Electric Trawler

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Although I've never been aboard one, I recall being very impressed with the vessel after reading an article about it in Passagemaker Magazine. The layout and detailing was a new and refreshing approach I thought. (I actually thought it would make a great cruiser with just a conventional drive train, which would eliminate the solar panels.)
 
Reuben, I forgot to mention your Segway and it's davit. What a trick way to grab some groceries. As long as the store is within 12 miles of the marina you are at, it would be so easy to provision.
 
This is a great thread full of great information. Both the negatives and positives are very important to the conversation.

Deckifficer speaks a lot of truth about the conservative nature of boat designers and end users. The status quo is always a difficult trend to buck weather it's boat design or farming practices. The conservative approach is a well found one that is worthy of respect. But just because something has been around a long time does not mean its the only way to skin a cat.

I remember well the introduction of unleaded gasoline to America. How catalytic converters and pollution control devices would be the bane of hot rodding automobiles. The younger among us have no memory of these introductions and hot rod their Honda Civics just like we did our GTO's.

The future is here and it's here to stay. There will always be old boats and those of us who love them. But in the decades ahead it will be the new generation of alternative propulsion will become far more widespread. Don't take my word for it though, call your local Grand Banks dealer and try ordering a new boat with NA Diesel engines without electronic controls.
 
Deckifficer speaks a lot of truth about the conservative nature of boat designers and end users. "Their business model is to make a profit & sell to as many customers as possible which is more achievable by being on the conservative side with the design." I always thought of my company as a "Me Too" company. In other words, I could look around and see products that I know I could make better and for less money, thus assuring me a piece of that market from the outset. We were not pioneers as there was no money in doing that. If you think back, the Japanese did that very same thing to us and now it's the Chinese who are doing it.

The future is here and it's here to stay. I have always preached to my employees that "the future belongs to those that manage change the best." The operative word being manage, as opposed to accept. We are going through a herculean change in America at the moment. Are we managing the situation or just accepting it? Is this change better for the country, in your opinion?

Don't take my word for it though, call your local Grand Banks dealer and try ordering a new boat with NA Diesel engines without electronic controls. You have me there! I was opposed to electronic controls at first but have learned to love them!

Always a thought provoking post by you, Craig , and I appreciate and enjoy it very much.
 
Craig,

Your right, this thread is very informative. We are lucky to have someone like Reuben taking time out of a busy schedule to enlighten us as to possible futures in pleasure boating. I left the Merchant Marine in 2002 and have missed out on advances in my old industry. By 2008 some ships were flying kites to save on fuel usage, wish I could have served on one.

I have put out the invite for Aspen Catamaran owner and designer Larry Graf to join us on this forum. Larry has exchanged a couple of emails with me that I wish he would have used the same effort to post those thoughts here. Efficient hulls is the future of pleasure boating and a side benefit to efficient hulls is both less wake in sensitive areas and a smoother ride. He has taken boating journalists out in conditions that 40' older designs would have given a torturous ride at any speed, he is zipping along at 20 kt in a little 28' boat. He has received a patent on his power proa hull design. Even though he hasn't given thought to solar assisted diesel-electric propulsion, I believe he would work with me to create and build that design for me. I didn't want to go to such a small boat for my cruising usage, but at the price he produces the Aspen C90, it would allow for all of my ideas and still be in my budget.
 
Thanks Walt. The "Me Too" business model is tried and true and has been replicated well both at home and abroad, not just in manufacturing either. Absolutely nothing wrong with it and it is wildly successful. It's also an apt description of 99% of the marine industry IMO. Innovation is for those few visionaries among us that dare to ask the question "What If?". Steve Jobs and many others come to mind as the ones asking "What If?".

I honestly doubt we will see 25% of the market using alternative propulsion in the next 20 years. I do however feel that somewhere the tipping point will be reached cost wise and market share will be there. Lacking a crystal ball I know not when that'll be, but then again I have some real estate I'd rather have sold when that market peaked as well...

