What is the future of motor boating?

[PowerYachtBlog]

The reality is that even with super yachts exaggerations getting more exaggerated and boat manufacturing at its full capacity (think 2005-08) and boat usage as those years, pleasure boating is a .01% on the radar of MMGW.
But on the other hand the impact on a local sea side town or village economy the boats bring is huge. So I think all boaters being it motor boats and sailing should focus to have communities on there side, iva the later.
At the moment hydrogen might be the future at moving boats but we are still very much in an infancy state, as is to be fair the electrical car industry. We made a step with the later on the performance side for auto vehicles but it is really still just one step, and its efficiency and the damage in real number is still inferior to a diesel car. But anyways political gotta shout what the sheep want to listen.

 

[Old Harry]

That's me !

It was always thus.
Its only the poor who do not have £s to spare, some of us have given up a lot to own a boat, in the first place

 

[Momac]

some of us have given up a lot to own a boat, in the first place

I gave up my classic car .
But it was worth it.

 

[Whopper]

long term cruising on a nice sailboat with electrically furling sails doesn’t sound like the worst way to go boating. Discovery 55 perhaps ?

 

[Momac]

For many folks the cost of fuel does not come close to the other expences of running a boat.

Try thinking about the future when electric cars are in the majority ( even now it doesn't take long to spot one ). My new car is petrol and as of this year there is no longer a diesel version available.

In the future diesel will become unavailable.
That future could be year 2050.
Before then the price of diesel (and petrol) may increase significantly as demand and production drops and due to tax in order to deter its use.

Presently there are plenty of motorboats around that are more than 20 years old and in use.
In 20 years time , or possibly before that, the motorboats built today may not be viable. I could even imagine that use of diesel for leisure use being banned or rationed.

Maybe so or maybe not?..... For discussion.

You may say you will not be alive in 20 years but if so let's imagine you are now 30.

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

Try thinking about the future when electric cars are in the majority ( even now it doesn't take long to spot one ). My new car is petrol and as of this year there is no longer a diesel version available.

In the future diesel will become unavailable.
That future could be year 2050.
Before then the price of diesel (and petrol) may increase significantly as demand and production drops and due to tax in order to deter its use.

Presently there are plenty of motorboats around that are more than 20 years old and in use.
In 20 years time , or possibly before that, the motorboats built today may not be viable. I could even imagine that use of diesel for leisure use being banned or rationed.

Maybe so or maybe not?..... For discussion.

You may say you will not be alive in 20 years but if so let's imagine you are now 30.

Most likely is that fossil fuels will be priced/taxed out of existence. What leisure users should be watching is what happens to trucks. There are 2 options, a whole new fuel/engine system or non-fossil replacement of current fuels. Mothballing a boat might be an option since the solution for road transport has to be implemented soon.

 

[Bouba]

Of course we could be cynical and go for gesture politics. I remember being at a French lake where engines are forbidden, not uncommon here. The motorboats all had electric motors and there were sailboats, so not a problem. But all the sailboats had internal combustion engines and they hardly ever put their sails up (it was a small lake) so only the motorboaters were obeying the letter and spirit of the law.
We could have all future motorboats with rudimentary masts and sails, never to be unfurled but a nod to environmentalism. Likewise all motorboats could be hybrid with an ineffective electric motor and small battery bank, and be like some plug in hybrid company car owners who may never use the electric option because they are only interested in the tax advantage.
These would add to the cost of boat ownership but avoid any draconian action by future Governments. The manufacturers will offer hybrids with vast battery capacity and powerful motors while we would buy the weak motor and battery option.

 

[Whopper]

Someone mentioned earlier that the price of diesel could come off as a result of reduced (consumer I guess) demand. The International Maritime Organisation has mandated that ships switch from heavy crude, high sulphur content fuels to lighter distillates with less sulphur content by 2020. That will effectively mean greater demand for diesel which won’t be good for the price leisure users pay.

At the end of the day the leisure marine industry can only represent a tiny and insignificant proportion of fossil fuel demand globally. Unfortunately misguided policy makers will fail to recognise that.

For someone who is 30, the Nordhavn dream has moved a sail boat of some sort dream. I’ve no problem pottering about in single digit speeds.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

At the end of the day the leisure marine industry can only represent a tiny and insignificant proportion of fossil fuel demand globally. Unfortunately misguided policy makers will fail to recognise that.

Maybe but its not a good look for any UK govt of any colour to be seen to be 'subsidising' owners of gas guzzling motor boats. In the end some politician is going to ask why an owner of a boat consuming fuel at 1mpg or whatever simply for pleasure should pay less for diesel than a hard pressed family trying to run a car to take the kids to school and get to work

 

[Bouba]

Maybe but its not a good look for any UK govt of any colour to be seen to be 'subsidising' owners of gas guzzling motor boats. In the end some politician is going to ask why an owner of a boat consuming fuel at 1mpg or whatever simply for pleasure should pay less for diesel than a hard pressed family trying to run a car to take the kids to school and get to work

I agree. Unfortunately while Beneteau has a lot of pull with the French Government, I doubt the niche British brands have much influence

 

[Zing]

Biodiesel is the most likely future IMHO. It can be made viably now from plant oil or synthesised from carbon plant stock. Batteries are extremely unlikely to ever have sufficient energy density. Regardless of the MMGW issue, eventually the oil will run out or become so expensive that renewable alternatives are attractive and replace them. Hydrogen based fuels are not far behind.

