The new Archipelago zero.63, built by Chartwell Marine on the Isle of Wight, aims to become the first expedition-class, recreational boat using methanol power.
A relatively new British company, Archipelago launched its first boat, an aluminum-hulled 47 power cat with twin 420-hp Iveco diesels, a 30-knot top speed and a 3,000-nm range, just last summer. Now it wants to bring the methanol-powered version to market, estimating it will have a 20-knot top speed and a 4,000-nm range.
The new cat will be powered by a combination of a methanol-reforming system and a methanol combustion engine. It will have a dedicated “methanol room” large enough for 300 kW fuel cells. The Archipelago zero.63 will not only run on clean fuel, but it also will have the infrastructure designed to carry it.
“For this project, we wanted to cut through the noise being made about electric and hydrogen propulsion, which we feel simply aren’t ready for practical implementation on leisure craft,” said Dr. Stephen Weatherley, the managing director of Archipelago Expedition Yachts. “Methanol is the alternative fuel that ticks all the boxes for us as a sustainable, practical and adventurous company.”
Dr. Weatherly is a cyber-security specialist with a PhD in astrophysics. A veteran cruiser on sailing yachts, he couldn’t find the powerboat he wanted for extended cruising, so he teamed up with Chartwell to make them himself.
The zero.63 will use two Enmar direct-injection methanol engines, combined with a methanol-to-hydrogen fuel cell to run house loads. Archipelago says that methanol is available via tanker delivery in most ports and is used by the commercial marine industry.
It says that battery technology today isn’t good enough for long-distance, expedition-style cruising, and that methanol will become the fuel of the future as a safe, low-emission alternative to diesel fuel. Read more:
http://archipelago-yachts.co.uk
