How are we going to move things along?

Electric engine & lead acid batteries

Pros

• Lovely and quiet.

• No emissions when operating.

• No space sacrificed for a fuel tank.

• Lead acid batteries are recyclable.

• Lead acid batteries are heavy, which makes for good ballast on a boat, and we will easily be able to hold enough power in our bank of batteries for a 4 hour cruise.

• We have several people within our community who are knowledgeable and experienced with the electrification of boats. This will prove helpful not only during the rebuild, but on the (hopefully rare) occasions that Kilsby needs breakdown recovery!

• There is reason to believe that the infrastructure required for supporting boats with electric engines, ie: charging points, will be developed in the near future..

Cons

• The fabrication of a brand new electric engine has a comparatively larger carbon footprint than reusing an existing diesel engine.

• Purchasing a new electric engine will be considerably more expensive than recycling an existing diesel engine.

• Kilsby will need to be able to connect to mains power at the home mooring.

• Kilsby will need to charge up between cruises, ie: will not be able to do back-to-back cruises.

• Kilsby will need to plug in to mains power for performances - OR - carry a generator to recharge the batteries in the event that, when hosting a performance away from a mains power connection, the battery bank on board has not retained enough charge to power the technical equipment for performance (and to get the boat home again!).

Electric engine & hydrogen fuel cells

Pros

• We would be at the forefront of the development of renewable energy source infrastructure on the inland waterways network.

Cons

• We would be at the forefront of the development of renewable energy source infrastructure on the inland waterways network. Hydrogen would perhaps need to bought in steel cylinders, delivered to the home mooring.

• There is an inefficiency to the manufacture of hydrogen fuel cells that suggests their use be reserved for when it is the only option available. First the hydrogen is extracted from water (using renewable energy sources?), before being oxidised in a fuel cell, leading to further loss of energy.

Vintage diesel engine & chip fat.

Pros

• We could reuse an engine from the same era as Kilsby, and in so doing attract interest from vintage engine enthusiasts. They would be given the opportunity to maintain and skipper an iconic propulsion system, and we would gratefully accept their volunteering services!

• Recycling would be at the heart of this option - in the first instance, with the reuse of an existing engine. Secondly, during operation, we could, instead of using diesel, form a partnership with a local restaurant and recycle their cooking oil as fuel.

• We would be taking an active role in the research of how existing engines can be converted to run from biofuels, as opposed to fossil fuels, an innovation that will prevent the unnecessary replacement of thousands of existing diesel engines in the instance, in the future, that diesel is prohibited from use on the waterways.

• We would, when cruising down the canal, make a delightful PUT PUT PUT sound that makes canal heritage enthusiasts go a bit weepy.

  Cons

• We would, when cruising down the canal, emit smoky, stinky fumes.

• There is a chance the delightful PUT PUT PUT would leave an on board speaker inaudible, in which case we might use a PA system. Perhaps an amplified discussion, married with a PUT PUT PUT, coming down the cut might disturb other canal users?

• Replacement of engine parts may be more challenging compared to a modern engine.

• A vintage engine would be quaint, but it doesn’t actually represent the heritage of Kilsby as a butty (none of the engine options do, as KIlsby didn’t originally have one).

• Restaurants like to be paid for their used chip fat these days…