recommendations on a dingy and Torqeedo electric motor

[luken7]

I had posted this on other forums but want as much feedback as possible. We got our Bene 361 last summer and she's located in Oriental, NC on the Pamlico sound. For this summer, we're want to explore the sounds and we're looking for a dingy and motor.

Some details on our requirements and plans.
we're looking for something to get us from anchorage to shore or marina when gunkholing or cruising visiting various N.C. cities
don't' have tidal concerns as we're in the sound
there are four of us, me, wife and two boys, 12 and 8
looking at a 10' dingy with a 4hp motor
want something with decent speed and can plane
thinking of the Torqeedo 1003s electric motor (4ph equivalent)
realize that Hypalon is expensive and that Defender is currently having a sale on the Zodiac 10'2" typhoon 310 Aeor for ~$870
Defender is also having a sale on the Torqeedo 1003S for about $1600
we want a dingy that we can completely roll up and put away in the lazarette, don't want davits and no room on the foredeck, so we'll looking at the high pressure air floor
we're weekenders so the dingy will be packed and stored, not left out to the elements
want to have something for the boys to play around with when we're anchored, but nothing too powerful

Hoping this isn't too much information but one thing I learned when following threads on this forum, the more info the better when asking a question.

So the main question, thinking about the Zodiac dingy (which only has a two year warranty) and the Torqeedo 1003s and wanted to get some feedback. One thing I notice is that the motor shaft is 23" ??

HP Air Floor 10' 2"

4 Hp Electric Motor

Thanks a bunch everyone !!!

 

[Andy1237]

feel Pudgy?

I happened upon an old "Sail" article about the Portland Pudgy. It looks like a neat little tender. Can be bought with the Elec. Motor, has an available sail kit (kewl), and even passes muster as a LIFEBOAT! Take a look and see what you think:
http://www.portlandpudgy.com/

 

[tommays]

The Torqeedo run time is very short even in there literature

http://www.torqeedo.com/us/hn/products/travel-503-1003/range.html

 

[Bill Roosa]

Batteries not included

Don't forget to include those batts in the load plan. They are HEAVY.
I use an 8' rowing pram for 3 folks and it is pretty much full so I'm thinking that a 10' for 4 is pushing the edge. Also at those loading levels you are not going to get it to plane IMHO.
With all that said:
You might want to consider using a foldable hard-shell. Collapses down to about 4" high and half its length and width when in use. A 10' would be about 5'x2'x4" package. I have found that them old fashion oar things to be pretty efficient at getting to shore and exploring. I can cover a mile in around 8-9 minutes at ramming speed and 15 minutes at best speed. Yes, I know you are sailing and you need to get to shore FAST, what a minute, you say you are sailing...... things that make you go hummm. The secret to rowing is to get a) a good rowing boat and b) a good set of oars (aka LONG ones). I also find that I don't have to store gas or do much in the way of motor matenance and hoisting them aboard is a one hand affair. I particurly enjoy the springtime when others are madly trying to get thier outboard started and I row away and beat them to shore. The kids have trouble getting into trouble too.

 

[FourPoints]

you definitely won't get a inflatable v hull to plane with a 4hp engine and 4 people in the boat. MAYBE with one person, definitely not with 4.

http://www.porta-bote.com/ (what bill was referring to) is probably your best choice for trying to get speed out of a dinghy, and it'll stow well.

as for the torquedo, I hear it's a great trolling motor, but if you want to go much faster you need to do better at polluting and use some foreign oil bought with a loan from China...

 

[Ed Schenck]

Too bad that the "planing" requirement rules out so many good options. And then the roll up and into the locker also is limiting. Because I think the electric and hardshell that can be sailed would be great for the two young ones. The electric has pretty good battery life if not pushed. But being able to sail and row would be ideal IMHO.

 

[Steve Dion]

Electric motor does not have adequate run time. If you load it up (weight wise) it will have even less run time.

I would not purchase a PVC dingy. The life of these units is not very good. They abrad easy and cannot tollerate fuel spills very well.

 

[sailaway78]

I would not consider the electric motor

For what you want to do, I don't believe the Torqueedo will get the job done. You can buy a small 4 stroke outboard for similar or less money. This eliminates the need for a very heavy battery, the necessity to recharge same, and much greater range. I think that when you and your boys start exploring those fabulous areas, you are not going to want any limitations on range. As to the air floor dinks. I have a friend with one, and it is pretty impressive for something that you can roll up and stow. He has a 10', with a 3.5 outboard on it, and it will not plane with two on board. But is pretty comfortable and stable with four adults aboard.

 

[Ron McCoy]

Agree with the suggestions above. We looked at the Portland Pudgy at the Annapolis boat show last year. I was very interested in them, until I saw them. All plastic and the attachments seemed weak & flimsy. Probably won't sink, but not very nautical either.

 

[TomY]

I know someone who's bought a Torqueedo and tested it.

First, alone in a 9'6" inflatable, it won't plane. He doubts it's up to the 4 hp rating as he easily planed alone with a 4 hp outboard.

Second, the battery is part of the unit and not a remote one. The whole thing is pretty light(less than a small outboard) and the battery is around 15 pounds if you take it off the engine.

He likes it and for what he will use it for, mostly getting back and forth to the boat for day sails and weekends, it sounds like a good choice.

 

[Steve Dion]

Look for a quality (hypalon) inflatable. You need to decide the type you get (hard or inflatable floor). I would suggest that you get a hard floor (inflatable floor is normally PVC).

If you get a 10' unit you will probably need an 8HP engine if you want to move 4 people around. If you can purchase a 2 stroke engine you can save a lot of weight and still have good power.

Check out Avon, Caribe, Achilles, AB as some of the higher quality units that will last for many years.

 

[RECESS]

Make sure and buy for the future. We just did a week long trip gunk holing on the way and back. We found using an electric motor put us in a position to weigh if we could safely go ashore and back. We also had to predict if the wind would kick up while ashore. It killed a couple places we wanted to explore as we did not want to need to wait out some building winds while ashore to make it back to the boat.

I am meeting with a gentleman tomorrow to look at a 2.5hp Yamaha 4 stroke and a 5hp Nissan 2 stroke. The 5hp actually weighs less than the 2.5. We found we did not like it that we were at the mercy of the weather when leaving our boat for shore.

YMMV