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I happened to 'drag race' a Lagoon 440 to a mooring field in Waypoint, an electric 410 s2. He had about a knot more boat speed than me at cruise on calm water. I also had a drag race with a 38' something or other cat, and we were about equal at cruise, with me having a slight edge. On average, I'd say she cruised at 6.5 kts.
As for sea states, they have an unexpected effect. The max amperage you can draw is 100A, split between two shafts. Cruise is 40A per shaft. As the sea state rises, the amperage fluctuates more. The engine controls are constant speed, not constant power like diesels. As the boat surges into a wave, the motors draw more current. On the back side, amperage falls off as the scews unload. Why they designed for constant speed vs constant power, I can only guess. You probably get finer control when docking.
In sum, I really liked the electric power. It completely changes your sailing experience. You must always have your electric motors energized and throttles bumped forward (you get less drag and more charging current with throttles bumped forward). While I avoid like the plague starting diesels under sail, motor sailing with electric is no different from being under sail alone, save for an extra couple of knots of boat speed. You also have engines immediately available in case of MOB or tacking through light air. I'm sold on the technology. I can't wait for new owners to report back once they cover some miles. It really is a different (and better) way of sailing.
Brett
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