[Rhodes22-list] Thoughts on motor-sailing

[John Lock]

At 05:45 PM 6/19/2007 -0400, Michael D. Weisner wrote:
>I think you just discovered the latest energy saving craze - hybrid
>boating!!  Now, if we just automated it a bit, the motor could start
>automatically to fill in for the wind.  Maybe we could use one of those
>electric trolling motors that were being discussed a while back instead of
>the outboard as an assist.  We could even use solar electric power and
>regenerative braking with such a setup!!

Hmmm, that's not as far fetched as one might think!  The electric 
drive alternative raises the possibility of feeding GPS data to a 
controller for the electric drive.  With the right software, the 
controller could select just the right balance between wind and 
electric power.  Above a certain speed, the electric drive cuts out 
altogether.  More research is required :-)

Cheers!

John Lock
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s/v Pandion - '79 Rhodes 22
Lake Sinclair, GA
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