I need a new outboard Does anyone have any experience with one of these electric outboards
Pro`s Cons etc
Pro`s Cons etc
torqueeno electric outboards
- Thread starter whitecap26w
- Start date
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 24,539
Buddy bought one for his dinghy. He is thrilled. Has to carry a battery to the boat. Drop it down to the dinghy. Lower motor to the dinghy. Reverse to process. Carry battery home to charge. He does get a thrill scooting silently around the anchorage.
Friend sold his Starwind with one. I think the Torqeedo was worth as much as the boat. