Electric Outboard Theft Appeal

[Muaddib1116]

I am wondering about the viability of electric outboards when cruising in areas with higher theft than here at home in the states. The first question is if electric outboards are appealing theft targets, or are thieves more interested in higher powered gas outboards? The second question is how secure are the batteries? I'm mostly talking about the units where the battery snaps into the head unit of the outboard. Are there ways to lock those in place for when you head into town and leave your dinghy at a dock or beach? Thanks for any insight!

[Orion Jim]

Every electric outboard I’ve seen has had the battery removed and the owner carried it in a backpack.

[SVHarmonie]

Originally Posted by Muaddib1116

I am wondering about the viability of electric outboards when cruising in areas with higher theft than here at home in the states. The first question is if electric outboards are appealing theft targets, or are thieves more interested in higher powered gas outboards? The second question is how secure are the batteries? I'm mostly talking about the units where the battery snaps into the head unit of the outboard. Are there ways to lock those in place for when you head into town and leave your dinghy at a dock or beach? Thanks for any insight!

Well, I wouldn’t steal one! But I’d take any Yamaha Enduro 15HP that wasn’t bolted down.

Just kidding... well about the Yamaha part at least, but the locals will have no interest in your electric outboard.

[GILow]

The neighbour’s electric outboard has some kind of smart-key fob and won’t run without it. I’m sure someone could work out a way around it eventually, but I assume it makes them a little less appealing to random thieves.

We took it for a spin on my dink the other day, and I gotta say, I’m a convert! I just wish I could afford one.

[arsenelupiga]

Originally Posted by Muaddib1116

I am wondering about the viability of electric outboards when cruising in areas with higher theft than here at home in the states. The first question is if electric outboards are appealing theft targets, or are thieves more interested in higher powered gas outboards? The second question is how secure are the batteries? I'm mostly talking about the units where the battery snaps into the head unit of the outboard. Are there ways to lock those in place for when you head into town and leave your dinghy at a dock or beach? Thanks for any insight!

i have one. I think there is little interest in battery. Setting up charging is difficult and requires electrical work or extra cabling from manufacturer, and then fudging magnetic key is another hurdle. And then if you sort all this out, if your charging parameters are off, you can start fire. And of course, I know my outboard, if I recognize it one day, will wait for the guy to come up and have convincing talk.

[Eleuthera 2014]

Originally Posted by SVHarmonie

Well, I wouldn’t steal one! But I’d take any Yamaha Enduro 15HP that wasn’t bolted down.

Just kidding... well about the Yamaha part at least, but the locals will have no interest in your electric outboard.

Give This duo a CIGAR!!

We have a Yammy Enduro 15 on an AB 9.5... goes like the wind. Locked X 2 at all times.

Also, like you, I would not steal an electric outboard...

[sail sfbay]

Assume you are talking about a Torqeedo. You can remove the control arm since without it the motor is of no use as you cannot buy one separately AND secure the electric motor to the dinghy or stern rail of you boat with a cable lock. As suggested also remove the battery pack.

[SV__Grace]

We use an outboard engine lock for the lower unit of our Torqeedo and a bike lock for the battery (see photo). These locks are always on when the engine is on the dinghy. Easy and works well for us.

I don't worry about the tiller as I have a spare, they are not expensive, by itself it is no use for a thief, and the locks provide deterrent from messing with it.

[jlb]

Also assuming torqeedo... We have a torqeedo which we never lock and almost never use because of reliability issues. We sometimes use it for going rowable distances upwind in daylight. If we are lucky it still works on the way home going downwind.

The rest of the time we use a Tohatsu which seems to go about 87 times as far as the torqeedo between failures. We always lock the Tohatsu.

In fresh water the electric motors may be more reliable and thus more of a target.

[Siberian Sea]

Yes, often your dingy gets stolen only because they want your outboard only. In the case of the electric motors I would imagine it’s not as appealing because not only is it a much smaller resale market but you also need to think about the charger unit. One guy I talked to who had one of these told me he removes the battery back because in this way the whole dingy is left disabled except to paddle and it’s not likely a thief will have their own battery. Myself I’ve priced these electric units and they are not cheap, if i owned one I would take the time to lock it up. Some might say “ you never know” but unfortunately sometimes to do come to know and in that exact moment it’s too late. Buy a $10.00 lock and a fathom of good chain.

