An Electrifying Idea
After years of fixing his and other’s boat engines while
cruising, Jason Russell knew there had to be a better,
cleaner way. Now, his Northwest company SolidNav,
provides an electric alternative to gas and diesel
power for sailboats.
SolidNav Explorer
“I was born in Longview, WA and drive a sailboat. An electric motor Actually, 80% of the job is getting the
spent a lot of time in the Cascades, would also provide the sailor with old diesel out.”
but I’ve always been a water guy.” multiple options for ‘refueling,’ such as SolidNav has a propulsion
says 31 year-old Jason Russell. After shore power, genset, or solar.” technician program which educates at
graduating from Western Washington So, after listening to everyone say it least one technician per dealer on all
University in Bellingham, WA, Jason wouldn’t work, he built his first electric aspects of the motor. “A person could
“cruised extensively motor. “The first one do it themselves and save some money,
with various work had some ‘emotional but I’d advise someone to pay a trained
interruptions.” These problems’, he smiles.” technician to do it.”
interruptions included “It decided what it There are two big questions about
working with charter wanted to do instead of powering with an electric motor: how
companies, commercial what we wanted it to do. much horsepower does it have, and
crabbing and dive Basically, the problems how long will it run?
work. were due to the marine “Horsepower is a term that doesn’t
During his many environment. So, we really apply to electric motors. It’s about
trips through the San figured the best way to amp draw rather than RPMS. Hull speed
Juan Islands, he used
Jason Russell
make it work efficiently is hull speed, however you measure
his experience as an and reliably was to seal the power. But, for comparison, our
engineer on commercial boats to it up. Now, you could actually throw Explorer model is designed to replace
repair his (the venerable Atomic 4) it in the water, take it out, replace the internal combustion engines up to 24
and many others’ diesel and gasoline batteries and it’ll work.” HP.” As he explains on his website:
powerplants. “There has to be another The next problem was how to put The propeller is turned by torque not
way, I said to myself one day at anchor it into a boat and hook it up to the horsepower. Unlike a diesel or gasoline
on Cypress Island.” propulsion system and controls. “We engine an electric motor can produce
Jason considered bio, hybrid and didn’t do it on paper, we did it through full torque at virtually any RPM. With
electric alternatives. “I logged the time trial and error. The big thing was to electric drive systems, it is common to
I sailed and motored over the summer keep it affordable. Eventually we replace a conventional engine with an
in the San Juans and found that I never devised a system that would allow the electric horsepower rating of two to
really motored over four hours in a motors to mount to the existing engine three times less horsepower than the
day. So, my experience working with bed and use existing cables. That helps original conventional engine and still
gensets led me to believe that we could keep the cost of installation way down. achieve similar performance. Using an
build an electric drive motor that could You can install one in about 1.5 hours. Erickson 27 or Catalina 30, figure you
can do cruising speed, four knots for
Range of the SolidNav Explorer motor real world test results
about eight hours.
for Islander 28 with suggested 220 amp hour battery bank. Jason and company are receiving

good reviews on the engine, with the
KNTS/HR Amp draw Hours to 80% dod Range in
Robb Report recognizing SoldNav as
at current speed nautical miles
best of Green Products.
1 2.5 80 80
“We’re also getting good reviews
2 8.8 45.5 45.5
from wives,” he laughs, “because of the
3 14.8 13.51 40.5
lack of vibration and noise.”
To read more about SolidNav visit:
4 28.6 6.99 27.97
www.solidnav.com/
5 65 3.07 15.35
6 110 1.81 10.9
– Richard Hazelton
48° No r t h , Ap r i l 2009 pA g e 37
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