Are Electric Outboards Any Good ?

[twinzerfan]

dredging up and old thread, but just got a couple of Minn Kotas for free and am thinking I may "engineer" them to fit as dual outboards on my tri...

thanks for the picture of the color powered dingy, brilliant!

[simonpickard]

Hiya,

Can the guys who have a 1001 give some info on how they charge the battery from the boat? Can you charge these via 12v? I've seen they sell a solar charger for them (which seems crazy expensive) is there any way to charge via a cheaper solar?

Regards,
Simon

[SV THIRD DAY]

As cool as an electric outboard sounds, it just isn't practical on a cruising boat. I view them as Marina dingy motors, but if you are going cruising you want either a gas motor or I will even go with propane. Why....keeping your boat batteries charged and happys is hard enough without adding another thing that wants battery power!

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

The Torquedo was an expensive mistake.

I have seen several cruisers down in Mexico say the exact same thing.
It was great while they were living in the Marina with unlimited power...but once they started having to make their own power...adios electric motor, hello Gas!

[simonpickard]

Or just buy the solar panel that can keep it charged with unlimited range at 2knots?

[SV THIRD DAY]

Originally Posted by simonpickard

Or just buy the solar panel that can keep it charged with unlimited range at 2knots?

Sure if your dinghy can hold that much solar panel sq footage. Then when you leave your dinghy at the local dinghy dock, anyone care to place a bet on how long that solar panel will last? I give it two weeks.

I know the idea sounds great, but trust me when you are out cruising you want tried and true tested systems with a minimum UTH factor.

(Use To Headache)

[RigelKent]

I'm in the process of purchasing a Torqeedo 1003 3HP. According to the sales agent, the 1003 will charge off 24v solar panels (directly) or from a 12 v deep cycle. Or from AC shore power.

According the the sales agent, a 1003 recharge cost 520 watt-hr or by my calculation 42 amp-hr. At full throttle/max power the 1003 is supposed to run for a half hour, significantly longer for lower throttle. They also have a number of strategies for extending range, including solar charging whist underway (they market a suitable Solbian for marine conditions).

Good to hear some are happy with the 1003, seems to be an improvement over the 801 at least in some regards.

[u4ea32]

I was really hoping the Torqueedo would be the way to go. Then my brother tried one on a 22' trimaran, and it could not push the boat into the wind. And he said it was so cheap-o he was astonished. When I saw some at IBEX this September, I came to agree with him. The wiring is bogus, the software sketchy, the physical engineering marginal.

Some people try and pretend that electric HP is more powerful than gas HP. As I expected, this is a totally false concept. Don't believe people who lie to you.

Gas outboards for me.

I can see where a Torqueedo would be the way to go. If I lived on Starnbergersee, I bet I would be using them. Putting around a harbor -- like one does with the very successful electric boats by Duffy Marine -- the Torqueedo makes a lot of sense.

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by RigelKent

I'm in the process of purchasing a Torqeedo 1003 3HP. snip.

How do you plan to lock it when you leave it at the dinghy dock?

[RigelKent]

Originally Posted by SailFastTri

How do you plan to lock it when you leave it at the dinghy dock?

Lock it from being started or stolen?

There is a 'magnetic pin' needed to start the engine which functions like a starting key.

Plan to use a number of bicycle type locks to secure it if I have leave it on shore, but in most cases will put the inflatable and engine in the car boot.

Added: Point taken, however, anything expensive that stands out from the crowd could attract unwanted attention from thieves.

[SvenG]

For right now (1 year) we are all electric. We use a Minn Kota 55 and have two Lifeline 50 Ah AGM batteries. All solar since May of 2012.

It is not ideal but is sure beats carrying gasoline on board. If you want to water-ski or do 100 Nm day excursions it is not an option.

Quite frankly, we're still trying to find the best solution but in a nice anchorage one 50 Ah battery and Minn Kota 55 gives us hours (miles) of silent running.



-Sven

(No USAians were hurt in the sending of this post)

[simonpickard]

Originally Posted by SV THIRD DAY

Sure if your dinghy can hold that much solar panel sq footage. Then when you leave your dinghy at the local dinghy dock, anyone care to place a bet on how long that solar panel will last? I give it two weeks.

I know the idea sounds great, but trust me when you are out cruising you want tried and true tested systems with a minimum UTH factor.

(Use To Headache)

I agree, and while I have no experience apart from the blogs / posts I've read electric seems to be quite low on the UTH front. They seem a lot more reliable than gas.

Also I've heard of a lot of gas outboards being stolen as well. The good thing about the 1003's are that they break apart into small lightweight parts. I'd just take it with me.

I do see your point, they only make sense if you have the solar to re-charge them on board. If you could re-charge over night from that I think everything else is a pro over gas.

[Horror Hotel]

Must be some of you don't go to far or ever explore in the dink. Once I'm anchored, the dink Is my car. 5 or 8 miles isn't unusual. The perfect anchorage isn't always right off the dinghy dock, try to tie up at a crowded dinghy dock with that panel hanging off the back. When a sport fish rips by and **** gets crazy, it's not gonna last. I run a 15hp 2 stroke and can go anywhere, any time, no matter the weather. It comes down to what you wanna do. I started with a 3.5, I still went places no electric would go, but it took for ever. Now I can get 6 jerry jugs of diesel and still plane at almost 20knts. I noticed the tiny outboard crowd seems to be less willing to go out in terrible weather. Electric is just not up to the task of going lots of places. So you anchor somewhere nice but then read about a bar, marine store, food on the other side of the island. The 2 hp crowd won't even consider going there by dink, the electric can't, I might go twice a day. Seems limiting to have much less than a 5 hp, I would also hold out for the clean used 2 stroke or buy one outside the US. Maybe the folks who really like electric have very simple, to and from, less than mile round trip, nice weather expectations. I don't wanna be bound by such issues.

[ShaktisBoy]

Well horror hotel I have to disagree with needing a 15hp motor to go anywhere. It all depends on what dink you are hanging it on. We have 2 boats a mono and a cat. For us weight is the most important item and hanging 200-250 pounds out back on the davits is unacceptable. Our smaller mono carries on her davits a 10 foot porta bote that weighs 80 pounds and a 3.5 nissan 2 stroke that weighs less than 30 pounds. It will plane with 2 people aboard provided we load the boat correctly and it sips fuel. The porta is also great for fishing the flats, we never worry about punctures and it has twice the space of most inflatables. The cat has a 12 foot porta weiging 97 pounds with a 6hp yamaha 4 stroke and It is scary fast. As far as torquedos go I agree the technology isn't there yet for more than short distances. Hopefully it will get better in the future.

[zeehag]

the torqueedo t 1003s is an excellent outboard. it contains charging methosds for solar and for 120v, and has a gps which tells yoiu how long you have until it wont go. is awesome for an electric motor.
there was a cruising boat last year that used one for primary propulsion.
i would say there is a place on board a cruising boat for electric motor IFF one buys the "right one"...
minkota doesnt cut it.

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by ShaktisBoy

snip
Our smaller mono carries on her davits a 10 foot porta bote that weighs 80 pounds and a 3.5 nissan 2 stroke that weighs less than 30 pounds.
snip.

You haven't weighed the Porta Bote have you? That 78 pound advertised weight is without seats, oars or transom. Those add an extra 20-30 pounds, minimum.