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Electric Boats


peterboat

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1 hour ago, LadyG said:

I'm not one to butt in ( ho ho ho), but there is another factor not mentioned, and that is the surface of the hull.

Last year I put on three coats of jotamastic 90 which provided a smooth shiny surface, and for a few months the boat was transformed in to a superboat, very much faster, now back to normal steady but sure, courtesy of a coating of green stuff.

Racing boats and gliders are very aware of the benefits of polished surfaces, it's not a thing for narrowboats, but it's something to think about, it would save fuel, save money, would it save the planet?

That does rather depend on the frequency of and the carbon cost of removing the weed and polishing the hull.

Rather like the notional 21 ktonnes of CO2 the Sheffield waste incinerator is supposed to save each year - how many ktonnes of CO2 were expended in the construction of the plant and its supporting infrastructure?

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34 minutes ago, George and Dragon said:

That does rather depend on the frequency of and the carbon cost of removing the weed and polishing the hull.

Rather like the notional 21 ktonnes of CO2 the Sheffield waste incinerator is supposed to save each year - how many ktonnes of CO2 were expended in the construction of the plant and its supporting infrastructure?

I was thinking of manufacturing a coating which would repel weed. Yachts have anti foul coatings which are described as hard, or self polishing, some are more effective against algae, than barnacles. Environmental issues of course.

I'm not sure about the technology, it may be down to cost. I considered the cost of two pack epoxy to be a no brainer for my boat.

 Quite a few boats are using Ballistic, which, in barge boating terms is a modern coating.

I suppose the Zinger treatment protects the hull, but if something could stop weed growth, it would save fuel.

 

Edited by LadyG
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15 minutes ago, LadyG said:

I was thinking of manufacturing a coating which would repel weed. 

 

 

I didn't realise you were a coatings specialist with the facilities to formulate and manufacture paint?

 

2 hours ago, LadyG said:

I'm not one to butt in ( ho ho ho), but there is another factor not mentioned, and that is the surface of the hull.

Last year I put on three coats of jotamastic 90 which provided a smooth shiny surface, and for a few months the boat was transformed in to a superboat, very much faster, now back to normal steady but sure, courtesy of a coating of green stuff.

Racing boats and gliders are very aware of the benefits of polished surfaces, it's not a thing for narrowboats, but it's something to think about, it would save fuel, save money, would it save the planet?

 

I've never noticed any difference in speed after painting my hull. I think you're imagining things. Canal boats don't travel fast enough for weed growth to cause enough drag to make a perceptible difference in speed or fuel economy. The reason it hasn't been mentioned is because it's not a factor! 🤣

Edited by blackrose
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8 hours ago, MtB said:

 

Isn't that for deep water?

 

Hulls in shallow water and a narrow channel, behave very differently.

 

 

Which was why I posted actual measurements on a canal, because real life trumps deep-water theory every time... 😉

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3 hours ago, George and Dragon said:

That does rather depend on the frequency of and the carbon cost of removing the weed and polishing the hull.

Rather like the notional 21 ktonnes of CO2 the Sheffield waste incinerator is supposed to save each year - how many ktonnes of CO2 were expended in the construction of the plant and its supporting infrastructure?

Err the rubbish had to be disposed of so come what may it works and has done for many years 

1 hour ago, IanD said:

Which was why I posted actual measurements on a canal, because real life trumps deep-water theory every time... 😉

Yes big deep water equals very little power needed, 3.3kws gives me 3 mph on my widebeam. However if I am going to Thorne or Sheffield it uses more as its relatively shallow 4-5 foot deep, 12 foot makes a big difference 

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17 minutes ago, George and Dragon said:

Squirming and moving the goalposts? I expect better from you, Peter.

You can expect what you want the place makes electric and heats homes from refuse it says it saves CO and it saves it all going to landfill where it gives of methane 

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9 minutes ago, peterboat said:

You can expect what you want the place makes electric and heats homes from refuse it says it saves CO and it saves it all going to landfill where it gives of methane 

 

Where in a modern facility much is captured and also powers generators.

