Why I Bought an Electric Catamaran (And What Could Go Wrong)
February 21, 2026 · 29 min · 61K views
What this video covers
The host of Sailing Doodles is preparing to fly to Thailand to take delivery of a new 52-foot Island Spirit hybrid-electric catamaran, his first new boat after years of buying used vessels.0:21 The boat runs two electric motors paired with a single 110-horsepower Yanmar generator and a 210-kilowatt-hour drive battery bank, giving 8–10 hours of motor range on batteries alone.4:01 He contrasts this with a conventional twin-engine catamaran, which would require three internal combustion engines and three separate maintenance schedules — oil changes, impellers, filters — versus one on the hybrid.2:20 He compares the Island Spirit against Fountaine Pajot and Lagoon hybrid models, arguing their 40–50 kWh drive banks allow only about two hours of electric motoring, barely enough to leave a marina.6:54 He also favors the Island Spirit's shaft drives over the saildrive systems used on competing electric cats, citing fewer seals, no oil lubrication path, and fewer failure points.8:29 The boat carries roughly 5,000 watts of solar and uses C-Zone electronic switching alongside manual breakers.5:12 Spares planning focuses on the single generator: one impeller type, one oil filter size, and a full set of electrical crimping and stripping tools.10:00 Battery degradation is addressed by reference to 10-year-old Tesla packs still delivering 75–80% capacity.3:48
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