Propulsion Motor Noise

[aread2]

Has anybody had the chance to compare noise levels produced by a cocooned, hospital silenced diesel vs a electric propulsion motor?

[DHutch]

Ive never seen an electric narrowboat, but i can imagine it beeing noiser than a diesal, even of cocooned etc.

[John Orentas]

Almost by definition an electrically driven boat will always be far quieter that an internal combustion engine regardless of how well it is silenced. The tunnel tugs in the Standedge Tunnel are the only electric boats I have any experience of. Though they are of a very industrial design they are vibration free with very little noise.

[DHutch]

Its just a case of how you make that power...

 

The is mention of the harecastle electric tug in the book "life in a loco works"

 

One job i would have liked but did no go to, was repairing the electric tug which pulled narrow boats thought the harecastle tunnel at Kidsgrove on the Trent and Mersey Canal.

- This boat was pure 'railway' and took its supply from an overhead wire just like the trams of the day.

 

All well and good, but i wouldnt hold you breath for the electrification of the whole canal network!!

 

 

 

Daniel

Edited January 25, 2006 by dhutch

[aread2]

The question was prompted by my research into a possible new build utilising the Thames Electric Launch Co's Selectric system which can be installed alongside conventional diesel propulsion. Other options include a coccooned diesel. I hired an electric narrowboat from Castle narrowboats on the Mon and Brec last year and it was much quieter than the numerous diesel hire boats I've experienced over the last 20 years. It seemed to be based on fork-lift technology but it's one of only a handful in the country. I'd also guess it was in the region of ten years old. I've never been on a narrowboat with a coccooned diesel and so have no benchmark for comparison in this respect. That's why I asked.

[John Orentas]

People keep coming up with various ideas of narrowboat propulsion systems, there are two things you can be certain of. First that it is not original, electric drives have been around in various forms for a hundred years and more (an electric car held the world speed record of over a hundred miles per hour in the early 1900's).

 

Second it will be expensive any system which deviates from the standard cheap diesel, cheap gearbox format is going to cost more, a lot more.

[awatsonbcp]

Ive never seen an electric narrowboat, but i can imagine it beeing noiser than a diesal, even of cocooned etc.

i seem to recall that anthony sher has one (i'm sure i've seen it on telly)

[stuart]

Ive never seen an electric narrowboat, but i can imagine it beeing noiser than a diesal, even of cocooned etc.

 

The trip electric boats near my mooring are very quiet - often one will go pass you almost silently.

[Carrie]

Second it will be expensive any system which deviates from the standard cheap diesel, cheap gearbox format is going to cost more, a lot more.

 

Is it though? I haven't given up on this idea yet. You can flog off your diesel engine and pop in our old friend, the milk-float engine. If you intend having solar panels/wind turbine anyway, why not add a couple more? Put your battery bank where your waste holding tank would have been and you're away! No cost, no noise, no emissions. So simple ....on paper!

[John Orentas]

Is it though? I haven't given up on this idea yet. You can flog off your diesel engine and pop in our old friend, the milk-float engine. If you intend having solar panels/wind turbine anyway, why not add a couple more? Put your battery bank where your waste holding tank would have been and you're away! No cost, no noise, no emissions. So simple ....on paper!

 

 

Assuming you get you milk float motor fitted and get the gearing correct, a set of new batteries for a milk float will cost you several thousand pounds, then you need to keep them charged, if you are thinking in terms of a combination of solar panels and turbines you will need more than will fit on your roof, but more thousands of pounds.

 

Need a generator and charger for stand-by use fitted on the boat, more thousands of pounds.

 

Anything can be made to work if you have enough money.

[Carrie]

Doh! Back to the drawing board then.

[Amicus]

One of the quietest ways to go must be with the Beta Marine cocooned diesel, hydraulic transmission

http://www.betamarine.co.uk/ click products>canal

 

See narrowboat Whisper

 

http://www.nbwhisper.com/

Edited January 25, 2006 by Amicus