More on Diesel-Electric Hybrid Propulsion

Based on my hit counter many of my readers are interested in diesel-electric hybrid technologies. Can you blame them? As I write this, the price per barrel of oil is at an all time high at over $100.00 per barrel. Regular gas is selling as high as 5.19 per gallon in the San Francisco area. With the dollar falling and the price of fuel going up sailing without fuel is very attractive. Cat builders beware. If you are not already testing these new fuel saving technologies, then you are falling behind your competition.

I have done some additional research and found a few other cat builders that are on the diesel electric hybrid bandwagon. Catalibi is marketing a 47 footer and has made the following claim regarding this new technology.

Other Cat builders offering electric propulsion include Ksenia and Corsair Marine. Corsair Marine is reported to be working on a 50 footer featuring the OSSA Powerlight system powered by two 35hp diesel electric engines.

Glacier Bay is also using the OSSA Powerlite technology and stated the fuels savings is as high as 45% along with the following list of advantages.

• Better weight distribution providing superior handling and performance while underway
• Better space utilization allowing larger and more functional interior design
• Lower noise — up to 90% less underway and 70% less at anchor
• Superior low-speed maneuverability makes docking and intercoastal cruising a breeze
• Up to 70% less maintenance than conventional power systems
• One-stop warranty and service is another company specializing in www.glacierbay.com

Why is that most cat builders have only offered this on only one of their cats with hybrid or diesel electric propulsion? Most of the information I have found is from 2006 and 2007. I look forward to seeing more information and progress in the near future.

Lets Talk About Gear

We have been invited to go sailing on Saturday on a cruising catamaran. Woo Hoo! I can’t wait. He has asked us to bring a life jacket. Currently I own several; however these are typically used for wake boarding or water skiing. I expect we will look like rookies on this trip. I hope he doesn’t expect us to wear these life jackets on a large catamaran. I think he meant that if we have kids, that they should have them since he most likely doesn’t have their size. Nevertheless we will bring ours because the Captain said to bring them.

As a boat owner I prefer passengers to wear shoes that are non marking. I am sure the captain of this catamaran is no different. Boat shoes are preferred for several reasons. We don’t own any boat shoes. I do have shoes that are non marking that will have to do. It is most likely safer to wear shoes designed to grip well on a boat and that will stay dry or are designed to dry quickly.

Rain gear and protection from the wind and cold will be important as well. SF weather can be cold this time of year. We are ok in this department for now. The important thing is to stay warm. It is no fun if you are cold the entire time.

I have been pricing inflatable PFD USCG Approved life vests. They are not cheap. Cabelas sells the Guardian Essential brand for 89.95, however most brands I have seen so far are well over 100.00. These vests are compact and won’t get in the way like older vests. Some inflate automatically and others require you to pull an activation cord to inflate the PFD. I suspect this is the way to go. I could also use it on fishing trips in the ocean.

Shoes aren’t cheap either. I have seen several pairs of Harken Sailing shoes selling for $72.60 each, but I have no idea if that is the right way to go yet. Other brands like the Cabelas guidewear I have seen as low as $24.95 on sale. Again I will be able to use these on fishing trips.

Foul weather gear, gloves, hats, sunscreen and sunglasses are all things to think about as well. I expect to learn a lot on our catamaran trip this Saturday and will report my experience. I don’t want to go spending a ton of money on gear only to find out later that I made the wrong purchase. I will of course bring a camera with a waterproof case although I don't expect I will need the case based on the weather predictions. I expect to learn from experience and advice from others.

Lets Talk About Trash

Let’s talk about trash. I have yet to see this discussed in my research. So you are planning to circumnavigate the earth and may be at sea for weeks. Do you bring bottled water, paper towels, paper plates and cups? I think not. For those of you who consume alcohol, do you bring 5 cases of beer in bottles or cans? I am assuming if you are a decent human being, you won’t be throwing your trash overboard, so you will be collecting it and storing it which may eventually take on an odor. I have heard of people being at sea for weeks. The trash can add up right?

I am thinking instead of paper towels, you bring cloth napkins. Instead of paper plates you bring reusable plastic lightweight plates (Use plastic to keep the weight down). If you only bring enough plates, cups and bowls for the amount of people you have on your trip you will keep the trash and the dishes to a minimum. Some prefer bottled water, but I would imagine a good water maker and perhaps a compact reverse osmosis water filtering system would provide good tasting clean water. This would save on weight and space and keep the level of trash down.

Perhaps instead of cases of beer and wine, you bring a small keg or wine in a box, or switch to hard liqueur and mix it with your favorite beverage. After all, where would you keep all the empty bottles or cans? If you are a soda drinker, do you bring cans or the plastic bottles? Soda isn’t healthy, so maybe you can switch to juice. Perhaps the powdered juice will do but if not you could bring the frozen can variety.

I think I heard of one cat coming with a garbage disposal. Perhaps this is more common then I know or it is a new trend that is catching on. Is it legal to dispose food waste into the ocean? I found the following statement from the USGS Marine Sanitation Devices (MSDs) web site.

Discharge of Graywater
Graywater is defined as drainage from dishwasher, shower, laundry, bath, and washbasin drains. It does not include drainage from toilets, urinals, hospitals, and cargo spaces. Gray water discharge is prohibited only in the Great Lakes. Gray water is NOT sewage and may be discharged overboard without passage through an MSD or a holding tank. In fact, draining galley wastes into the MSD is not recommended, because food waste is much more difficult to decompose than the human sewage which the marine sanitation device is intended to handle.

