Michael and Heidi I have been following seriously since 2009 and been cheering you all the time. I didn’t think I’d be around to see so much success you and your company have achieved. I have been battling some serious illness and now am 100% disabled, but I thank you for giving me this to follow and cheer you on. It pushes me so I will someday actually ride on one. At my age I more excited that less pollution means a cleaner air quality and better life all around for my grandchildren. Once again congratulations and keep fighting on.Thank You
Larry, thank you for writing us this means so much. We are all sorry asad to hear about your illness. Please email us your address at editorial@boattest.com - wed love to send you some fun things. We agree with your same sentiment and hope for a cleaner future. Your positivity surely is a wonder thanks for writing! - Boatttest
My wish-list is topped by a Silent 55 catamaran, anything bigger would be too hard for a couple to handle in close quarters. I'd be far more likely to get a Greenline 40 or 48 Coupe if we could ever afford it though.
NEVER wait in line at the fuel dock again. Pure Electric Boats have serious ADVANTAGES. Thousands per year less to operate and maintain than an average diesel boat. They DON'T have - Check Engine Light costs, Oxygen Sensors, Timing Belts, Oil Changes, Oil Filters, Coolant Flushes and Thermostats, Gearbox Services, Leaking Gaskets, Bad Injectors, Spark Plugs, Coil Packs, Ignition Wires, Diesel filters and clogs and various Engine Sensors - oh and the cost of several hundred gallons of fuel every time you go ANYWHERE. That's several THOUSAND dollars EVERY year. Electric Boats - zero $$$
I've designed a generator for boats that uses water motion to create electricity. You can set it on the water, in the dinghy, on Deck, or in the boat. Anyway, as long as the water is moving it will be generating electricity.
Please please please We need your normal boat test report on any of the silent yachts Any review I have seen focuses on the solar panels that much I still don't know how the boat performs or the quality of the build
@@BoatTEST I would love to see a review of their partner builder/design in Australia the Silent 44 and Silent Yacht's competitor Azura Marine Aquanima 45.
I love this. Especially what silent yachts is doing, very “green” but too big for my taste and wallet. Greenline isn’t as “green” as i would like, but sized right. My interests are a small coastal cruiser that could travel rivers with 2 berths, galley and a head. A cabin boat for a couple not a crowd with an extended roofline full of solar panels (and a gyro). I wonder if the solar roof could be supported by columns with rotating outer cylinders for propulsion using the magnus effect? Even the hopyacht30 is interesting to me regardless of the hate by sailing purists. Even the seapiper 37 gets 1000 miles on only 200 liters of fuel, making quite ”green”. But the seapiper needs a 2024 re-design for aesthetics and comfort. Coupling such displacement efficiency and maybe saxdor’s living space coupled with a long roof of solar panels, i think it’s a winner.
This makes a lot of sense. The future will be catamarans with solor panels, they are best suited. Also cats already give amazing sq ft do to their wide beams.
How does Silent Yachts deal with the (low likelyhood - high risk) possibility of a battery fire on board? Do they offer any active fire suppression system? If so, is the system of the foam type, or is it an oxygen displacement type (uses a gas, like haylon, to starve any fires when activated)? With adequate safety systems to address a possible battery fire, I agree w/ the sentiment that an electric boat is safer. That said, a possible uncontained battery fire in the middle of the Atlantic scares the crap out of me.
I was almost convinced to buy a Silent yacht...almost. One...it still requires a diesel engine/generator, with the requisite maintenance and fuel costs. Two...solar efficiency requires an unrealistic number of fully sunny hours per day. The concept is good...but...the technology still lags far behind.
Anyone who disagrees with this isn't looking forward, and will be left in the past. Technology is ever evolving, look at how ICE power boats have changed in the last 30years. The advancements that took place even with 2 stroke engines (sadly that have disappeared) Things no one would have thought possible. Battery tech is advancing faster than ever before. Super capacitors that can be recharged in under 10mins and hold enought engery to carry your car 500miles are only a couple years away. Think about what this looks like 10 years from now..
So there is a generator, burning fuel, to help charge the batteries when the panels have not provided enough electric power. It is therefore a hybrid, not fully electric.
This was really interesting. I feel like a hybrid boat is the way to go right now. And you can get solar energy for free. But hydrogen fuel cell technology. Is advancing rapidly. That could also really change the industry. Only water vapor as emissions. And enough energy to run piston engines. This is the tech to watch..! Solar will always need back up power generation. And heavy batteries "in our lifetime". But that being said hybrid setups give you the best of both worlds. In 2021.
I'm REALLY excited to see where Volvo Penta's electric motors go. I hope they invest good money into regeneration tech as well. That seems to be the top reason to go with Oceanvolt which is crazy expensive, so some competition would be great! now if we could only convince the majority of the boating community that they aren't going to die a horrible death if they don't have diesel onboard...
Although I like it, I would not want to go anywhere without a gas powered engine for backup. I prefer boats that have boat. Back up systems on boats are a good thing.
Silent yachts are hybrid, not pure solar, when crossing oceans . There’s not enough solar panels to run fully on solar. So you run the generator every day in a crossing.
The using of sun power is unstoppable as you can see many electric car. However, in the middle of sea, the weather usually is very sunny or windy, is there anyway we could make use the wind as energy as well? also some boat can make use of sea tide to generate electricity. Such approach may help to make sure enough electricity generated. I would love to see more scientific and technical analysis on this. On the other hand, the propulsion system of Silent yacht should be look in detail. I see the shaft is basically kind of old design. The volvo penta hybrid system combined with their advanced propulsion seems a better choice. So people can choose faster speed or use pure electric. Electric Motor is not completely silent, can boat review is there any annoying noise produce during high speed?
