Sailboat or Powerboat?
From a purely green perspective this is a pretty stupid question. Which boat do you think will have a greater impact on the environment, one that relies on fossil fuels to move or one that doesn’t?
SAILBOATS
It would be pretty easy to make this blog all about sailboats. They are after all, one of the greenest boats out there. In addition to the environmental benefits of sailing, there is nothing in the world like harnessing the wind. It is difficult to convey the emotion involved in making a big boat move under sail at the speed of a brisk walk. A lot of folks just don’t get it. The idea of crossing oceans at 6 miles per hour or so is also something mystical to many, preposterous to most.
Big traditional (mono-hull) sailboats are flying if they reach speeds above 8 miles per hour. Most of the time sailors are happy to be moving at all, so bear this reality in mind if you have stars in your eyes about the sailing experience.
Sailing catamarans (vessels with two or more hulls in the water) can reach much higher speeds than mono-hull boats, but most of the big cats top out at 20 miles per hour, fast for a sailor, a snail’s pace for others.
Learning to sail can also be a bit intimidating at first. All those lines running everywhere are confusing, but only for a little while. Getting caught by a big gust with too much canvas up will be scary at first but easy to prevent with a little practice.
And remember sailboats usually tip, or heel, when they get going. In theory, the big heavy keel that hangs from a mono-hull – but not from a cat – will keep you from flipping under most conditions, or bring you back upright if your boat does go over. Theories look good in books, living through the actual experience can be a bit more daunting. Many a tale has been told of the sailor who took his girl to sea on his new toy, only to end up sailing solo because she did not enjoy the ride.
Besides the speed issue, sailboats tend to be a little more cramped inside than do power boats of similar size. Because of their shape, the interior of most mono-hull sailboats is like a long hallway. Some people consider this part of a sailboat’s charm; others consider it claustrophobic.
The big cats are once again the exception here. They let you sail and have a wide open living area onboard. If you plan on having plenty of company on the water a catamaran might be the answer. Many boaters find the speed and roominess of a cat is the perfect complement to its ability to sail. Compared to a power boat of equal dimensions, a cat can be a much greener vessel to operate. The incredible number of cats showing up in exotic anchorages is testament to their growing popularity.
Pure mono-hull enthusiasts usually have less than flattering opinions of catamarans. The safety issue of not having a keel to right your boat in a capsize is a serious issue to consider, not from a green standpoint, but from a staying alive one. Having occasionally shared an anchorage with these boats, decked out with blaring big screen TVs and frat boy crews launching water balloons at each other I can appreciate the negative opinions some of the crankier traditionalists have about cat sailors.
Most Sailboats have some auxiliary power supply, be it a small outboard hanging off the stern or a compact engine hidden away in the cabin. Either option can be run with very little impact on the environment as long as you are careful.
If you are new to boats you owe it to yourself to look into sailing. All those lines and nautical talk can be a bit overwhelming, but the steepness of the learning curve is what makes sailing so rewarding. Like few other pursuits, sailing takes a short while to learn, a life time to master. Some of the coolest old folks on Planet Earth can be found nursing a sundowner on a thirty foot sailboat in the most remote lagoons imaginable. I am convinced that the longevity these rock solid seniors enjoy would not be attainable on an eighty foot mega-yacht equipped with uniformed cabin boys and crew.
I also believe that the more you connect with Nature the greener you become. Sailing encourages this connection more than anything you can do with a boat, in my humble opinion.
Like everything having to do with boats, the choice of power vs. sail, mono-hull vs. cat is one of compromise. There is no perfect craft to satisfy all wants and desires. For green boaters, however, sailing holds an allure all its own
POWER BOATS
Being green under power will take more effort than being green under sail, but it can easily be done.
If going fast is more your style, being green on a powerboat involves a commitment of both time and money. Once you get the hang of the green boating techniques we will cover in this blog the time required lessens. Unfortunately, the money required usually goes the other way.
Despite the advances engineers keep making, internal combustion engines are simply not suited for a long, maintenance free life in a marine environment. The same type of engine that will run trouble free for years in a car has a much shorter lifespan on the water. Constantly exposed to moisture, corrosives, heat buildup, and numerous other destructive forces, marine engines live a hard life. Making matters worse, their design and placement in a boat usually make routine maintenance a chore that many boaters neglect. To top it all off, the intermittent use they do receive is often the straw that breaks their back.
