The Catamaran Statistics table just got a lot longer. I have added 42 cats the list thanks to Cruising World Magazine. As a result several stats were updated along with the 42 new ones. Most of the prices appear to be about 2 years old on their data so I will be updating those over time as I come across new information. I also need to add links and fill in some blanks.
The latest edition of Cruising World has some very useful information regarding matching battery charging with power demand. They have listed the Amps of various appliances which will be useful in determining how many batteries, solar panels, wind generators or other. In the case of the Lagoon 420, the propellers will charge the batteries while sailing. As I get closer to my purchase this information and more may be important. I hope to have the information posted in the form of another table. Just depends on how ambitious I am.
My ultimate catamaran will be power hungry and my goal is to do have the modern conveniences of home (TV, computer, internet, microwave, navigation, radar, refrigerator, watermaker, etc. Not necessarily all at once) without having to run a generator. This will require a full complement of Solar, wind and other power generation sources. According to the Cruising World article most of your power is used while underway. The autopilot is ranked high on the list for Power consumption, so perhaps a windvane self steering system is an option.
I still have a lot to learn about the type of appliances and how they are normally powered. For example in an RV, the water heater, heater/furnace, fridge and stove all use propane. It would be nice if you didn't have to use propane, or cut back a little on it's use to make your boat more self sufficient. As I research new technologies I will be sure to update the blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment