Eco Motor Boat - Is it Possible?
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 09.26.05
A reader forwarded us the following question from Thrifty Fun: "I am moving down near the water and I would like to buy a boat, ideally a motor boat. I was wondering if there is an eco-friendly way to go about this. Are their eco-friendly boats with motors? Any info or tips would be appreciated." Since nobody has answered the question over there, we figured that we'd try to answer it over here. Unfortunately, we're more of the kayak type than the motor-boat type, so we're asking our readers for help. We figure that with a diesel boat, biodiesel would be the way to go, like in this case, but we think that only fairly big boats have diesel engines (but we could be wrong about that) so it's probably not very helpful.
We also doubt that unmodified gasoline boat engines can run on a mix that is high in ethanol, and besides, the eco-benefits of ethanol are variable depending on the source (right now most of it comes from industrial-agriculture corn - it would be better if it came from waste cellulose), so that's probably not very helpful either.
Electric motors is what we thought of next, but we've only ever seen small ones that were used with very small boats or inflatable zodiac-style boats.
Windsailing or any kind of boat that moves most of the time with wind-power (usually with a backup engine for when the wind dies down) is another possibility. That would probably be the best choice short of going for a kayak or canoe.
So dear readers, what do you think? Is it possible to have an eco-friendly boat with a motor?
Thanks to Dawn or Teri (we don't know which one - the email had both names) for emailing us this question.
Haven't checked all the links, but here's a page with a lot of electric boat links:
Electric Boats and Outboards
There are all kinds of "water." The Duffy Electric boat is used as a harbor-recreation craft:
http://www.duffyboats.com/
For more open waters, well folks have been known to go around the world without an motor at all:
http://www.joshuaslocumsocietyintl.org/
... and sure there are lots of diesels of all sizes and shapes that could be made biodiesel. I seem to remember an around the world trip there as well ...
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0408/S00234.htm
you can always get some nice electric boats from Duffy Electric Boats heck u probably can even hook up a few solar panelks on top of most models... (as we have previosuly seen)
still wont help with a desire for clean green waterskiing ;( but its a start!
Yahoo has an electric boats discussiong group. http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/electricboats
-Mike
Kind of a vague question without knowing what sort of boat, but...
For sailboats in waters with good sailing you can use little enough fuel that the energy cost of an alternative doesn't make sense. For instance, in a 37' sailboat I use about 20 gallons of diesel a year.
There are people making electric propoulsion units for these sizes of boats, particularly interesting is solomon's electric wheel.
In the powerboat world you can choose your MPG. A 30' go fast boat might have a couple hundred horsepower that runs nearly wide open. A 30' trawler hull won't go over 10kts, but would be fine with a 50hp engine run at a comfortable throttle setting.
Getting smaller, small sailboats can get by without an engine using oars for close maneuvering, the Norseboat is interesting at that size. They have an electric propulsion option.
If you want minimum environmental impact, perhaps a skin on frame boat? A design evolved by artic people that had to collect bits of driftwood for years to build a boat. Use used dacron sailcloth for the skin for a near zero environmental impact.
Missing from this list is any kind of speed boat. Power to weight ratio is too important there to find a reasonable competitor to the internal combustion engine.
Before using biodiesel you would want to study reliability and stability. A clogged filter or injector in a road vehicle means pulling over, in a boat it can put you in a situation that will destroy your boat and threaten your life. Stability is also going to be important. It's not uncommon to only fuel a sailboat once a year. You need the fuel to not "get funky" in the tank. (I have my tanks pumped out and the fuel used for heating in the winter and start fresh again in the spring to keep my fuel from getting too old.)
Whatever you do don't buy a two-stroke gasoline motor - they are the most polluting.
From an eco-toxicity point of view - biodiesel would be the best "fuel" choice. A spill of fuel or the exhaust from combustion is much less toxic coming from Biodiesel. Some marinas are starting to require it.
I think if you explore your choices deeper than you may electric engines that meet your needs.
Actually - not sure what your needs in a boat are but if you just want to toodle around - I've seen some nice pedal powered catamarans out there.
Also think about your choice of props and find out which is the least leathal to creatures if you strike them.
"Down near the water" is kinda vague. But here is a nifty find:
http://www.gizmag.com/go/2505/
Backpack portable 11 kilo thing inflates and connects to any common mountain bike. You are the motor. I bet they wish they had these in NO.
Hammacher offers a solar powered boat that seats up to four and goes 5 mph. Check it out here: http://www.hammacher.com/publish/10313.asp?pcat=&pcont=solar%20KWSP&cat=solar%20KWSP#
There are these carbohydrate-powered motors that don't pollute at all.
Oars.
Still better than attaching a harness to a dolphin.