[a64pilot]

Outboards are stolen to be re-sold in my opinion, not s much to be used, the ones that will bring the most money are higher horsepower ones.
I doubt that any local fisherman would have any use for an electric outboard, Anymore than they would for an inflatable dinghy, so I doubt that they are a theft target.
Unless there are “Yachties” that buy from the locals, then maybe.

[joelhemington]

I'd be more worried about theft here in the states than any third world port. These electric motors are great for inner harbor transport but would be worthless on a 16' fishing skiff

[SV__Grace]

Originally Posted by jlb

We have a torqeedo which we never lock and almost never use because of reliability issues. We sometimes use it for going rowable distances upwind in daylight. If we are lucky it still works on the way home going downwind. The rest of the time we use a Tohatsu which seems to go about 87 times as far as the torqeedo between failures. We always lock the Tohatsu. In fresh water the electric motors may be more reliable and thus more of a target.

Amazing how different our experiences are. We are full time cruisers (salt water, of course) who anchor 99.9% of the time and rely on our dinghy to get to shore and back to our boat.

We've had our Torqeedo (Travel 3000) for 3 years and love it. It is outside mounted on the dinghy (in the davits on passage, in the water- salt water, when at anchor) all year around, in cold, rain, snow, heat, and spray from sailing. Unlike your experience, we've found it to be super reliable.

It is not perfect (see below) but far superior to dealing with gas engines, propane, etc. The fuel is free! We love the quiet, and we're not in a hurry so don't need our dinghy to plane.

Cruisers Guide to Using the Torqeedo Travel

1. First, get the extended range battery. With over 900aph it's range is easily more than 5 miles.

2. Start slow and get spare shear pins. We learned the hard way that the torque of electric engines at fast start up is enough to shear the pin. So start the throttle slow and gradually speed up. We haven't sheared a pin due to torque since we started doing that, though hitting kelp or anything harder will do it. In a pinch, if you don't have a spare shear pin, we've used a thick cotter pin cut to fit.

3. Learn how to care for a lithium battery. I spoke with a factory rep at a boat show who said that most complaints come from owners who don't know how to use their lithium battery correctly. Do NOT keep it topped off and charge frequently. Let it run down to 30-50% before recharging. This battery actually prefers a partial SOC, so if you're not going to use it for awhile, store it with 50-80% SOC.

4. Screw the terminals on straight! If you're not careful it is easy to screw them on crooked and it won't work.

5. Get a spare prop. Like all dinghy outboards, the prop is small and relatively inexpensive. The Torqeedo prop is plastic and lasts a long time if it doesn't hit anything, which you can't always control.

6. Security- we use an outboard engine lock that covers the transom handles and a bike lock that goes from the battery handle to the outboard engine lock. I've seen owners use a padlock through the holes of the transom handles (facing each other), but they are plastic and that's not secure enough for me.

7. Get the solar panel. If you live on the hook as we do, you are energy conscious and the solar panel, though expensive, is very well made, durable, and worth the bucks. If you dock your boat in a marina, don't bother with the solar panel.

8. Don't bother with the bluetooth dongle. I love gadgets and this works well to easily see your speed, energy usage, etc. while under way, but the same information can be obtained by leaning over and looking at the display on the tiller. I found myself not using this gadget after first playing with it.

9. Slow down! The battery lasts amazingly long at low speeds, and gets depleted quick at higher speeds. A typical dinghy trip from our anchored boat to shore is @1/4 mile and typically uses 6-8% of battery round trip at 4-5 knots or so in calm conditions. That same trip will use 20% or so at full throttle going 7-8 knots (in our 135 lb hard plastic dinghy with 350 lbs of people and stuff). It's nice to know the power is there when you need it (we've powered through 5 foot waves against 35 knot winds to get back to our boat) but it's even nicer to relax and enjoy the view in a leisurely trip to shore and back. We've gone 2-3 miles at a time exploring remote anchorages, getting back to the boat with plenty of battery power to spare (extended range battery).

