Island Pilot DSe
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LEADING THE WAY
Stepping inside the full-beam bridge through the
portside door, I found an oversized helm dash with
dimensions equal to the top of the deckhouse. On my
immediate left, there was a wide companionway with
stairs leading down to the main cabin. Twin pivoting
pedestal helm chairs flanked a cantilevered section of
the instrument console that is positioned precisely
where your hand will fall to the Tecnautic control
unit. There’s plenty of room for the twin Steyr SSC
LCD displays and a Garmin touch screen, and the
entire dash is hinged along the back edge to lift up
for easy access to all control and monitor wiring.
A molded bin on top of the instrument console
provides two 12VDC outlets for recharging phones.
Trane said the new DSe 12m met his initial hybrid-power performance expectations on her maiden
voyage near the factory in Zhuhai City, China. The
In Biscayne Bay, the DSe 12m struts her stuff under diesel
power, charging the batteries and steaming ahead to make
landfall in a timely manner.
next advance in power renewal will come from Urban
Green Energy wind generators that will be mounted
just ahead of the deckhouse windows, articulating on
a special bracket designed by Trane and Petrie to let
their masts lie down horizontally alongside the solar
panels. Three carbon-fiber elliptical blades affixed
vertically to the raised masts will catch the wind from
any direction. When under way, the blades will be
high enough to pose no visibility problems. Trane said
there might be a soft shadow on the solar arrays at
certain angles, but he reckons the wind generators will
produce more power than they lose to the shadows.
Reuben Trane’s commitment to a new design
that offers a displacement cruiser with luxurious and
comfortable accommodations, a minimal carbon
footprint, and maximum use of natural power sources
through cutting-edge equipment is, to my mind,
heroic. You can count on the fingers of one hand
the number of manufacturers who are working in
this arena.
The Island Pilot DSe Hybrid 12m seems to be
pointing the way.
