Dreaming

[daletournier]

When I grow up I want one of these
Daedalus D80 is a smart ocean supercat capable of low-emission long-distance luxury cruising - Yachting World

[PhiSig1071]

I'm really conflicted over this boat.


I love to see technology progressing forward, and people thinking outside the box.


But I also doubt I'll ever see this technology get wide acceptance and use in my lifetime. I can't help but question some of it. Isn't hydrogen highly corrosive? And very flammable? The cruising community seems to have a hang-up on outboard powered cruising boats (specifically cats) because of the flammability of gasoline, is hydrogen safer? Also, from what I can tell, hydrogen production through electrolysis requires more energy than the potential energy of the hydrogen it produces. I suppose that isn't an issue if you are generating more electricity than you're using, and you use the excess to produce hydrogen to "store" the excess power, but I also think that will be a potential death knell for advancement of the technology. There are already net-positive means of clean power production, I think it is more likely that people will invest in refining and improving existing viable power production means rather than investing into bringing a net-negative power production up to neutral or net-positive.


I hope this succeeds, and it's an amazing design exercise, but I am skeptical.

[44'cruisingcat]

Storing hydrogen in useful quantities is difficult, because it's essentially non condensible, and very difficult to leak proof. But there's always new technology around the corner.

[44'cruisingcat]

There's an easy way to make a boat "low emissions". Build it to SAIL.

[Factor]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

There's an easy way to make a boat "low emissions". Build it to SAIL.

QFT. Build a boat that sails well, has good solar array and maybe a wind gen. Be miles in front on emissions and enjoy sailing. As the meerkat in Australia says *Simples.

[daletournier]

A little more I like about it than the low emissions, and it seems that it may sail quite well also. If we throw some outboards on the back would that be better :-)

[StuM]

As soon as I saw this:
"When the propellers rotate the electric motors generate power to recharge the high power lithium battery bank....The Daedalus team calculates continuous free power of over 50kW is achievable....We’re running 60kW per hour of regeneration when we’re sailing at speed,” says Reardon. That means four to six hours sailing per day will generate and store enough energy each day to be self-sufficient."

and "We’re also getting around 4kW from the solar roof, for 10-16 hours a day"

I dismissed the whole thing as "yet more over-hyped crap"

Especially when the brains behind it talks about "kW per hour"

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by StuM

As soon as I saw this:
"When the propellers rotate the electric motors generate power to recharge the high power lithium battery bank....The Daedalus team calculates continuous free power of over 50kW is achievable....We’re running 60kW per hour of regeneration when we’re sailing at speed,” says Reardon. That means four to six hours sailing per day will generate and store enough energy each day to be self-sufficient."

and "We’re also getting around 4kW from the solar roof, for 10-16 hours a day"

I dismissed the whole thing as "yet more over-hyped crap"

Especially when the brains behind it talks about "kW per hour"

Hey StuM, you should drop them a line and offer then your services, you can teach then a thing or two I'm sure :-)

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by StuM

As soon as I saw this:
"When the propellers rotate the electric motors generate power to recharge the high power lithium battery bank....The Daedalus team calculates continuous free power of over 50kW is achievable....We’re running 60kW per hour of regeneration when we’re sailing at speed,” says Reardon. That means four to six hours sailing per day will generate and store enough energy each day to be self-sufficient."

and "We’re also getting around 4kW from the solar roof, for 10-16 hours a day"

I dismissed the whole thing as "yet more over-hyped crap"

Especially when the brains behind it talks about "kW per hour"

What's really awesome is that they'll be able to generate 50kW with no loss of speed....

[StuM]

Originally Posted by daletournier

Hey StuM, you should drop them a line and offer then your services, you can teach then a thing or two I'm sure :-)

Only if they want to learn. They clearly subscribe to the "Marketing 101" adage: "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story"

[44'cruisingcat]

Solar panels that produce at 100% for16 hours a day... yep, that's dreaming...

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

Solar panels that produce at 100% for16 hours a day... yep, that's dreaming...

Why, I reckon that you are missing the point that this boat is soooo fast that it follows the sun westward, thus lengthening the day...

Jim

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Why, I reckon that you are missing the point that this boat is soooo fast that it follows the sun westward, thus lengthening the day...

Jim

Nice one, Jim!

[StuM]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

What's really awesome is that they'll be able to generate 50kW with no loss of speed....

In a a 36 ton sailboat which is making 1.5 - 1.7 times wind speed "all the time" while it is sailing itself unattended.

If you can believe that, I've got a bridge you may be interested in

[daletournier]

Ok, when I get one none of you are invited, karma for your pessimism :-).....seems to be no dreamers left, just boring OLD realists :-)