Comments on: Cannibalize a Toyota Prius for a boat powerplant?

By: Sean

Sean — Sat, 31 May 2008 19:11:18 +0000

… sorry Steyr and Frauscher …

By: Sean

Sean — Sat, 31 May 2008 19:04:40 +0000

Yembacher is already doing this with Frauscher Boats in Austria.

By: Karl

Karl — Fri, 30 May 2008 12:29:38 +0000

If anyone has successfully retrofitted an existing boat with a hybrid drive, I would love to hear from them ( waterbomber60 at lycos.com). I am restoring an old boat and want to replace the existing V8 with a hybrid.

One thing that I was hoping to find out is whether a hybrid system could realistically work if a 37KW motor was used. I see that the Frauscher electroyachts use it and they seem to move at a pretty good clip. Can a diesel generator/deep cycle battery combo work for a motor that size on a boat under 30′?

By: PeterH

PeterH — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 17:44:25 +0000

Briggs and Stratton now makes small electric outboards, Honda makes small generators. Add batteries and you have a hybrid boat (and possibly solar powered if you add solar panels to do some of your recharging). Most of us like to go boating on the long sunny days of summer and out in the lake you should have lots of solar exposure. The problem is getting enough power to get up on plane with a boat that is big enough to carry the batteries, so the issues are about performance rather than feasibility.

By: Peter Jacops

Peter Jacops — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 08:45:18 +0000

Hi we do produce an hybrid boat. It work perfectly well see http://www.whisperboats.co.za

By: Alan Grauer

Alan Grauer — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 14:38:59 +0000

I am convering aqn old aluminum starcraft boat to a hybrid. It is an inboard/outboard and I am using parts from a wrecked Prius. If it works I will build boats for other people that want to use less gas. I will Know soon.

By: momotarosan

momotarosan — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 17:04:10 +0000

Soloman Technologies claims that Toyota Prius imfringes on the patent of “electric wheel”, so maybe they do have something in common

http://sec.edgar-online.com/2006/05/10/0001144204-06-019308/Section14.asp

By: Mark Millspaugh

Mark Millspaugh — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 14:05:15 +0000

Re: philg question on prius in a boat and regeneration. Don’t give up on regeneration in a boat, although it doesn’t come from braking but from anchoring in a current. Wondering if you went anywhere with the boat Prius drive ( Toyota calls it Synergy ). That is exactly where I want to go with my boat but don’t have all of the skills to pull it off and have had a hard time finding a wrecked Highlander or other larger Synergy. Also, my boat carries passengers for hire so reliability is the priority.

By: Bob Zech

Bob Zech — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 00:48:44 +0000

Energy recapture(during the braking process) is mainly what recharges an automotive hybrid vehicles’ battery cells. Boats do not employ the same friction process to stop, so todays auto hybrid technology cannot be shared or copied in the marine world.
However, what about steam? Todays submarines use nuclear power to super-heat water into high pressure vapor(steam) which then powers huge turbines.
For recreational and commercial power boats, think hydrogen as the fuel and steam as the force. The end result is a very powerful system that produces only h2o as an emission. As far as safety goes: boats, typically, are not involved in the horrific high speed crashes that autos are subjected to, therefore reducing the amount of hydrogen related explosions.

By: keitt dantzler

keitt dantzler — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 19:04:38 +0000

A through the wave trimaron displacement hull boat that was electric at low displacement speeds and 4 stroke at higher speeds could be acheived using a square stern canoe type boat mated to a small catamaran powered by a 4 stroke outboard with high thrust electric motors bolted to the cavitation plate. I do wonder if both type motors could be used at the same time to increase horsepower similar to hybrid cars. Regenerative braking would be scrapped but solar panels on the bow and canopy supplemented by small wind generators on the outriggers would be welcome as a weekender camper for inland lakes or perhaps even for coastal cruises. Of coarse the devil is in the details but dreaming is fun.