If you want to be green on the water just accept the fact that your engine will probably cost you more than any other aspect of your boat, both initially and for as long as you own her. There are lots of cute little sayings about boats, most of them true. The one that says B-O-A-T stands for Bring On Another Thousand is as true as they come.
The biggest environmental impact power boats usually have on the water comes from their engine.
OUTBOARD ENGINES
Outboards are engines that you can see. They hang off the back of your boat with a propeller that is under water and a fuel line that runs to either a built in tank or a portable, carry-on version. You either yank on a starter chord or push a button to get them running. Engine power and cost are measured in horsepower – the more horses, the more speed you can attain and the more it will cost, both initially and in fuel used.
COMBUSTION OUTBOARDS
Old engines and cheap engines are almost always terribly inefficient. Conventional 2-stroke outboard engines can spill as much as 30% of the fuel they use directly into the water because they are engineered so that the intake and exhaust valves remain open at the same time. Look at the colorful slick spreading behind almost every loud, old outboard and you’ll see this environmental damage clearly. In practical terms, for every 10 gallons of gas you use in these monsters you will dump 3 gallons overboard. Spend a summer on the lake and you’ll add a bathtub of gas to the water. 2-strokes usually produce oily clouds of smoke along with plenty of noise pollution. You can clean, tune, and maintain these older engines all you want, but they will still cause harm. Most of them were designed in an era when draining fuel overboard was acceptable. Newer 2-strokes may be cheap to buy but their true cost to the Planet is enormous. Stay away from 2-Strokes.
Modern 4-stroke engines, on the other hand, are efficient, quiet, generally smoke free, and they do not spill fuel unless there is something wrong with them. They still require fossil fuels, of course, but if your budget dictates your choice of propulsion systems, a well maintained, carefully fueled 4-stroke is a good option to consider. They are the cleanest of the gas powered outboards available today. You’ll have trouble towing anybody behind all but the biggest 4-strokes, and even then don’t expect to pull big water skiers, but they are ideal for fishermen, dinghies, or just taking a ride.
While not very common, diesel outboards are worth looking into. Diesel outboards offer two major advantages over gas models. First, a well maintained diesel is much more fuel efficient than a gas engine, saving you money and requiring less toxic stuff to move your boat through the water. Second, with bio-diesel becoming more mainstream it is possible to use a combustion fuel that doesn’t have to be transported half way around the world. An Ocean with a few less supertankers on it would be a good thing.
ELECTRIC OUTBOARDS
The new generation of electric outboards are worth a look if towing and long distances at speed don’t enter into your boating needs. Advances in battery and power train design have made some of the high end electric outboards competitive with gas engines in terms of attainable speeds and initial power output. The beefiest of the new models claim to produce thrust equivalent to a 6 horsepower combustion engine. These environmentally sound outboards won’t contaminate the water with fuel or oil, produce no emissions, and are extremely quiet. Light weight rechargeable power packs connect easily to the motor, eliminating heavy batteries and cumbersome connections. Easy to charge from a 110 volt AC outlet, the manufacturers claim these units will hold power for about two hours. At this time, high end portable electric outboards cost about the same as a new mid size 4-stroke – about $2,000.
The drawbacks inherent with electric outboards relate to how you use them. For boaters needing to pull a small sailboat in and out of a slip, zip ashore for groceries in the dinghy, or take a quick cruise a few cabins down the lake, these motors are ideal. Dawn to dusk boaters, those who spend time in remote areas that require lengthy trips ashore, folks who may need to tow other vessels, or those who need speed will probably be disappointed with today’s electric motors.
The concept to ponder here is that the more load you put on an electric motor the more juice it will use. The last thing you want to experience as the sun is going down and the wind is picking up is a dead battery, so plan accordingly.
For those of you who are not in a hurry, or do not expect to encounter the extreme, combining a rechargeable electric outboard with a simple sail kit can give you the best of both worlds, especially if you are outfitting a dinghy.
