OSSA POWERLITE^{®
Diesel-Electric Marine Propulsion Systems and Accessories}
 

Project Description:

Located in Valdivia, Chile, anyone fortunate (and tough) enough to have cruised the Pacific coast of South America knows Awoplast.  A German national who fell in love with the country during his own extended sailing, Owner/Manager Mr. Wopper has made Alwoplast a an oasis of competence and creativity along this rough coastline.  While those passing through know Alwoplast for its excellent marina and repair facilities, the company's real emphasis is on custom boatbuilding.  Specifically, the company builds award winning one-off power and sailing catamarans from 53' to 80' in length.

Alwoplast's isolated location and Mr. Wopper's obsession with quality (the company is near completion of ISO9001 certification) mandate that expertise for all aspects of boatbuilding and systems integration be developed and controlled "in-house".  With a full time engineering staff and no need to rely on subcontractors, Alwoplast is uniquely positioned to quickly and properly incorporate the latest  technologies into the vessels they build.  Combining this expertise with the foresight of the clients who contract boats with them makes Alwoplast a logical early adopter of the OSSA Powerlite system.

This project is a Crowther designed sailing catamaran intended for extensive offshore cruising.  Reliability, redundancy, fuel efficiency and comfort were all high priorities for the American owner.  The OSSA Powerlite system incorporate two 25kw generator (combined 67 hp) driving two 35hp propulsion motors.  These replace the twin 75 or 100hp Yanmar engines that have previously used on sisterships along with a "Mini 8" Fischer Panda generator.  The OSSA Powerlite system saves approximately 300 lbs by comparison and, at 10 knots, is expected to provide a similar top speed.  With the lighter weight, smaller diesel engines and better overall efficiency, the fuel economy will be substantially better at typical cruising speeds.

The Alwoplast 47' makes extensive use of OSSA Powerlite in non-propulsion systems as well.  In addition to providing propulsion power, the two generators also power the climate control system (HVAC), water heater, oven, cooktop and 400 amps of 12v "house bank" battery charging.  The extensive 12v battery battery system and lack of any shore power capability is a reflection of the owners intended use of the boat.  The limited number of 115vac tools and appliances will be powered through the 2.5kw inverter.

Project Photos