 

I wonder if the CO2 saved by the incinerators is net or gross. That is does the CO2 they produce get deducted from the amount of CO2 saved by not generating the electricity in a power station. Somehow I  suspect it is not because I would expect a smaller plant to be less efficient, and it needs the same amount of energy to generate that electricity where ever it comes from so I suspect saved CO2 claims is juts more greenwash.

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12 hours ago, TNLI said:

Umm, it will only take twice as much power to do 3.5 rather than 3mph if the hull speed is around 4 mph. The last 20 odd percent to hull speed is real bad news in fuel economy terms.

Hull speed in kts is 1.35 times square root of the waterline length in feet.

Can't ever see my boat doing 8Kts through the water

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2 hours ago, David Mack said:

DIY electric boat project:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165485122788

 

 

 

It amazes me how many old boats have never been started or put in the water, my mate Phil had one that they had lived on finished it and then sold it without ever touching the canal! It sold for strong money as it was like new!

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9 hours ago, The Happy Nomad said:

Electric boat by Weston Boats.

 

 

Great find Martin, shame about all those very heavy and large batteries, LifePo4s would have been so much better for the job. Apart from that it's a lovely boat and I love that work top.

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1 hour ago, peterboat said:

Great find Martin, shame about all those very heavy and large batteries, LifePo4s would have been so much better for the job. Apart from that it's a lovely boat and I love that work top.

Lets hope it all performs up to their expectations

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55 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Lets hope it all performs up to their expectations

I would have liked more solar, Ian at 3 foot longer is having more, but maybe 1.5 will be enough for late spring until early autumn with some genny running?

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1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

Lets hope it all performs up to their expectations

 

Yes, I wonder how that electric incineration toilet will work out in practice. Reading the specs I see it uses up to 2kWh per incineration which will be a heck of a demand on their electrical use. I suspect their generator will be running quite a lot.   

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8 minutes ago, booke23 said:

 

Yes, I wonder how that electric incineration toilet will work out in practice. Reading the specs I see it uses up to 2kWh per incineration which will be a heck of a demand on their electrical use. I suspect their generator will be running quite a lot.   

 

There does seem to be a lot of potential for using up leccy on that boat, along of course with propelling the thing. I too suspect the genny will get more use than they currently think it will do.

Edited by The Happy Nomad
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Electric everything on that boat, except for the heating which is diesel drip feed stove and diesel fired central heating. And both will be most used at a time of year when the solar contributes very little. And no capability to heat the boat from a mains hookup either. So in practice this may be an electric boat in summer, but a (no doubt very expensive) diesel boat in winter.

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31 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Electric everything on that boat, except for the heating which is diesel drip feed stove and diesel fired central heating. And both will be most used at a time of year when the solar contributes very little. And no capability to heat the boat from a mains hookup either. So in practice this may be an electric boat in summer, but a (no doubt very expensive) diesel boat in winter.

I can understand their diesel preference, as they are future proofing against being unable to carry solid fuel. 

I also worry about it myself as I get older, I am on the list for a partial knee replacement, but currently struggle with getting heavy stuff on and off the boat.

 

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On 21/05/2022 at 09:06, blackrose said:

 

I didn't realise you were a coatings specialist with the facilities to formulate and manufacture paint?

 

 

I've never noticed any difference in speed after painting my hull. I think you're imagining things. Canal boats don't travel fast enough for weed growth to cause enough drag to make a perceptible difference in speed or fuel economy. The reason it hasn't been mentioned is because it's not a factor! 🤣

No honestly, it was absolutely noticeable, I was amazed., even had the boat I was cruising in company with complaining he could not keep up, and I was in standard cruising mode, rev wise. 

The hull was clean, free of any rough coatings, and dry before coating, and I used three coats jotamastic 90, probably about 10% thicker than spec, as I used up each tin once it was mixed, and in theory it would cover a bigger boat. The hull was shiny black.