Another neat option is to get a portable solar charger. Many of the newest solar panels can be rolled up and spread out like a towel, making them easy to stash anywhere. With one of these handy gizmos, if you do lose battery power a few hours of sunshine should be enough to get you home.
From a durability standpoint, the jury is still out on most of the electric outboards. Their manufacturers make all sorts of great claims, but the unfortunate fact is most of these motors are essentially plastic. More on the nastiness of plastic later, but for now be aware that electric outboards are no where near as tough as a lightweight, metal-clad 4 stroke.
INBOARD ENGINES
As their name implies, inboard engines are concealed inside your boat, in many cases under a removable seat or on bigger craft in a dedicated engine room. The propulsion system, usually a propeller, is connected to the engine by a driveshaft that runs through a hole in the bottom or back of your boat. Usually reserved for bigger boats, inboards have a number of advantages over outboards when it comes to being green.
One of the best features of an inboard from an environmentally friendly standpoint is that all of the combustion and exchange of fluids such as fuel, lubricants, and other toxic materials takes place inside your vessel where it can be minimized or contained, as opposed to an outboard where everything happens as your engine hangs off the transom. You obviously still have to deal with oil leaking into your bilge if you have an inboard, but at least it’s not going directly over the side like it would with an outboard.
Your inboard options are essentially gas combustion engines, diesel combustion engines, electric motors or a type of combustion/electric hybrid arrangement.
COMBUSTION INBOARDS
From a green perspective, gas inboards are the worst. Most of them get horrendous mileage and there is nothing green about gas. There is also a very real safety issue you should consider before buying a gas inboard. Gasoline fumes are both explosive and heavier than air, possibly creating a literal time-bomb if your boat does not vent properly. Assuming you never experience something as drastic as a fireball onboard, being exposed to and breathing these noxious fumes is bad news.
Lastly, there is a reason that the lifespan of marine engines are measured in hours. Gas inboards are a candle burning at both ends. They operate in an environment of contained heat, moisture, and usually dirty air, all factors that lead to their premature demise.
Diesel inboards are the engine of choice for most boats over thirty feet long. We touched on the green aspect of diesels a few paragraphs back, but let me reiterate that diesels are your greenest choice when it comes to combustion engines. Add to these features the fact that most diesels enjoy a much longer existence than their gas counterparts. If your engine is new you can expect it to run for years without much trouble, assuming you keep up with routine maintenance. If you are buying a used boat, a thorough survey should provide valuable clues as to how much life the iron horse has left. Be warned that an overhaul or replacement of an auxiliary diesel in an old boat may require you to rip her apart, an expensive process that often creates more problems than it cures.
ELECTRIC/HYBRID INBOARDS
Some of the most exciting ideas in today’s inboard engines involve electric/hybrid motors.
100% electric inboards do exist, but most of them look like a science experiment gone wild. They are suitable for small boats that can be plugged in at the dock for recharging. From a practical standpoint, unless you have the means to recharge your system if the batteries run dry you could be spending a lot more time on your boat than you really want to.
Some of the most exciting ideas in today’s inboard engines involve electric/hybrid motors. Working on the same basic principle as the automobile hybrids, the new marine versions employ an electric motor for periods of light use, backed up by either a combustion generator or engine. In either case the boat’s propulsion system is dominated by a green, efficient electric motor that draws on its combustion partner when the juice runs low.
At this point, inboard hybrid systems are reserved almost exclusively for the sailboat crowd. Sailors are used to moving slow so the modest horsepower produced by these engines is just fine for getting around. Until the technologies evolve, which they most certainly will, there is not yet a viable hybrid system that will get your large cabin cruiser up to 20 knots or more.
With solar panels, a wind generator, or some of the underwater propeller driven generators it is possible to enjoy your time afloat with a hybrid system without ever needing the combustion back up. For the truly committed, hybrid inboards are as green as it gets.
In addition to their newness, the major drawback the hybrids have come to servicing. If you live near a big metropolitan boating market, especially in the southern states, you should have little trouble getting qualified help when the time comes. Trying to service a hybrid in a remote tropical boat yard will be a whole different matter.
Expect to pay more for these systems and just accept the fact that within six months of buying it a cheaper option will emerge.
