Electric dinghy engines

[william24424]

I bought an 3HP e-propulsion outboard for my dinghy. Works great, battery lasts about 9 hours, very lightweight (20lbs,) price comparable to gas (2k +/-) charges quickly, no smell, easy storage. I am keeping my 6hp for backup...took me hours to clean carb, still runs well. I made a YouTube video...Anyone considering going electric? Thoughts on my vid?

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Thanks for posting this video! What size dinghy are you pairing with the motor and how is performance with 2 people on board? I'm very interested in puchasing an electric outboard, but I'm most interested in knowing why you chose ePropulsion vs. Torqueedo. Comparing specifications between the 2 seemed provide a slight edge to ePropulsion in terms of performance and battery charging capacity. Did you make an effort to compare the 2 manufacturers or did you just choose what was most readily available. I have a Torqueedo dealer close to my house. I was looking for opinions between the 2 companies.

 

[dlochner]

How fast does it charge? I have a Torqeedo with a 915 ah battery, quick charging it is not. The capacity is about 75% of a Group 31 100ah battery.

Electrics are fine if you are traveling short distances or don't mind traveling very slowly. At about 20% power it will move an 8ft Achilles RIB along at about 2-2.5 knots for about 7 hours or 14 nm. At 90+% it will move the dinghy at about 4-4.5 knots for about an hour. The relationship between speed and power consumption is not linear. Charging is long, a deeply discharged battery will take 8-10 hours to recharge.

Our rule of thumb is use the Torqeedo when we will be within about a mile of where we want to go, use the 5hp Honda if we are traveling further afield.

On the plus side, it is quiet, it starts, it is light and easy to install. They are just limited in their use.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

@dlochner , why did you choose Torqueedo instead of ePropulsion? Was it just a matter of availability or something else? They seem to be priced very similarly ...

 

[dlochner]

@dlochner , why did you choose Torqueedo instead of ePropulsion? Was it just a matter of availability or something else? They seem to be priced very similarly ...

Availability was at the top of the list. We needed a new dinghy motor before we headed to the Bahamas. ePropulsion is a relative newcomer to the market, Torqeedo has been here awhile, gave them a chance to work out bugs and make improvements.

 

[william24424]

Yes, 9’ Walker Bay inflatable rib, doesn’t plane but powered easily through 20knot headwinds with 2 people, new engine so I haven’t tested battery charge because I didn’t have time to run battery to empty. I bought online, used YouTube reviews that suggested e propulsion to torquedo, not scientific just went with the more recommended. First electric engine & I am very happy so far.

 

[dlochner]

Yes, 9’ Walker Bay inflatable rib, doesn’t plane but powered easily through 20knot headwinds with 2 people, new engine so I haven’t tested battery charge because I didn’t have time to run battery to empty. I bought online, used YouTube reviews that suggested e propulsion to torquedo, not scientific just went with the more recommended. First electric engine & I am very happy so far.

The Torqeedo has a great display showing battery state of charge, speed, power consumption, and distance to dead battery. Those are essential because you can't just shake the fuel tank to see what's left. I'm not certain what information the ePropulsion provides.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

The Torqeedo has a great display showing battery state of charge, speed, power consumption, and distance to dead battery. Those are essential because you can't just shake the fuel tank to see what's left. I'm not certain what information the ePropulsion provides.

Yes, I think it is critical. If I'm not mistaken, I think ePropulsion does the same. (They are Chinese company and I would not be surprised if all the technology was stolen or reverse engineered from Torqueedo ... they seem to be so similar).

 

[dlochner]

Yes, I think it is critical. If I'm not mistaken, I think ePropulsion does the same. (They are Chinese company and I would not be surprised if all the technology was stolen or reverse engineered from Torqueedo ... they seem to be so similar).

Yep

 

[High Current]

+1 for going electric! Love to see the positive reviews. Can’t beat the silent, instant-on, reliable, low-maintenance, fuel-free experience. As dlochner observed, batteries can’t match gasoline’s energy storage for long-range, high-speed wave hopping, but if that’s what you’re after, why do you own a sailboat?

I’ve been using a “trolling” motor on my dinghy the past couple of seasons. Not quite as elegant a package but good enough for me and quite inexpensive. Pairs nicely with my Hunter’s (custom) electric auxiliary for a superior experience all around.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

I’ve been using a “trolling” motor on my dinghy the past couple of seasons. Not quite as elegant a package but good enough for me and quite inexpensive. Pairs nicely with my Hunter’s (custom) electric auxiliary for a superior experience all around.

What are your details (product selection, battery management, etc)? I've also thought about just starting with a trolling motor. My basic need is short distance, protected waters, light weight and convenience. I'm also not all that interested in speed ... I just want something instead of rowing an inflatable dinghy and I'm having the hardest time justifying the cost of an eProp or Torqueedo.

 

[dlochner]

+1 for going electric! Love to see the positive reviews. Can’t beat the silent, instant-on, reliable, low-maintenance, fuel-free experience. As dlochner observed, batteries can’t match gasoline’s energy storage for long-range, high-speed wave hopping, but if that’s what you’re after, why do you own a sailboat?

