Low-power oceaneering

I think the biggest problem is the hand steering if it is a long passage and you are short handed. You can plan for and economise on use of power (though you might need to eat the content of your deep freeze quickly!). Many devices can be run on dry cell batteries (GPS. nav lights, torch) You can carry a spare alternator and starter motor - but hand steering for days takes its toll - because though the steering may be light and you can trim sail - you need to be there all the time (particularly in big seas and swells). Many don't sail oceans and immersion (is that an appropriate word) in big swell and seas is not something that they will appreciate.

I'd be looking at what fall back you might have to obviate the need to steer by hand (and a spare autopilot will need power). There are a number of options - based around the same theme - which might be better than an autopilot in the first place but they need work in strong and light wind. A little gen set is a good idea as you can run everything you could possibly want - as long as you have the fuel (they are jut a bit noisy).

So spare starter motor, (re-engine with a hand cranked Bukh), (or buy a catamaran) and a gen set - that's the simplest - might even be the cheapest.

It all much easier on a smaller yacht - the trend to bigger and bigger yachts imposes issues that I suspect grow geometrically

On my dream list would be a Wattnsea 'water' generator, (mentioned earlier) but our LVM aquagen is pretty good (and better than nothing converted back to wind if at anchor). Solar are good, on a cat with lots of space for installation and Oz sun.

There are lots of options - the killer is the hand steering - as green power does not work at night if you are moving slowly (and its cold and raining hard).

An interesting conundrum.

Jonathan
 
The towed generator has been my best bit of kit for long passages. Nothing much to go wrong and keeps chucking out 10 Amps in trade wind conditions. Enough power to run evrything. No Radar or AIS, but fridge,lights, music, SSB receiver and laptop for weather charts.
 
Neil_Y said:
The towed generator has been my best bit of kit for long passages. Nothing much to go wrong and keeps chucking out 10 Amps in trade wind conditions. Enough power to run evrything. No Radar or AIS, but fridge,lights, music, SSB receiver and laptop for weather charts.
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+1

I really don't understand why they. ITT stopped making the towed, Aqua, generator and then, AFAIK, the wind, Aero, gen. Having bought LVM - all they appeared to do was destroy it. Its a bit of a fiddle converting from one to the other but once you have the towed portion in the water - it simply works and works and works - and as Neil mentions 10amps is not unusual. I just wish we had bought the wind gen and the towed gen as 2 separate units.

Does anyone make anything comparable for the towed unit?

Jonathan
 
Thank Frank, I WAS being lazy! I should have googled!

I think on this we are of like minds, the AeroAquaGen is, was, a greatly underrated bit of kit. We can under the right condition easily average 10 knots (catamaran) and I made some new, even smaller, blades from stainless to allow the trailing prop to be used at the higher speed. I also wondered about using a high torque rope (to stop twists when the prop leaps out of a wave) but never got round to it.

The Wattnsea seems (to us) the, current, ideal in terms of using yacht speed and water to generate power - I'm surprised it has not spawned cheaper options

Jonathan
 
I used a towed generator on a trip from Lanzarote back to South UK. All very well until the wind got up, once the boat (a Dufour something or other) went above seven knots, it was nigh on impossible to recover. We tried all sorts of ways...

Watt&sea is totally brilliant, but if you really want that back up, is 5K dollars too expensive? Eek yes, but value for money I reckon is worth it.
 
zoidberg said:
It's puzzled I am. Were you racing....?
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Nah. Delivering. Had elderly owner on board plus a well experienced oppo (actually an ex Phantom pilot who started his RAF career in Air/Sea Rescue).

As dark drew ever nearer whilst on a broad reach under headsail, the wind grew increasingly fresher quite quickly. Whilst inviting my off watch oppo to the party, I tried to pull the generator in. No way. There was a lot of strain on its securing point too, clearly needed hauling. So a lot of messing about resulted in getting the thing in and reducing sail. Later with just about two thirds headsail we were tootling at 8 or 9 knots all night and half the next day.

Was an older boat, around 45 foot I think. Had an electric mainsail furling system bolted to the back of the mast that was not very good. Oh and the engine gearbox fell to bits just as we were entering the Beaulieu River. But thats another story.......
 
I wa mulling over the cost of the WattnSea and to my very simple mind it is not much different to an electric windlass or an electric outboard, Torqueedo. I appreciate it not quite the same but - shaft, right angle gear, electric windings (the Torqueedo even has the prop). The outboard has all the isolation needed under water.

I did mull over 'finding' an old outboard, removing its motor, and adding our Aquagen unit to the top - but filed it in the too hard basket.

(Petrol) Outboards and their technology are pretty well known (as are windlass) - I do approciate there may be differences (though I don't know what they are) to the WattnSea but the 'extra' cost does seem excessive.


I have a pair of leather welding gloves to haul in our towed impeller. I simply sit on the top step of the transom and haul in (noting our lower step is a 1.5m platform). The advice normally is to stop the yacht - which might be fine in flat water but it is very uncomfortable in big seas and hauling on the move is much more comfortable.

Jonathan
 
We have a mk1 Duogen. Had it since 2004. Its done 3 Atlantic crossings and still going strong. It makes about 200amps/day when sailing but turns into a wind turbine when at anchor. When sailing with the Wind steering and Duogen it will run the boats power needs with 300w of solar during the day. We turn things on to use the power as we hear the dump resistors buzzing telling us the batteries are full. Its not been trouble free having had two sets of bearings and a gear on the wind turbine but the service back up is great. Its done about 30,000 nm and still going strong.
 
capnsensible said:
I used a towed generator on a trip from Lanzarote back to South UK. All very well until the wind got up, once the boat (a Dufour something or other) went above seven knots, it was nigh on impossible to recover. We tried all sorts of ways...

Watt&sea is totally brilliant, but if you really want that back up, is 5K dollars too expensive? Eek yes, but value for money I reckon is worth it.
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Yep, you learn that one the first time and then stop the boat, we also had the high speed and low speed impeller, most of the time using the high speed one. Recovering under way at even 4 knots was difficult, messy and risked damaging the boat as the spinning weight came out of the water. Mine was the Aquair and it only took 30 mins to rig it for wind with a bridle over the boom. Still one of the quietest wind turbines, and still in the garage for the next boat.
 
Only having been out of sight of shore in my own boat during fog, I find this thread fascinating and a little alarming.

But I'm surprised that more thought and planning seem to be given to the potential redundancy (and necessity for recovery and powering) of vulnerable or unreliable electricity-hungry kit, than is given at the outset to accomplishing passages without it.
 
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