At the risk of taking this political which I won't do, on a macro level change is not being managed well at all. The thing that excites me about the changes in this aspect of the boating industry is it doesn't come with governmental blood money attached. Diesel propulsion changes specifically are coming as a result of regulation, good or bad you decide. What Reuben and others are doing is for profit motivations, which I respect. If the market accepts it now or 20 years from now remains to be seen. But the $550K price point I've heard in these threads for a 40' alternative power cruising boat sounds like it's right in the strike zone for comparable sized brand new cruising boat.
 
The status quo is always a difficult trend to buck weather it's boat design or farming practices. Where have you been, the marine industry changes in the past 10 years are dramatic. Just because some are not proponents of E drive doesn't mean status quo is the case. Many E drive choices are out there for the willing wealthy. Farming you say - some lament the passing of the plow horse and steam tractors.

The future is here and it's here to stay. There will always be old boats and those of us who love them. Those who cannot afford to spend $500K+ will indeed be a few boat generations behind and wish for what is already available as if it doesn't exist.

But in the decades ahead it will be the new generation of alternative propulsion will become far more widespread. The changes to engines and drive systems have been dramatic even without the E drive guys holding sway. Step onto a center console with twin 350 HP outboards, Volvo IPS, Zeus, Zimmerman 54, Nordhavn 63 or look at a new common rail Cummins for a reminder.

Don't take my word for it though, call your local Grand Banks dealer and try ordering a new boat with NA Diesel engines without electronic controls. GB or any other new boat builder cannot sell or install an NA engine unless it is Tier III/IV Which few if any NAs are

The notion that one must accept marine E drive as the future is ill founded. Look no further than the auto industry. With NA the world's dominant supplier of fossil fuels, the future for very efficient gas and diesel IC engines has never been brighter. BMW is now into 3 cylinder ICs, who would have thought -----

At about 1.5 to 3 NMPG (or higher) for our diesel trawlers, who needs E for long distance cruising and why? Hobbyists - wealthy ones - that's who, and that is OK, it is good for the economy.
 
What you need to fulfill this dream before you go to the "Great Beyond" is a "sail boat!" It will do everything you've described and with limitless range!

I don't say this to be cute but rather I get a lot of satisfaction out of seeing people achieve their dreams.

Exactly, a electric starter to crank the Hinos is all I require.
 
The notion that one must accept marine E drive as the future is ill founded. Look no further than the auto industry. With NA the world's dominant supplier of fossil fuels, the future for very efficient gas and diesel IC engines has never been brighter. BMW is now into 3 cylinder ICs, who would have thought -----

At about 1.5 to 3 NMPG (or higher) for our diesel trawlers, who needs E for long distance cruising and why? Hobbyists - wealthy ones - that's who, and that is OK, it is good for the economy.

Well, for my retirement being more meager than yours, the choice of 1.5 to 3.0 nmpg at a projected $8~$10 per gallon or sailing, leaves me with sailing as the only option for year around cruising. However, at a slow pace, which I'm fine with that, solar powered cruising is doable now and the payback even with diesel at $4 per gallon would be just a few years for the distances I plan to cover. Even with the modest plan of having the Aspen C90 built to my specs as I outlined in post #177, I could cruise 22,000 miles per year with just solar. That 22,000 miles at 3 nmpg would be 7333 gallons and even at the low price of $4 for diesel would tap the cruising kitty to the tune of almost $30K per year. If it was 1.5 nmpg, then double that, and when diesel is $8 per gallon, double it again. That is now $120K in fuel for a year cruising at 22,000 miles. The math is simple, either you have a retirement income of $100K+ per year and you love full time motor cruising, or you have a retirement income of something south of $50K and will have to sail or have the sun propel your travels. Due to me caring for my dad during my most productive years, it is either sailing or solar boating for me.
 
Well, for my retirement being more meager than yours, the choice of 1.5 to 3.0 nmpg at a projected $8~$10 per gallon .