Regarding human waste the MSD is required while the vessel is within U. S territorial waters (three nautical miles offshore), the Great Lakes, and navigable waters. A valve may be installed on any MSD to provide for the direct discharge of raw sewage when the vessel is outside U. S. territorial waters.

If I understand this correctly, you can dispose of sewage without treating it when you are at least three miles off U.S. shores. There was no mention of when you are allowed to dispose of graywater. Unless I missed something technically you can dispose of graywater whenever you like although I am sure this is frowned on in some situations. I presume there are some limitations on disposal of graywater, I just haven’t found it.

Bottom line is that trash can be kept to a minimum. This will save on space and keep our environment cleaner.

Hybrid Diesel Electric Propulsion

If you haven’t heard yet, several cruising catamaran sailboat manufacturers are selling or are researching alternative propulsion techniques that minimize the use of gas and diesel. For example, the Lagoon 420 features a hybrid diesel-electric system. The African Cats FastCat 455 Green Motion is similar.

Wouldn’t it be nice to travel without using fuel? Lagoon claims you can run on batteries at full speed (10kW per motor) for about 1 hour. If you add solar and wind generated power I am sure you could go farther without running the generator. How often do you need to travel for one hour or more in general? If you are in the doldrums you may need to motor more then an hour, but at least you will be doing it more efficiently.

With the combination of Solar, Wind and Water driven power generation it may be possible to go from A to B without using a single ounce of fuel. With today’s gas prices this makes so much sense. Who wants to hear or smell and noisy diesel running. There is no motor to start. You just turn a key and go. I wonder if you can run the microwave without starting the generator?

The Lagoon 420 Hybrid system uses two electric motors, a generator and a bank of batteries. Under sail, the propellers are driven by the speed of the boat and recharge the batteries. Add Solar and wind generation, and you may never need to start the generator unless you need to run your AC or washing machine. Very little maintenance is required compared to most cats which come with two engines and a generator.

What if the generator failed? You would have to rely on sun, wind and the water to power to charge the batteries. What if the Electrical system failed and you had no power to the motors? If one motor fails you still have the other. Lagoon stores energy in 2 separate banks of 6 batteries each which can be isolated, dedicated entirely to driving the electric motors. (Safety measure: in case of battery failure, one single bank can supply power to one or both motors). I am still not entirely convinced that there is enough redundancy so that you always have propulsion, however I suppose similar problems can potentially happen on any propulsion system. The question is which is more reliable.

How much does this system cost you long term in comparison to the traditional twin diesel’s and a generator? Lagoon claims the only maintenance on the electric motors is to replace the motor bearings at 20,000 hours or more. Batteries don’t last for ever and will need to be replaced. Diesel engines don’t last for ever either, but which will cost you more long term? With todays fuel prices these hybrid technologies should pay for themselves. Lagoon says they are working on the possibility of using Lithium Ion batteries which looks promising : 1/3 the weight, 1/3 the size, and an expected life of 8 to 15 years, with a capacity loss of 20%. The Cat is slowed less then 1 MPH by the spinning propellers, however once the batteries reach a full charge they will free spin. The African cat offers retractable propellers which will improve sailing performance while not charging batteries.

Is the power plant in you cat aging? Is it time to replace old engines? Perhaps you should consider switching to Electric motors. In that case you might want to contact OSSA POWERLITE. You can check out two of their projects, the Moorings (Robertson & Caine) - 43' eLeopard . View video footage at of the boat here. They are also working on a Alwoplast - 47' Crowther Catamaran.

I will seriously consider diesel electric and hybrid technologies in my 1^st Cat.

Fly Fishing in La Paz Mexico

My father is funding a trip to La Paz in May for 5 days of big game fly fishing. This trip is a dream come true for him. He is retired and wants to do this while he can. He is in great health and has many years of fishing left in him, but for him his fishing clock is ticking. He has the money, so he might as well spend it while he can. The trip is a total of 7 days and only cost 1,350.00 US each plus airfare. 5 days of fishing, lodging and most meals are covered. Not bad especially since he is picking up most of the tab. I guess this is an early birthday gift. I will enjoy the trip as much as he will. I need a vacation.

Although I am experienced in Fly fishing, this will be my first attempt to catch big game on a fly. I will be obtaining some lessons next weds evening on fly casting. I plan to practice in part so that I can get my arm in shape. I can imagine casting for 5 days straight could be taxing on the shoulder. I need to learn how to cast far with large fly rods and reels. This should be fun.

My goal on this trip is to add several new species to the list of fish I have caught. We can potentially catch any one of the following. Tuna, Dorado, Yellowfin, Marlin, Sailfish, Pargo, Sierra, Skipjack, Jack Crevalle and Rooster fish like the one shown here.

We will be fishing on small panga boats like the one pictured below. Only two fisherman per boat. I hope the one we are on have shade, however I am not betting on it. Might be time to do some shopping for sunscreen, a large sombrero and a long sleeve shirt.

I wish I were sailing to La Paz. This is an example of something I plan to do on a Catamaran. I enjoy fishing and diving, so what better way to get there then on a Cat? If it were up to me we would combine fishing with some days of diving or spear fishing. I recall a fishing trip to Cabo San Lucas where we backed up as close to some rocks near shore at least as close as was safe. The fishing guide knew were the fish were. With one cast he hooked up. He would cast live bait near the rocks and let it fall next to the rock face and hooked up with the biggest Dog Snapper I have ever seen (25-30lbs as I recall). Mine got off and he proceeded to hook into a second fish which my buddy managed to get in. I look forward to going back someday to fish or spear fish for them if allowed. I still need to research fishing licenses and regulations for the area.