What engine configuration would you choose???

I guess you could have an aircooled genset to prevent fouling intakes. The electric engines are often 48V and equivalent to say 7hp each. Should give a good river speed. Any engine combination ideas?

Boat is displacement so it may get close to 30 knots with 130hp d3 if set up nicely but extra 60hp will mean burning more fuel but not much benefit to top end speed.. Bigger engine may be more economical at cruisng speed as it is not working very hard.

Draft is about 18 inches.
 
Aircooled genset comes up against sound insulation issues, being potentially inherently louder than water cooled. Having a boat sounding like a VW Beetle is probably not desirable:-)

7HP each side would be OK for rivers I guess, based on your remarks earlier, but would it be adequate in tidal waters? Good example would be the common enough run from Teddington to St Kats, shallow draught is helpful but flexibility with bigger engines allows punching the tide, useful when the lock window is so tight.

Now get radical. You have a big genny and a fair old battery bank is implied, 7HP motors are not very big. One central one for downstream (saildrive?), two outers for upstream and all three for tidal? Electric propulsion could lead to no need for rudders, all steering is by variable prop speed.
 
So will the price quoted be the actual price its going out at? when you say just above 60k what do you get for your money as in extras
 
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Having a boat sounding like a VW Beetle is probably not desirable

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Ah but it might sound like a Porsche 911? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
3 electric engines = i had not thought of that. I was thinking more of single central electric and twin 25s for grunt for estruary work.

Price is £53k inc Vat ex engines with pretty good spec. Extra for power up to £17k for big d3 inboard diesel . top spec Hi thrust hydraulically steered Yam outboard equivalent to big diesel is almost similiar price. Smaller engines or petrol inboard obviously lower price. Small engines on displacement cat go surprisingly fast 2x25hp can give 15 kntos.
 
If you could have a pair of 60HP elec drives, (Dunno about voltages etc - but should be poss) then you could have a 100hp diesel generator (must be cheaper than a D3 - after all, you don't need good acceleration as it will run at optimum at all times) - and for when you want peak power (who would run flat out all the time) it would use the power from the gen + what was stored in battery - perhaps would give full power for about 5 to 10 min, then it would drop back to both drives giving about 50hp each.

Also of course, you have an ideal generator to take off a 240V AC supply as well 0 so what you pay on the engine set-up you gain on the saving of not needing a Generator
 
Looks interesting, but up to 300kW, that's a _lot_ of current. My perspective came from the fact that a fast domestic kettle is about 3kW and that will trip out some shorepower connections, being 12.5A.

Victor, I'd love to try the three engine configuration, but don't see myself having the dosh. Quick look at a sample genny puts it about the size of a Volvo 6 pot or a bit bigger, 3 phase 26kVA. Quite big but would run 3 x 8kW motors with some to spare for domestic use.
 
Would love to do a diesel electric or electric Motorcat. It will happen. Thx for links - here is another electric engine link

http://www.kraeutler.at/innenbor_e.htm

Here is another picture.


P6050047.jpg
 
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