My most recent fill up was about $3.50 per gallon. If you really want to save money sell the boat.
 
My most recent fill up was about $3.50 per gallon. If you really want to save money sell the boat.

That is pretty flippant. With the history of fuel prices, what do you think that gallon of diesel will be in 10 years? I'm glad for you that your cruising lifestyle and distances each year will not impact the amount of cruising you want to do as fuel prices continue to climb, but I'm not in the same boat so to speak.
 
That is pretty flippant.

Not flippant at all. Many of us have sold boats because the cost vs the fun doesn't balance. All the boating activities talked about on TF are optional from either the time, fun or money aspect. I applaud you for choosing a boating lifestyle that suits you and your budget.

PS I remember when boat fuel went from 35 to 45 cents per gallon, the world was ending then too.
 
For those that have no desire to cross oceans at the stately speed of just under 3 kt, (faster in reality because you would plan your passages as us sailors, using wind and ocean currents) with 36.4 Kw-hr of storage you could run at these speeds for given distances using the Aspen C90's hull efficient design. One of these distances might suit you for your cruising, if not, fire up the diesel.

16.3 nm @ 12.5 kt
26 nm @ 10 kt
40.6 nm @ 7.8 kt
65.1 nm @ 6.25 kt

104.1 nm @ 5 kt
162.4 nm @ 3.9 kt
258.2 nm @ 3.1 kt
415.5 nm @ 2.5 kt

With the 1520 watts of solar and sunny days, it will take 5 days on the hook to return under stored electrons.


Dang, Bob. I've been eyeing-up Aspens since the prototype, and if I could get in that boat with an expectation that the two highlighted categories above would apply, that would pretty much cover the enjoyment factor aboard the boat I have right now. We're probably doing the loop next year, but once that is completed, we'll be going back to evening dinner cruises with 4-6, and that combo would fit for that usage as well as the majority of casual boat users on we know here in Key Biscayne, who often do jaunts down to Diner Key and back on the weekends. Over on the Gulf Side (Sarasota), even more so with the older, more conservative population.
 
Dang, Bob. I've been eyeing-up Aspens since the prototype, and if I could get in that boat with an expectation that the two highlighted categories above would apply, that would pretty much cover the enjoyment factor aboard the boat I have right now. We're probably doing the loop next year, but once that is completed, we'll be going back to evening dinner cruises with 4-6, and that combo would fit for that usage as well as the majority of casual boat users on we know here in Key Biscayne, who often do jaunts down to Diner Key and back on the weekends. Over on the Gulf Side (Sarasota), even more so with the older, more conservative population.

There is one hull that I have found that is more efficient than the Aspen, and that is the Chris White designed Buzzard's Bay. New it is $200K more than the Aspen, plus being a twin engine catamaran would require higher conversion costs. The beauty of LiFePO4 cells that Reuben just switched to is their power density and current price. I have also used these cells on another project and can attest their a-hr rating equates to 2X the a-hr rating of a lead acid. The battery bank I am using in my calculations is made up of (16) 700 a-hr LiFePO4 cells, giving 36400 w-hr of storage and at just $560 for each cell comes to only $8960. With a 3000 cycle life minimum, that is over 10 years of constant cruising before the bank only holds 80% of its new capacity. This is the main reason the whole concept is viable now and that is the drop in prices of these cells. Just two years ago they were still too expensive. I feel confident in my numbers, at 7.8 kt your range on stored electrons (further during the day as more energy is harvested), would be 40 nm and at 6.25 kt good for 65 nm.
 
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Exactly, a electric starter to crank the Hinos is all I require.

No need for electric to start a small diesel.

Wind up springs and hand pumped hydraulic with an accumulator seem to work for many euro lifeboat services.

Air start works for larger engines, tho emergency refilling the air tank is seldom a hand job.
 
More than once on this post I have read about the high entry price for an e-boat. Bob is right, the cost of the technology continues to become more affordable and better at the same time. It seems the only way to make inroads is to create a cruising yacht that is both affordable and meets certain performance criteria.

