Electric sailboats, sailing into freedom ?? Sv delos ??

[@faircompetition1203]

Delos is not electric , it is a hybrid. Diesel over electric like a locomotive . The pretty high currents scare me on it . They had to use industrial bus bars to carry the load As to Plucky on Sailing into freedom he is doing the Elcano Challenge so it is a different . Not just a cruising boat , and you can in fact sail around the world without electricity - was done for thousands of years .He is building an off grid home that he will sail around the world with enough solar to keep all the gear going and given Plucky is no stranger to roughing it I bet he will do it . He will not be powering around However for a normal person's longer distance cruising I do not think battery is a good idea because you don't get the range and it rules out a lot of place you can go . It can also leave you stranded at sea with a storm bearing down on you.

[@2ndPrize]

Lowest carbon footprint on a sailboat is a marine diesel engine that you try not to run so much.

[@captainjimolchs]

Or no engine at all.

[@garyseven777]

@@2ndPrize the reason to concert is safety and efficiency- not “environmental “ that is a “side effect “. It’s a sailboat and you can also “Not run” the electric motor…

[@2ndPrize]

@@garyseven777 Yeah but the electrics don't use less carbon when they sit, they pay their environmental impact up front with the creation of the batteries.

[@captainjimolchs]

@@2ndPrize Plus, they need replacing more often than a motor.

[@garyseven777]

@@captainjimolchs huh? Do you mean the batteries or the electric motor which will last almost forever with almost zero maintenance? Battery life is improving continuously and going one level below “the cutting edge” is the smart way to use newer tech.

[@Mafiakitty]

99% of sailing is coastal - 100% for many people, and there are many fully electric or hybrid boats with affordable electric motors form companies like ThunderStruck.

[@captainjimolchs]

At what cost?

[@peterv.276]

@@captainjimolchs less maintenance, no fuel carrying from a to b, "refueling" in the middle of the ocean while sailing , ...

[@captainjimolchs]

I'm confused. Are we coastal sailing or crossing an ocean? For what purpose does a crossing require more energy than coastal sailing? On YT, I see more maintenance of electrical, cooling, water systems, and auto-pilots than of engines. --Some install air-conditioning to counter waste heat from accessories and restricted ventilation caused by closed compartments.

[@falkpatt]

@@Mafiakitty what's the cruising speed and max range under powe before batteries die and need genset turned on or multiple days of recharge from solar panels?

[@Mafiakitty]

@@falkpatt That would of course depend largely on how many watts your solar panels make, and your RPMs. The idea is to use the electric motor for 30-60 minutes to get out far enough to catch the wind, then sail to your destination, then motor 30-60 minutes in to anchor. But you should be able to get like 6 hours of hull speed, or maybe twice that at 1/4 throttle, or something. And if you keep your diesel engine and/or use a generator, you could probably double or triple that in an emergency.

[@falkpatt]

Video is 100 percent right. Hybrid or EV drive isn't there yet for a cruising sailboat. Wouldn't mess around with it until solid-state lithium batteries are widely available, and solar panels become drastically more efficient. That being said, go for my it if you're okay with having a onboard petrol generator, in addition to acres of solar panels, not to mention costly EV gear, just to be able to travel less distance than a simple auxillary diesel would when the wind dies and it's cloudy.

[@andycumming60]

Got to agree with you Chris, its not quite there yet. Diesel makes more sense in the 2020's for longdistance offshore sailing. "Sailing with Thomas" has a good utube episode on this topic. I initally followed "Uma" because electric was intruiging and experimental, but it was torture to watch them juiceless and becalmed in the high latitudes. Everyone wishes the innovators best of luck with "the quest" however practicalities and safety are foremost when out there. (and a well-sailed diesel aux has a low CO2 footprint anyway)

[@garyseven777]

@@andycumming60 got to disagree since hundreds of sailboats are already doing this- even though it is a tiny subset of sailors who ever go that far. Your data is out of date.

[@MegaAmused]

Excellent content. One of my family members headed up a team that built a solar car in the 90s, and raced it from Texas to Minnesota. He helped develop the BMS (battery management system) for GM's EV1, the Toyota Prius, Honda insight, etc. He's got a stack of battery patents to his name. I'm putting words in his mouth, but I think he'd argue that while there's an emergent role for hybrid boats for commercial marine applications, and those who can afford the up-front cost and and the risks as the kinks are worked out, but as a a sole means of auxiliary propulsion on a sailboat? The 'juice is probably not worth the squeeze' for most of us, is the cliche that comes to mind. As of yet, for those of us who aren't Billionaires, it's a lot of money and a lot of risk, to solve a contrived problem. For now, manufacturing lithium-based batteries is carbon intensive, and in a car, provided you are charging it with renewable energy, you'll typically need to drive 100k miles or so to 'break even' on the carbon footprint, vs a gas-powered car, not to mention the pollution generated mining all the extra copper that EVs require beyond gassers. The average speed driven over the lifetime of cars around the world, is something like 30 km/h (18.6 mph) because, well... Traffic. So a car that clocks 300,000 km over its lifetime, or 186,000 miles if it's not a 'highway only commuter car' might well have something like 10,000 hours of runtime on it, over the course of say, 20 years. But here's the thing. Most recreational sailors average a whopping 50 hours of annual engine runtime, so an average recreational sailboat's diesel engine, after 20 years, will typically have about 1000 hours on it, about halfway into their useable lifetime of about 40 years, with obvious variance by owner. That's 10% the runtime of a normal car. Seeing as a small, 20 hp diesel typically burns about half a gallon per hour, we're only talking about 500 gallons of diesel in that period of 20 years, or 25 gallons a year, about the size of ONE fill in a full-sized diesel pickup truck. Same amount burnt by a small marine diesel, in a year, as the pickup truck will burn in a week or two. These small diesel engines on boats, are not thirsty drinkers. So the carbon 'savings' of putting the batteries required to give an electric propulsion system on a boat, enough range to be really useful, would probably take a few hundred years of a normal recreational sailor's use, if the first set of batteries could possibly last that long, to begin to even out the carbon score. For high-use applications like EVs, hybrid cars, ferries and commuter aircraft, the use case starts to make a lot more sense. But for recreational sailboats? For now, it's probably just a futile exercise in virtue signalling to try and run a sailboat's auxiliary propulsion system exclusively off batteries with wind, propeller and solar charging, due to the incredible 'sunk' carbon costs of putting adequate batteries in the vessel push the boat just a couple of hours on stored electricity, which will get you back into the harbor if there's no wind at the end of a day sailing, but not much further than that. By comparison, most recreational sailboats carry enough diesel onboard for at least a few hundred nautical miles of pushing, many carry much more. In a pinch, that can make a difference if you tear sails, get dismasted, or if the wind stops blowing and it's time to seek a safe harbor before a storm front comes rolling in.