I’ve been using a “trolling” motor on my dinghy the past couple of seasons. Not quite as elegant a package but good enough for me and quite inexpensive. Pairs nicely with my Hunter’s (custom) electric auxiliary for a superior experience all around.

As with most things in sailing and cruising, simple questions, such as electric vs. gas, turn out to be not so simple. It really depends on the how and where you sail and cruise. In our home waters, Lake Ontario, our dinghy rides tend to be very short and in pretty protected waters, the Torqeedo would work well (we haven't cruised the Lake since we bought the Torqeedo). However, when we were in the Bahamas there were times it limited our travels due to distance or conditions. Do I really want to spend an hour to motor to a beach a couple of miles away? Or try to push against a 25 kt breeze and a 2 kt current, which would radically up power consumption. Or dang, the battery isn't charged enough to make that spontaneous trip, and it won't be for the next 4 hours.

Currently we're planning for out next cruise which will take us far afield to the Canadian Maritimes and Maine Coast. I'm sure we'll get good use of both the Honda and the Torqeedo.

 

[High Current]

You make good points. Electric is not a "no compromises" solution. Neither is gas, for that matter, they're just different compromises.

Currently we're planning for out next cruise which will take us far afield to the Canadian Maritimes and Maine Coast.

Home to me. Enjoy!

 

[BarryL]

Hello,

I understand the appear of electric OB motors. I could probably use one. A few years ago my old 3 HP 2 stroke became unreliable. Time to buy a new OB.

My needs are simple: get me from the dinghy dock to my boat on a mooring, which is under 1/2 nm. The boat is a walker bay 9.9 hard dink. Sometimes I have one other person with me. After checking prices, etc, I bought a Suzuki 2.5 hp 4 stroke. I paid under $800 for it, it weighs 30 lbs, and has been super reliable. It has an internal fuel tank that hold .25 gallons of gas, that gets me 4 round trips to the boat. It moves me along at 5 kts, which is the speed limit in the harbor. The engine is quiet and clean.

For me, the gas OB is very convenient.

Barry

 

[Parsons]

We bought a ePropulsion when cruising the Great Lakes, as @dlochner described, for short distances in fairly protected waters, the electric wins. Also, when puttering around the mooring fields or harbor, an electric motor wins hands-down for politeness to your neighbors. For running five miles to the beach through chop in the Bahamas, not so good. Personally, we carry both because the electric is ridiculously small and light.

We selected ePropulsion over Torquedo as the tech and specs seems marginally better. Looking back, I may have selected the Torquedo as the dealer network and support seems more extensive. I believed the ePropulsion hype that they were growing and would have dealers, but in four years have not seen an improvement.

Another point for electric motor - the Admiral can use it. The gas motor has a pull start, and she just cannot get the thing going.

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

The epropulsion is priced so you could have 2 for the price of the Torqeedo. I have a Torqeedo and like it, but would consider the ePropulsion if looking at new. It would also be nice to have a second battery that could be kept charged in reserve when recharging time is an issue.
When the marina is more than a mile away and the current/wind is against you in one direction it can create some range anxiety if you don’t have reserve. (BTW - seems it’s always against us, both ways )

 

[Scott T-Bird]

The epropulsion is priced so you could have 2 for the price of the Torqeedo.

I see bare minimum price at $2,600 so the above makes no sense. I did see another brand - Newport - $1,700 with 36v battery included but not clear if it has the same display functionality.

 

[dlochner]

Two batteries would be nice, except the 910 ah Torqeedo battery is pretty expensive.

We did have a warrantee issue with the Torqeedo. The cable connecting the tiller to the battery failed, leaving us with no control over the motor. I called Torqeedo, after hearing the problem, he asked "Where can I send a new tiller?" Unfortunately, we were in Grand Cay in the Abacos so a new tiller was not an option. He offered a few suggestions for a temporary fix and told me to let them know when I was back home. Great support!

The suggested fix, splinting the wire, was not successful. However, the connector was the same as a NMEA 2000 connector. I sacrificed the VHF connection to the NMEA 2000 network, cut off the plug, figured out the PIN numbers and connection on the Torqeedo and the NMEA cable and soldered the new connector on. It worked for the rest of the trip.

And of course the wind and current are always against you.

 

[william24424]

Pro Electric ---- lightweight, less maintenance, dependable starts, cleaner, quieter, cheaper to run, solar panel=(unlimited power), no winterizing, easy storage, no smell, no searching anchorage for gas stations, no leaks, and I'll mention twice it's very lightweight.
Pro Gas -- I spent the weekend cleaning carb twice, missed lunch with mother in law. Gas has more power for $$$, gets dink on plane.
Cons Electric & Gas ---They are both expensive, more so electric, initially. More choices for gas models & faster. Gas spills and is flammable, ethanol can foul engine, dirt gets in filters.
To Summarize - My new primary dinghy engine is 3hp ePropulsion, I'm keeping 6hp gas as a backup.

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

I see bare minimum price at $2,600 so the above makes no sense. I did see another brand - Newport - $1,700 with 36v battery included but not clear if it has the same display functionality.

obviously I didn’t do my homework