I've no doubt that having a polished bottom is good for racing yachts, they spend zillions on getting the perfect surface, ditto glider pilots, glass fibre is the perfect medium in the air.

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I experienced the same effect when I had my 'blacking' removed by wet blasting back to bare steel, a coat of surface tolerant primer, followed by a glass flake epoxy coating, both coatings being supplied by Chemco in Scotland. From memory, I think it was RA500 or something like that.

 

The finish was silky smooth, like running your finger over the enamel of a new bath, making it very slippery through the water and resistant to the accumulation of surface 'muck'.

 

The difference in speed was very noticeable, or at the same speed the fuel savings were very obvious. Good for fuel economy, good for reduced emissions, so good for me and the planet.

 

The coating is used on oil rigs, cooling water intakes in power stations etc and is said to last for up to 35 years. The glass flakes within the coating align themselves with the steel's surface like tiny overlapping platelets, providing an incredibly tough, hard layer that is highly resistant to scrapes and erosion. The best bit is, that it needn't be removed before overcoating or patching up localised damage: you just clean up the surface. Apply by roller or airless spray if you have one.

 

As standard it comes in grey, but they will mix it to any RAL colour: I had black of course.

 

After 11 years in sea water, the glass flake was still in pretty much the same condition with many years of life still ahead of it.

 

It is more expensive than 'blacking' but just think of the savings over 20 years or more.

 

 

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11 minutes ago, Bargebuilder said:

I experienced the same effect when I had my 'blacking' removed by wet blasting back to bare steel, a coat of surface tolerant primer, followed by a glass flake epoxy coating, both coatings being supplied by Chemco in Scotland. From memory, I think it was RA500 or something like that.

 

The finish was silky smooth, like running your finger over the enamel of a new bath, making it very slippery through the water and resistant to the accumulation of surface 'muck'.

 

The difference in speed was very noticeable, or at the same speed the fuel savings were very obvious. Good for fuel economy, good for reduced emissions, so good for me and the planet.

 

The coating is used on oil rigs, cooling water intakes in power stations etc and is said to last for up to 35 years. The glass flakes within the coating align themselves with the steel's surface like tiny overlapping platelets, providing an incredibly tough, hard layer that is highly resistant to scrapes and erosion. The best bit is, that it needn't be removed before overcoating or patching up localised damage: you just clean up the surface. Apply by roller or airless spray if you have one.

 

As standard it comes in grey, but they will mix it to any RAL colour: I had black of course.

 

After 11 years in sea water, the glass flake was still in pretty much the same condition with many years of life still ahead of it.

 

It is more expensive than 'blacking' but just think of the savings over 20 years or more.

 

 

I did mine with zinga equally smooth but not shiny didn't notice any difference if I am honest 

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On 25/09/2020 at 21:57, Timx said:

Why can’t crt install eleccy bollards at visitor moorings throughout the country, no need for generators or long idle engine running to charge batts, Payed for on line, or by contactless, just as so , pump out machines and cards should be contactless payment. CRT need an innovator of the future for boaters, not just joggers and cyclists etc, it is environmentally friendly, and eventually, will all be electric, grrrr

Might be cos they have to fulfill their obligations as laid down by their paymasters.

If a few individuals want to have boats, and some those want electricity, maybe they will have to make their own arrangements. :) 

The cost of providing a few bollards here and there are likely to be eyewatering. This is an organisation which has had to reduce costs by getting rid of experienced staff and reduce expenditure on maintenance. They don't have any money left over every year for a few hundred bollards here and there.

Edited by LadyG
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21 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Might be cos they have to fulfill their obligations as laid down by their paymasters.

If a few individuals want to have boats, and some those want electricity, maybe they will have to make their own arrangements. :) 

The cost of providing a few bollards here and there are likely to be eyewatering. This is an organisation which has had to reduce costs by getting rid of experienced staff and reduce expenditure on maintenance. They don't have any money left over every year for a few hundred bollards here and there.

We have quite a few bollards on the S&SY, I have always been surprised by how little use they get 

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