Solar Maximum

And I know which would have been more fun!

Just briefly back to the original topic of this thread - Wally's WHY... it may look like a "drawer", but the hull design is based on a proven commercial platform, designed by Roar Ramde, and called the Ramform http://www.pgs.com/upload/201772/techlink46_ramform sovereign_web.pdf
As to Wally's interpretation and execution... well as always... beauty is in the eye as they say....
Sadly, the project fell victim to the GFC... but Wally were certainly serious about building it - as these pics of the full-scale mock up demonstrate...

 

propeller

hi!

http://www.yachtblick.de/www.yachtblick.de/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/planetsorlar.org-4-150x150.jpg

why are the two propellers only half immersed?
isn't this very inefficient?
or is this vessel designed to travel with fully immersed floats?
i am really a little puzzled...
thank's.

bigger image:
http://files.newsnetz.ch/bildlegende/27435/515546_pic_970x641.jpg

 

had the same thoughts

as for the props -without reading up- could that perhaps be slow surface props as discussed here?

 

Hey, the seals like the design

Actually these props look like slow turners, like a paddle wheeler, they need air to keep hp requirements low. High windage, low power... A drift boat I presume.

 

thank's yipster!

but why on a ship which is only going at 5 knots or something... ?
in that speedrange the efficiency of fully submerged props should be a lot better...
see diagram on page 18 here:
http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA439574

 

I told you it doesnt have enough power for fully submerged prop, it is linear paddle wheeler.
I had rubber band boat when i was a kid, worked just like this. Oversized ventilated prop, low power, low speed.

 

Very good point, Tad.

 

Not sure it's a good point at all, I was expecting some argument.....

I found some numbers for the BP effort(Yachting World march 2012) , 14m euros to build and 3m per year to run the program (4 years to date) puts the record cost at 26m euros. I thought I saw some numbers for PS but can't find them again?

 

Well, the only argument I can give against your considerations would be that BP boat requires highly skilled and trained crew with good physical resistance, whilst PS appears to be much less demanding, being a slow-speed motorboat.

Wikipedia says that PS construction costs were $12.5 million: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tûranor_PlanetSolar but it is the same number that was around in the design stage. I am a bit dubious that they have managed to remain exactly within budget with such an innovative machine, but who am I to judge?
On the other hand, these guys here: http://yachtpals.com/planetsolar-mega-yacht-9035 say that the boat was built at $24 million, while this article: http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/01/future-solar-boats-planetsolar-turanor/ talks about $20 million. however, none of the mentioned websites (Wikipedia included) have given any reference to back their numbers...

 

hi, pretty expensive boat but did make its point, not in a hurry but it is around
prop inf on second half of http://yachtpals.com/planetsolar-mega-yacht-9035
anyone interested in a clean solid oxide fuel gell new power boat record?

 

20 million...

Propellers are questionable
Solar panels don't follow the sun
No useful deck space or dingy
Not easy to fish from, or place to take cargo
No A/C, marble floors or Jacuzzi
Where are the girls on deck?

Pretty useless boat
Well, I guess you can give tours with it.

 

How about this one?
http://newatlas.com/solarwave-64-catamaran/47205/?li_source=LI&li_medium=default-widget
Reportedly can cruise a 6-7 knots on sun alone with no range limitation.

I find it interesting to see how much negativity there is on this thread about solar boats. Planet Solar was not trying to set a speed record, it was trying to promote solar energy, stopping off in many ports around the world for extended periods. And according to calculations we have made, Planet solar went way beyond the sweet spot of maximizing solar power collection to total windage and hull resistance. The design shown at the link above is much closer.

I think that for some reason the TROLL phenomenon is very much attracted to BoatDesign.net Also the reason that many former contributors are now absent.

Founded on the misguided notion that they are smarter than everyone else, trolls say that if they didn't think of it then it must not only be stupid but must be wrong. Exactly the kind of thing they said about Karl Benz and the first automobile. They also have the tendency to make false statements without any shame. Pretty sad commentary on human nature, in my view.

 

Before I learned that I am a troll, I learned that a boat would travel farther and faster on a gallon of gasoline or diesel than it would on a gallon of stored sunlight, i.e. a battery.

Gasoline and diesel are other forms of stored sunlight. All energy on earth is solar one way or another.

I own and use some solar cells, but there are good uses for them and not so good uses for them. I also don't like being told they are my only choice. Others agree.

Troll is such a derogatory name so why use it? It does not move the conversation forward.

 

Yes looks nice, I am sure people would buy it if they could afford to own it.
Although unless it is a boat for the masses to consume, then it is an elitist vaporware for the 99.99% of people who pleasure boat. Sort of fades into irrelevance for almost all boaters.
Henry Ford made the auto available to all types of people, you need to do that with this tech also for it to have any impacts. Look at electric cars still struggling in the market.

 

Way to go insulting anyone who expects realistic claims based on evidence and simple energy balance instead of wish thinking. If you read this thread you will see the planetsolar cat which cost something like 24 million was able to do an average speed of around 4k downwind around the world. If it had to go the other way it would probably still be out there. This was a 31m boat had no luxuries and had a gigantic array that was even bigger than the boats footprint. This is a record breaking solar yacht.

Based on this, how can you preemptively call someone a troll who would question the validity of the performance claims from Solarwave for thier 64 footer. 6 to 7 average knots for a boat with a relatively small surface area of panels and packed full of luxury amenities. Are we trolls to be critical of the claim this has almost twice the performance of the no expense spared planetsolar while also fitting a floating condo inside?