I think it’s a mistake to go for full solar, add sailing or incorporate a vertical wind generation system ? I don’t want to waste a great energy source like offshore wind.
Great overview to prove the naysayers wrong. BTW, 7:28 the symbol for nautical miles is "nmi"; "NM" would mean "newton-molar" or "newton-mega", which is meaningless.
Probably nice in order to go out a few miles for fishing. Any serious cruising with those 5.6 kW peak (=~1000W/h over a 24h average): that may be sufficient to power a hair dryer or microwave. For a boat of that size: the choice between being painfully underpowered or having a painfully limited range - probably even both. Add the immense windage and you can expect to travel backwards.
@@___Chris___ Thanks. That's really good info. I like how you express the energy in terms of activity. X power = fishing close by or X power = microwave. 👍
@@JohnSmith-zo6ir Thanks also. If this topic is interesting to you, you might want to look for two other (longer) comments that I wrote in this comment section where I go more into the details of the challenges related to energy efficiency with (solar-)electric boats.
@@___Chris___ Awesome. I'm on a learning mission because I'm on the market for a motor yacht, but want electric. Governments are going to increase taxes on anything fossil fuel related so I don't want diesel. They will also imposes taxes on manufacturers doing diesel as well. I notice Volvo Penta have a full electric system with pod drives. My issue is getting an understanding of what x kws means in terms of distance, speed and the extent of powering on board facilities like air conditioning, appliances etc.
@@JohnSmith-zo6ir For onboard facilities it's easy. Each appliance has a kW/h power rating that you can use directly. For speed and required propulsion power there is no easy "one size fits all" answer, because it highly depends on boat length, weight (i.e. water displacment), hull slenderness and details of the hull shape. Here are some aspects copied/pasted from some older private notes of mine that may be interesting for you on that "learning mission", in order to get a rough idea: with an efficient displacement or semi-displacement hull and at moderate speeds (Froude Number = 1.0). While planing is great for high top speeds please don't expect great efficiency at the same time - and it's probably not the smartest way to waste a limited battery capacity. If you want to estimate the power requirement under faster / planing conditions nevertheless, I recommend to google for the formulas according to Barnabi/Levy or Crouch. EDIT: Also be carefull with any of all these performance formulas at the VERY low end of the speed spectrum (/very low throttle setting), because at low speeds viscous drag (frictional resistance between water and hull skin) is a relatively more relevant factor than wave-making resistance.
Electric electric electric electric electric electric electric! Love it way to go imagine if we had done this 100 years ago! The titanic would’ve never sunk
Solar power for gently crusing, never for hight speed. Using an electric boat is a philosophy but for the moment we can put the question :" How long is the battery life & how recycle them"
Battery recycling and associated costs are a big issue. I think this boat is more proof of concept. The most likely next step for consumer technology is an increase in hybrid systems (making the most of both fossil fuel and battery technology). The engines themselves are still being developed and need a lot of refinement.
The real advantage of an electric boat is that you don't have to plug it on shore (instead car that you must frequently plug) and by this way you less consume fossil energy. I think that a real progress could be made on efficiency of solar panels and batterys to increase the range without increasing the weight.
@@Guiboo59000 On those tests they still had to run their generator so supplement their overnight cruising, so in essence they were still plugged into something other than their solar and battery power. I agree it may use less overall, depending on usage of the boat. It will take years more of usage and development before it improves. I'm looking forward to it!
@@emeraldmorningmist You're right. Don't forget that everyone says "electric cars = no future" and today all cars brands had it's electric cars. I remember to have seen a Tesla Roadster in France 15 years ago ('cause I'm French). A kind of car who don't have climatisation or heating ... and now a long way had done to achieve the Tesla S / X. I think that if a visionary people like the owners of Silent Yacht are supported, they could do the same ;)
I think of all applications, electric in boats is a no-brainer. Diesel engines are noisy, bulky and guzzle fuel making fuel an expensive part of operating a boat. If you're on the water then you're literally bathed in free energy - wind and solar. It makes total sense to design boats that utilise that, not just for propulsion but operating on board power.
California doesn't have the infrastructure to provide the electricity needed for that many vehicles . Strict regulations will not allow for new infrastructure to be built. I better grab some pop corn!
My internal combustion engine boat can go 300 miles at 30 mph. Until solar can provide that kind of energy storage, it's not going to catch on. And it shouldn't catch on. For industrial uses? Sure. Pleasure boating? Not yet...except for long range cruising.
You could do that today but the cost of the batteries would just be too high. I'm working on building a 60' Dutch Barge that should be able to tool around at 5kt for 12 hours a day and if I need more than that I can switch over to diesel and bring it up to hull speed. I'm going with hybrid-marine engines. hybrid-marine.co.uk/.
Sad that after all these years there is not one video/testimonial for any of these electric boats that are not sponsored by the manufacturer. If it was legit, there'd be at least one owner showing theirs off. If they'd be honest about the generator usage and show real world tests instead of animations it would be easier to accept their claims. Many of us wouldn't care if we had to crank up a generator for a couple hours each day. Just be up front about it. Its like they're trying to hide that detail. With coastal tides and currents running 3-7 knots I'm afraid a 3-5knot boat isn't practical. You have to be able to run with considerable power for hours, even days at a time on long voyages. I think they'd make a great loop boat and wish someone would work that out. Most loop cruisers don't run at night. Rivers and ICW are dangerous at night. Thats when they anchor and recharge. Perfect scenario for a solar boat, especially a catamaran under 19' tall and draft under 5'. $$$ for a boat from a sketchy builder isn't wise.
