Quote:
Originally Posted by mvweebles
While I applaud efforts such as the Silent 60 to explore energy alternatives, it's a bauble and not very practical except for harbor cruises. An oversized Duffy.
Peter
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This is no expedition yacht but I think dismissing it entirely is overstating the weaknesses. If you get 24 miles at 8kts on batteries alone, combining that with the available power from solar might get you 35-40miles, which is probably about average daily travel for a cruising boat that is not relocating. You always have the option to slow down or start the gen if you have a longer run.
Lithiums can be charged around .5C and you could run the gen the last hour of a longer run, leaving you at an anchorage fully charged with no gen needed overnight. A shorter run wouldn’t require the gen. It would take some adjustments in approach but it is closer to a useable boat than many previous versions.
Put that boat in the BVI/USVI where there is lots of sunshine and short runs and you might never run the gen. Not crazy at all.