It seems that members of this forum find $500k for a new yacht out of the question. How about $200k - $250k? Is that a doable price tag? (Look at Ranger Tugs success with the $200k + for a 30 footer that performs OK.) Bob seems OK with the price of the Aspen.

Many on this forum have displacement speed trawlers. So is 7-8 knots OK? Some mention their trawlers can go faster - maybe 13 - 15 knots? How many actually cruise these inefficient boats at those height speeds sucking diesel, blowing black smoke and creating wakes you could surf on?

The typical $200k/30 footer has a double berth in the bow and some sort of "guest" (read "kids") berth tucked away. Can I assume this is OK?

Is ocean-crossing a "must have?"

So, would the resistance to an e-boat (including hybrids) lessen if thus criteria can be met? Is there other criteria I'm missing?

Bob feels that the Aspen can be modified to meet his needs for an e-boat. Within his budget after modifications. I tend to agree with Bob on this. But, being in the business, I like the idea of starting with a clean sheet of paper and creating the right boat from scratch. We felt we had cracked the code with the DSe 12m. Turns out is was a step in the right direction, but never found a market. Price. Looks. Performance. Building on the 5 years of ownership and use, plus the better, more affordable technology AND with an economy that has reduced many baby boomers retirement expectations, I feel a more modest solution may just find a market.

In the summer, I row 4 miles at dawn of each day. It hit me last summer that long and lean is easily propelled - how else could an aging boat builder move his shell out and back each day. So I opened up my AutoCad and with some cutting and pasting - a bit of stretching and squeezing, designed a new 12m with but a single lean center hull, kept upright with a pair of expandable amas. This makes her not only trailerable, but also containerizable (fits into a standard 40' shipping container). The goal of this new e-boat is 6-8 knots using electric propulsion - 5 knots for 5 hours under battery alone - 12-13 knots using a 100 HP modern, computer controlled, common-rail diesel. And she crosses oceans safely on board a container ship - about $2,500 to anywhere in the world. The canopy would hold about 3kw of PV. This is my current thinking. Right now I have completed a 1/4 scale towing model - I'm awaiting some parts for my DSe so I can tow her on a calm day in Card Sound. She is designed to be made of welded HDPE (plastic) which requires no upkeep, not even bottom paint. Also no capitalization (read 1/2 mil for tooling). May not pan out, but worth a shot.

Targeted price? $200k for base model - plug-in only. Max price with parallel hybrid , solar, etc., $250k.

Is this closer to the expectations of the forum's members? Or are we competing with mid-70s, 35 footers, very used trawlers fitted with aging diesels at about $50k? That much purchased a really nice center console with twin outboards and trailer at the Miami boat show. If that's the case, we're just spinning our wheels here.
 
If that's the case, we're just spinning our wheels here.

I'd agree since I don't boat near the equator. If I did I'd want nice reliable diesels with some thought given to roof mounted solar panels for battery charging.

Not mentioned is investment and resale value. Does the used boat market place even recognize 75% plus electric drive? As fast as I throw away my phones and computers, I cannot conceive how a 2013 electric boat would be appealing to anybody in 2020 without big bucks spent on re-tooling the gizmos to get the latest and greatest technology to satisfy the techno lovers like Bob. This Forum is a perfect example of how the appeal of "tried and true" lasts for decades.

BTW, my first in depth experience with electric drive was in very large mine haul trucks over 40 years ago. Great application and still alive and well today. Electric drive applications that make sense are all over the industrial, normal living and pleasure world and have been for close to 130 years now.
 
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Where does China and India fit in on this scale? Both produce for their domestic markets more zero emission vehicles than the rest of the world.
I don't think he was talking about bicycles!:rofl::rofl:
 
It seems that members of this forum find $500k for a new yacht out of the question.
Not true! $500K for an E-trawler is out of the question for most.