The only way to reduce the number of boats on the water is to ban ICE propulsion. The normal people will have to watch from the shoreline. Elecrification will never be inexpensive, the materials used in EV motors, motor controls, batteries make this so. From material resource to manufacture EV are no better than today's norm.
@@AquaMarine1000 this is not correct Chris, multiple lifetime studies of EVs have shown they have 3 times lower emissions per mile then ICE units. here's one for example.www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-how-electric-vehicles-help-to-tackle-climate-change
@@AquaMarine1000 Inexpensive is relative. Sails, lots of complicated rigging components, winches, diesel engines, ballast keel, etc aren't exactly for free, either. By abstaining from all the components that are specific to sail propulsion we save more than enough money to be invested for electric propulsion: I bet you could even go CHEAPER than with sail propulsion, and I'm not talking about a distant future, but today. Think of a design that looks a bit like the AzuraMarine Aquanima40 or the SunCuncept Cat 12: A Torqeedo Cruise 10.0 engine (about 20 HP combustion engine equivalent) is about $9000 each. Add a few Pylontech US3000 LiFePo4 48V batteries for around 1200$ per 3.5kWh. If you're going solar: plan about 10.000$ for 10kWp of solar panels including charge controllers from a reputable manufacturer. With steerable electric outboards you don't even need rudders. Up to this point in the example, we've invested $ 35-40k for everything related to the propulsion. Do you honestly believe everything above deck level in a sail boat plus the combustion engine is cheaper? Oh, and the latter also summarizes all the components that are responsible for the high regular maintenance costs with sail boats. We don't have all that in an electric boat! After the occasional antifouling paint and gelcoat repair, you're almost done with regular maintenance in a (solar-)electric boat. The rest is mainly the same for all boats: the naked hull structure, steering system, wiring, VHF radio, a chart plotter, LED lights, bilge pumps, freshwater system, head, galley, anchor, docking cleats .. and whatever internal appliances you can't live without. How much sailboat can you buy for that, up to this point? Because this is only a youtube comment, I'm oversimplifying here a little on purpose, but I once did for fun a detailed calculation after technical drawings, including all components I could possibly think of, with detailed calculations for the required amounts of resin and glass, etc., with real-world end-consumer prices after VAT. Result: From a material standpoint (without labor hours) you could easily build a complete nice & shiny, fully-equipped 40ft bluewater category solar-electric catamaran with a lightweight epoxy-fiberglass/foamcore-sandwich hull for no more than 70.000-100.000$, not to mention that professional manufacturers have access to even lower material prices than a private end-consumers. Sure, there are many ways to spend a lot more money (adding carbon fiber and kevlar, special honeycomb core materials, vacuum infusion, negative mold instead of direct lay-up plus topcoat, fancy radar equipment, large cockpit monitors....), but you don't have to. Maybe I'll build it myself to prove a point ;-)
The subject is not hull designs or materials, power or sail, but the future of electric boating. Yes being connected to mains power is well established an example would be trains but portable power has its limits with batteries. The existing reliability of diesel power for marine use is proven, it works in all conditions, hot or cold climates, day or night. Electric boats do exists, China has many all electric river ferries built and maintained for purpose. All that said, keep your dream alive of crossing oceans. Cheers
@@AquaMarine1000 Sorry if I bored you, but I still disagree and I think you're missing THE essential point if you think we should try to discuss future electric boating whilst ignoring efficiency aspects. Electric propulsion always involves limited battery capacity and batteries by nature have a rather low energy density (much heavier than the same energy stored as diesel), which is why *efficiency is THE big deal with electric boats* . We can't just put in a bigger battery, because we quickly end up in a vicious circle: bigger battery --> heavier boat --> higher propulsion power requirement --> even bigger batteries needed. As a consequence, we don't really gain that much speed or range if we try to solve the issue with storage capacity alone. On the other hand, *there is no way around efficiency without talking about hull design and lightweight construction* . If we only want to discuss electric ferries and short distance electric tourist boats that have a ridiculously low range, there is no need to speculate about the FUTURE of electric boats: we have that already, in the PRESENT (in this case YOU are missing the point of this topic!). On the other hand: there are ENTIRE OCEANS where electric boating is non-existent as of today. My arguments only illustrate that it doesn't have to stay this way. That's not a dream, it's nothing more than applied physics / hydrodynamics. And _because_ it's physically possible, _because_ people will love to pay less for maintenance and _because_ they will enjoy chasing the sunny calm seas instead of always running with the weather fronts (where there's more wind): that's exactly where the future of electric boating is! Yes, diesel is a proven concept and with cargo ships there isn't really a good alternative because those will always be too heavy to get anywhere near the efficiency that we need for electric propulsion (unless we talk about electricity from methanol or hydrogen fuel cells). But as for recreational boating these restrictions don't have to apply. As it is, we are in the crazy situation that we often push 20 tons through the water, only to carry one ton of "cargo", maybe 2 people and a bit of food and water.... In other words: the boat needs all this energy in order to mainly propell ITSELF and its own heavy weight, rather than the little bit of cargo. You can drive in a Hummer or a Volkswagen Polo. Both will get you from A to B. If we think of (solar-)electric boats more in the category of performance multihulls (DragonFly 40, Gunboat 68..) instead of the typical Lagoons, Leopards, etc... (the latter are a lot closer to the SilentYacht approach), suddenly the math adds up and efficiency issues are no longer a deal-breaker for continous solar-electric cruising. We only need one company to be the first to actually do it!