[@smartbiz888]

Great take! Agree completely... 👍😎👍

[@EdwardFin]

Agreed. Calculation could probably come to convenience factors. Meaning that if one is going to put all that battery capacity to a boat (ac, heating, kitchen) anyway. So one might also use electric motor. But i think that the needed capacity for toys is a lot less than running electric motor. Trimaran could be fun. Smaller electric engines on outer hulls and only one smaller diesel engine on center hull. You could get excellent maneuvering at harbor, but when the shit hits the fan you would have your trusty diesel.

[@ArturZagaj-Izraelita]

@@EdwardFin Nie zgadzam się z Tobą. Na jacht wejdzie 10 paneli po 450Wat i więcej, masz dom elektryczny, wodę z odsalarki i napęd z tego co dzień ci naładował. To bardzo dużo prądu tylko trzeba usunąć maszt i żagle aby nic nie rzucało cienia. Katamaran to już życie w luksusie bo paneli wejdzie 3-4 x więcej niż na jacht,

[@MegaAmused]

@@ArturZagaj-Izraelita That's OK, Artur, you can disagree if you like. 10 X 450 watt panels sounds like a possibility on a lake boat that you're not sailing, if you're looking to power your domestic systems, and you can do it in fact, with a lot less power generation than that. A couple of hundred watts of panels will power a fridge that is cycling on and off to keep your groceries at a food-safe temperature and leave you enough spare power to charge your handheld devices, VHV radio, chart-plotter, etc. But here's some simple math. A 21 hp motor would be about normal on a 32-36 foot, moderate displacement monohull. 21 hp is 16.66 kw. Let's take a 100 kwh battery pack, suitable for a long-distance EV. The cost is somewhere around $20k, before the panels, installation, charge controllers, electric motor, etc., and it will weigh about 1200 lbs not including any of the supporting kit. As we all know, if you want to extend the useable life of the battery on an EV, mostly you don't want to charge it up beyond an 80% state-of-charge, except occasionally, when you know for sure that you'll want maximum capacity. You also don't want to discharge it below 20% state-of-charge if you want to extend it's useable lifespan. So that leaves you with 60% of the battery's useable capacity, if you want to maximize its useable lifespan, yielding 60 kilowatt hours. That gives you 3.6 hours of runtime, so at 6 knots speed over water, you've got yourself 21.6 nautical miles of range, given no headwind or current. Even if you want to cover your boat with panels, and came up with 10X 450 watt panels, which has its' own issues, even if every watt of that energy made it into the batteries with zero thermal loss along the way, you'd be adding with every hour of solar charging underway, 4.5 KWh, so maybe 20 minutes of runtime, but due to thermal losses, it would probably be more like 10 minutes of useable runtime per hour of solar charging... So from an 80% SOC, you've now bumped it to a little over 4 hours of propulsion on an 80-20% discharge cycle. So, useable-ish, just not a robust solution. And yes, most sailing is coastal. In the Pacific Northwest, we have islands everywhere, lovely. But there are times in the summer when there's not enough useable wind for weeks at a time, to actually move your boat any useful distance in a day. The odd bay has great wind inside it from Anabatic and Katabatic winds (shore breezes) and while that's great for day-sailing, it's typically not going to move you from one bay to the next, except for within the sound where that wind is happening. We wind up motor-sailing, but on your holiday, when it's time to go to a different area and there's not wind to get you between destinations, you very well might run your motor 8 hours on a given day, several times over the course of a summer. That's just the reality for most boat owners, who aren't retired, and use their boats mostly for day-sailing, with a couple of longer summer holiday trips a year, with some lucky folks using the boat for the entire summer as a portable cottage. The solar electric propulsion idea is fun as a theoretical exercise, and there will be a few people who are willing to drop the money to reduce their range, but boy. Talk about burning stacks of money to reduce your range vs a simple diesel engine, while putting a bunch of complex electronics in a highly corrosive, salt-water environment, that your insurance underwriter may well not want to write a policy on. Meanwhile, the carbon cost of building that 100 KWh battery pack, isn't more environmentally friendly than the small amount of diesel burnt in a decade on a diesel auxiliary cruising yacht. 200 years at 50 hours annually, for the carbon 'break even' point, to hit the 10,000 hour carbon break-even associated with electric cars. While we're at it, in the real world, if you went ahead and installed a $50,000 solar system and battery-only propulsion system on a used, $50,000 dollar sailboat, when you're done? You've probably reduced the market value of the vessel to below $50,000. In fact, you might struggle to find a buyer for a boat with a custom-install. And you'll almost certainly struggle to get it insured.

[@gcanada3005]

I have 2@phev. One with 140k miles, 52mpg overall. The other 70k miles with 57mpg. I live in Canada where the cold lowers my mileage. I love these cars. The automobile industry has put so many billions into these cars they sold them to me at a loss. I would not buy a boat that attempts to run on electric. The technology is not there and may never be.

