Is All-Electric Propulsion Practical on Small Sailboats?

Quiet, clean electric propulsion can work for daysailers and marina-based cruisers, but long-distance sailors will find today’s battery tech comes up short.

By
Stephen Burnage
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The 18th century was the age of sail. The 19th century saw the introduction of steam propulsion and the 20th century witnessed the introduction of diesel (and gasoline) propulsion. Will the 21st century witness a new maritime age, of either all-electric or hybrid propulsion, in much the same way as road vehicles seem to be evolving? This article explores the potential for all electric propulsion, in cruising sailboats, and a follow-up article will explore hybrid electric propulsion in cruising sailboats.

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Stephen Burnage
Stephen Burnage is a full-time cruiser, having retired in 2017. He left Vancouver, Canada and headed south for warmer climates, on his 1975 Cal 34 sailboat “Moonrise”, in 2018. Since then, Stephen, Moonrise and occasionally his wife Anita, have cruised the West Coast of North and Central America. They are presently in Boca Chica, Panama. Stephen originally trained in the UK as an Electrical Technician Engineer and then proceeded to have a forty-year career, managing high voltage electrical systems around the world. Career highlights include building new power infrastructure on six continents; writing a comprehensive paper on how the North American Power Grid operates (and needs to be rebuilt) and; later, owning and operating his own renewable energy business. Stephen is a joint Canadian and British national and a resident of Chile, with an extended family across the world.

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