Updated on October 19th, 2024
We have used outboard and inboard electric motors so much this summer that we seem to have become addicted to them. We are too lazy to bother with liquid fuel and engine oil. Besides, the most serious repair we have had in the last few months was replacing the propeller. It seems that in just a couple of years we will be completely at a loss if we suddenly have to repair some internal combustion engine ourselves.
Of course, in the future, when classic tenders and even yachts with internal combustion engines become history, we will miss them very much. After all, some of the best models make an excellent sound. And well-maintained custom motors look magnificent, like a work of art. Perhaps we could even say that electric boats have no soul, while “real” motors are alive. But we will not do this for one simple reason: today, electric motors are objectively much better than internal combustion engines from almost every point of view. Almost.
Yes, if your budget does not allow for a large solar catamaran, then for long cruises you can hardly avoid using diesel or gasoline, but for typical coastal day trips, modern electric motors and batteries are more than suitable, almost completely covering all needs and providing excellent reliability and cruising range of the boat.
There is probably no need to explain all the advantages of electric motors, but the main ones for us are undoubtedly silence, lack of vibration, relative simplicity of design, absence of flammable liquids and exhaust gases, minimal maintenance and even the potential for long non-stop cruising, up to transatlantic crossings, solely on the power of the sun.
The main disadvantages of electric boats are still the low energy capacity of batteries and the high cost of the system. Today, only catamarans are mass-produced or semi-custom motorboats that are ready for circumnavigation due to the advantages of available space for solar panels. We could mention hydrogen here as an auxiliary element, but it has quite a lot of fair criticism, and in general we do not really like the idea of hydrogen on board a yacht.
But here’s the question: are we ready to completely abandon diesel and gasoline in favor of electricity?
No, absolutely not. Maybe a little later, but not today. Like thousands of other sailors, we trust our old, but very well-maintained diesel engines, which are quite predictable and economical. Even with all their problems and whims, they are still incredibly reliable and accessible for simple repairs even in the open sea. Some of them can even operate without electronics at all!
You won’t be able to fit enough solar panels on a typical flybridge cabin cruiser or trawler to cover the needs of the electric motors and onboard systems. And if you are traveling in high latitudes, then diesel is a safety issue altogether.
It would also be a big mistake to think that stationary electric motors are absolutely unpretentious and super reliable. This is not entirely true.
Most of them have high requirements for installation and operating conditions and do not tolerate high humidity very well, up to complete failure. The same applies to all associated peripherals.
With increasingly complex systems and electronics, there are likely to be more weak links, so you need to understand the basics of how electrical circuits work and know the safety rules for working with them. And of course, you want to make sure that the lithium-ion batteries that take up half your lower deck or hold don’t have a manufacturing defect and catch fire, especially when you’re a thousand miles from shore. Although, it seems, their safety is constantly improving and such risks are becoming less and less.