[@robertfreeman2322]

I don't hear anything about electric sailboats getting hit by lightning. My friend Derek who runs Ocean Volt USA and did the system in La Vagabond and most of those youtubers boats will attest to is that it gets real expensive when you get hit. His sailboat was struck in the Chesapeake on his way home from wintering south in the Bahamas. It's not just your navigation equipment that gets fried. The entire system was toast. He got the cells out of it but, every BMS was fried and the generator was basically toast too among every other piece of electronics that normally gets fried. He was not insured but being the Ocean Volt guy he didn't take a loss like most people would. He wasn't insured at that time. There is a lot to consider with electric. It blows my mind when having conversations with him at my marina( His shop was there and his new boat with the dual electric motors was across from me) and from what I took out of it is we are not quite there in technology to go 100 percent electric for all needs and if you need to motor long distances(250 miles or more). Yeah there's solar and regenerating at the props but a diesel will get you to 7 knots cruise for a week straight. Electric for maybe 8 hrs. He has a 10 kw 48 volt generator onboard that will give him unlimited range while charging batteries but then there's the cooling of the motors that becomes an issue which nobody has really tested yet. He has shown me how they are cooled and I was really impressed but until somebody has run them for a week straight 24/7 it's just theory right now. Derek is one of the smartest guys in the electric boat business. He's currently sailing his family to the west coast from Connecticut and he'll be missed at the marina for sure. Check out his site Captineer.com for information on it all. As for me, I'll be burning that diesel in my Yanmar for probably the life of my steel Roberts and I hope it makes those greenies cry. Go blue! burn whale oil I say! ...just kidding

[@garyseven777]

The dude he mentions, Plucky, had a serious lightening strike that holed him! Look up, that video on his site...amazing what happened.

[@robertfreeman2322]

@@garyseven777 Right. I am curious what insurance underwriters are thinking about on a vessel with 150,000 dollars worth of just batteries not to mention the rest of the equipment. Are they even insurable for your average sailor? What's the premium like? it's one thing to have Lifepo4 onboard for house bank as an AGM can cause a fire too but 15 kw of Lithium in the bilge? like whoa.

[@Bullshit1011]

Parey revival got hit twice by .lighting, fried most everything

[@robertfreeman2322]

@@Bullshit1011 Imagine if he had all electric propulsion systems onboard. ugh

[@garyseven777]

My 260 Ah at 48 volts is stored where the old fuel tank was. Well balanced and protected. Insurance will cover almost anything if the premiums are high enough. Not a problem.

[@SuperSventizeMe]

Good article. One nit: Lin and Larry Pardey sailed around the world twice in the 1960s and 1970s with no motors of any kind. So it CAN be done with a modern boat. Whether you would WANT to do it with that level of deprivation is a different question...

[@captainjimolchs]

They could do it because they didn't have a "modern boat", which substitutes technology for skill. Pardeys were deprived of nothing.

[@andypdq]

I'm stopping the video at 3:00 Early adopters of any new tech are taking a huge risk. That doesn't mean it won't turn out to be reliable in the future, but you only should do coastal sailing with it until it's very well tested if you don't want to win a Darwin award.

[@stevenmurphree]

Technology is there, but combination of right setup & right sailor & public profile is what's missing. Wish this video cared to address the "why" more than just a bunch of negative talk. I can't wait to convert my next sailboat to EV because it's superior in every way for my use. Maybe the tiny fraction of big offshore boats actually getting used offshore are still a better use case, but not for long.

[@garyseven777]

@@stevenmurphree as usual it’s often the sailor’s fault when there is an equipment problem.

[@timinfla2]

How could an all-star lineup of sponsors headed by none other than Jimmy Cornell be any more of a dream scenario to display tech if it was truly 'there'? I want this to be true, I'm a Tesla owner - the best car I have ever owned, and I'll never own an ICE car again. It has nothing to do with the environment but has everything to do with performance and ease of use. I'd LOVE a purely electric sailboat for the same reason. But I'm no Jimmy Cornell, I don't have all those sponsors, so until the tech is truly there, I respectfully beleive we're in a holding pattern until Tech catches up with our dreams.

[@WiwekL]

“He wants to sail the world self-sustainably… he started a GoFundMe” Am I the only one finding this hilarious?

[@nooneanybodyknows7912]

It's the KZbin way.

[@robertpendzick9250]

One 48vt 100 A battery needs about 5 300 watt solar panels for 4 -6 hours of sunlight. So the problem is that you don't have enough space to mount enough solar panels to keep a good sized battery bank fully charged.

[@garyseven777]

@@robertpendzick9250 show your work, please. Compared the output of residential 400 watt 36 volt panels to whatever you are doing. My 10kw motor will run at 3/4 hull speed at around 30 amps. With good sun exposure 3 residential panels would let me run all day at the level without tapping the batteries at all.

[@NylandJim]

My goal is to get rid of propane in the galley and convert to electric while minimizing the need to run the generator. I think that upgrading house batteries and adding solar panels and possibly wind generation might make sense for this modest goal.

[@garyseven777]

@@NylandJim good start- get the fire stuff off the boat.

[@searlearnold2867]

Beau and Brandy and Sailing Uma built their own systems, but you get to see the good, bad and ugly of their choices. There was always far too much hype around hybrid systems and full electric and that no one would be the guinea pig. There's a reason Philip Berman at Balance Catamarans and Chris White of CWD will probably never go hybrid. Reliability in the middle of the ocean is a life or death issue all on its' own.

[@garyseven777]

@@searlearnold2867 I love B&B - they are real as anything and always up front about problems. The worst electric usage was in the ICC which doesn’t allow much sailing and requires motoring all day in populated areas. This is clearly a better use of an ICE motor so maybe an outboard assist for an electric boat on this instance.

[@gstoddard1325]

Sampson boat co is doing quite well. Especially considering he built it with his own initiative and the gusto to organize everything. With a massive, massive thank you. It's an inspiration to all. Regardless of poopy neighbors. Lol.

[@aaronnunn5240]

Pluckamedes will simply sail, he only needs the motor at Port. He won't be alone. He lived without a fridge for years, Peter considers the ocean supporting his boat as the Supermarket!

[@garyseven777]

@@aaronnunn5240 plucky is hardcore fer’ sure…Miss his channel.

[@jeffrandolf5673]

What happens if you put a lithium battery IN salt water? And what about electrolysis with all that battery power?

[@garyseven777]

@@jeffrandolf5673 not what happens when your diesel catches fire - that’s for sure!

[@bobbrown9158]

I believe it will be at least 5 to 7 years before the electric auxiliary motor is viable. Hybrid diesel / electric will be the direction for manufacturers perhaps in the future. The benefit of electric is the quieter running, and no problems associated with diesel fuel and smelly exhaust.