There are 35-40' trawlers that can be bought for less than $500K which would more than satisfy most on this forum. Why? They have a decent turn of speed, are economical to operate, they fit most marina slips (beam) and are ergonomically pleasing to the "admirals" of the fleet. Ad to this that they appeal to a wide range of buyers in the after market.

I think an E-trawler's time has not come yet. I owned a 21' Duffy (all electric) when I lived on Lake Serena in Scottsdale,AZ. It was a great little dinner cruiser that my wife, dogs and I enjoyed very much. In fact, it was the first electric boat on that man made lake and resulted in other homeowners jumping on the band wagon. Why? No gas powered motors were allowed, the lake was a very calm lake, no one slept aboard, 4-5 knots just made the lake seem bigger and you simply plugged it in when you got back to your doc & the resale was almost automatic. In short, it was the perfect environment for an electric boat. The trawler environment (IMO) is not!
 
Reuben, you are onto something now with your latest concept. Being able to be shipped in a 40' container would open up markets that already are more accepting of e-boats such as SA, NZ, Australia, France, and pretty much Europe in general. The retractable ama system like the Drangonfly high end trimaran allows using a normal slip at a marina. Costs of a single hull, single propulsion are reduced, allowing a new build to be sold in the $200K~$300K market which for a purpose designed boat that meets my needs is a deal closer. My needs would include ocean crossing capability even if a 24 hour run is only 65 nm, but more is better. All electric galley, all the way down to an electric BBQ on the railing which I am currently using. Being able to charge an electric dinghy from the mothership. I do not want propane or gasoline on board. A main berth and a quarter berth is all I require, but two regular size berths would be more marketable. And something that always seems to be missing on all smaller boats, a Nav station large enough to handle a chart, instruments, and HF SSB radio. On that subject, when the hull is laid include a good counterpoise for HF radio operations. Of course fridge, freezer (large for those slow ocean passages) and lighting should be all energy efficient, like LED lights. The propulsion bank at 48 volts should also serve the inverter so a heavy AC gen set is not required because the hybrid drive, solar and storage of the batteries will provide all the AC voltage you would need.

And your right, long and lean are the way to go. When one of our ships are stretched and kept the same beam, even though heavier in displacement, it would return a better fuel burn. My own little kayak requires only 32 w-hr per mile, so with (8) Winston 100 a-hr cells has a range of 80 nm, great for kayak camping.

Reuben, the above would be my dream boat. I have worked with companies in the past with sponsorship of my EV racing and I don't see why you couldn't do the same for the prototype that I would purchase from you to really wring out and show proof of concept. I have crossed oceans more times than I can remember and feel comfortable in that setting. Winston batteries is trying to find a market for their amazing cells, and as you mentioned, the baby boomers that represent the largest population bubble are coming into their retirement years with a bit less income than they had hoped for.

Reuben, keep your ideas flowing on this and other forums. Make life simple and copy and paste to other forums for feedback. I found this forum only because it is a sister forum to the Cruiser's Forum where I have 2900 posts.
 
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Our boat needs will evolve as our desires do. I think it has been well expressed here that all boats are compromises, and it sounds as if most of us on this forum are happily compromising on their "ideal" boat. I know that if I plopped down a half-million bucks for the ultimate electric trawler, I'd still have a boat with compromises. As Reuben intimated, anytime I can plop down half as much to have a boat with compromises is a much more attractive deal, but as long as there is an ample supply of compromised boats costing a quarter or an eighth as much, boaters are likely to lean toward those choices. My desire to have an electric option on my boat is something I want to do, period. Yes, I want to be practical, yes I want to be independent, yes I want to be green and economic minded and all that, but none of those things have much to do with the extreme pleasure I would obtain from cruising silently, unobtrusively in nature. and that's why I'm interested in the technology.
 
healhustler, thanks again for introducing me to the Aspen boat. It is my belief that most the forum members are pleasure boaters, not full time cruisers, and as such probably use their boats for about 4 weeks per year and are still working. For this majority group, diesel is the way to go because fuel costs represent such a small fraction of overall costs. This is why I think Reuben should be trolling the waters of the Cruiser's Forum where most the members are or aspired to be, full time cruisers. A full time cruiser will be much more interested in diesel-solar-electric propulsion than the weekend warrior.
 