I agree with Aaron. In my 30 pound '89 hudson single I can do 11Km/hour (well, I cannot keep it up...) stay fit and don't need any solar or battery powered fibreglas hunk. if you do not need it for work or for access then treehuggers would row, paddle or kayak. Less is more, guys!
From most traditional to most radical, while still trying to conform to the original request:
Porta-Bote
http://www.porta-bote.com
This is a folding boat whose light weight allows it to achieve decent speeds with an unusually small and efficient motor. IE: Uses less gas.
Cloud EVs Hydroplane
http://www.cloudelectric.com/generic.html?pid=39
This may well be the worldest fastest electric boat and is for sale. Goes over 70 MPH!
Boats & Watergames
http://www.watergames.com/grandi.html
This interesting Italian retailer sells a number of solar powered, electric, biodiesel & pedal boats.
Windjet
http://www.windjet.co.uk/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=65&Itemid=74
This radical "sailboat" holds the water wind speed record, achieving over 56 MPH!
i used to be a water-ski instructor. but about 15 years ago i decided that i would no longer ski until i was able to do it without emitting any CO2. Back when i was a kid tere was nothing I liked more than the smell of gasoline in an early country morning-- kinda gross i know, but hey, i was a kid....
so while i agree with Lloyd hat most boat travel coudl be oar friendly--- I WANT TO DO A SLALOM COURSE and need to go at least 25kmH. So.... hwo can i do this? biodiesel? are there any electrics that will do (duffy wont)? Is anyone from the NEDRA involved in the life aquatics? They got torque...
http://www.nedra.com/
For real speed boats the design has been limited by battery weight: killed by the adverse HP/weight ratio. You simply can not get up on a plane with a hull full of lead acid batteries. The answer, it seems to me would be a hybrid propulsion system that uses hermetically sealed (non-shortable) battery packs. You'd pretty much have to be using a true jet pump instead of a wheel (thats what boatment call propellors) for forward motion, so as to be able to run off a single electric motor. Otherwise you'd have the added weight of two systems. I've skied behind a jet boat and its really fun. Offhand I'd guess that the default would be oposite of the Prius: e.g. natgas powered engine kicks in first to get the mechanical ram pump going and put the boat up on a plane; followed by the electric pump which phases in slowly, injecting additional water into the outlet train as the gas powered one scales back. Maybe a clever engineer could design a "braking" system or that recharges the batteries, lowering a stern mounted impellor/generator to slow the boat down when needed and recapture some energy. As boats do tend to sit out a lot, you'd want solar panels on the bow deck and also on the boat-lift roof to keep it charged up. etc etc
Wanna bet some enterprising marine engineers are already working on it?
maybe try these guys if you're looking for a cruiser.
or the 4 stroke honda outboard is not the worst choice.
Briggs & Stratton has a nice electric outboard now, and combined with deep-cycle marine batteries that you charge during the week off solar cells you have a pretty green solution.
Of course a combination of sails and paddles is better still. A lightweight wooden sailboat, such as those from shellboats.com, is the perfect craft for small water.
Have a look here:
I know its designed for a canoe, and it may be a little small with a limit to the range, but upsizeing is always possible and recharging with solar panels is an option.
...and then there are the 2 highly praised YANMAR OUTBOARD DIESELS, respectively 27 and 36HP, which could run on biodiesel, of course.
A few words from a seller's site:
"Boat owners quickly relate to the strong advantages of diesels:
Lower chance of electrical trouble.
Much better fuel efficiency.
Long, reliable work-filled life.
When all 3 are combined, the case for a diesel becomes overwhelming.
Now instead of fickle performance common to so many gasoline outboard engines, the diesel outboard presents operational savings and long-term strengths that make pure sense.
Good for Long Hours at Low Revs, for trolling, working nets, fish farms, etc. For any low speed operation the diesel can't be equalled. The special combustion chamber, new cooling system (with double thermostats) allow long hours of idling, cooling water temperature is kept high by the seawater thermostat, and at high sped the exhaust temperature thermostat lowers the cooling water temperature. The engine responds to the work speed.
And the New Diesel Image:
The shriek of the gas outboard is replaced by the domesticated throb of a diesel. Easy on your mind, easy on the neighbors."
Well, unfortunately these little marvels are not sold in the USA, because our totally absurd, cretinesque emission methods. These methods are so counter productive, in terms of environmental protection, that it hurts. This absurdity is one of many signs of our incapicity, here in the USA, to deal with problems in a pragmatic, logical manner. As you certainly know, diesel engines run with biodiesel/100 or straight vegetable oil(SVO) are with regard to global warming probably the cleanest and most efficient way of burning fossil fuel. IMHO it is also an utmost socially responsible approach, supporting domestic farming and repressing oil and corruption driven wars. Watch out, pretty soon these criminal guys will sell us mini-nuclear engines for our cars and boats...
anyway, my 12 cents....