Power boat design for economy.

That may be changing...

Steve Dashew claims that the latest powerboats of his design are less expensive per mile to run than the same size sailboats of his design were, and he has years of receipts to prove it. The idea seems to be catching on, because Kelly Archer had three keels laid before the first boat was launched.

 

Doe's he include the cost of the sail deterioration.

My iron engine will work long after your cloth engine has been replaced many times. After 30 years my iron engine was cheaper and is still worth what I paid for it.

 

Power boat and economy, I'm still chuckling...

-Tom

 

we need a tiny nuclear power plant to run small craft, does anyone know how small it would be to produce steam for 300 horsepower.

 

Doesn't matter , the licenses and paperwork required to operate a nuke would sink most anything under 100ft.

FF

 

LOL!

 

never thought about the paper work side of it, make the boat 200 ft long then it could carry 2 people and the permits.

 

Designing a boat for an order of magnitude better fuel economy is like falling off a log.

There is a simple reason for that old saying "The two happiest days in a yacht owner's life are the day he buys the boat, and the day he sells it." Its simply that the boats are designed to be sold, they are not designed to be owned and to be used.

So boats are designed to be like a house, because the prospective owners come from their house to look at the boat, the owners are used to their house, the owners want house like stuff. So they find a floating house that weighs some stupid amount, has some stupid amount of power to push said idiotic mass, and then consumes fuel at a simply insane rate. And of course, all that house crap breaks and needs maintenance. And the square footage requires storage costs and yard costs and so on. So the money goes flying out the wallet at a breathtaking clip.

Until the owner gets sick of being suckered, and sells the thing -- easily -- to the next sucker.

However, if one considers ONLY the boats that stay in families for generations, one sees a very different picture. One finds boats that are a joy to USE, that are inexpensive enough to use that kids use it as well as the patriarch. So generations grow up using the boat, and the youngsters enjoy boating too, and the process continues. For those owners, and their entire extended families, the best day owning the boat is today, the day they are out boating.

 

MaineCat, power cat 47

I think you fellows should go visit this man's site. He has spent a lot of time on an efficient power cat.....


These fellows up in Maine have put a LOT of time into developing this very fine 47' power cat. I think it deserves some attention in these forum discussions, particular as we see fuel prices on the rise....look at her economy of operation !!

video introduction
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2Xdg9Mh4WA

...their website
http://www.mecat.com/power/poweroverview.htmhttp://www.mecat.com/

...another video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEHeLjnm5xM

 

New Age Trawler/Motorsailer....Kite assisted PowerYacht

...or how about this

New Age Trawler/Motorsailer....Kite assisted PowerYacht

 

Yes he do.
The point worth noting is that he buy the best performance (spectra, etc.; apply same to ropes and other hardware) sails still suitable for heavy duty cruising work. And he change the sails before they blow out physically to pieces (however, their suit of sails last some x0'000 nautical miles, so no "short lived sails" term could be applied here).

 

Just to add my 2 cents worth. I too have been looking for an efficient cruiser. Yeah I have a Clorox bottle boat. [I'm married and have to make compromises]. I go on the Fishing Forums and most people are still looking for a Fast Boat!!! tho some are going towards the Lobster style hulls. Don't see any real efficiency their, same with the Cat style hulls. I need 1 last boat before I retire [while I can afford one], and I need better fuel economy, not looking to do 90 MPH. Looking in the range of 28' to 32 ', so far the best GPH I've seen is the 27' Ranger Tug. It's my guess that once gas reaches $5.00 a gallon things will change, and their will always be people who could care less about the cost of Fuel. I just think we could do better...

 

Yes there is quite a few people who want more economy wether it makes people chuckle or not.

But we will have to buy what the designers build --you know those people that know everything.

There is a serious hole in the boat industry here if only some one could see it.

 

Data recorded 11/12/07 with #1 cup in 20x23 DJX props
Engine top rpms at WOT 3900 rpm each
No current, seas less than 1 foot, 5-10 knot breeze.
Vessel displacement at full load 22,800 pounds.


To highlight a couple of the exciting points on the chart below:

1750 rpms, speed 9.4 knots, total burn 2.6 gals/hr., 3.62 n.m. /gal.
2500 rpms, speed 14.5 knots, total burn 5 gals/hr., 2.90 n.m. /gal.
3500 rpms, speed 21.3 knots, total burn 12.4 gals/hr., 1.72 n.m. /gal

http://www.mecat.com/power/powerupdates.htm


*********************************************
This totally modern vessel burns less fuel at both fast and slow speeds than any other power catamaran or semi-displacement monohull of the same displacement.

You can cruise at a comfortable 9 knots all the way from Maine to Florida without a single fuel-stop! The results shown at right are not estimates. They are accurate measurements taken on sea trials.
http://www.mecat.com/images/P-47%20insert.pdf


...not bad

 

Frosty, don't sail-boats fill that hole rather well?

-Tom