Electric drive, Sailing Uma

[ghostlymoron]

I've been watching a few YouTube videos by sailing Uma. They have an electric motor (ex fork lift) and 1200ahr lithium batteries with which they can motor for 10 hrs @ 5kn. Less smell, less maintenance but is 50 nm range enough?

 

[Rappey]

Range anxiety? Battling strong wind and current would diminish range dramatically.
A car would just stop and you could get out and walk. Whole different issue for a boat?
Great idea but not enough range atm ?
Would have thought it would be appealing for canal boats ?

 

[northwind]

I've been watching a few YouTube videos by sailing Uma. They have an electric motor (ex fork lift) and 1200ahr lithium batteries with which they can motor for 10 hrs @ 5kn. Less smell, less maintenance but is 50 nm range enough?

They can motor at 3kns for 10hrs, unfortunately the amount of energy needed for an increase of speed of +2knts is exponentially much greater. Unfortunately energy density for batteries is still much lower than diesel. Oh and they need to plug in for a long period of time to recharge. Its a nice idea, but in reality needs very careful management of their limited resources.

 

[xyachtdave]

I'd be happy with a 30-50 mile range. Some of the best weekends we had last year, sailing on and off our mooring/anchor we didn't use the engine once.

I appreciate I wouldn't be able to motor upwind, wind over tide for hours on end.

If you are bashing upwind against the elements....something has gone wrong with passage planning, your decision making or you've ignored the weather forecast!

 

[ashtead]

I think they are great vids as an aside however they seem to have plenty of units of time to fill so I guess it suits their plans but maybe not enough for your average cross channel sailor who likes to arrive in less generous timescales.

 

[lw395]

50NM is neither one thing or the other.
I could live with just enough range to get me into Portsmouth, few minutes of 6 knots and a few miles of cruising speed.
But if it costs proper money, I'd want range to get back from France, at a reasonable speed.

 

[Kelpie]

Everybody uses their boat differently. Electric propulsion may work for day sailors or full time liveaboard cruisers, less so for your average coastal cruiser who is keeping to a schedule.

 

[ghostlymoron]

They can motor at 3kns for 10hrs, unfortunately the amount of energy needed for an increase of speed of +2knts is exponentially much greater. Unfortunately energy density for batteries is still much lo wewer than diesel. Oh and they need to plug in for a long period of time to recharge. Its a nice idea, but in reality needs very careful management of their limiteresources

They have been able to recharge with solar whilst in Caribbean but have found they need plugin in UK. I assume they'll be in the Med soon so solar will work again. I share the view that a sail boat should use sails when possible .

 

[skipper021]

Uma has been moored in Sutton Harbour Marina in the center of Plymouth for the winter, and they've been living on board making regular videos. in fact there have been two other north american yachts in here staying for this winter season

 

[Zing]

I've been watching a few YouTube videos by sailing Uma. They have an electric motor (ex fork lift) and 1200ahr lithium batteries with which they can motor for 10 hrs @ 5kn. Less smell, less maintenance but is 50 nm range enough?

It’s fine on Lake Windermere. Maybe for pottering around the Solent too. For going anywhere with any confidence of not being becalmed it’s no use. My diesel will take me well over 1000 miles.

 

[ghostlymoron]

It’s fine on Lake Windermere. Maybe for pottering around the Solent too. For going anywhere with any confidence of not being becalmed it’s no use. My diesel will take me well over 1000 miles.

They have crossed the Atlantic with no problems that could be solved by a larger engine range.

 

[Andrew_Trayfoot]

Started to watch their videos from the start just before Christmas and am now about 9 Mounts behind them.

Great videos, lovely people. Have tried a few other Saling... channels on YouTube but they are not in the same league.

As far as the electric drive is concerned I don't think I could get it to work on my 26' Griffon that lives on a swinging mooring. Not enough room for all the PV panels.

Maybe in a few years time when the growth of electric cars improves the technology and reduces the cost.

 

[northwind]

They have been able to recharge with solar whilst in Caribbean but have found they need plugin in UK. I assume they'll be in the Med soon so solar will work again. I share the view that a sail boat should use sails when possible .

I very much doubt this.. They have about 200watts of solar and the battery capacity of around 12kwh, it would take weeks and weeks to top up their motor usage. If however the don't use the motor then yes they can happily run off grid.

 

[Zing]

They have crossed the Atlantic with no problems that could be solved by a larger engine range.

Presumably they had wind all the way. It isn’t always so and I wouldn’t like to be stuck waiting an indeterminate time for the wind to get up.

 

[LONG_KEELER]

I suppose we all sail to a schedule now and a diesel engine irons out any unexpected delays . Nice idea though. Probably a totally different experience under power. My son has a car which is more electric than petrol and it's a nice ride.

 

[duncan99210]

The current style of movement I use in the Med relies on the engine being able to pick up the slack when there’s no wind, which is the case for much of the time. In addition, outside of very expensive marinas, there’s little chance of shore power. So the Uma solution wouldn’t work out there. But if I were UK marina based, it’d be fine if limiting.
And there’s the rub. At present I’ve got three days worth of motoring in the tank if it’s needed. A 50 mile range is better than nothing but for cruising anywhere away from shore power it’s simply not enough unless you’ve got a gargantuan solar array.

 

[ghostlymoron]

Presumably they had wind all the way. It isn’t always so and I wouldn’t like to be stuck waiting an indeterminate time for the wind to get up.

I've never crossed the Atlantic in either direction but my understanding is that most people don't carry enough fuel to cover a significant distance. So, if you encounter a calm period, you whistle for a wind. Dead calms don't tend to last more than a couple of days.
The Sailing Frenchman, another blogger worth a watch, sailed east to west with his dad as crew and was becalmed for a few days so they just waited. They had no serious concerns over water and supplies. In the end they only used the engine for a couple of hours maybe to make landfall. He is an accomplished sailor though so doesn't use the engine often and also is not sailing to a deadline.

 

[ryanroberts]

In one of the engineless how to sail ocean's guys videos he is becalmed in the gulf stream, adding days to his passage. Then later on that same passage the wind dies on him 4 miles out from an anchorage and he never gets there. He has made a very deliberate choice to make his life interesting, has a great deal of skill and is beholden to little at all on land. Most of us are not this lucky.

 

[pcatterall]

I very much doubt this.. They have about 200watts of solar and the battery capacity of around 12kwh, it would take weeks and weeks to top up their motor usage. If however the don't use the motor then yes they can happily run off grid.

Just thinking...… if they could increase their solar power X10 by using some more fixed and several temporary panels ( tied to guard rails etc) assuming no wind means benign conditions. Would this not make the concept approach the practical?

 

[ghostlymoron]

In one of the engineless how to sail ocean's guys videos he is becalmed in the gulf stream, adding days to his passage. Then later on that same passage the wind dies on him 4 miles out from an anchorage and he never gets there. He has made a very deliberate choice to make his life interesting, has a great deal of skill and is beholden to little at all on land. Most of us are not this lucky.

If he's only 4 miles out, flat battery, out of food or water and in danger of death, he can legitimately send an SOS or launch a flare.