Vetus E-Line transforms timber put-put to quiet cruiser on Pittwater
Pittwater resident Dick Clarke is a long-time Eco Boats client, first having converted an old A-frame catamaran to a solar-electric cruising platform some 15 years ago. He’s also a classic timber boat enthusiast and recently decided to restore an old 1950 launch and fit it with a new VETUS E-Line electric inboard motor.
The old diesel motor and fuel tank were removed and the cabin top of the boat was enlarged and given more gentle lines. The interior was completely re-built including a Huon-pine table atop the engine-box, convenient for floating picnics. The boat was re-named ‘Solstice’ and is powered by a 10kW VETUS E-Line liquid cooled electric inboard motor. In terms of power 5 or 6kW would’ve been sufficient, but it’s always good to have some reserve power up your sleeve for unexpected weather conditions and with a 19kWh Lithium battery bank onboard and 400watts of solar on the cabin roof, there is plenty of power for a full day out on the water.
Solstice hit’s her full 5.4 knot hull speed whilst using about 3.3kW. This provides provides over 5 hours of running time, even without any solar input.
So far, some 20nm round-trips have been completed (which is about the max trip length on a typical outing) which on a sunny day leaves over 50% spare capacity in the battery bank.
As with any displacement hull, the boat can be pushed a little harder past it’s hull speed but to gain 1 extra knot the energy consumption more than doubles, making it most efficient to cruise at speeds of up to 5.5 knots. A leisurely pace for Solstice, which has a new lease on life thanks to Dick’s renewable boating vision!
To read an article Dick wrote about the transformation of Solstice in ‘Renew magazine’ see here
For more info on the VETUS E-Line electric inboard range, see here