Hi David, BoatTEST doesn't produce one take videos but Capt Steve does then on his channel from time to time. Thanks for watching and visit us as BoatTEST.com
I might be old fashioned, but I believe in propulsion redundancy at sea. For me sails would have to be part of the equation. Relying on batteries or fuel is not enough. By the way, Caterpillar made some great RV engines, and they got out of that market when new fuel regulations (almost 15-years ago) were adopted. So, I would not be surprised if the same thing happens to marine engines.
I agree in having multiple layers of redundancy and not reliant on a single source... Silent Yacht's says they can incorporate a Kite-Sail on their boats...
The fastest electric boat is a Cigarette 38. Cigarette worked with a company that was expert in getting speed from cars(no not Tesla). Cigarette wanted 100mph and the first test was successful. Cigarette still has the boat.
I love the electric boats..I’d miss the sound of sports cars but boats should be quiet & they spend so much time sitting in the sun anyway. The trouble is batteries as some Volvo cars need £16000 batteries replaced at half life & that’s new small car prices for batteries.. How much for a boat battery...
@Just think I know what your saying The green move is needed but it’s being pushed at a rate that is damaging the wests economy & putting companies out of business while China is taking over & can then dictate the rules to the helpless west.. A lot of facts are missed out like how co2 increases means trees populate more & climate change was changed from global warming so it can be used as proof of the government’s agendas wether is snows rains or is sunny..
Unimpressed, only 4 peak hours of sun for solar power is only a portion of what should be utilized. Unless vapors are used making the most of fuel and maybe even a sail to assist, I continue to look and scoff. Earthlings...
I wonder if they will ever become afordable by the "average guy", my dream is live on a solar yacht, sailing the world. I heard about a certain brand of stainless steel hulls that are maintenance free(imune to corrosion and easy to clean), a solar yacht with that, with the massive warranty that silent yacht gives(unlimited for engine, 25 year for the solar panels and 8 years for the battery), would be amazing, life on a boat becoming affordable and less tiring than it seems to be.
California is a joke first off, that’s why everyone is wanting to move out of California!!!! And secondly if anyone was to see what harm they are doing to the environment getting lithium out of the ground they would think twice about lithium batteries!! Yes they are better but it’s actually doing more harm to the environment then combustible engines are especially how choked down they are due to California!!!! And I like solar but to run everything ur whole entire roof would have to be solar panels and what it would cost to set all that up would cost a fortune I’m sure!! And that demonstration right at the end of this video, ur still using a combustible engine to help power back up the batteries, if it wasn’t for the combustible engine then ur batteries wouldn’t even charge back up enough to drive anywhere at night and that’s with the ENTIRE roof being solar panels on an 80ft catamaran!! If it was a monohull u would only have half that many solar panels due to the beam of the boat!!! Then what if it was a cloudy day, u would be running a combustible engine all day to charge the batteries back up as well.
Even though they get their power from nuclear plants and fossil fuels, it is still doing a lot less harm to the environment, even though it isn't perfect. If you watch the video, many of these yachts are using solar power anyway. With new and cheaper technologies coming out, wind turbines, solar farms, and many more solutions coming out, less fossil fuels will be burned
The Silent-Yacht lineup and the Greenlines all have photovoltaic panels on the roof for "normal" usage. They also have small diesel gensets of course. _MY_ main gripe is the toxicity of the battery banks and the ecological mess made when mining for the materials to _make_ the batteries.
@Bits if everyone wears a mask, Covid can't spread to the eyes and mining for the materials to make the panels are still better for the environment than boats burning diesel or gasoline.
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Michael and Heidi I have been following seriously since 2009 and been cheering you all the time. I didn’t think I’d be around to see so much success you and your company have achieved. I have been battling some serious illness and now am 100% disabled, but I thank you for giving me this to follow and cheer you on. It pushes me so I will someday actually ride on one. At my age I more excited that less pollution means a cleaner air quality and better life all around for my grandchildren. Once again congratulations and keep fighting on.Thank You
Larry, thank you for writing us this means so much. We are all sorry asad to hear about your illness. Please email us your address at editorial@boattest.com - wed love to send you some fun things. We agree with your same sentiment and hope for a cleaner future. Your positivity surely is a wonder thanks for writing! - Boatttest
Great to hear more about Silent Yacht. Thank you. I live in the Monterey Bay Area and I hope see one in person soon.
My wish-list is topped by a Silent 55 catamaran, anything bigger would be too hard for a couple to handle in close quarters. I'd be far more likely to get a Greenline 40 or 48 Coupe if we could ever afford it though.
Silent 44 in its way
Good to hear!
Captain Steve has become my favourite talking head for boats. Glad to find you guys.
Thanks ~ I am really a fan of the green line hybrid drive.
NEVER wait in line at the fuel dock again. Pure Electric Boats have serious ADVANTAGES. Thousands per year less to operate and maintain than an average diesel boat. They DON'T have - Check Engine Light costs, Oxygen Sensors, Timing Belts, Oil Changes, Oil Filters, Coolant Flushes and Thermostats, Gearbox Services, Leaking Gaskets, Bad Injectors, Spark Plugs, Coil Packs, Ignition Wires, Diesel filters and clogs and various Engine Sensors - oh and the cost of several hundred gallons of fuel every time you go ANYWHERE. That's several THOUSAND dollars EVERY year. Electric Boats - zero $$$
I've designed a generator for boats that uses water motion to create electricity. You can set it on the water, in the dinghy, on Deck, or in the boat. Anyway, as long as the water is moving it will be generating electricity.