Sun chaser makes some good points. Electric drive motors have been used for decades in the mining business. Sine an electric motor has essentially one moving part and needs virtually no maintenance,they tend to have a long life. The same would hold true for a propulsion motor - long life with little or no maintenance. Actually, solar panels are the same. Install and forget - they keep producing electricity effortlessly for years on end. He agrees that he'd even have solar the roof for battery charging - something we like, too.

Interestingly, there is more obsolescence with internal combustion motors and propulsion these days than with electric motors and solar panels. Ten years ago you'd be hard pressed to find a cruising boat with dual-prop, steerable pods and common-rail computer controlled injection. These innovations have taken over the faster, mid-sized cruising boats. My guess is that an electric motor and solar installed today will still be effective and efficient ten years from now. I would wager that diesels will make more significant advances in efficiency in the next decade.

What I feel is missing in this discussion is the possibility adopting some new hybrid technology that dies NOT replace your reliable diesel(s) - this could be applicable to both retrofitting and new construction. Rather than reinventing the wheel, just making it a bit more efficient and user-friendly?

1. Modern diesel(s) that is(are) efficient, smooth, quiet and minimal polluting.
2. Parallel hybrid motor/generator. This eliminates the need for an auxiliary generator. Note: if you already have a modern diesel, you may be able to retrofit a hybrid solution.
3. Enough LiFePo battery to satisfy your overnight on the hook needs.
4. Enough inverter to satisfy your 120/240 VAC needs 24/7.
5. Some PV on the roof to keep the battery charged.
6. Big battery charger to satisfy your electrical needs at the dock.
7. Option - small wind to aid in battery charging.
8. Option - small DC generator for longer times on the hook.
9. Option - energy efficient lighting & appliances

What does this offer the owner?

1. Some limited E propulsion for maneuvering and cocktail/dinner cruising - silently.
2. Nights on the hook without any generator running.
3. No black smoke when you put the hammer down.
4. No generator to maintain. You charge your battery when running under diesel power.
5. Really good AC power and no changeover when leaving the dock. This system is ALWAYS supplying perfectly massaged AC power from the inverter, whether plugged in to the grid or away from the dock. Regardless of voltage drops at the end of the dock or off-hertz current, your power will be isolated and perfect. Even plug into 220v/50 hz without adapters.
6. Without changing your lifestyle one bit, you will actually be using less fossil fuel since at least some of your power is solar, wind or grid generated.
7. Diesel performance is unaffected - you will burn a bit more fuel as you charge your battery, but less than a stand alone generator would. And, if you opt for a DC variable speed generator, you are still using less fuel.

If you're already planning on dumping you old diesel and generator, this could be a viable option. Ditto, if you're planning a new build. The intangible benefit of no-generator anchoring can be worth the price of admission alone.

This technology is not that of iPhones or laptops. As sun chaser mentions, it's been used for decades in the mining industry - my guess is they don't change out those motors as often as many change phones? Ditto on a yacht.
 
The use of diesel-electric drive in the mining and railroad industry is because a diesel could never move from a standstill those loads with its weak kneed torque curve. An electric motor has all available torque at 1 rpm.
 
The use of diesel-electric drive in the mining and railroad industry is because a diesel could never move from a standstill those loads with its weak kneed torque curve. An electric motor has all available torque at 1 rpm.


Not so fast now Bob, there are many very large mining trucks without electric wheel drive motors. Think very big torque convertors. Remember, it is all about money. At some point an electric motor is lighter and cheaper than a TQ, generally once above diesel size of 1500 HP or so. Miners would rather haul ore than on board fixed equipment.
 