[Bulawayo]

I love the idea of an electric outboard motor but for ling term cruising in remote areas I'm concerned about the practicality. My dinghy is big and heavy - it's an all aluminium rib (exact same model as S/V Delos) and is used for everything - including long distance travel & often in rough conditions. I would be concerned about the; practicality, range and reliability. Theft is a big issue when cruising - my dinghy is very distinctive but my outboard is highly desirable (Yam Enduro 25hp). When you see normal ribs with soft tubes having their whole transits sliced off you realise that some motors are so much in demand by local fishermen that they'll go to any length to get to your engine.

[arsenelupiga]

Originally Posted by SV__Grace

Amazing how different our experiences are. We are full time cruisers (salt water, of course) who anchor 99.9% of the time and rely on our dinghy to get to shore and back to our boat.

We've had our Torqeedo (Travel 3000) for 3 years and love it. It is outside mounted on the dinghy (in the davits on passage, in the water- salt water, when at anchor) all year around, in cold, rain, snow, heat, and spray from sailing. Unlike your experience, we've found it to be super reliable.

It is not perfect (see below) but far superior to dealing with gas engines, propane, etc. The fuel is free! We love the quiet, and we're not in a hurry so don't need our dinghy to plane.

Cruisers Guide to Using the Torqeedo Travel

1. First, get the extended range battery. With over 900aph it's range is easily more than 5 miles.

2. Start slow and get spare shear pins. We learned the hard way that the torque of electric engines at fast start up is enough to shear the pin. So start the throttle slow and gradually speed up. We haven't sheared a pin due to torque since we started doing that, though hitting kelp or anything harder will do it. In a pinch, if you don't have a spare shear pin, we've used a thick cotter pin cut to fit.

3. Learn how to care for a lithium battery. I spoke with a factory rep at a boat show who said that most complaints come from owners who don't know how to use their lithium battery correctly. Do NOT keep it topped off and charge frequently. Let it run down to 30-50% before recharging. This battery actually prefers a partial SOC, so if you're not going to use it for awhile, store it with 50-80% SOC.

4. Screw the terminals on straight! If you're not careful it is easy to screw them on crooked and it won't work.

5. Get a spare prop. Like all dinghy outboards, the prop is small and relatively inexpensive. The Torqeedo prop is plastic and lasts a long time if it doesn't hit anything, which you can't always control.

6. Security- we use an outboard engine lock that covers the transom handles and a bike lock that goes from the battery handle to the outboard engine lock. I've seen owners use a padlock through the holes of the transom handles (facing each other), but they are plastic and that's not secure enough for me.

7. Get the solar panel. If you live on the hook as we do, you are energy conscious and the solar panel, though expensive, is very well made, durable, and worth the bucks. If you dock your boat in a marina, don't bother with the solar panel.

8. Don't bother with the bluetooth dongle. I love gadgets and this works well to easily see your speed, energy usage, etc. while under way, but the same information can be obtained by leaning over and looking at the display on the tiller. I found myself not using this gadget after first playing with it.

9. Slow down! The battery lasts amazingly long at low speeds, and gets depleted quick at higher speeds. A typical dinghy trip from our anchored boat to shore is @1/4 mile and typically uses 6-8% of battery round trip at 4-5 knots or so in calm conditions. That same trip will use 20% or so at full throttle going 7-8 knots (in our 135 lb hard plastic dinghy with 350 lbs of people and stuff). It's nice to know the power is there when you need it (we've powered through 5 foot waves against 35 knot winds to get back to our boat) but it's even nicer to relax and enjoy the view in a leisurely trip to shore and back. We've gone 2-3 miles at a time exploring remote anchorages, getting back to the boat with plenty of battery power to spare (extended range battery).

yup, we have smaller 1000 and also happy.

I would add another item - Get RELIABLE paddling setup on your dinghy. Do not rely on glued paddle holders as they will fail when needed most. I noticed most sailors cross fingers and rely on outboard not failing without plan B. It works if you can call marine rescue, but if phone gets wet and stops working