Don’t panic Corporal Jones. It’ll all be ok. Carry on as you were.

 

[Rocksteadee]

So, you really think that none, not a single one of the world's climate scientists havent thought of that? I dont just mean the 97% that agree that what we are experiencing now is man made and had never ever happened so fast before, not just them, but also the other 3% that deny its man made and have been proven wrong. You really think that NASA or any of the thousands of astronomers wouldnt be shouting about that?

They arent ,and you know why? Because thats not the reason for this MMGW

That is 97% of the 50% of the Scientists which published in these papers.
Many of the scientists disagreeing with the so called man made climate change have their submission to the scientific papers removed but their name is still listed as a contributor.

 

[oldgit]

Maybe but its not a good look for any UK govt of any colour to be seen to be 'subsidising' owners of gas guzzling motor boats. In the end some politician is going to ask why an owner of a boat consuming fuel at 1mpg or whatever simply for pleasure should pay less for diesel than a hard pressed family trying to run a car to take the kids to school and get to work

+1
One fuel one price !

 

[ari]

Try thinking about the future when electric cars are in the majority ( even now it doesn't take long to spot one ). My new car is petrol and as of this year there is no longer a diesel version available.

In the future diesel will become unavailable.

Political fashion may be favouring petrol cars (at the moment), but look at all the commercial users of diesel - road haulage, busses, tractors, ships, etc etc etc. I think it will be a long long time before we see them switching to petrol or electric. I can't see supply of diesel disappearing anytime soon.

 

[Zing]

Political fashion may be favouring petrol cars (at the moment), but look at all the commercial users of diesel - road haulage, busses, tractors, ships, etc etc etc. I think it will be a long long time before we see them switching to petrol or electric. I can't see supply of diesel disappearing anytime soon.

Actually all land based transport and uses can viably switch to electric power. What can’t is ships and planes. They are the reasons for ongoing need for diesel and jet fuel, (which is essentially diesel). As I mentioned above there are renewable alternatives fuels here now and they are affordable now.

It is right to mention politics, because as ever those idiots get it wrong. There has been for many decades a socialist hatred of the car. The car, which in my youth was mainly the transport of toffs and the self indulgent fortunate few has retained that old image somehow and retained the culture of socialist loathing and envy. It has therefore been taxed to buggery and inadequate roads built. We have huge subsidies for renewable electrical generation and of the electric car, yet we tax biodiesel and bioethanol and the vehicles that use them at the same rate as mineral fuels. I despair.

 

[volvopaul]

Political fashion may be favouring petrol cars (at the moment), but look at all the commercial users of diesel - road haulage, busses, tractors, ships, etc etc etc. I think it will be a long long time before we see them switching to petrol or electric. I can't see supply of diesel disappearing anytime soon.

You only have to look a the UK rail network , they are still building Diesel powered trains, for a start this country doesn’t have the money to rebuild the rail infrastructure to convert it to electric, we don’t have the power stations to supply it .
Look at plant equipment, diggers , tractors etc , there is no way these can be electric , how would they be charged up on a building site or a field , yes by a diesel generator!! .
I know of 2 people that have electric cars , one is my neighbour across the road , he has already admitted it was a big waste of money as it’s range is pathetic, it’s also got a very short lifespan, once the batteries are worn out it’s scrap.
The other is a Tesla, and I’ve yet to hear him boasting about it’s true range.

I think diesel will be around for a long time.

 

[Mr Googler]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-drivers-1-500-miles-without-charging-it.html

The daily fail reckons the answer is already here.

The company involved is Austin.....which has the rights to the Austin logo. The allegro and metro where fine cars.....this is truly a new age

 

[ari]

Actually all land based transport and uses can viably switch to electric power. What can’t is ships and planes. They are the reasons for ongoing need for diesel and jet fuel, (which is essentially diesel). As I mentioned above there are renewable alternatives fuels here now and they are affordable now.

It is right to mention politics, because as ever those idiots get it wrong. There has been for many decades a socialist hatred of the car. The car, which in my youth was mainly the transport of toffs and the self indulgent fortunate few has retained that old image somehow and retained the culture of socialist loathing and envy. It has therefore been taxed to buggery and inadequate roads built. We have huge subsidies for renewable electrical generation and of the electric car, yet we tax biodiesel and bioethanol and the vehicles that use them at the same rate as mineral fuels. I despair.

But do you think they will? And when? And where will all the electricity come from?

Not disagreeing with you, you may well be right, but I still suspect that demand for diesel will be strong for a very long time yet.

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

But do you think they will? And when? And where will all the electricity come from?

Not disagreeing with you, you may well be right, but I still suspect that demand for diesel will be strong for a very long time yet.

When?
UK government zero net emissions by 2050
Scottish parliament zero carbon by 2035

Unless there is a stupendous increase in carbon capture diesel will only be for the very very few by then.

 

[ari]

Reckon they'll hit those targets?