Electric propulsion on dinghy

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by zeehag

it was a trolling motor with separate battery in a freeking dinghy. like i am gonna stop the neighbor and ask what motor ye using--was cheap and unreliable. that is what i know. i would not use a trolling motor with a separate battery and wires all over the dinghy-- is not effective nor efficient. i am happy with mine.
if you wish to propel your dink with a drill, i dont care. you asked what we thought about the motor --i told ye and i also added what i have SEEN as well as what i have EXPERIENCED.
if you do not want the experiences of those who have been and ARE out here using equipment, do not ask about it
i found i am able to actually go farther with the motor after the gps shows there is no charge than i have seen others go with a new battery and minnkota. so i laugh at you and your desk sitting theories.
i am here in pair a dice USING my torqueedo.

Wasn't criticizing or theorizing, just asking for more info. And I thought from your earlier post that you meant the trolling motor you mentioned was yours, not someone else's.

-Chris

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

Wasn't criticizing or theorizing, just asking for more info. And I thought from your earlier post that you meant the trolling motor you mentioned was yours, not someone else's.

-Chris

i willnot purchase something as ridiculously inefficient as a minnkota trolling motor with need for ancillary HEAVY battery or no go --battery is not intrinsic to motor..
torqueedo is efficient, effective, can and does propel sailing craft to over 35 ft in a cruising situation, and is the one that tells you how much charge you have remaining nd will go beyond. kinda like vw bus with empty tank of gasoline.. will go on fumes forever, or to within a mil eof agas station before running out. the solar charger keeps things going nicely. the machine willnot charge more than 10 percent per hour, doesnt matter what kinda extreme battery situation you use. th einyrinsic battery is able to go over one mile each way 4 times before crappingout due to lack of charge.
as i stated, i dont care what others use, i use the torqueedo with confidence. it is RELIABLE. yes i watched others with minnkota cursing and spewing within a half mile of initiating operations. no freeking way would i have a multi part pos on my boat.
is why i with trepidation, received this easily handled item for my own personal use. i can raise it to my decks with a rotator cuff injury of chronic status, and i can make it work and stow without assistance.
and i do NOT have to muscle around a separate battery.
have you guys realized these separate batteries weigh tons???> have fun, kids. i am real and i am having fun.
NO you willNBOT be able to plane your dink with electric motor. it is equivalent to a 3 1/2 hp outboard in a dinghy, and aux propulsion in a sailing vessel.
no you wont be able to run uphill at over 5 kts under motor power alone.
yes it does use more electricity the faster ye go --is a DUH.. just recharge mor eoften. it does come with a solar flexipanel just for it.
is a completely self contained unit when purchased, which is more than i can say for minnkota

for surf landings, i use my oars.

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[mstrebe]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

I've met CF member offpist on another thread who is using a Torqeedo 4.0 and rolled his own LiFePO4 battery bank for a 12+ mph ride. Are there any others going electric on their dinghies?

offpist, if you show up here, what prompted you to go electric on your dinghy? Your video proves it works great.

I have a Torqueedo Travel 1003 on our inflatable 9' Zodiac. I went this way so we don't have to carry two fuels aboard our Yanmar Diesel boat; We just keep the battery plugged into the 12V each night and it's topped off in the morning. No mucking about with Jerry cans and remembering to fill them.

Range isn't fantastic. With a full load (5 people) we get about a dozen ship-to-shore trips out of it or maybe an hour's worth of runtime. Also the kids like to mess around with it and that kills the battery so we keep the oars locked to it.

It comes off in three separate pieces, the heaviest of which is maybe 15 lbs. So it's a lot easier to handle than even the lightest gas outboard. It stows really small comparatively. The integrated battery is nice, there's no wires to worry about.

I got mine on floor demo special for $1200, which made it worth it. I don't think I'd pay $2000 for them.

Also, they're not quiet--they make a high-pitched whine that is every bit as annoying as a small outboard IMHO.

We've also got a mount for it on the sail Kayak. Very versatile little motor, been happy with it. Just don't expect anything like the runtime range they quote.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by zeehag

the solar charger keeps things going nicely. the machine willnot charge more than 10 percent per hour, doesnt matter what kinda extreme battery situation you use. th einyrinsic battery is able to go over one mile each way 4 times before crappingout due to lack of charge.

Useful points about separate heavy batteries.

Does the above mean your T1003 has a range of approx. 8 miles before needing a re-charge? I presume at moderate speeds?

-Chris

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by mstrebe

Range isn't fantastic. With a full load (5 people) we get about a dozen ship-to-shore trips out of it or maybe an hour's worth of runtime. Also the kids like to mess around with it and that kills the battery so we keep the oars locked to it.

Just don't expect anything like the runtime range they quote.