[@martinfoster9249]

Great positive attitude as always Chris, and good to see Plucky on here at last! Tbh he's crazy enough to maybe succeed with his project 😂 Personally I wouldn't want the risk of an uncontrollable lithium fire offshore, plus the tech seems somewhat fragile, and I'd rather have a bomb-proof tractor engine with inert fuel that runs for days not just a few nautical miles that I can usually fix with a screwdriver and a hammer 😊

[@laurapitre5797]

Plucky has succeeded in milking thousands of dollars from gullible followers.

[@mattcarroll106]

All drill rigs from the eighty’s, till now have been diesel electrics. So I’m sure they will figure it out , for sailboats.

[@garyseven777]

Also all trains and submarines before NUKEs.

[@yanassi]

One of the channels bought a 45’ leopard. Luckily there was a leopard delivery guy aboard for a 900 mile journey. Experienced was key to knowing about, finding and fixing build issues. That makes sense that someone like you is perfect for the first journey. How manufacturing specific should such a guy be?

[@COLINJELY]

How efficient are the Electric Motors when you are under sail at generating electricity? How much can you generate from Solar Panels? Also, how much speed do you lose driving you Electric Motor as a Generator?

[@captainjimolchs]

Entropy tells us that what miles you loose by generating electric is greater than any miles gained later.

[@garyseven777]

@@COLINJELY don’t be hung up by regeneration- it is not efficient. Solar and wind is the way with a small Honda backup generator for 30- 40 foot boats.

[@smartbiz888]

Agree it's a bit early in the full electric technology world for sailing... I'll go with the tried and tested tech and spend a lot less and save headaches, too... Good take on the state of the sailing world and the movement towards all electric/advances! Anyway... Enjoy your holidays, hope you are able to let your hair down a little and maybe a little sailing too! 👍😎👍

[@garyseven777]

Electric issue- battery life. Much easier to deal with if you make it a priority and not a “what’s my level today” . Remember sailboats have gone around the world many many times with NO Motor. So you use the electric to get to where you want to sail.

[@BillJohnston-y7o]

True, but those are tough as nails people. Not many of those left. lol

[@aaronnunn5240]

​@@BillJohnston-y7oPlukky didn't have a fridge for years while living at sea. He's got it

[@yanassi]

You are so right with an electric retrofit on a fossil boat. It seems the purchase of a boat built with electric drive make more sense. I would love a small (under 40’) electric propulsion cabin cruiser to do coastal and riverways travel, maximum solar panels (like 3200kw, 8 400w panels) atop a long roofline (no sunroofs) from forward of cockpit to covering the aft salon. Maybe a take-down mast (low bridges) with just a jib (like hopyacht30). I wonder what are your thoughts on such a boat (not a live aboard)? At least the dangers of an ocean crossing is minimized. Like you and many have said, things do break, a small portable generator would be a smart backup.

[@garyseven777]

@@yanassi Yes- electric allows us to think outside the box on design and will transform the sport.

[@andrewfournier8817]

Nah- you can get more than maneuvering room from a decent battery bank. It's enough to get free and raise the sails, or cruise very slowly tiil the wind comes back. Plukky might well make it. It will be inconvenient, not impossible. Agreed that on the consumer end the costs are still high and function is low. they key is building around a very large battery bank for a consumer boat to get some range. You CAN make that math work in terms of marginal motive power, not boat cost.

[@RodolfoRodriguez-m3s]

I've seen sailors use an engine as a paperweight or an anchor remember that if you're good at what you do and you can sail around the world with a parachute that is ascending parachute not descending parachute

[@squirejinx]

Chronic naysayers poo-pooing visionaries is a time-honored tradition, but it's edifying to see You Tube channels like Sailing Uma taking the tentative steps necessary for progress.

[@ChasingLatitudes]

@squirejinx sailing uma ? Is that a joke, those two sail on average 2k nm a year, I do that on a month, next time watch the video before commenting

[@ChasingLatitudes]

@@matteframe I'm not moving amy goal line, 2k miles in a year is what a lake sailor would do, I've crossed the Atlantic 8 times, in 2024 I did around 17k nm, I've got 237,000 nm sailed, uma are not sailors, they are boat yarders.

[@ChasingLatitudes]

@matteframe if that's what you've gathered you may want to stop fan boying over boat yard fleas that sell you counseling amd green drinks and start to understand the basics of electric sailing

[@ChasingLatitudes]

@zendesigner you think those two make more money than me ? Your delusional lol, id wager 50k in escrow right now I make at minimum double what they both do in a year silly, I dont make my living from KZbin silly kid

[@SailingCatamarooned]

@@ChasingLatitudesoh my lord, go off latitude😂 Eat brother, eat

[@ejdd3442]

Not properly grounded could stray lethal currents in the area of the boat, meaning swimming = death. I might be a bit dramatic but you never know.

[@johncampbell9216]

I used to agree but now I'm with the electric push. There are risks and disadvantages with every system but electric is the way we're going, so getting in running at the start is definitely a good idea. Delos will be ahead of the curve and ready for the coming advances in cell design. So long as they do it right, with a properly sealed battery bank and fire suppression system, they'll be just fine. With advances in solar and hyhdro charging, I'lI bet they'll be hauling their diesels out within five years.

[@ChasingLatitudes]

Oh I am all about the electric boats, its just for the average consumer the price to benefit ratio is not there yet

[@johncampbell9216]

@@ChasingLatitudes I think our Mr Trautman will soon show you otherwise, mate, especially if he can swing regen from his props!

[@ChasingLatitudes]

@@johncampbell9216I imagine if (if and but we're candies and nuts we'd all have a wonderful Christmas) I can assume that one day in the future it will be available, even if someone currently gets the regen down it's going to be years before it's affordable

[@johncampbell9216]

@@ChasingLatitudes The swinger is the energy availability. Imagine if free diesel could dribble into your tanks throughout the day, every day via absorption panels on the roof and a device on the hull? No need to pull into a fuel depot, no need to cart fuel cans by handcart or in a dinghy, just free fuel each day every day, on the move under sail or from an inflatable array laid out while at anchor? A back-up housebank and generator for emergencies. All one fuel, interlaced, completely self-sufficient, and free! Believe me, it's affordable!