Sunchaser earlier in this thread stated he purchased diesel fuel for $3.50 per gallon. Deckofficer stated earlier a projected cost of approximately $9,000 for his LiFeP04 battery bank. As the battery bank essentially is Deckofficer's fuel source, the cost of fuel is fixed at $9,000 for let's assume a 10 year period.

$9,000 divided by $3.50 = 2,571 gallons of diesel fuel.

Larry M is arguably the forum leader when it comes to cruising miles under his keel. His Krogen 42 Hobo, is a uniquely efficient displacement hull with single diesel engine ran at efficient cruising speed at about 1,600 RPM. In the Fuel use per hour thread post number 47 Larry M states his best real life cruising average fuel use as 3.5 MPG. In Larry's case in his 42' Krogen $9,000 worth of diesel would move him 9,000 miles.

I have no idea how many miles Deckofficer intends to travel in the 10 year assumed life of his batteries but after 9,000 miles the balance is essentially free unless I am missing something.
 
Sunchaser earlier in this thread stated he purchased diesel fuel for $3.50 per gallon. Deckofficer stated earlier a projected cost of approximately $9,000 for his LiFeP04 battery bank. As the battery bank essentially is Deckofficer's fuel source, the cost of fuel is fixed at $9,000 for let's assume a 10 year period.

$9,000 divided by $3.50 = 2,571 gallons of diesel fuel.

Larry M is arguably the forum leader when it comes to cruising miles under his keel. His Krogen 42 Hobo, is a uniquely efficient displacement hull with single diesel engine ran at efficient cruising speed at about 1,600 RPM. In the Fuel use per hour thread post number 47 Larry M states his best real life cruising average fuel use as 3.5 MPG. In Larry's case in his 42' Krogen $9,000 worth of diesel would move him 9,000 miles.

I have no idea how many miles Deckofficer intends to travel in the 10 year assumed life of his batteries but after 9,000 miles the balance is essentially free unless I am missing something.

Pretty much right on. I do consider my $9K battery bank as an expensive fuel tank and the solar panels as a means of dribbling "fuel" into that "tank". If you had the room, a 10,000 watt solar bank of panels would allow constant 5 kt cruising 24/7, 365 days a year as proved by transatlantic21: Boat when they crossed the Atlantic using a C60 heavy old catamaran commercial ferry converted for this project and a bunch of heavy AGM batteries to get them through the night or extended cloudy days. We have come a long way in battery technology since that crossing.
 
Furthermore an "Extremely aggressive" cruising schedule based on blogs I've read and posts at other forums would be 20 miles per day annual average. For arguments sake let's assume half that? 10 miles per day average for a year would be 3,650 miles per year.

3,650 miles per year x 5 year battery life would net 18,250 miles if 5 years was the life of Deckofficer's battery pack.

Best estimates range from 6 to 12 year battery life from well managed LiFePo4 batteries. That info comes from a variety of sources on the web.
 
I have no idea how many miles Deckofficer intends to travel in the 10 year assumed life of his batteries but after 9,000 miles the balance is essentially free unless I am missing something.

How do the batteries get charged so you can easily knock off 175 miles in 24 hours including night in a 20 to 50 ton monohull?
 
Not a single post on this thread has even hinted at being able to propel a 50 ton monohull 24/7 at 7.25 knots using only solar power. If that's your parameters for a cruising life style, you are married to internal combustion motor(s). Your goal is outside the parameters of renewable energy except perhaps a big sail boat (which is definitely outside this discussion's purvue).

It's easy to dismiss this technology by setting the goal posts outside of the stadium.

Regarding battery life - both LA and LI - it should really be measured in cycles and not years. Think of a battery as a big gas tank - you use it like a little old lady going to church on Sundays (it'll last quite a few years) or to a NASCAR driver - may last a year or so. Each would actually get the same number of kilowatt hours.

And to think of buying diesel on a regular basis for $3.50 /gallon is fantasy. Here in south Florida it hasn't been below $4 since I can remember.
 
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