Solar thermal propulsion.

[CT249]

Anybody can move a 15m sailboat by towing it with a rope while swimming in calm windless weather. What means you dont need a big engine to move a sailboat in calm weather.


Nobody cares about your HP engine this isn't a thread for speed or people spreading bias

You are being utterly ridiculous. In real life, there are calms and currents that go faster than people can tow a boat by swimming. In real life there is cold water that is unsafe for swimming. In real life there are sharks. In real life there are other forms of deadly sea life, like the box jellyfish that live around popular Australian cruising grounds. In real life the average cruising couple do not want to swim for hours on end and cannot swim for hours on end.

Your "solution" is to put people at serious risk of dying. That is beyond the bounds of normal stupidity.

I notice that in all this time and despite several requests, you have never stated whether you have any actual experience apart from time sitting on an anchor or mooring. So what actual sailing have you done that proves that your claims are realistic? In particular, how often have you towed a large boat a significant distance by swimming?

 

[CT249]

In Horrorshock's thread where he displayed his "design" for an aircraft, he got so many negative comments that he got upset and tried to have the thread wiped. He ignores that fact, which is clearly visible on his own link, and keeps on claiming that the thread supports his claims "designing" prowess.

At the end of that thread, Horrorshock threw up a list of Googled descriptions of psychological issues. Since he thinks it's fine to do that, he must think it's fine if I put up the information below about Narcissistic Personality Disorder, which explains why some people "expect to be recognized as superior even without achievements"; "make achievements and talents seem bigger than they are"; "behave in an arrogant way, brag a lot and come across as conceited"; "react with rage or contempt and try to belittle other people to make themselves appear superior"; "believe they are superior to others....."

PS - isn't it odd that Herreshock abuses consumer society yet uses the internet, a computer, and search engines that require huge amounts of electricity and other resources?

Narcissistic personality disorder - Symptoms and causes https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/narcissistic-personality-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20366662

 

[Herreshock]

At what speed would you tow 15 m sailboat while swimming? A fast snail maybe have good chance of winning that race.




So there is maybe 2 m2 of combined surface area. Assuming ideal solar conditions 1000 w/m2 it would at best give about 400 w at propeller after conversion looses. It maybe could drive that boat at 2 knots in dead calm. Forget about going against current or maneuvering in narrow places in any wind. What about emergency situations like no sun, wind dies and your boat now is in strong current carrying it towards rocks with 4 m breaking waves or into busy shipping lane. Reliable power on demand is essential.

Why are you so obsessed about CSP power in application where it is ill suited for when literally any kind of combustion or battery powered motor is far superior. Even team of rowers would work better. For example Baltic sea where I sail for half a year gets little direct sunlight. and even in summer you can get several cloudy days in a row. CSP just wouldn't work reliably or at all.

Im not going to waste my time reading your fake calculations and low pressure steam can be well insulated and probably the efficiency is similar to compressed air engines or tools at 80-90% and it looks you have never jumped on a sailboat as i have towed heavy sailboats boats already both swimming and rowing with a dinghy.

Small scale solar is practical and enough for 3 knots while compressed air can give plenty of thrust for short maneuvres or night hours at 3 knots while recharging the tanks with a small VAWT compressor without electricity at all

Besides you have no idea about engineless sailing competence and rather search by yourself because I'm not here to lecture a biased and stubborn petrol addict

 

[Tomsboatshed]

Less chat and some facts, here's a simple setup and i would rather use a fin propulsion system

This can be simplified by making the static gimbal or solar tracker with just a 2 movement pole in the stern for the box with the lense ("water filled" glass in the image) and using a cardboard funnel covered with aluminium deposition

You set course and adjust the gimbal or tracker to the sun and done and correct it every 30 mins every watch with sun rotation, simple and practical

It works for cooking, desalination, sterilisation, water heating, etc in flat water, anchored and even sailing well trimmed with little waves

To be used in rough seas for these other uses maybe it would need a circular 4 rings (2 for tracking and 2 for roll and pitch) gimbal and also the lense in the lower half like this one

No choppers any more

So from here I would suggest you put some numbers to what you have. What kind of output do you expect, how is it built, what is the weight of the structure needed to hold it all together and be survivable in less than perfect conditions (what is you safety factor). All those elements would help you determine whether it is practical or not. I would (under these circumstances) draw diagrams with specs on a legal pad to see if it’s practical (I usually do this before I flash up a computer to make a model, so I know where things go).

Whether you like it or not, we live in a world where your system has to compete with other systems, and in doing so, it needs to be demonstrably competitive (reasonable performance and user friendliness) in short, let you hold a beer, and press a button.

 

[CT249]

Im not going to waste my time reading your fake calculations and low pressure steam can be well insulated and probably the efficiency is similar to compressed air engines or tools at 80-90% and it looks you have never jumped on a sailboat as i have towed heavy sailboats boats already both swimming and rowing with a dinghy.

Small scale solar is practical and enough for 3 knots while compressed air can give plenty of thrust for short maneuvres or night hours at 3 knots while recharging the tanks with a small VAWT compressor without electricity at all

Besides you have no idea about engineless sailing competence and rather search by yourself because I'm not here to lecture a biased and stubborn petrol addict

Stupid dishonest rubbish from a stupid narciccist. You have no evidence that the calculations are fake so it is basically a revolting lie to accuse Mulkari of faking anything. In this and other forums he has never shown any sign of anything but the best of behaviours.

You haven't shown any proper calculations in your entire time on this forum as far as I can find - just empty hand-waving from someone who lacks the intellect and honesty to go further.

Mulkari is an experienced sailor who unlike you has actually designed and built a multi. He knows far more than you do about the things you only dream of doing. Any sane person would be trying to learn from him instead of insulting him.

He's a far better, more popular, smarter and more successful person than you are. If you can insult him by calling him a "petrol addict" I can say that you are clearly a hypocritical failure in life who suffers from a personality disorder.

 

[Herreshock]

So from here I would suggest you put some numbers to what you have. What kind of output do you expect, how is it built, what is the weight of the structure needed to hold it all together and be survivable in less than perfect conditions (what is you safety factor). All those elements would help you determine whether it is practical or not. I would (under these circumstances) draw diagrams with specs on a legal pad to see if it’s practical (I usually do this before I flash up a computer to make a model, so I know where things go).

Whether you like it or not, we live in a world where your system has to compete with other systems, and in doing so, it needs to be demonstrably competitive (reasonable performance and user friendliness) in short, let you hold a beer, and press a button.

Competing? You are repeating oil marketing propaganda of "what is best" and nobody can fix oil contamination Armageddon and supply collapse, rather this is it, take it or leave it

 

[Boat Design Net Moderator]

Probably best to close this thread at this point as it seems to be causing more annoyance than productive discussion.