Everything I found was either too big, too small, too expensive or had too little range. Until I came across Woods Design. It quickly became clear that it should be a Skoota 32. At first it was thought of with 2x 60HP outboard motors, until it became clear that the costs for fuel, maintenance, limited range and engine noise over thousands of nautical miles would not make the journey a pleasant one. So I started switching to electric propulsion - the time has come for that - it feels like a new manufacturer of electric motors comes onto the market every month. The problem here too was the range and driving fast was also a thing of the past. Until I found the solution - we have time, so drive slowly - a catamaran also has space for solar modules. Even the largest battery storage unit does not offer sufficient range, and the weight and charging options for the battery bank must also be taken into account.

 

The Skoota 32 has narrow hulls so that as little power as possible is needed. Everything you need can be accommodated, but you can't make a 5-star hotel out of it, as that also contradicts the system's aim of being efficient. Do you need a 5-star hotel for a trip? That's in the eye of the beholder with the corresponding financial means. ​

 

For technical reasons, the Skoota 32 is extended by 120 cm in the cockpit area and in the engine area and widened by 35 cm. The hull volume is retained so that efficiency is not affected. It even has advantages because length matters, a little more load-bearing capacity and stability due to the widening and more space for solar modules. ​

 

This gives us a large storage space for all the electrical equipment as well as 2 small platforms in the cockpit with a bathing ladder and approx. 5kw peak solar modules on the roof surfaces. (6kw + foredeck) ​ Now the question arises, why then another generator? That's actually easy to answer, everything can be calculated quite precisely, but not the weather such as wind, current and sunshine. If the route runs along the coast this is not a problem; with appropriate planning you look for a sheltered bay, a river or, if there is no other option, a marina. In the marina you can of course also charge using the shore power connection. ​

 

However, if our route is, for example, 1,300 nautical miles (2,400 km) from Fernando de Noronha (Brazil) to Mindelo Cape Verde (Africa), it would be negligent to rely on the weather report for a journey lasting 14 days. The catamaran travels at around 800 watts at 3kn, but now we have a strong wind from the front, now we need 1,500 watts and now also little sun and that's where the generator comes into play.

 

We have 189 liters here, which means the generator runs for around 150 hours. That would be a range of around 1.000 nautical miles. The on-board power can still be supplied with the solar modules without any problems. So more than enough reserves; if you want to be even more secure, take a reserve canister with you. Even a sailing boat needs a lot more fuel when there is no wind. ​ In practice it looks like this: during the day, with the solar modules at full power, we can travel at 5 to 6 knots and at night 3 knots. That gives an average of 4 to 4.5 knots.

 

After 10 Atlantic crossings with around 30 sailing boats each, an average cruising speed of 4.9 knots was calculated. There are actually more calms than you might think. That means we are fully within the acceptable range with the travel time. 12 to 14 days in the example given. ​ Just as sailors look for the right wind, we look for calms and sunshine. Many people do not make do with their fuel supplies and have to remain in the calm until the next wind. This means that our calculations of travel time are much more precise and reliable, as well as more comfortable - no setting sails and rebuilding, etc. ​ Of course, all of this only applies to long journeys; on coastal journeys everything is super easy. ​

 

I hope I've got to the point here; if you have any further questions, write us an email via WhatsApp or in the blog.