IanD

Anyway, to get back to the OPs question it would be almost certainly be possible to add a parallel hybrid setup onto an existing trad engine, one like the Hybridmarine one just couples onto the prop shaft via belt drive. I'm pretty sure one of the motor kit suppliers could do this at a cost not much more than buying the components, for example: https://www.voltsport.co.uk/Marine-Propulsion-Systems/Small-Yacht-Drive-Kit From memory when I was talking to them early last year, the drive system (not this one) cost a few thousand pounds, I'm sure they could provide a quote for an add-on system. On top of that you'd need batteries and battery management (another few grand at least), but also a way of getting a decent amount of charge into the batteries. Assuming no onboard generator, this would need some *big* alternators (maybe polyvee drive?) and a suitable external controller (Wakespeed?) to be added to the engine, that's another few grand. Depending on battery size and type (LFP strongly advised to keep engine run times for charging down) I suspect even doing the actual installation yourself you'd be looking at an absolute minimum of £10000 total, and that's with a pretty small battery. If the engineering to add on the alternators and the belt drive is done professionally this would add to the cost, as would a more sensible sized battery.

35W does make Starlink a *lot* more feasible for narrowboats who really *need* high-speed Internet access where the mobile networks can't provide it and can afford it -- after the latest price rises, probably around £115/month with the mobility option that lets you move around. The $5000/month version isn't targeted at individuals, unless they own a superyacht where this is a tiny addition to the running costs: https://www.eetimes.com/starlinks-space-speed-up-a-battle-for-internet-leadership/ "The company has just added a maritime option for all kinds of shipping — from luxury yachts to oil rigs — to deliver internet in the coastal waters around the Americas, Australia, and Europe at present. The satellite link is enabled by paying $10,000 for two terminals that are ruggedized against sea salt to maintain the connection in choppy seas and heavy storms. The service itself costs $5,000 a month."

https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/5/23058181/starlink-portability-internet-price-locations Starlink reportedly draws between 60-70W (newer circular version), according to Jeff Geerling’s blog, an improvement on the 80-100W draw from just a year ago. (older circular versions) https://seabits.com/starlink-finally-useful-aboard/ Version 2 dishy (newest rectangular version) takes about 35 watts to run on average, much better than the original version, which topped out around 100 watts. These are still only usable when stationary (e.g. when moored), but you can roam about from one place to another. The one which works while moving is the super-expensive one I referred to above.

It could be the case, but I'd need to see actual evidence to be convinced -- I think it's more likely that they produce more particulates of all sizes (but don't have any evidence of this).

Yes, the new rectangular one is to try and get the cost down, it's a bit smaller and rectangles cut out of big PCB panels more economically than circles do. Starlink need to get the cost down because IIRC the older circular antenna costs more than 2x as much to manufacture as they were being sold for, the new rectangular one has brought this down -- but the purchase price is still lower than the cost, Starlink are subsidising this to get more people to adopt it, so bigger volumes bring the cost down further. They've just announced a mobile (for boats etc.) station but it's very expensive ($5000/month?), it's aimed at commercial shipping/cruise liners/superyachts not narrowboats 😞 Given the cost of the satellites I'm pretty sure Starlink are either losing money or at best breaking even, the Holy Grail for them is when they get the inter-satellite laser links up and running (being trialled at the moment) so they can start selling low-latency links to high-frequency traders for an absolute fortune... (they laid a new straight-line fiber optic cable across the Atlantic just for this market, spent hundreds of millions of dollars to shave a few milliseconds off the delay -- Starlink should reduce this further, this market is worth billions to them)

It's a shame but it's not unexpected -- it's a massive actively-steered phased array with a *load* of electronics in there, including hundreds of channels of RF receivers, so it's not surprising that it takes way more power than a normal satellite dish. https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/12/teardown-of-dishy-mcflatface-the-spacex-starlink-user-terminal/ And realistically there's no other way to build it since it has to simultaneously track multiple satellites moving quite fast overhead -- see here... https://starlink.sx/

I'd be very surprised if vintage diesels are anywhere near as clean on emissions -- particulates included -- as modern diesel engines, especially as used in cars with high-pressure common-rail DI, catalysts and particulate filters. How much better they are than the "modern" diesels actually used in boats is another matter, since these really aren't "modern" in any sense of the word, they're mostly simple mechanically injected IDI diesels (e.g. Beta), or even worse mechanically injected DI diesels (e.g. Barrus) with no pollution reduction measures. They're only "clean" in the sense that their exhausts are less smoky than most/many vintage diesels, they're technically comparable to car diesels from 30 years ago (like the Citroen/Peugeot XUD engines that I drove) which were certainly not "clean" by today's standards...

I spent a lot of time -- many months -- looking in depth into all the pros and cons of hybrids, and indeed whether to go for one at all. I started off leaning towards an ultra-well-silenced diesel (not a hybrid at all) with big externally-regulated (Wakespeed) alternators and lead-carbon batteries, looked in detail at parallel hybrids (like the HybridMarine system that Braidbar anothers use) with traction cells, and ended up going for a series hybrid with LFP batteries from Finesse. The problem with the parallel hybrids (as available today) is they're neither fish nor fowl, they keep an existing diesel (usually Beta 43) with dual 24V alternators and gearbox and add on a relatively small 48V belt-driven motor/generator. The diesel is too big so still ends up running at low power levels whether running or charging batteries, and can only charge at a few kW (via inefficient alternators) when stationary because the motor is coupled to the propshaft after the gearbox -- so long running times and a lot of fuel burned if you want to do this, especially with LA batteries. More and more builders are now going the series hybrid route, but because doing this properly (like Finesse...) is expensive they cut corners, typically using a cheap belt-driven motor and controller which hasn't got enough power for river use, a cheaper diesel generator, and an undersized battery bank -- often lead-carbon (or traction cells) which again means long running times to equalise the cells and prevent sulphation. A higher-power (and quieter) water-cooled PMAC motor/controller with a good-quality cocooned generator and a big enough LFP battery bank (and lots of solar panels) is the best hybrid solution, but is also the most expensive... 😞 As you say, these are all a stopgap until system-wide charging points emerge, until then an onboard generator is needed. Diesel consumption is typically at least half compared to a diesel boat, and can be zero in summer with not too much cruising, so it is "eco-friendly" from the emissions point of view -- but the fuel cost saving may never make up for the high installation cost, saving money isn't the reason to go this way, silent cruising is... 🙂

Looks like the Cape of Good Hope at Warwick to me -- or maybe definitely not, looking at some details...

Not necessarily, if the rest of the boat is warmer (above the dew point) it won't condense anywhere else...

What was your problem with anodised frames? Was going to go for these rather than powder coated...

Agreed completely about the Schilling rudder, it's an elegant and far better solution than a stern thruster,, and I also don't understand why they're not more common -- except maybe not being "traditional"... A bow thruster however can do things that a Schilling rudder can't, such as moving the bows across when you don't have space to swing the stern over -- no matter how competent a steerer you are... 😉 I don't think a bow thruster is *needed*, but there are situations I've been in -- usually involving crosswinds and moored boats -- when having one would be have been quite helpful...