need help

[abcboatbuilder]

Hey everyone

Im new and I need someone to help me with an estimate for boat like this:

-can hold 20 people (20 ppl max is fine, wont ever be more than 20 ppl)
-solar powered / electric powered
-can get back and forth between an island and the mainland which are 2 miles apart, this boat would be travelling in the ocean when between the two

I need an estimate for a boat like this...whether its already built or if I had to get it custom built...

[cyclops]

Click on the SEARCH word and type in--- club ferry---should be some help.

[abcboatbuilder]

club ferry would be fine for a 2 mile trip in the ocean?

[Matt 101]

batteries are extremely heavy and have a poor life span. Lead/acid would be the only affordable type and they only last 5-7 years max. that's max! more like 3 if it's a warm climate. The number needed to propel a boat big enough for 20 for 2 miles safely would be enormous(i think). Solar power is insufficient, as you can only generate relatively few watts/volts/amp or whatever per square foot. and each panel is very expensive. also electronics and salt water are mortal enemies, and an all electric boat is asking for insane maintanance issues.
that being said, it still could be done through some inovative engineering. lithium ion batteries are much lighter, but much more expensive. solar power could be used to continously recharge the system. A wind generator could also supply minimal power. An onboard generator is the best bet for the majority of charging (a lot like a hybrid car).
overall, you'd be better off waiting for fuel cells to come around.

for electric boats try looking up ice breakers. they use electirc motors powered by onboard generators. the advantage is that electric motors aren't damaged by ice jamming the prop.

[abcboatbuilder]

ok so electric probably isnt good but if i got a pontoon, how many miles per gallon would it get probably?

im just looking for the cheapest way to get a bunch of people back and forth from the mainland to an island

[Deering]

How fast ya wanna go?

[abcboatbuilder]

speed doesnt really matter much, but nothing really slow

Just need a big enough boat to squeeze 20 ppl on and can cross from the mainland of Fiji to an island 2 mi off shore.

Would something like this work?

LINK

[Matt 101]

A pontoon boat on open sea (2 miles) is too risky in my opinion. Moderate chop would make the ride more than unpleasant. Water would easily make it over the front end. I would look into a motorized catamaran. The catamaran is stable, fast, and most of all safe for this type of work. The other benefit is that the deck of a catamaran is extremely wide (the beam). That means lots more people can fit onto the boat compaired to a monohull type boat of the same length and horsepower. A deep V catamaran will be best and much cheaper than any monohull that could carry that number.

is this to be used for a resort or something?

[abcboatbuilder]

no its for personal use, hard to explain so i wont go into it, but does this look better?

LINK

it says its only got seating for 13 but i think you could fit 20 ppl on it, would too much weight be a problem tho? im not terribly worried if a few people sit on the floor or whatever

[Deering]

It would carry 20 people in calm water, without gear. But I wouldn't want to be on it in any kind of sea. 2 miles isn't very far - that boat could make the trip in under 10 minutes - a good thing.

Given that short of a run, and with a cat hull, I don't think electric power is out of the question. Here's an example, though obviously not quite suitable for your application. http://www.duffyboats.com/boats.htm

[abcboatbuilder]

Okay I've got a somewhat similar question...

What type of options are there for me to get from Fiji to an island 2 miles off shore (through the ocean)? I would like to find a nice reliable boat that would last for a long time but is relatively cheap (does around 50k sound reasonable?)...I dont care too much about cruising speed as long as it goes moderatly fast and something with good gas mileage would be good too. Thanks!

Does something along this line look about right?

BOAT