Do Hybrid Propulsion Systems Make Sense on Small Boats?

Hybrid diesel-electric propulsion offers advantages in efficiency, redundancy and silent running, but high upfront costs and added complexity keep it out of reach for most small-boat repowers.

By
Stephen Burnage
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Lonna, an Antares 44, was commissioned in December 2022. Twin Yanmar 3JH40 hybrids are fitted with a 40 kWh lithium battery bank. This is a parallel/serial hybrid system. (Photo/ Hybrid Marine)

In the article “Is All-Electric Propulsion Practical on Small Sailboats?” we explored the current state of technology for all-electric marine propulsion. We concluded that range remains too limited for the vast majority of sailboats, although much depends on the operational use of the vessel. We also examined how range can be extended by adding solar and hydrogeneration capability, and concluded that these technologies generally favor bigger and faster boats.

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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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1 COMMENT

  1. My 27 ft 3500# full keel sailboat gets in and out of the harbor with an electric motor with the battery topped up with a relatively small solar panel
    2000 watts gets me up to hull speed of 4 to 5 knots
    A Honda 2000i generator strapped on deck and plugged into a 650 watt battery charger lets me cruise along at 3 to 4 knots sipping gasoline indefinitely
    Hybrid works if you don’t get fancy