Please please please
We need your normal boat test report on any of the silent yachts
Any review I have seen focuses on the solar panels that much I still don't know how the boat performs or the quality of the build
Chas Wilson yes yes! This was just a short report we hope to test them in 2021! Thanks
@@BoatTEST I would love to see a review of their partner builder/design in Australia the Silent 44 and Silent Yacht's competitor Azura Marine Aquanima 45.
@@Eagle737 Great idea! Thanks for sharing, and thanks for watching!
I love this. Especially what silent yachts is doing, very “green” but too big for my taste and wallet. Greenline isn’t as “green” as i would like, but sized right. My interests are a small coastal cruiser that could travel rivers with 2 berths, galley and a head. A cabin boat for a couple not a crowd with an extended roofline full of solar panels (and a gyro). I wonder if the solar roof could be supported by columns with rotating outer cylinders for propulsion using the magnus effect? Even the hopyacht30 is interesting to me regardless of the hate by sailing purists. Even the seapiper 37 gets 1000 miles on only 200 liters of fuel, making quite ”green”. But the seapiper needs a 2024 re-design for aesthetics and comfort. Coupling such displacement efficiency and maybe saxdor’s living space coupled with a long roof of solar panels, i think it’s a winner.
This makes a lot of sense. The future will be catamarans with solor panels, they are best suited. Also cats already give amazing sq ft do to their wide beams.
Thank you. Best production I have seen.
Very informative and very much appreciated....stay safe🙏🏻❤️
How does Silent Yachts deal with the (low likelyhood - high risk) possibility of a battery fire on board?
Do they offer any active fire suppression system? If so, is the system of the foam type, or is it an oxygen displacement type (uses a gas, like haylon, to starve any fires when activated)?
With adequate safety systems to address a possible battery fire, I agree w/ the sentiment that an electric boat is safer. That said, a possible uncontained battery fire in the middle of the Atlantic scares the crap out of me.
Well done and informative format. Subscibed!
Thanks for watching! ❤️
Love it love it love it love it love it! Love it
i like this eletric boat thanks cap. Steven
I was almost convinced to buy a Silent yacht...almost. One...it still requires a diesel engine/generator, with the requisite maintenance and fuel costs. Two...solar efficiency requires an unrealistic number of fully sunny hours per day. The concept is good...but...the technology still lags far behind.
Thanks for this great content
Anyone who disagrees with this isn't looking forward, and will be left in the past. Technology is ever evolving, look at how ICE power boats have changed in the last 30years. The advancements that took place even with 2 stroke engines (sadly that have disappeared) Things no one would have thought possible. Battery tech is advancing faster than ever before. Super capacitors that can be recharged in under 10mins and hold enought engery to carry your car 500miles are only a couple years away. Think about what this looks like 10 years from now..
Silent Yachts my Favorite 💗💗💗can’t wait to get one⚓️⚓️⚓️
Great video,keep it up.!
So there is a generator, burning fuel, to help charge the batteries when the panels have not provided enough electric power. It is therefore a hybrid, not fully electric.
This was really interesting. I feel like a hybrid boat is the way to go right now. And you can get solar energy for free. But hydrogen fuel cell technology. Is advancing rapidly. That could also really change the industry. Only water vapor as emissions. And enough energy to run piston engines. This is the tech to watch..! Solar will always need back up power generation. And heavy batteries "in our lifetime". But that being said hybrid setups give you the best of both worlds. In 2021.
Great show
mountee thanks for watching! Please visit BoatTest.com to see all our reviews.
I'm REALLY excited to see where Volvo Penta's electric motors go. I hope they invest good money into regeneration tech as well. That seems to be the top reason to go with Oceanvolt which is crazy expensive, so some competition would be great! now if we could only convince the majority of the boating community that they aren't going to die a horrible death if they don't have diesel onboard...
You forgot the most important part. Price?
Although I like it, I would not want to go anywhere without a gas powered engine for backup. I prefer boats that have boat. Back up systems on boats are a good thing.
Silent yachts are hybrid, not pure solar, when crossing oceans . There’s not enough solar panels to run fully on solar. So you run the generator every day in a crossing.
Still many years away from replacing petrol outboards on trailer fishing boats batteries dont yet hold enough storage to get and good range
The using of sun power is unstoppable as you can see many electric car. However, in the middle of sea, the weather usually is very sunny or windy, is there anyway we could make use the wind as energy as well? also some boat can make use of sea tide to generate electricity. Such approach may help to make sure enough electricity generated. I would love to see more scientific and technical analysis on this.
On the other hand, the propulsion system of Silent yacht should be look in detail. I see the shaft is basically kind of old design. The volvo penta hybrid system combined with their advanced propulsion seems a better choice. So people can choose faster speed or use pure electric. Electric Motor is not completely silent, can boat review is there any annoying noise produce during high speed?
I think it’s a mistake to go for full solar, add sailing or incorporate a vertical wind generation system ? I don’t want to waste a great energy source like offshore wind.
The newer silent yachts have kite systems to supplement their solar power
Great overview to prove the naysayers wrong. BTW, 7:28 the symbol for nautical miles is "nmi"; "NM" would mean "newton-molar" or "newton-mega", which is meaningless.
Look at Aquila 44 motor catamaran with Nova Luxe solar panel system.
