Sunsail - An Experimental Solar-Electric
Powered Boat
This vessel was displayed at the the Solar Jam and Rally held at
Burlington Vermont City Hall Park on August 28, 2004. The energy
to operate and propel the boat is supplied by the solar electric
panels above the rider's seating position. When the sun is
shining brightly, the solar panels supply all the power that the
trolling motor uses, and any excess solar generated electricity is used
to recharge the deep cycle battery. When a cloud passes overhead,
the battery supplies the power to run the boat. All the energy
that the battery holds is supplied by the solar panels. The
battery and boat has never been connected to the power grid, and has
been running on Lake Champlain for over 300 miles during the summer of
2004. I supplied flyers at the Solar Jam, and have attached them
as PDF files below. Click on the links to view the files (you
must have the free Adobe PDF reader installed). The boat was
actively sloshing a tub of water all day during the rally.
Description of Boat
How A Solar Cell Works
Captain Duane's Mileage Log
Here are some photographs from the Solar Jam and Rally. For more
information about the Solar Bus and this Solar Jam, go to http://www.solarbus.org .
The solar powered amplification setup
The Solar Bus that supplied all the power for
the stage
A car converted to run on old fryer oil
The Sunsail boat on display
Gary Beckwith, the organizer and one of the musicians
A lot of people were asking me about how much the boat costs and if I'd
be willing to build them a boat. The materials cost for the boat
was about $2500, borne mostly by the $1000 solar panels and $1000 for
the prefabricated hulls. The trailer is available as a kit, but
requires a bit of modification for this boat. The trailer kit was
about $1000 unassembled. If someone wants me to build a boat for
them, given the time it takes to do and the materials cost, I'd have to
charge about $6500. Yes, you can go out and buy a decent,
operating, fast, gasoline powered ski boat for this. But Sunsail
isn't about speed, or providing a 100-horsepower fan to blow through
your hair. It's all about environmental friendliness, quiet
operation, zero cost of operation, cutting the oil companies out out
the loop, and having fun on the water cruising and fishing. The
more than 300 miles I've used the boat this summer has cost me nothing
after the initial building costs of the boat. 300 miles of
operation of an 80-horsepower ski boat requires about 100 gallons of
gasoline at a total cost of about $200 at today's fuel prices.
Add to that 2-cycle oil, tune-ups, the inevitable maintenance of a
power
boat, and the hidden charges in the form of pumping unburned
hydrocarbons into the water.
This boat is lightweight, goes on and off the trailer on the ramp
quickly and easily (without the endless winching time of larger boats),
and is an environmentally friendly alternative to gas powered
boats. Sailboats are also a great, inexpensive way of enjoying
the water while being propelled by solar derived energy.
You may email me with questions or comments at:
snowleop@sover.net
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