[@captainjimolchs]

As Homer Simpson said :to Lisa: "In this house, we OBEY the laws of Entropy". Slowing your boat down today for miles tomorrow ultimately costs time. Some of your "re-gen" will be lost on your dish washer and beer fridge.

[@bradynixon8900]

I spoke with the designer of Delos - David DeVilliers. He said the Delos boat electric system is heavy AF.

[@Sailingon]

Looking forward to testing mine next summer. Im thinking im going to need a DC generator for peace of mind till im comfortable with the setup

[@bobbykemp6099]

One day maybe. I just recently heard of a sailing KZbin couple that attempted an electric sailboat and they wound up finding their bodies in their dingy. Not sure how they died because I don’t think they ever found their boat.

[@sissyfus6181]

That was 6 months ago. But lady k did a video in the last week and botched most of the facts. Is that what you saw? Also did you hear about the flat earther who built a steam powered rocket? He had much in common with that guy and his electric conversion.

[@garyseven777]

@@bobbykemp6099 you mean this million dollar 60 foot yacht that was brand new? Nobody knows what happened. Could have sprung a leak. Stupid example- let’s discuss the 100 diesel boats that failed or sank in the same period ok?

[@jaimegots1983]

How about the turanor planet solar boat that travel around the world is it a fail too?

[@garyseven777]

I’m always going to say- more boats have burned up the waterline from diesel failures than any electric motor issue. More boats have had engine failures that have lead to the loss of the boat due to diesel than electric. Electric boats require no Rube Goldberg liquid cooling anc filter system- no fuel tank full of biohazard diesel that clog the other Rube Goldberg system of fuel filters and lifts. EVERY BOAT I SEE ON KZbin HAS TO REPLACE OR COMPLETELY REDO THEIR DIESEL ENGINE. Every single one.

[@garyseven777]

If you get in the doldrums, if it is sunny and you have a proper setup you can run all day in the solar Ali one so no fuel issue. Ever. You can have a Honda generator on board for cloudy cruising too. Electric is clearly THE WAY for small sailboat conversions. I have a 33 foot C&C Mk1 and and the thunderstruck motor is perfect for it. That is all. Oh and I am allergic to diesel respitorially. So I can never have it.😊

[@garyseven777]

Electric requires almost zero maintenance.

[@laurapitre5797]

​@@garyseven777😅😅😅

[@troz451]

So use only sails, like Magellan, and you’re carbon free. Looks like it’s already been done 😊

[@rickylefleur2158]

The technology is there, all those formula one drivers flock to Sunreef Eco yachts. Having said that, couldn't agree more with your assessment, us average Joe's should just stick to a trusty diesel engine.

[@StudioBhobho]

because Sunreef is part owned by Nico Rosberg

[@connannbarbarin3033]

It is 100% doable. No engine or electric system (communication can use a sat phone and a hand VHF and portable solar charger). Use hand powered desalination pump and freeze-dried food. Strong metal hull, no thru holes or ways for fire to stars, pilot house with 4 point seat belt, OVER BUILD rig and 2-3 extra sail sets and the boat is 100% safe (if container ship doesnt run you over). Ppl did crazier stuff.

[@oceandawgs1076]

We sailed from BC Canada to Panama on a Steel hulled, gaff rigged, Thomas Colvin, with an electric engine. We have the minimum in electronics, and luxuries, plus we only use the engine when absolutely necessary. We have become excellent sailors, learning to use any wind that comes along, being comfortable going at a slower pace, and really being aware of the elements around you. We have a generator for replenishing the engine but it stopped working and we continued from Costa Rica to Panama. Considering we only use the engine once every few days, a good set of solar panels will provide enough energy to power our engine, unfortunately the system we need is not available in Panama but we now have plans for a larger boat for cargo, with an electric engine powered with solar.

[@somebody1869]

Doable is different from enjoyable. People spending $250k of their own money do not want to”doable”. They want to enjoy themselves while doing it. That distinction is the big one.

[@oceandawgs1076]

@@somebody1869 An electric engine is not for everyone, it is a different style of sailing. Although, as someone who has used one for four years now, I can say, if it wasn’t enjoyable, I wouldn’t have sailed over 7000 miles with an electric engine as backup for tight spots. I am willing to give up the luxuries for the quiet, the skills learned sailing, the money saved on fuel, and the experiences of a slower journey more in tune with your environment. People are looking for different things in the cruising lifestyle, this may not be the more popular option but it is an option more people are exploring.

[@somebody1869]

@@oceandawgs1076 I agree. My boat has been electrically propelled since 2014. I love it. It suits my needs. Just added a bigger battery two years ago to meet my evolving needs. Right now, the people getting the most out of electric sailboats are taking a very active role in the installation and management of the system. Right now, the industry can’t meet the expectations of the non technically minded owner with no interest in the electric propulsion aspect of their boat.

[@garyseven777]

@@somebody1869 true if you can afford that. My income level is Social Security so I cannot- I always have to “sacrifice” to enjoy my sport.

[@aeneas-sails]

I'm watching an electrostatic motor startup in Wisconsin called C-Motive. Their secret sauce is a liquid dielectric, high torque, low rpm. They anticipate regeneration ability likewise at a low rpm. I am reminded of a certain yacht designer (PAR yachts) who repowered his personal boat with a salvaged universal electric motor from a washing machine. A couple of deep cycle batteries charged at home were sufficient to move his sailboat from berth to ocean, along a river with minimal current. Of course, that's a different application than a general use auxiliary.

[@HouseofBoost-j1u]

I sailed from New Zealand to Australia via Norfolk Island in Mumby 48 catamaran, The diesel was used for about 10 minutes when leaving port , then to set the anchor on North folk island. and to dock in Australia. not this is a good story but there was one day we were becalmed and the math was done, weekend entry to Australia was about $200 more so the choice to motor for half a day using far less than $200 of fuel. but it would have been possible to sail mostly and use very little diesel fuel. I bet my flight used far more fuel just for me than the sailing trip. Using less fuel should be a goal

[@isawthis448]

SV DELOS HAS BOTH...