Probably nice in order to go out a few miles for fishing. Any serious cruising with those 5.6 kW peak (=~1000W/h over a 24h average): that may be sufficient to power a hair dryer or microwave. For a boat of that size: the choice between being painfully underpowered or having a painfully limited range - probably even both. Add the immense windage and you can expect to travel backwards.
@@___Chris___ Thanks. That's really good info. I like how you express the energy in terms of activity. X power = fishing close by or X power = microwave. 👍
@@JohnSmith-zo6ir Thanks also. If this topic is interesting to you, you might want to look for two other (longer) comments that I wrote in this comment section where I go more into the details of the challenges related to energy efficiency with (solar-)electric boats.
@@___Chris___ Awesome. I'm on a learning mission because I'm on the market for a motor yacht, but want electric. Governments are going to increase taxes on anything fossil fuel related so I don't want diesel. They will also imposes taxes on manufacturers doing diesel as well. I notice Volvo Penta have a full electric system with pod drives.
My issue is getting an understanding of what x kws means in terms of distance, speed and the extent of powering on board facilities like air conditioning, appliances etc.
@@JohnSmith-zo6ir For onboard facilities it's easy. Each appliance has a kW/h power rating that you can use directly.
For speed and required propulsion power there is no easy "one size fits all" answer, because it highly depends on boat length, weight (i.e. water displacment), hull slenderness and details of the hull shape.
Here are some aspects copied/pasted from some older private notes of mine that may be interesting for you on that "learning mission", in order to get a rough idea:
with an efficient displacement or semi-displacement hull and at moderate speeds (Froude Number = 1.0). While planing is great for high top speeds please don't expect great efficiency at the same time - and it's probably not the smartest way to waste a limited battery capacity. If you want to estimate the power requirement under faster / planing conditions nevertheless, I recommend to google for the formulas according to Barnabi/Levy or Crouch.
EDIT: Also be carefull with any of all these performance formulas at the VERY low end of the speed spectrum (/very low throttle setting), because at low speeds viscous drag (frictional resistance between water and hull skin) is a relatively more relevant factor than wave-making resistance.
Electric electric electric electric electric electric electric! Love it way to go imagine if we had done this 100 years ago! The titanic would’ve never sunk
Solar power for gently crusing, never for hight speed. Using an electric boat is a philosophy but for the moment we can put the question :" How long is the battery life & how recycle them"
Good question. This is really just the beginning of a longer conversation.
Battery recycling and associated costs are a big issue. I think this boat is more proof of concept. The most likely next step for consumer technology is an increase in hybrid systems (making the most of both fossil fuel and battery technology). The engines themselves are still being developed and need a lot of refinement.
The real advantage of an electric boat is that you don't have to plug it on shore (instead car that you must frequently plug) and by this way you less consume fossil energy.
I think that a real progress could be made on efficiency of solar panels and batterys to increase the range without increasing the weight.
@@Guiboo59000 On those tests they still had to run their generator so supplement their overnight cruising, so in essence they were still plugged into something other than their solar and battery power. I agree it may use less overall, depending on usage of the boat. It will take years more of usage and development before it improves. I'm looking forward to it!
@@emeraldmorningmist You're right. Don't forget that everyone says "electric cars = no future" and today all cars brands had it's electric cars.
I remember to have seen a Tesla Roadster in France 15 years ago ('cause I'm French). A kind of car who don't have climatisation or heating ... and now a long way had done to achieve the Tesla S / X.
I think that if a visionary people like the owners of Silent Yacht are supported, they could do the same ;)
I think of all applications, electric in boats is a no-brainer. Diesel engines are noisy, bulky and guzzle fuel making fuel an expensive part of operating a boat. If you're on the water then you're literally bathed in free energy - wind and solar. It makes total sense to design boats that utilise that, not just for propulsion but operating on board power.
What about hydrogen conversion electric engines? There’s lots of sun and lots of water? Would be perfect engines for boats?
Look op Solar Explorer
Let the free market and consumers decide with their wallet, not government mandates, love the history of Silent Yachts, would love to have one
The solar panels are toast after 4 years and the batteries after 10. I don’t see how this is better.
4 years? Where are you getting that info?
@@DTR89
Almost all solar panels loose 50% efficiency within that amount of time near the equator, and that’s where most sailors stay.
California doesn't have the infrastructure to provide the electricity needed for that many vehicles . Strict regulations will not allow for new infrastructure to be built. I better grab some pop corn!
Stay safe
My internal combustion engine boat can go 300 miles at 30 mph. Until solar can provide that kind of energy storage, it's not going to catch on. And it shouldn't catch on. For industrial uses? Sure. Pleasure boating? Not yet...except for long range cruising.
Right now today you are correct.. h
However we aren't talking about today. Look 15 or 20 years down the road as technology advances that may change.
You could do that today but the cost of the batteries would just be too high. I'm working on building a 60' Dutch Barge that should be able to tool around at 5kt for 12 hours a day and if I need more than that I can switch over to diesel and bring it up to hull speed. I'm going with hybrid-marine engines. hybrid-marine.co.uk/.
Say drives Tesla motortype and has beverages such as amulpro in. Dsd
No doubt that electric will be the future. So many advantages of it and little disadvantages.
lol, if you ask the sailing community you will die horribly if you have electric motors instead of diesels....
no thanks , love my diesel. The electrics described cruise at 4knots?? this is not practicle in a seaway or in any sort of current.
Good boat for Great Loop, little pricy though.
