this post was submitted on 19 Sep 2024
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I don't understand why sailboats have an advantage. What do they have for generating wind that the other boats don't? All boats experience the same wind. Do the propeller+engine on a sailboat act as a generator when the boat moves with wind power?
So I was talking about hydro generators that go in the water rather than a wind turbine that rely on direct wind. I prefer the former as it doesn't muck up the aero on the boat (sails can rob it of power with their dirty air) nor does it get in the way of the deck space that is often limited on a smaller boat. You could use both but I am not fan of wind turbines except at anchor.
With a normal sail boat its common to have more wind that you can safely handle with the boat, you can use the drag of a hydro generator, which goes in the water only when you need it, to help slow the boat down rather than reefing or reefing as much (intentionally making the sails smaller). As wind is the only thing generating motion for the sail boat, its free energy that you otherwise would not be using.
Motor boats rely on the motor to move them, so any drag means the motor has to work harder, imagine dragging a drogue (water parachute used as an anchor), its the same thing, its no longer free energy and you are actually spending more energy moving the same distance as the hydro generator doesn't generate as much energy as it costs to use. Its the same problem for a wind turbine, as that increases aero rather than water drag for the motor boat, requiring more effort from the motor for the same speed & distance.
Motor yachts would be better switching their engine over energy generation as a generator for recharging the EV batteries. Indeed there are some bigger motor yachts that do exactly this as a backup to their solar and dock derived power.
Interesting bit about the surplus wind! I hadn't thought of that, and didn't know that boats can have a dedicated hydro generator device. Thanks!
Super easy to retro fit to be able to pull it out the water when its a light wind too, great for anybody wanting to reduce using their main engine as a battery charger.
Solar is great on sail boats but often the sails block the sun when they are out so its difficult to get full utilisation. Something like a hydro generator works perfectly with a good sized solar install for a sail boat to cover at anchor and under sail.
Boats with electric motors don't need a dedicated generator, as the motor can act as a generator when you put it in neutral. (If properly configured.)
Sailboats can operate at lower power levels, because their displacement hull is efficient at low speeds. (Where a planeing hull needs higher speeds to get more efficient.) When I had solar electric sail boat, I could motor at 2 knots with no wind using only 500w of solar without touching the battery. I usually ran it at 3.5 knots if there was no wind, which gave me lots of range on battery for a full day on the water.
They also have the sail as a primary power source when there's enough wind, so you don't always need the electric motor. Sometimes, if the wind is strong enough, you can use the water turning the propeller to generate electricity to charge the battery. Or if the wind is light, you can use the motor to add more speed than sail alone, using less battery than using electric alone.