[@NeverTooLatewithLorenzzo]

Big fan of your channel, but on electric motors, I think you’re missing the facts. Unlike electric cars, sailboats don’t need constant power-you can go days without using the motor, just wait for the wind. The motor is often for emergencies or calm conditions. Sailing isn’t all about racing; some of us just enjoy the quiet and simplicity at sea. It’d be great to see you dive deeper, share stats, and talk to people who actually use electric systems. The tech is there-show us the full picture!

[@laurapitre5797]

The problem is range. Electric is so pathetic range wise that only a fool would cruise the world with it.

[@tms1624]

Cornell's system design was poor. He had insufficient understanding of the performance of the prop in combination with the elecric system. That led him to chosing a folding prop on one motor, which drastically reduced his regen potential. On top of that the Outremer 45 has little solar. It was a poor choice to attempt a fully electric circumnavigation.

[@MetatronsCube23]

Using a diesel generator to power one or two electric motors would be more practical. The size of battery capacity they need is absolutely insane too, one boat had enough battery power to power a house on land for a month, but could eat the batteries up in a day using them for propulsion. Using battery power seems like your back up to normal engines, not an either or type of situation. Coolest set up Ive seen so far was a diesel engine, diesel power generator and a back up electric engine made to run off the generator, or as back up to switch over to the batteries. The the batteries were mainly for lights, cooking, refrigeration, electronics etc. Also, it should not be up to the customers to test out "bleeding edge" systems, these companies have R&D and you should expect fully tested stuff when it rolls out to the users of said product. Most of these people are living in a fantasy compared to what is actually possible.

[@Frazec_Atsjenkov]

The technology is never there, until it is. The one who will show you, is the one who tried when it wasn't.

[@garyseven777]

@@Frazec_Atsjenkov word

[@eyecatcher189]

Hey man, love your show, very informative, helps me on my path, Sailing into freedom has inspired me to create a boat worthy of the Elcano challenge, one point you said is that we dont have the tech for it yet, I respectfully disagree, no offence. But to build a boat capable of this, which I will prove in due time, you basically have to completely look at it from a different angle, redesign the boat shape from the ground up and shape it around the new systems to maximise efficiency,, and relook at power systems, the boat I have designed is a hydrofoil kite boat that is built to take the strongest storms, kites are at least 4x more powerful than sails, the boat rides on foils to reduce friction, travels through the water faster therefore more energy available for the taking and while producing all this energy while "sailing" produce hydrogen for when conditions aren't favourable, hopefully one day you might do an episode on me

[@laurapitre5797]

😅😅😅

[@JeffreyDRein]

Take the battery off a Totaled esla cyber truck and pair it with the motors from your bike, that's a lot safer than what Theros did with a leaf battery of a totaled car

[@brianperry843]

Rigging Doctor KZbin channel is fully electric sailboat. Herb and Maddie Benavent do not have a diesel or gas engine on board their 1968 Morgan 45.

[@Foxtrottangoabc]

I guess one could use biofuels instead , i recall Solomon Islands they used coconut oil for their diesel tractor . Plucky is awesome , the real deal and im sure he will give it a go without an engine. I am currently watching the Vendee Globe , the carbon fibre boats are amazing and seem to be sailing around the world , without use power 🙂

[@Canuck_]

The Elcano challenge is not really a challenge in my opinion. They sailed the world for hundreds of years with only sails until the steam powered engine in 1805. In 1887 the first sailboat got an engine. So up until 1886 they sailed the world without using hydrocarbons. I don't get the point of the challenge.

[@bigbang259]

try it and you'll see

[@stevehartley8162]

“They” (the best navigators at the time) also hit reefs and got shipwrecked often.

[@bucknaykid4236]

how long has man been sailing/ in that time the boat builders cant even manage to build a boat that is reliable with no need to fix almost every system for a period of 5 years after it is built. why is that/

[@captainjimolchs]

The sea is a harsh mistress.

[@jacobuszwanenburg1629]

lol I’m 67 and still remember science class ….. add salt to water and it’s a much better conductor Electrons like salt water so it’s a good choice 😂 right

[@TAZAR_II]

Electric boats have circular logic when it comes to diesel engines. I don't want a diesel engine -> buys electric motor -> buys diesel engine to power electric motor.

[@garyseven777]

No and there is a HUGE difference between a generator and a main ICE engine both in complexity, expense and reliability. You are just wrong.

[@TAZAR_II]

@@garyseven777 What is the difference? A naturally aspirated, mechanically driven diesel engine is an extremely simple and reliable design.

[@garyseven777]

@@TAZAR_IIhow about air cooling? My Honda style generator doesn’t rely on seawater or fresh water. How about weight? My Honda is 40lbs- I can lift it an move it easily. How about ease of replacement? If my small generator goes bad I can get another one almost anywhere in the world for under $500. How much is just the intercooler for a Yanmar 40 horse motor? It’s no contest and consider- my boat still runs when the generator is off with solar power- it is always “topping off”.

[@garyseven777]

@@TAZAR_II no that’s not how it works. If you want to you can purchase a Honda generator which you can replace anywhere at 1/10 the cost of a Yanmar without the cooling and fuel contamination issues that cause soooo many at sea failures. Also, solar lets you refuel at sea- do you know of tankers that do this for diesel boats in the middle of nowhere? Someone actually Debate me and stop saying the same thing with no answer except…well…I think…

[@garyseven777]

@@TAZAR_II but the cooling issues are enormous with actual sea water entering your boat and flowing out. You are sinking your boat to cool it in effect. Also fuel tanks get contaminated and diesel quality is variable and really contaminated on some countries. So not so simple- really more Rube Goldberg than many things. You are just Wrong.

[@jakekinzly5162]

So what about Hybrid Electric-Diesel? Use the option that makes the most sense as necessary.

[@aramblerful]

Wasn’t the first circumnavigation of the earth done without a diesel motor? They were using 100% sails baby!!

[@ChasingLatitudes]

@@aramblerful had nothing to do with why electric mane no seems in it's current state

[@sissyfus6181]

And most everyone died. Relevance?

