Good Old Boat, the magazine, their year end award winning articles

[Neeves]

Good Old Boat, GOB, is an American publication, on the style of PBO but with a focus on older more traditional designs. There is an American 'society': Boating Writers International BWI (its largely American focussed) that holds a competition at the year end and awards, with cash (and honour) the best articles on specific topics. GOB was awarded for 5 off their articles and they have published, open source, the 5 articles. Some UK marine journalists are, or were, members of BWI - its not solely (but largely) American. Member(s) here have provided articles to GOB.

https://goodoldboat.com/MagazineDistribution/GOB2023BWI.pdf

The first article caught my attention as it is a description of converting a diesel yacht to electric, which has been the subject of recent discussions on the PBO forum - but the focus of the article is completely different (in my estimation) to concepts aired here. The author uses the electric engine for short term, very short, usage - to enter or leave an anchorage. They have rejected Lithium and are quite 'gung ho' of wind power - and they have done it - its not ideas but the practice.

I found the article interesting, I liked the contradictions - but not for me, us.

If you Google 'BWI' you will find awarded articles from other publications.

I thought to share and the link offers all 5 of GOB's winning articles, some Xmas reading for you.

Jonathan

 

[14K478]

I have a sailing boat with a little diesel engine for calms and in ports. Batteries scare me.

 

[Tranona]

The electric route described in the article is common in DIY projects and feasible IF you accept the tiny range under motor and otherwise you have only sail power. There is nothing clever about it - 19th century engineering and a hire boat operator on the Thames in Edwardian times would feel quite at home with it. The real challenge is to increase range which means more energy generation and storage, so we see either huge arrays of solar (and maybe regeneration while sailing) and massive battery banks if hoping to be self sufficient or limiting sailing activity by staying close to shore based electricity. Increasing numbers of people are going down both these routes in a wide range of boats from day sailors to ocean cruisers.

However the big unmet demand is for those looking for a direct substitute for their current engine capability that taps into the main benefit of electric - silent running using a renewable source of energy without losing the "comfort" of long ranges under power. Hence the attraction of hybrids as discussed in the thread lower down. These have the added bonus of allowing the use of electric power for other things on the boat, albeit relying more on non renewables (diesel) for much of the power. As the thread shows developments here are limited and not really at a stage where they are viable for small and medium size boats.

 

[Refueler]

The electric route described in the article is common in DIY projects and feasible IF you accept the tiny range under motor and otherwise you have only sail power. There is nothing clever about it - 19th century engineering and a hire boat operator on the Thames in Edwardian times would feel quite at home with it. The real challenge is to increase range which means more energy generation and storage, so we see either huge arrays of solar (and maybe regeneration while sailing) and massive battery banks if hoping to be self sufficient or limiting sailing activity by staying close to shore based electricity. Increasing numbers of people are going down both these routes in a wide range of boats from day sailors to ocean cruisers.

However the big unmet demand is for those looking for a direct substitute for their current engine capability that taps into the main benefit of electric - silent running using a renewable source of energy without losing the "comfort" of long ranges under power. Hence the attraction of hybrids as discussed in the thread lower down. These have the added bonus of allowing the use of electric power for other things on the boat, albeit relying more on non renewables (diesel) for much of the power. As the thread shows developments here are limited and not really at a stage where they are viable for small and medium size boats.

Actually you'd be surprised what can be done with Electric ...

Riga has a fleet of these and they do trips on the canals and then to the main river .. not short trips at all ...

I actually was interested in setting up similar here in Ventspils - but wanted Steam Engine instead .. but the Riga builders only supply with E-Power and their pricing was crazy !!

 

[Tranona]

Not sure why you posted this as did not make any comments about that type of usage, solely about powering cruising yachts. If you look at the other thread on hybrids you will see that I make a point about the recent developments in electric only. Electric has always been viable to varying extent in applications that are able to rely on regular shorepower rather than energy generated on board. Plenty of other examples of electric passenger craft and ferries on rivers and canals where there is charging infrastructure.