I've often seen comments like this about their run-time/range. Useful to see again, in this context.

-Chris

[zengirl]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

Good, I was thinking you were considering the Torqeedo. Elco has been in the game for a long time. Their EP-1200 probably would work well for you.

Thank you for your input.

[Paul Mazza]

Thanks HopCar, we considered a Lehr, but the dinghy sized ones use the little camping propane cylinders and I'm carrying a couple 20lb tanks. I've never tried transfering between the big and small tanks, but I suppose it might be possible. I'm very happy with the electric OB, especially since I already own it. Our Endeavour 37 has an icebox built into a cockpit seat. I don't anticipate using it as an icebox when we go cruising, but it makes a great charging station for 3 small AGM's.

[Volkeno]

I have used a Minn Kota fresh water 30 for 15 years on my inflatable zodiac. I has a squishy floor so it will never plane anyways. The trolling motor is great within it's limitations. It will never move the dinghy faster than 2.5 knots, but surprisingly it will push my 7500 pound sailboat at 2 knots absent any wind or current. I used it to get the boat into Ganges once when I ran out of diesel.
There are a lot of new higher speed motors now, but I would want a battery box built in because having the battery loose in the dinghy bothers me at low speed and could be dangerous at higher speeds.
I think that the self contained Torqueedo is great for a dinghy, but I used my trolling motor because it was $100 and the battery was another $100.
I know that battery tech is advancing rapidly, so pretty soon my all electric boat dream will be real.

[HopCar]

Paul, all of the Lehr motors come with a hose to attach them to a larger tank. I run my Lehr 2.5 on one of their 11 pound fiberglass tanks. I carry one of the little one pound bottles as a fuel reserve. At 3000 RPM you can get over two hours out of the little bottle. At wide open throttle (5000 RPM) you'll empty it in about an hour. I should get about eleven hours at WOT from my 11 pound tank. If you used one of your 20 pound tanks, that's 20 hours or more.

[offpist]

Mananged to get hold of an battery pack from an peugeot ion EV car.
It consists of 88 cells of 50AH Li-ion batteries (3,7V).

So I made one 48V battery from 14 of these.

Each cell is only 1,7 Kg so this saves me 36,2 KG compared to my "old" setup using 115AH Lifepo4.
Also half the range, but I can live with that as we only use the dingy for short trips to shore and back. Besides i can just bring two batteries if I needed to go really far one day.

[SkiprJohn]

Electric propulsion on a dinghy. Torqeedo = expensive. MinnKota = inexpensive. Take care of each and they'll give about the same length of service. Don't submerge either one in saltwater and expect them to keep on ticking. Some people are lucky to get them rinsed off quickly enough to not do harm but don't count on it. I've used both many times on various boats to 26 feet and would buy another MinnKota but not a Torqeedo.

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

Electric propulsion on a dinghy. Torqeedo = expensive. MinnKota = inexpensive. Take care of each and they'll give about the same length of service. Don't submerge either one in saltwater and expect them to keep on ticking. Some people are lucky to get them rinsed off quickly enough to not do harm but don't count on it. I've used both many times on various boats to 26 feet and would buy another MinnKota but not a Torqeedo.

John, I think offpist has put together a really good system. His choice of a 4.0 and optional V30 prop just tells me he wants normal dinghy speeds. Instead of taking over 1/2 hour for a 3 mile scoot, his is about 10 minutes, how it should be.

[SkiprJohn]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

John, I think offpist has put together a really good system. His choice of a 4.0 and optional V30 prop just tells me he wants normal dinghy speeds. Instead of taking over 1/2 hour for a 3 mile scoot, his is about 10 minutes, how it should be.

You're right. I should have read his last post and realized he is an accomplished tinkerer.

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

You're right. I should have read his last post and realized he is an accomplished tinkerer.

Did you check out the video on post #13? That is how a dinghy should scoot.

[seandepagnier]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

Electric propulsion on a dinghy. Torqeedo = expensive. MinnKota = inexpensive. Take care of each and they'll give about the same length of service. Don't submerge either one in saltwater and expect them to keep on ticking. Some people are lucky to get them rinsed off quickly enough to not do harm but don't count on it. I've used both many times on various boats to 26 feet and would buy another MinnKota but not a Torqeedo.

I agree completely. While the minnkota uses 50% more power for the same thrust, it's a lot quieter and cheaper and simpler. When the torqeedo breaks, the company expects you to buy a complete new one, where minn kota it is possible to repair, and at least much cheaper.

I have a motor guide from 1988 which still works and can push my dingy 4 knots using 250 watts.

The problem I see is most people have inefficient dinghy which takes too much power to push it, so they cannot row and must be rescued when the motor fails in only 20 knots of wind and no waves.