Stelvio | The Hidden Marvel of Electric Narrowboats Unveiled | Mothership Marine Ltd

[@NarrowboatAngel]

Really impressive set up guys, the boat is lovely 🥰

[@mothership_marine]

Thanks so much! 😊

[@mitchagoldberg]

Love all your informative presentations that are also always fun to watch. Awesome craftsmanship!!

[@mothership_marine]

Thanks Mitch - when should I order your shell? Cheers Tim

[@russellgordon5160]

Thank you, i didnt know any of that. I have never seen the electrics so well explained front and aft. Thank you again.

[@mothership_marine]

Thanks Russell. Appreciate the positive feedback. Tim

[@markphillips2076]

Very nice presentation. I'm especially impressed you're using a propeller that maximises the torque from the motor, rather than a prop optimised for a diesel engine. All the electrics look well laid out too.

[@mothership_marine]

Thanks Mark. There really is no point having all that instant torque without using it.

[@1965GJS13]

All fantastic and quiet, and eco, etc etc. But slightly surprised you didn't fit a "azi-pod" instead of a traditional prop-shaft and rudder? Then, along with a bow-thruster, the boat could turn in it's own length (ie: spin on the spot) for super-manoeuvrability!

[@mothership_marine]

Thanks for getting in touch. Actually this boat can spin on its own lenght when the tiller is hard over. Slow moving large props are very efficient and easy to clean when you his a patch of weeds! Cheers Tim

[@user-xw6wj2qh5n]

Wonderfully informative video. I wish I had seen this before my last trip to UK. I would have been round to see you. That will have to wait till next year now. I fully agree with you in your quest to reduce noise. I want to hear the water and wildlife. I want to be able to have normal conversations while steering, not shouting matches and guessing what the other person is saying. As a tinnitus sufferer this is important to me - sustained noise over a period of time leaves me with such a ringing that I am effectively deaf to my surroundings for a few days afterwards. (Silence is not good with tinnitus , but there is always ambient noise.) Loads of questions including some that would take a lot of qualifying in answering, such as the number of hours the genset needs to be run in a year compared to the engine in a conventional boat - presuming full time cruising and the same electrical consumption for cooking etc. Battery and panel life and so forth too. I am also curious why you opted for an AC motor rather than DC. Where I am the air conditioning companies are busy trying to get everyone to change to DC motors from existing AC ones claiming they are quieter and more efficient. Air con motors are not traction motors to push a 20 tonne boat around, so maybe you have a good reason once things are scaled up in power. Lovely touches such as the front camera - I had thought of that too - especially to see round sharp corners such as at canal junctions and in locks to be close to the front without hitting it. - either that or design a forward control boat.

[@mothership_marine]

Really nice to hear from you and always nice to get a compliment. The quiet motoring is a real tonic and is a game changer on a narrow boat. That said there is an airfield near by where the keep a couple of spitfires. I love their noise. DC motors are very slightly more efficient however if you hit a shopping trolley or a heavy branch they will burn out because there is (to my understanding) no way of tripping them. Air con motors don’t have to deal with shopping trolleys! Look forward to catching up next year and if yo haven’t already done so please subscribe as there are a few more videos coming up. All the best. Tim

[@user-xw6wj2qh5n]

@@mothership_marine Ah, the issue of a cutout system. That is an important point, even with weed if there is a lot of it. I do wonder whether people notice weed build up as soon with an electric motor as with a diesel. It seems the note of a diesel engine changes as stuff gets round the prop. I suppose a bit like a car transitioning from a flat piece of road to a hill, so we hear it and react to it. When we know the dates of our next trip home I will be in touch about visiting your boat yard. Actual purchase is still a bit in the future as I still have a couple of so years till retirement, so this is research at the moment but it seems that a year's notice would be a fair lead time when ordering from what I see on your site.

