The cost is high. The weight might not be as bad as you think.
One comparison for a cat that is using electrics can be found at:
http://naturalhigh-adventures.com/warren-blog/month/december-2008
Basically:
1.Without genset
House Batteries (4 of) - 112kgs
Outboard motors – 2 x 46kg – 92kgs
Starting batteries – 2 x 12kg – 24kgs
Fuel – 80 liters – 80kgs
Outboard motor housing and hinges etc – 25kgs
TOTAL – 333kgs
2.With genset, electric motors and water maker.
House batteries (8 x 6V Trojan 105’s) – 224kgs
Genset – 80kgs
Starting battery – 12kgs
Exhaust system, filters and piping – 20kgs
Genset fuel – 40 liters – 40kgs
Electric motors -2 x 26kgs = 52kgs
Controllers – 2 x 8kgs = 16kgs
Cabling – 12kgs
TOTAL: 466kgs
If you include the weight of 300 liters of water, without a
genset/watermaker, to the weight of 88 lters of water plus a water
maker, the genset/electrics end up being more than 50 kg lighter.
Going with lithium phosphate batteries would save a lot of weight
and add a lot of power storage as well.
You could use the house batteries and motor regeneration for
normal daysails, and then use the generator for longer stints,
running on diesel.
Not that I'm advocating it. It's just nice to see what people are
actually doing with their boats and equipment.
- Mike
On 11/19/2010 7:39 AM, Arto Hakkarainen wrote:
From: Mike Crawford <mcrawf@nuomo.com>
Subject: [harryproa] 45' cat with electric motor pods
To: harryproa@yahoogroups.com.au
Date: Friday, November 19, 2010, 6:44 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJv-lGPXxHc
I'm not endorsing this setup because I don't know anything about it
other than what the video shows. Nonetheless, electric motors on
lifting pods have been discussed a few times on this forum, and I
thought these were interesting. My guess is that catamaran weighs
noticeably more than a Visionarry.
- Mike