electric engine

[trav5]

Hello
what´s the good brand of electric engine for boat like trawler and catamaran? thanks

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by trav5

Hello
what´s the good brand of electric engine for boat like trawler and catamaran? thanks

Ocean Volt seems to be the leader - get the one with higher regen if this for a cat - trawler probably won't move fast enough for the regen to be effective. Beware, the Ocean Volt system for a cat with the enhanced regen runs about $100, 000 USD (uninstalled) That's a lot of diesel.

[a64pilot]

How would a trawler regen?

[tkeithlu]

I'm tempted to say that there isn't one, although of course there is. Several threads on the forum has made it clear that electric power for boats occupies a pretty small niche. The difficulties are several. First is generating the electricity to use in the engine. It takes a lot of solar panels, or a diesel genset, which sort of begs the question. Using wind generation also begs the question - if you've got wind, why not sail? Then you have to store the power, which means a lot of batteries, and probably very expensive Lithium-ion types. Even then you are faced with limited range and cloudy days that further limit your range.

What are you trying to do with this motor? Trawler or catamaran implies cruising. In the case of the trawler, at least, that means electricity as primary propulsion. Threads here suggest that the energy budget won't add up. The cat might be sailing with electric auxiliary. That's a bit more doable, but do remember that you need your auxiliary motor in critical situations, and won't want to run out of juice.

I guess lots of stink-pot drivers like me have thought about diesel-electric, as on submarines and mine sweepers. But, it's hard to really beat a diesel engine with a shaft and propeller for simple reliable reasonably inexpensive locomotion. A diesel genset as power source with an electric motor does have attractions, but efficiency is lower than with a straight engine. I don't have a military fuel budget.

If you want to explore further, do an energy-in, energy stored, energy-out budget, remmbering all the inefficiencies like cloudy days, angle of sun, battery resistance, and you name it, and if you think you have a working plan, put it in front of the electrical geniuses on this forum, for them to pick apart. I'm not one of them, but I have dreamed like you have, and have ended up with a slow heavy simple diesel trawler that goes where we want it to. Good luck.

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

How would a trawler regen?

Regen is derived from the prop rotation. Usually this works best at 10 plus knots which is doable on a cat but unlikely with a trawler. Even at slow speeds you do get some regen but with a trawler this would be eaten by running the engine so you'd need a huge battery bank and some solar (maybe even a stick up top) For a trawler, probably better to stick with diesel. The criterion for me with electric engines is can you get through the Panama Canal? With a big enough solar array and Lihium bank you could probably do it in cat. In a trawler, no way in hell without a big genny on board. For me, what's the point of going electric if you still need diesel to feed the genny?

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by trav5

Hello
what´s the good brand of electric engine for boat like trawler and catamaran? thanks

What do you mean by "electric engine"?

Are you asking about generators to recharge batteries and supply house power when the main engine is off?
If so gas or diesel?
What electrical load are you talking about?

Are you asking about a prime mover to replace the gas or diesel engine that drives the propellor(s)?
For a trawler this is not realistic currently.
For a power catamaran this is not currently realistic.
For a catamaran sailboat you could replace one or both prime movers. There would be a long discussion about this. Depends on the answers to the questions above.