[@mothership_marine]

Actually you notice weed very quickly. You just feel and then you notice you are needing more power for the same speed. You get all your senses back when the diesel has gone. A year is a good lead time. All the best. Tim

[@dougmaz1]

What a fantastic video you explained all about the electrical very very well it’s a shame that I live in Australia. Doug Maz.

[@mothership_marine]

Glad you enjoyed it Max. Did you see the houseboat video. That’s where it all started. In Oz 2013. Cheers Tim

[@barringtonofmorpeth]

Question: why are the batteries (plus other stuff) under the hatch lids ? It just appears to be in such an "awkward place", plus the poor lighting. Could not everything be placed into an "above" area, (like all the electrics) so easier to get too plus maintain if needed. Besides that, thank you sharing an excellent video.

[@mothership_marine]

Hi Thanks for your kind comments, it's good to put batteries low because it's good for the centre of gravity of the boat and with these batteries there's is no maintainance. So out of the way, in my opinion, is best. Tim

[@barringtonofmorpeth]

@@mothership_marine Excellent reply and observation. Thank you.

[@markphillips2076]

Another thought I had: the 10Kw invertor, is it air cooled or water cooled? Water cooling is not only quieter like water cooled Computers, but also could scavenge heat and put it into the hot water system or heat the boat in winter! It would be nice to harvest some of that heat!

[@mothership_marine]

I like your thinking Mark. It’s a charger inverter and is air cooled. But it does a a little welcome heat in that end of the cabin. Tim

[@timraby4420]

Great boat. How long does it take to charge the batteries using just the generator?

[@mothership_marine]

Good question. A little over 2 hours from 20% state of charge. But probably best if you don’t go that low. Nice to be able to if needed. Tim

[@xavierglansbeek2876]

Outstanding narrowboat and superb explanation ! Why did Mothership Marine Ltd chooses for electric motor with generator and not for a Hybrid-diesel engine ? With other words, what are the advantages and disadvantages of both ?

[@mothership_marine]

In my opinion it’s a more efficient solution. I get a very quiet and efficient 15kW direct drive motor. The same applies to the genny. However in the summer most power comes from the sun. Cheers Tim

[@clivehaswell9754]

Looks like this electric solution has come of age. I want one! Not sure what you've got against China btw :-)

[@mothership_marine]

Hi Clive - I have nothing against China but I don't want to be dependent on them. The last few years have been very difficult from a supply chain point of view. Local suppliers, to cut cost have very little technical support. I'd like to see a more rounded supply chain where there is choice, but above all I want local young people to be employed in highly skilled technical jobs not low paid sale roles. It's another way of looking at sustainablity. Thanks for you kind comments - Tim

[@mikebikekite1]

Great video, lovely boat and I'll admit it's got me thinking. I have a few questions though: How much power does it use as it cruises down a canal? How much does it use sitting still? Is a big propellor more likely to get damaged on British canals? How long do the batteries last? Presume they last better if kept in a 80-20% range? Do you use LFP batteries or are they an option? Have you considered vandium flow batteries? Is there much maintenance required?

[@mothership_marine]

Hi Mike and thanks for getting in touch. In answer to your questions:- 1. On canals about 1kW, some owners like 0.8kW 2. Very little unless you are using the inverter to power something, we tend to turn off the inverter off over long periods away and use 12V to power monitoring equipment like wifi and cameras. Also some fridges use 24V 3. Not really, big props move slower and a beter built 4. 10 years or more if looked after 5. Yes 6. Yes its a customer choice but the BMS does use a lot of power 7. Not as yet 8. Very little Please feel free to come and see us. Tim

[@MartynDuerden]

Hi, What made you choose a DC over AC generator? And then… presumably the genny is direct on to the DC Busbar so Why a Quattro rather than a 10kW Multiplus? Cheers

[@mothership_marine]

Hi Martyn - Yes you're right the power goes straight to the bus bars. Why DC? Lithium batteries can soak up the power and you always loose a little in conversion. The 10kW is there for appliances, incinerating toilet, Quooker tap etc. There is no link with the 10kW genny and the 10kW Quatro. Cheers Tim

[@MartynDuerden]

@@mothership_marine Thanks for replying.. Presumably the FP Genny is generating AC and rectifying to DC within the package with their VCS, so the conversion is still happening - just before the Quattro…that was my assumption anyway! I suppose the question then becomes who has the higher / lower losses for that, Victron or FP… I am in the market for both a Genny & a Motor atm, PMAC seems the obvious way to go on the latter! Would love to chat some more to see if we can work together!