 

[Refueler]

To illustrate it has moved on significantly from "feasible IF you accept the tiny range under motor"

 

[thinwater]

To illustrate it has moved on significantly from "feasible IF you accept the tiny range under motor"

Absolutely. Now it is feasible "IF you accept very limited range under motor or a whole lot of batteries."

And for many that is workable. They like the quiet and are not diesel/gas whisperers.

 

[thinwater]

FWIW. I wrote an article in electric outboards, also in GOB. I like the idea for dinghies, particularly if there are crew members that can't manage a small engine. For small boats the range problem bites you, unless you are willing to pay considerably more for considerable less. One of my pet concerns is that the "equivalent to" hp is always exaggerated. Then someone defends it by saying "Well, 4 hp instead of 6 hp is enough." Of course that my be true, but if that is OK for you, then be straight about it and compare it to a 4 hp gas motor. On the other hand, if you needed 6 hp, you will be disappointed.

And notice how rare it is to find a review, even by a magazine that tested 6-12 motors, that includes a gas motor as a baseline. They never do.

 

[Neeves]

I found the article interesting as here was someone who was rejecting lithium, found wind of value and did not switch on their engine when boat speed dropped to 5 knots. The installation also answered the concept of not waking your neighbours when leaving a quiet anchorage. Based on reading threads here on PBO - I simply did not see the concept of the article catching on - at all.

To me the restrictions were enormous, and unacceptable (and made the converted yacht unsaleable - except as a large day boat) - but it would not do if we were all the same.

And on waking your neighbours - we have never been woken by the sound of a Diesel engine - what does wake us is the sound of a chain being retrieved and the clunk when the anchor hits the bow roller. Engine insulation and foam cored construction seems to work for us.

Jonathan

 

[Tranona]

To illustrate it has moved on significantly from "feasible IF you accept the tiny range under motor"

To illustrate it has moved on significantly from "feasible IF you accept the tiny range under motor"

But it has not in the case of pure electric in sail boats because the limit is the capacity of the storage and the ability to generate power from what is on the boat. The only things that have changed is the bulk of the battery bank because of lithium and the possibility of regeneration. The crude 19thc technology as used in that example and in most DIY conversions is severely range limited. Where things have moved on is in the development of drive pods with regeneration propellers like the Oceanvolt but they are a different world from the DIY conversions with just the motor and drive costing as much or more than an old boat like that is worth without considering the cost of the battery bank to give it a range that 25l of diesel would give.

Your tripper boat will be using the same old tech, not the latest and its range will be determined by the size of the battery bank and on shore charging infrastructure.

 

[LittleSister]

. . .

However the big unmet demand is for those looking for a direct substitute for their current engine capability . . .
As the thread shows developments here are limited and not really at a stage where they are viable for small and medium size boats.

Heaven forfend we should have to change our habits, merely to save the planet!

The developments discussed are perfectly viable, just not (yet?) perfectly palatable.

If only someone would develop some cunning technology to harness some natural force, say wind, to move small and medium sized boats.

Of course there are times of no wind, in which case one would need to either develop patience, or have some miracle mechanism which could convert the chemical energy contained in, say, a Fray Bentos pie to mechanical energy which could be applied to a lever to move a boat.

 

[thinwater]

But it has not in the case of pure electric in sail boats because the limit is the capacity of the storage and the ability to generate power from what is on the boat. The only things that have changed is the bulk of the battery bank because of lithium and the possibility of regeneration. The crude 19thc technology as used in that example and in most DIY conversions is severely range limited. Where things have moved on is in the development of drive pods with regeneration propellers like the Oceanvolt but they are a different world from the DIY conversions with just the motor and drive costing as much or more than an old boat like that is worth without considering the cost of the battery bank to give it a range that 25l of diesel would give.

Your tripper boat will be using the same old tech, not the latest and its range will be determined by the size of the battery bank and on shore charging infrastructure.

My point is that most cruisers in remote areas will tell stories of motoring hundreds of miles with no marina to recharge. Sometimes the wind just dies. Doldrums. Summer. A 75 miles day of motoring is not unusual at all IME. Drifting at 2-3 knots is not sailing, and you may have somewhere you need to be.

 

[thinwater]

And, of course, wind is solar power.