pulse width. These days with ICs it would be MUCH easier than it was back in 1972.
Click to expand...

DC is much easier. Down side the current requirements. What about golf cart controls/motors. They can be had up to 48v so that would help cut the current draw down a good amount plus parts are readily available.


stubones99 said:
Use caution dealing with capacitors, since they can store lots of power for years.
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X2!!! They will put you on your ass if they're charged.
 
Many years ago we built up a HUGE capacitor bank, 12' long, 4' high and 3'wide It stored up a HUGE amount of energy. It was used to simulate an explosion of dynamite under water when towed in salt water behind a boat with geo sensors on it for finding oil in the sea bottom. It was safer than a deck full of dynamite. Barely....LOL
 
It seems like everybody always wants to reinvent the wheel, if it was truly workable it would of already been done. It was tried on production sailing cats in the early 2000's and it failed miserably. It appears to work on cruise ships because they have an incredible house load, and the generators work for both house and propulsion, they just bring more generators online as needed.. and you need electric motors for pod drives.
Hp is HP. Electric or Diesel supplied.
HOLLYWOOD
 
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