[@mothership_marine]

Sorry it's taken a while to come back to you Martyn - You are right in your thinking. We've had a lot of dicusions back at base and our conclusion is that the choice of generator depends on usage, ie how much ac and dc you'd use. More dc go for a dc genny and visa versa. AC gennys tend to be a little cheaper because more of them are produced. Cheers Tim

[@paullewis-es1sj]

It still has a diesel generator and a diesel heater so not an all Electric boat.We live in the UK not a lot of sunshine in the winter 😅

[@mothership_marine]

Agreed Paul but the diesel is a backup and not the main source of energy. Cheers Tim

[@johnsmith-eh3yc]

Thats what they say about hybrid cars but tests have shown they use mainly petrol or diesel. You said yourself that ship to shire charging is still very much in its infancy and has the danger of electrolsys. Even 2000kw panels are not going to keep the boats batteries charged for summer boating, or winter consumption and heating. I can see these generators spewing nox into the air in the njghtime hours. And at no time in this video do you say the word diesel, refering to yo the diesel engine as a dc generator. Bit dishonest. I find it astonidhing that ambulances less than 10 years old had to be scrapped in london while in londons rivers and canals people are alowed to spew their toxins on pleasure cruises

[@rodlindrea1113]

Should the power out of each solar panel be 180 watts not kilowatts?

[@mothership_marine]

You are correct - thanks Tim

[@terencegander8342]

What’s the range

[@mothership_marine]

It varies from the time of year for the solar. But taking the solar out of the equation you have nearly 30kWh of power in the battery bank - it could be more. If you travel at walking pace you'll use 1kw and hour. So allowing a saftey margin in the batteries of 20% that's 24 hours of travel at 3/4 mph. But then there are locks and don't forget the pubs for lunch. Hope this helps Tim

[@terencegander8342]

@@mothership_marine one thing can you run the boat of the generator if battery are not charged?

[@terencegander8342]

@@mothership_marine one thing can you run the boat of the generator if battery are not charged?

[@mothership_marine]

Yes of course Trevor - but I try to design it as backup - cheers Tim @@terencegander8342

[@kevgermany]

Why the isolation transformer and not a galvanic isolator?

[@mothership_marine]

The isolation transformer offers substantially more protection. Both when you are plugged in to the shore and when not plugged in but are surrounded by a lot of other boats using electric in a marina. Hope this helps Tim

[@neilyeomans9805]

Lovely workmanship throughout the boat except who ever decided to mount the 5g Ariel on that lovely light

[@mothership_marine]

Thanks Neil and you're quite right - I've fired the vandal. But in his defence and that of the helmsman the aerial very useful for knowing where the front of the very long boat is!

[@jimbo92107]

Flexible solar panels lay flat on the roof. This would allow a Roomba-type robot to clean the panels automatically. There is absolutely no reason for anybody to put a diesel motor or a liter of liquid fuel into a narrow boat ever again. Even cloudy days will provide enough power to keep the batteries topped up and all electrical amenities powered sufficiently. That's all we really need to know.

[@mothership_marine]

Actually Jimbo the panels are self cleaning - Heron shit being the exception! Cheers Tim

[@lvi3818]

I'm guessing 300k pounds all in?

[@mothership_marine]

That's right £300,000 but it all depends on specification. And that would include VAT. The govenment makes more than we do.

[@stephengrimmer35]

So basically a lifestyle toy, because anyone with ONLY £300K ain't going to be buying it.