Definitely 👍
Sad that after all these years there is not one video/testimonial for any of these electric boats that are not sponsored by the manufacturer. If it was legit, there'd be at least one owner showing theirs off. If they'd be honest about the generator usage and show real world tests instead of animations it would be easier to accept their claims. Many of us wouldn't care if we had to crank up a generator for a couple hours each day. Just be up front about it. Its like they're trying to hide that detail. With coastal tides and currents running 3-7 knots I'm afraid a 3-5knot boat isn't practical. You have to be able to run with considerable power for hours, even days at a time on long voyages. I think they'd make a great loop boat and wish someone would work that out. Most loop cruisers don't run at night. Rivers and ICW are dangerous at night. Thats when they anchor and recharge. Perfect scenario for a solar boat, especially a catamaran under 19' tall and draft under 5'. $$$ for a boat from a sketchy builder isn't wise.
Could be great to see more electric boat in the 20ft to 30ft range that normal people can afford...
The only way to reduce the number of boats on the water is to ban ICE propulsion. The normal people will have to watch from the shoreline. Elecrification will never be inexpensive, the materials used in EV motors, motor controls, batteries make this so. From material resource to manufacture EV are no better than today's norm.
@@AquaMarine1000 this is not correct Chris, multiple lifetime studies of EVs have shown they have 3 times lower emissions per mile then ICE units. here's one for example.www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-how-electric-vehicles-help-to-tackle-climate-change
@@AquaMarine1000 Inexpensive is relative. Sails, lots of complicated rigging components, winches, diesel engines, ballast keel, etc aren't exactly for free, either. By abstaining from all the components that are specific to sail propulsion we save more than enough money to be invested for electric propulsion: I bet you could even go CHEAPER than with sail propulsion, and I'm not talking about a distant future, but today.
Think of a design that looks a bit like the AzuraMarine Aquanima40 or the SunCuncept Cat 12: A Torqeedo Cruise 10.0 engine (about 20 HP combustion engine equivalent) is about $9000 each. Add a few Pylontech US3000 LiFePo4 48V batteries for around 1200$ per 3.5kWh. If you're going solar: plan about 10.000$ for 10kWp of solar panels including charge controllers from a reputable manufacturer. With steerable electric outboards you don't even need rudders. Up to this point in the example, we've invested $ 35-40k for everything related to the propulsion. Do you honestly believe everything above deck level in a sail boat plus the combustion engine is cheaper? Oh, and the latter also summarizes all the components that are responsible for the high regular maintenance costs with sail boats. We don't have all that in an electric boat! After the occasional antifouling paint and gelcoat repair, you're almost done with regular maintenance in a (solar-)electric boat.
The rest is mainly the same for all boats: the naked hull structure, steering system, wiring, VHF radio, a chart plotter, LED lights, bilge pumps, freshwater system, head, galley, anchor, docking cleats .. and whatever internal appliances you can't live without. How much sailboat can you buy for that, up to this point? Because this is only a youtube comment, I'm oversimplifying here a little on purpose, but I once did for fun a detailed calculation after technical drawings, including all components I could possibly think of, with detailed calculations for the required amounts of resin and glass, etc., with real-world end-consumer prices after VAT. Result: From a material standpoint (without labor hours) you could easily build a complete nice & shiny, fully-equipped 40ft bluewater category solar-electric catamaran with a lightweight epoxy-fiberglass/foamcore-sandwich hull for no more than 70.000-100.000$, not to mention that professional manufacturers have access to even lower material prices than a private end-consumers. Sure, there are many ways to spend a lot more money (adding carbon fiber and kevlar, special honeycomb core materials, vacuum infusion, negative mold instead of direct lay-up plus topcoat, fancy radar equipment, large cockpit monitors....), but you don't have to. Maybe I'll build it myself to prove a point ;-)
The subject is not hull designs or materials, power or sail, but the future of electric boating. Yes being connected to mains power is well established an example would be trains but portable power has its limits with batteries.
The existing reliability of diesel power for marine use is proven, it works in all conditions, hot or cold climates, day or night. Electric boats do exists, China has many all electric river ferries built and maintained for purpose. All that said, keep your dream alive of crossing oceans. Cheers
@@AquaMarine1000 Sorry if I bored you, but I still disagree and I think you're missing THE essential point if you think we should try to discuss future electric boating whilst ignoring efficiency aspects. Electric propulsion always involves limited battery capacity and batteries by nature have a rather low energy density (much heavier than the same energy stored as diesel), which is why *efficiency is THE big deal with electric boats* . We can't just put in a bigger battery, because we quickly end up in a vicious circle: bigger battery --> heavier boat --> higher propulsion power requirement --> even bigger batteries needed. As a consequence, we don't really gain that much speed or range if we try to solve the issue with storage capacity alone. On the other hand, *there is no way around efficiency without talking about hull design and lightweight construction* . If we only want to discuss electric ferries and short distance electric tourist boats that have a ridiculously low range, there is no need to speculate about the FUTURE of electric boats: we have that already, in the PRESENT (in this case YOU are missing the point of this topic!). On the other hand: there are ENTIRE OCEANS where electric boating is non-existent as of today. My arguments only illustrate that it doesn't have to stay this way. That's not a dream, it's nothing more than applied physics / hydrodynamics. And _because_ it's physically possible, _because_ people will love to pay less for maintenance and _because_ they will enjoy chasing the sunny calm seas instead of always running with the weather fronts (where there's more wind): that's exactly where the future of electric boating is!