[@garyseven777]

You don't consider all the diesel fires and failures, the number of times offshore, ocean crossers have died, burned and failed with supposed "low number " diesels with fuel and complicated cooling issues. Also paying for oil and diesel and complicated repairs where you can lose one bolt and wreck your engine. You can use reliable AGM Batteries which are FAA rated for safety. You can have a low compression generator, gas or diesel to supplement solar and in berth charging. How is this "different" from a regular diesel or gas main engine? 1) Only needs to be used in non-typical sailing situations or emergencies so zero daily use. 2) Much much cheaper and easier to replace in almost any port. 3) Far less expense to run and maintain. Solar panels are a free gas tank, of course. How many times have you seen boats in bright sunshine stranded in the doldrums because of low diesel fuel? Days and days of wasted floating. With sunshine the electric boat is constantly refueling for free and could sail out of doldrum highs much more easier than a boat with limited fuel tankage. As a captain, do you use the fuel needed to sail out or conserve it for some 'Emergency"... You just need to open your mind and also you ALWAYS chide people for "thinking' they are going to sail oceans who never will. So to complain you pick the worst scenario for sailing for electric (Northern latitudes and short days and offshore use) which is literally about 15 percent of all sailors. Think of the dude on the hook in the Bahamas with 14 hours of sunshine all day. What's his diesel doing for him. OPEN YOUR MIND OR DEBATE ME ON A LIVESTREAM...or are you "chicken'...?

[@captainjimolchs]

How many hours of engine time does 14 hours of sunshine provide? What about winter?

[@garyseven777]

@@captainjimolchsdepends on your amount of solar collection - I’m looking at over 1,000 watts of panels producing 36 amps at 36 volts so I draw 36 amps an hour at 4 knots or just above so I could run for all 14 hours on solar alone. But let’s be realistic- probably only collect an average of 20 -30 AH, h fun is that a doldrum high is perfect because it’s usually sunny all the time!

[@garyseven777]

@@captainjimolchsre winter- most full time sailors avoid that- it’s why their homes MOVE. d’uh.

[@captainjimolchs]

1KW is 1 HP, plus a little', a trolling motor. Bahamas have winters, too, which might yield 10 hours of daylight. For some, it is the preferred season. On the bright side, most avoid navigating there at night.

[@garyseven777]

@ wrong- because of torque efficiency of an electric motor my 10kw Thunderstruck is a 15 horsepower diesel equivalent.

[@craigbrown2978]

Electric is great for in house use ,best to stay hybrid with diesel motors and good size alternater to charge your lithium bank,,,,lithium from what im seeing is now not as good as salt batteries or sand batteries ,but still in the early stages ,if this tech is proven to be better,, then a very low carbon input ,for the enviroment ,,so yeah id be staying old school at this stage ,cheers

[@Ranchpig67]

Hey this elcanor project has already been done.... it's called the Vondee Globe. They sail without an engine to go all the way around the world. Wait, they do use propane to heat their water... I'm wrong.

[@N330AA]

Serial hybrid is a good choice for sailboats i reckon - if the motor can be used regen too. Then you have a genset backup for long distance and the leccy for getting in an out of port and for regen on passages.

[@gstoddard1325]

You never get to low production numbers. I have built a few wyliecat sailboats in Watsonville CA and GEICO ski \ Challenger offshore. I would buy a #10? I think the Wynn's have a great boat. Nothing is never easy preparing for Mother nature, chemistry, physics ECT.

[@gjban]

Chris, I work in mining, you are bang on w.r.t lithium.

[@Docsimple]

Electric is tbe future. In the future. When batteries arent basically firebombs.

[@garyseven777]

USE AGM! SAFE AS HOUSES...

[@Docsimple]

Great for starting things, not so great for running things over a longer period. But yes, pretty safe. Although they can break, swell and leak sulfuric acid soooooo... Just don't lick the batteries?

[@garyseven777]

@AGM would need inspected like any other part of the boat. They are pretty bulletproof.

[@Docsimple]

I know, just making some fun. But the truth is that they do not have the same storage capacity of lithium. We need the solid state lithium batteries to make a real jump into an electrified boating reality.

[@garyseven777]

@@Docsimple but if the issue is safety…

[@robinmalina2645]

Hey, love your show, 😂😂😂 I don't want a diesel engine -> buy electric motor -> and buy diesel engine to power electric motor😂😂😂

[@EssenceOfKapok]

Great for racing boats though.

[@simontheyers801]

Perhaps people could go clean up the plastic on the beaches and turn it into diesel....hmm.. that would be better for the 🌏 than lithium mines and toxic processes....

[@oh-brothers]

It's simple. It's hard enough keeping your phone charged...imagine a huge sailboat !!!!

[@Rocketmanhashtag9208]

Just watched vagabonds latest video,wat a pile of sick,,,the bit where she's saying to the kids they crashed into us and we had our lights on".....I'm calling bs

[@orangestoneface]

a jet turned into a boat...big passanger jet or , is it doable . ship. and use the engines for propulstion, blow ing a long ...blowing boeing boat. lots old ones thrown away must be cheap. scrap metal value. but is jet skin thin weak aluminium ...needing enforcements or layers over it , wings removed maybe cos dead weight , or could be used to skip alonthe surface hover above. or half hull as sailboat .

[@CarlaCarter549]

Not really self sustainable if you are begging for other people to pay for it. But there's plenty of fools that will give him their money so why not scam the heck out of them I guess.

[@garyseven777]

@@CarlaCarter549 huh?

[@nobody46820]

😃👍👏👏👏

[@desertchild3550]

One aspect of Lithium mining nobody talks about, is the massive amounts of water it use. Besides a extreme dirty mining process, in some parts of the World, lithium mines have devastating effects on the habitat due to excessive water needs.

[@AdnanKahrimanovic-r3r]

@@desertchild3550 and drilling for oil is clean??? Tesla model 3 50kwh batterie has 5kg of lithium total and that is 45kg of carbon footprint, one full gas tank makes far far more carbon footprint just to drill it so you argument is just talking point from OIL companies. Do a better research

[@garyseven777]

@@AdnanKahrimanovic-r3r this is what kills me- they completely ignore all the filth associated with fossil fuels above and beyond the burning of the refined fuels. Ridiculous.

