Electric sailing, enjoy the silence

An almost meditative experience

Electric sailing, enjoy the silence. Experiencing nature as it should always be.

Electric cars

Who could have imagined 10 years ago how many electric cars would be on the road in 2022? There is a massive electrification of the vehicle fleet. The reasons for this vary but include sustainability (debatable), status, performance and subsidies. There are also disadvantages, the cars are expensive, heavy, charge slowly, etc.

The disadvantages of combustion engines in pleasure boating

Strangely enough, water sports have not yet made such progress, even though the benefits there are many times greater than in the car industry. Combustion engines in water sports directly lead to permanent pollution of the ecosystem through leaking oil and fuels and through exhaust gases directly on or even in the water. Maintenance of a combustion engine in a boat is not as simple as driving to the garage in the car and often requiring expensive custom work. And then the noise pollution, don't we go on the water to enjoy nature, space and to relax? How annoying is it to be disturbed by screaming two-stroke engines or heavy-duty marine diesels with the associated stench and pollution?

And what about these disadvantages for electric motors in pleasure boating?

The disadvantages are actually negligible. The weight of a battery pack is generally no higher than a marine engine with associated fuel tanks. There is virtually no maintenance. The purchase price is (currently) higher, but this certainly does not apply to the operating costs. The slower 'refueling' may be true, but almost all marinas have shore power and a modern battery charges in 2-3 hours.

From the port to a bunker ship to refuel, provided that it is nearby, and back to the berth is not necessarily faster, while the battery charges quietly in the port so that the crew has their hands free for other and more enjoyable activities then refuel the boat? Even if there is no shore power available, the battery of an electric motor be charged using, for example, solar energy .

Range

A frequently heard argument is the range of electric motors in shipping. This turns out to be an interesting aspect of this way of sailing. From our own experience we can say that doubling the speed requires roughly six times as much power from the engine. Suppose an engine can deliver 3000W and sail at 7 knots, then a 4000Wh battery can sail for 1 hour and 20 minutes before it is completely empty. However, sailing completely empty is not good for the battery and it can therefore be said that at full power you can only sail for an hour on a full battery with a range of just under 13 kilometers.

However, when we sail half this speed at one sixth of the power (500W), the speed is a very comfortable 3.5 knots and with a range of 6 hours this leads to a range of 40 km with 25% of the battery remaining. has left. Most people do not sail 40 km in a day with their boat on the engine and if the distance to be covered is greater, you can simply sail a little slower to make the range much greater.

The above numbers are not fictitious but from our own boat where we use two 3000W pods and we enjoy it most when the power is kept below 500W and we glide over perfectly flat water in total silence. At full power we have enough 'power' to wakeboard with a SUP... behind a cabin catamaran. The best part is that our pods also regenerate under sail, so we often return to port with batteries that are just as full or more full than when we left.

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About us

Robust-MT Marine Technology BV is located in Monster on the edge of the water-rich Westland . Located in South Holland between Rotterdam and The Hague, near Delft and the North Sea. Our showroom and workshop are located on a main waterway. We also have a berth on the Haringvliet, near Zeeland, where we can also arrange trial runs. We also work with a renowned yacht builder and shipyard in Woubrugge near Amsterdam and North Holland. This location has its own port, a large crane as well as a heated and unheated warehouse. In summary, no matter how big or small your project is, we can provide you with the products and support you need.

Do you want to buy a new electric motor for your boat or convert an existing boat to electric propulsion? Everything you need to make your project a success is available in our webshop We offer the widest range in the Netherlands in the field of electric motors and drive systems for pleasure boating and at the best prices. We also distinguish ourselves through our own experiences with electrification of existing boats and therefore guarantee that your expensive purchase also leads to a positive experience. products on sale in our webshop , we post our own test reports in our blog page and we also offer complete sets of motor, battery and all additional required equipment. Our homepage also contains a number of reviews and ratings from satisfied customers, we would like to add your review here.