I love my new Torqeedo outboard. No more storing a jug of gasoline in the cockpit. No more mixing oil with the gasoline. No more spilling gas into the ocean as I fill the tank of my Mercury 3.3 as the dinghy rocks and rolls. Just get into the dinghy and go! Quietly! We can whisper as we motor around the anchorage.
This little motor has changed our lives as cruisers. It has just as much power as our old 3.3, so that it powers against the current and wind, and scoots out of the way in those busy inlets. (We have the 1003 Travel, short shaft model).
We weren't concerned about running out of power. The onboard computer (with GPS) keeps track of your power usage and distance traveled and computes how much of a charge you have left. We would typically run from our anchorage to the town dock and back several times a day and charge up the outboard's battery every night or two. We never got below 48% of charge on the battery. It helps to have a solar panel on the sailboat. We charged the Torqeedo"s battery from the Catalina's house batteries.
The Torqeedo has a couple of quirks to be aware of. When shifting from forward to reverse or vice versa, you must move the throttle slowly, and hesitate in neutral for a second or so. Moving the throttle quickly confuses the computer, and it gives an error message while you drift about helplessly. (The controls are fly-by-wire, with no direct connection to the motor). Also, there is no way to lock the battery securely to the outboard. The battery normally is held in place with a pin, and just lifts off the outboard after the cables are disconnected. I'm working on some way of using a steel cable to secure the battery.
All in all, this is a great little machine and worth the extra boat bucks it costs.
This little motor has changed our lives as cruisers. It has just as much power as our old 3.3, so that it powers against the current and wind, and scoots out of the way in those busy inlets. (We have the 1003 Travel, short shaft model).
We weren't concerned about running out of power. The onboard computer (with GPS) keeps track of your power usage and distance traveled and computes how much of a charge you have left. We would typically run from our anchorage to the town dock and back several times a day and charge up the outboard's battery every night or two. We never got below 48% of charge on the battery. It helps to have a solar panel on the sailboat. We charged the Torqeedo"s battery from the Catalina's house batteries.
The Torqeedo has a couple of quirks to be aware of. When shifting from forward to reverse or vice versa, you must move the throttle slowly, and hesitate in neutral for a second or so. Moving the throttle quickly confuses the computer, and it gives an error message while you drift about helplessly. (The controls are fly-by-wire, with no direct connection to the motor). Also, there is no way to lock the battery securely to the outboard. The battery normally is held in place with a pin, and just lifts off the outboard after the cables are disconnected. I'm working on some way of using a steel cable to secure the battery.
All in all, this is a great little machine and worth the extra boat bucks it costs.