Going Electric: Will the batteries explode ?

[TrentePieds]

Quote: "Baghira is..." steel.

But I thot old Rudyard told us that Baghira had "...a skin softer than dawn."?

Some years ago another Bagheera prospered mightily against all the rest of the local PHRF (Pacific Handicap Racing Formula) fleet in these waters.

You might enjoy this (by now antique) article about her. It should help to support your dream :-) :

http://www.nealalexander.com/sitebui...iles/ben38.pdf

TrentePieds - once known as Rikki-Tikki-Tavi

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Hard to beat the power density of fossil fuel.

I agree with this analysis, but taking it one step further -- if you are a pure sail vessel only needing power in and out of port, then why bother with a shaft and large solar installation and inboard propulsion at all? Why not just use an outboard? Surely vastly cheaper, vastly lighter, less windage, simpler in every way, and at least as effective.

For a river, like the OP has, and canals, give me a reliable inboard diesel every day. For the South Pacific, you might not need any mechanical propulsion at all (the Pardeys did pretty well without it).

If someone really wants the gee-whiz of electric power, it's viable for a day sailor or a sailing purist but yes, if you are only going thru 5 gal per year, it definitely makes more sense to use an outboard. Even if you are trying to be eco-friendly, it still probably makes sense after you factor in the energy used in production of the panels and batteries.