[@dazzk9635]

In a decade it will be very different. We’re at 500 watts per kg which is in development. It’s only time before it comes to us. It will be smaller pack size & safe….. I’m not interested in being the test monkey…

[@garyseven777]

@@dazzk9635 oooo- oooo- eeee-eeee I don’t mind being my own “test monkey”…

[@BrinJay-s4v]

A battery of Lithium cells must be matched so one cell may not be fully discharged surrounded by others still containing energy. No this happens an a heavy load to get to a charging point and can reverse the polarity of a bad cell, the next recharge reverses this doing further damage. You are now sitting on top of a bomb. We see what happens in cars but a boat leaves no where to run. Bon voyage I would sooner not go EV leave it at phones and eperb thousands of cells is a big risk.

[@markpeter1968]

Delos cat also has a 80hp engine according to devilliersmarinedesign. I used to like Jimmy Cornell, but he went green crazy. Fanatical. its their religion

[@garryparkes9121]

I could not agree with you more.

[@rickylefleur2158]

Jimmy sailed the wrong way. He should have looked at the vendee globe sailors....

[@codegame027]

I firmly believe that parallel hybrid will ultimately win out where the diesel engine is still mechanically driving the prop. At least for anything offshore.

[@rosiegreddogyachts4135]

We have an all electric 42’ relatively light monohull that sails very well, upwind included. Have now been on the water and active for three years, lots of Bay sailing, coastal, and one 35 day ocean passage. Daily we discuss ripping that stupid thing out and putting in a reliable modern diesel with 80 gallons of fuel. Lifetime sailors (60+ years) and lots of varied experience from heavier cruising boats to high speed racing. Unless you have struggled to get off a lee shore, sat for days drifting to preserve your very limited range, you are just blowing smoke. I have sailor’s patience, love being at sea and can be happy to wait for wind, but the danger situations, entering passes, would be fine if we had lots more available AH. You can have tons of solar (we do) but without fat storage you are just stuck. The concept of hybrid is double stupid because the reason you go electric is to be rid of fuels, smells, vibration, heat and noise. I’ve made passage on small modern boats where you can hardly feel the diesel running. Range anxiety is real and inhibits all your thinking when actually cruising. For me, the only possible solution is a magnetic generator, fuelless. They exist. We just don’t have one yet. When there is such a thing, we’re all over it.

[@laurapitre5797]

Long distance cruising is still best done with a diesel engine.

[@caddan05]

The amount of times I’ve hit not interested in this channel is ridiculous. Calls himself a sailing channel and never does any actual sailing. Just picks apart other channels. 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

[@ChasingLatitudes]

Other than the 50,000 nm sailed and filmed here, you clearly didn't watch the video as I didn't pick apart anyone,

[@garyseven777]

@@caddan05 he is a salt sailor and I respect that part of this channel.

[@evinwhiteson4902]

I remember the wyns original vidoes of there expectation of electric hybrid power. There plan was barely use the diesel. But so far there idea is not reality.

[@davidstorer5551]

8x drag through water , compared to air

[@raviarjuna9839]

What happen to NiCd battery technology.?They can deliver half of what acid battery can in term of power.Fire proof too.

[@Garfield.Farkle]

A battery that explodes when exposed to salt water gets immediate rejection. The good news is lots of research is going into developing batteries for cars and there will continue to be advances made. YAAY technology! I think we'll need another tech breakthrough so boats don't become floating bombs. I think we are going to see solar panel sails. The cost of all this will not only drop as technology improves, but when an electric boat is finally a production vessel, the economy of scale will send the price down.

[@garyseven777]

USE AGM, SAFE AS HOUSES

[@delstanley1349]

I posted before I read your post. See above. It was the story of a couple found dead in a raft at sea. They sailed with a lithium battery he pulled from a car. The boat is missing. Most, with good reason believe the battery caught fire. There is a video on it if you haven't already seen it.

[@garyseven777]

@@delstanley1349 that is pure speculation- it was a million dollar boat and we saw one of those sink in port recently, didn’t we. Stop jumping to conclusions, please - people died here- show some respect.

[@delstanley1349]

@@garyseven777 >Go back to my related post, there I used terms like "mystery," "no trace," "theory," "think." You think that when a boat goes missing it can ONLY be discussed when all certainty is in? On a public forum like KZbin? You're kidding! You think you can trump discussion because someone died and somehow that's disrespectful if you discuss it? You're on the wrong media. I hope you've read nothing about missing Malaysian Flight 370. And it was just last week that there was discussion about Amelia Earhart. She's been missing four score and seven years. So far, ALL discussion about Flight 370 and Earhart is all speculation, and everybody's is likely dead, and under your logic all people who talk about it are being disrespectful. I've concluded nothing. BUT talking about lithium batteries and their case is clearly on the table, and their death doesn't preclude any discussion, or indicate disrespect.

[@garyseven777]

@@delstanley1349 No, but I'd want to know more before I crap over an entire propulsion system. You can't draw any useful data here with that "story".

[@glenngray1201]

😂😂

[@carlamerritt490]

Dude sad to see you air such negative opinions. I had liked your show. But here you're just not being straightforward. The one person's example you said that started in 2020 that was covid time so a lot of people dropped out made everything more difficult. As far as lithium footprint well then you need an actual comparison to start By including the drilling for oil and the oil refining process in the creating gasoline.

[@ChasingLatitudes]

I’m not being negative, I’m being realistic

[@garyseven777]

DEBATE ME. LIVESTREAM.

[@ChasingLatitudes]

Any day

[@dutchflats]

What we really need is a small, energy efficient, clean nuclear reactor to power our cruising sailboats - that never have to refuel!

[@garyseven777]

@@dutchflats I’d support this or a Mr Fusion.

[@garyseven777]

Electric issue- battery life. Much easier to deal with if you make it a priority and not a “what’s my level today” . Remember sailboats have gone around the world many many times with NO Motor. So you use the electric to get to where you want to sail.

[@laurapitre5797]

😅😅😅😅