Trawler yacht
Repower sizing guide

Trawler yacht electric / hybrid propulsion

Heavier displacement, longer hours — usually a hybrid case rather than pure electric.

Start sizing this boatPre-filled with realistic defaults
Fits boats like
Nordhavn 40Beneteau Swift Trawler 41Grand Banks 42Kadey-Krogen 42Selene 42Fleming 55Krogen Express 38

Not an exact match? The wizard adjusts to your real numbers — these are reference hulls for the typical sizing.

30–60 kW
Continuous power
40–80 kWh
Battery pack
300–500 A @ 96 V
DC current
25–60 nm (electric only)
Cruise range
What this replaces — vs a 90 hp diesel
At 50 h motored per season (typical cruiser). Slider on the full summary lets you adjust.
Diesel displaced
512 L
per season
CO₂ avoided
1,372 kg
per season
Quieter
−23 dB
52 vs 75 dB(A)

What this segment looks like

Why a trawler yacht is a sensible repower target

Full-displacement trawlers (Nordhavn, Beneteau Swift Trawler, Grand Banks) running 15–25 t at 7–8 kn are pure-electric only for short hops. Most realistic projects are hybrid: a generator or DC-coupled diesel for crossings, batteries for harbour and silent running.

  • 96 V minimum — at trawler currents, anything lower turns into prohibitively thick cable.
  • Plan around hybrid: 6–8 hours silent cruising, generator for offshore runs.
  • Battery sizing is driven by silent-running requirement, not full crossings.
  • Hydro regen is meaningful only on sailing-trawler hulls, not pure power boats.
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Frequently asked questions

Trawler yacht — common questions

Quick answers to what most owners ask before starting a repower.

Can a trawler run pure electric?+
Only for short hops. Full-displacement trawlers cruising 6–8 hours per day at 7 kn need 30–60 kW continuous — that's 200+ kWh of battery for a single day's range, which is rarely realistic on the displacement and budget available.
What does hybrid mean on a trawler?+
A diesel generator or DC-coupled diesel runs in series with the battery — it charges the bank, and the electric motor drives the prop. You get silent harbour operation and short electric-only runs, with diesel for crossings.
How much battery for a hybrid trawler?+
40–80 kWh covers most use cases — silent running for 2–4 hours, harbour operations for a full day, and meaningful peak-shaving against the generator on crossings.
Why 96 V minimum on a trawler?+
At 40 kW continuous on 48 V you're pulling 800+ A, which makes cabling impractical and bus bars unwieldy. 96 V or higher is the only sensible choice; some commercial systems go to 350 V for the same reason.
Is hydro regen useful on a trawler?+
Generally no. Hydro regen needs sustained boat speed under sail — pure motorboats don't generate enough water flow over the prop when not under power for meaningful regen.
Other segments

Different boat?

30 ft sailboat35 ft sailboat40 ft sailboat40 ft catamaranElectric launch

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Wizard pre-filled with realistic defaults for this segment. Free to run; PDF from €29.

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