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Very cool. Well done. This guy has been building solar boats for more than 30 years. He did it totally on solar power alone, no plug in recharging, using an 8hp motor.

Hi Eric, Just curious. How often do you change oil?

Idlewild...L/W = 5.18_____knots/gal = 5 at 6.5 kts_____displacement 30,000 Willy.......L/W = 2.62_____knots/gal = 5 at 6.5 kts_____displacement 16,000 These two boats have the same fuel efficiency at 6.5 kts despite Idlewild having a 2x L/W ratio. Idlewild has almost twice the...

Hi Eric, I will do the calculations again. In order to compare apples to apples, how many gallons per hour does Willy use at 6.5 knots?

So, I read a bit about the Idlewild Expedition (thanks for that reference). The boat was 57' long and 11' wide for a l/w ratio of 5.18. It traveled 6.5 kts on 1.3 gallons for a kpg ratio of 5. Now let's compare that to more typical FD trawler. Eric's Willie is 30' long with a beam of 10'...

3 hp per additional ton at displacement speeds? Is this correct?

How does the beam of a boat with a full displacement hull affect efficiency when cruising at a speed/length ratio of 1? Do narrower boats have significantly greater efficiency or does it not matter much?

I'm trying to understand how boats work. I have a few questions. 1. What are the different ways that water gets into the bilge? 2. How much water is too much? Thanks for the help.

I just noticed that I have been promoted to veteran member on this forum. This despite the fact that I don't own a boat, know next to nothing about boats, and apparently have difficulty spotting a FD hull when I see one. That's funny.

Old Dan, You are absolutely right. I am a solar enthusiast, not an anti-oil advocate. I have an electric car, a Chevy bolt, but I am connected to Rocky Mountain Power, which means that it is really a coal-powered car. I am ok with that for now. I also have a gas powered car which I never...

Solar panels like direct light. That is why it is best to place them on a solar tracker or position at an angle that maximizes direct sunlight. Of course, this is not practical to do on a boat. My wife and I are currently building a small retirement home. We increased the pitch of our roof...

Eric, You are right. I want to do it without aux power. Without liquid fuel. Without propane. That is the goal. Scott

This is good advice for places like Florida where the sun actually shines. In Alaska, along the inside passage, the solar insolation value is 2.0 during the sunny months. So lets do the calculations. Let's figure I need 9000 watts for 6 hours enabling me to cruise 36 miles each day. (notice...

My plan was for two banks of traction batteries 60KWh apiece and a 30KWh bank for the house batteries. So 120KWh of traction and 30KWh of house. The house batteries would be connected to the solar panels but not the traction batteries. In order to make this trip I need a range of 120 miles...

Hi Miz Trom, I like your boat. Where did you get that fly bridge? I was first attracted to the TT35 because of its large flat roof that could hold a lot of solar panels. As I did more research into the trip I realized that the size of the battery bank and the efficiency of the boat would be...

The MOG boat is very interesting. It was surely way ahead of its time. It looks like a boat more suited to a lake or a canal than open waters, yet they have taken it many places.

I have considered that too. But I think the towing would be problematic and that the saltwater would quickly destroy the panels, the junction box electronics, and the connectors. Maybe if you built a platform for your dingy and towed the dingy it could work. Not sure about the energy...

If any know about one please pass the info along.

Yes, that is a wise and prudent decision. But my goal is to go solar-electric not hybrid-electric. When I use the boat by myself it will be mostly in the Puget Sound where there is always a 50 amp plug quite close. Going to Juneau is a different matter. I don't plan to go by myself...

Thanks RedRascal That Sundowner looks like a really nice boat. Lots of room for panels, especially if I put an extended rack on the that nice flat roof. But I am nervous about the 110hp engine. Even if I just need half the power to maintain cruise that is 55hp which is (maybe) 22.5 KW of...

Yep. And each bank would weigh 950 lbs. Almost 50 tons of battery. That's not happening.

How are yo going to outrun the weather with your limited battery capacity? Well I am not, unless the leg was a very short one and I had lots of energy to spare. That would not be often though. This is why I am reconsidering. I am looking into using a displacement hull and going 6 knots...

Which type of hull performs best in rough seas? Is the SD hull safer since it can possibly outrun bad weather?

It is hard to for me to wrap my mind around the amount of energy stored in a 1000 gallon diesel tank. I imagine with the right type of boat you could travel between Seattle and Juneau without stopping once. I am trying to make that trip on 120KWh, stopping at every power pedestal along the way.

Since I will usually (except for short legs) only have enough energy to move at displacement speeds, would it make more since to use a full displacement hull rather than a SD hull? Sorry, I have a lot to learn about boats.