Yes, diesel is a proven concept and with cargo ships there isn't really a good alternative because those will always be too heavy to get anywhere near the efficiency that we need for electric propulsion (unless we talk about electricity from methanol or hydrogen fuel cells). But as for recreational boating these restrictions don't have to apply. As it is, we are in the crazy situation that we often push 20 tons through the water, only to carry one ton of "cargo", maybe 2 people and a bit of food and water.... In other words: the boat needs all this energy in order to mainly propell ITSELF and its own heavy weight, rather than the little bit of cargo. You can drive in a Hummer or a Volkswagen Polo. Both will get you from A to B. If we think of (solar-)electric boats more in the category of performance multihulls (DragonFly 40, Gunboat 68..) instead of the typical Lagoons, Leopards, etc... (the latter are a lot closer to the SilentYacht approach), suddenly the math adds up and efficiency issues are no longer a deal-breaker for continous solar-electric cruising. We only need one company to be the first to actually do it!
Yay good boy Skippy
Then piston is needing. Dsmsp. Y
No more one take 📹 videos with captain Steve🤔
Hi David, BoatTEST doesn't produce one take videos but Capt Steve does then on his channel from time to time. Thanks for watching and visit us as BoatTEST.com
I might be old fashioned, but I believe in propulsion redundancy at sea. For me sails would have to be part of the equation. Relying on batteries or fuel is not enough.
By the way, Caterpillar made some great RV engines, and they got out of that market when new fuel regulations (almost 15-years ago) were adopted.
So, I would not be surprised if the same thing happens to marine engines.
I agree in having multiple layers of redundancy and not reliant on a single source... Silent Yacht's says they can incorporate a Kite-Sail on their boats...
The fastest electric boat is a Cigarette 38. Cigarette worked with a company that was expert in getting speed from cars(no not Tesla). Cigarette wanted 100mph and the first test was successful. Cigarette still has the boat.
Possibly Rimac
Solar panel likes to buy says me. Dsd
Emission clouds+cnd protests teach well. Dsmsp
Is China and India going to comply with all things electrical, if not, ZERO EMISSIONS IS A PIPE DREAM!
I love the electric boats..I’d miss the sound of sports cars but boats should be quiet & they spend so much time sitting in the sun anyway.
The trouble is batteries as some Volvo cars need £16000 batteries replaced at half life & that’s new small car prices for batteries..
How much for a boat battery...
@Just think I know what your saying
The green move is needed but it’s being pushed at a rate that is damaging the wests economy & putting companies out of business while China is taking over & can then dictate the rules to the helpless west..
A lot of facts are missed out like how co2 increases means trees populate more & climate change was changed from global warming so it can be used as proof of the government’s agendas wether is snows rains or is sunny..
Unimpressed, only 4 peak hours of sun for solar power is only a portion of what should be utilized. Unless vapors are used making the most of fuel and maybe even a sail to assist, I continue to look and scoff. Earthlings...
2045? Are you kidding? We'll all be dead by then.
Wanting. Dsd
Watch electricity go up 500%..
So what? You produce it from the sun yourself.
I wonder if they will ever become afordable by the "average guy", my dream is live on a solar yacht, sailing the world. I heard about a certain brand of stainless steel hulls that are maintenance free(imune to corrosion and easy to clean), a solar yacht with that, with the massive warranty that silent yacht gives(unlimited for engine, 25 year for the solar panels and 8 years for the battery), would be amazing, life on a boat becoming affordable and less tiring than it seems to be.
Solar, Hydrogen and a small lithium battery bank is a far better option; Aquon yachts is doing this.
Like it or not, EV will take over.
Going to have a power crisis
Merhaba türk kaptan
How could you not mention Tesla mention Tesla mention Tesla mention Tesla mention Tesla
Finish with pankaj. Dsdmsd. U. Likes
California is a joke first off, that’s why everyone is wanting to move out of California!!!! And secondly if anyone was to see what harm they are doing to the environment getting lithium out of the ground they would think twice about lithium batteries!! Yes they are better but it’s actually doing more harm to the environment then combustible engines are especially how choked down they are due to California!!!! And I like solar but to run everything ur whole entire roof would have to be solar panels and what it would cost to set all that up would cost a fortune I’m sure!! And that demonstration right at the end of this video, ur still using a combustible engine to help power back up the batteries, if it wasn’t for the combustible engine then ur batteries wouldn’t even charge back up enough to drive anywhere at night and that’s with the ENTIRE roof being solar panels on an 80ft catamaran!! If it was a monohull u would only have half that many solar panels due to the beam of the boat!!! Then what if it was a cloudy day, u would be running a combustible engine all day to charge the batteries back up as well.
How are these electric vehicles gonna get there power?..its not as clean as they claim!..not knocking them,just being realistic!
Even though they get their power from nuclear plants and fossil fuels, it is still doing a lot less harm to the environment, even though it isn't perfect. If you watch the video, many of these yachts are using solar power anyway. With new and cheaper technologies coming out, wind turbines, solar farms, and many more solutions coming out, less fossil fuels will be burned
The Silent-Yacht lineup and the Greenlines all have photovoltaic panels on the roof for "normal" usage. They also have small diesel gensets of course. _MY_ main gripe is the toxicity of the battery banks and the ecological mess made when mining for the materials to _make_ the batteries.
@Bits if everyone wears a mask, Covid can't spread to the eyes and mining for the materials to make the panels are still better for the environment than boats burning diesel or gasoline.
@Bits do you even know what you're saying? Do you not trust literally every scientist in the country? You're so ignorant
@@michiganengineer8621 Lithium batteries are almost 100% recyclable (see tesla battery day video)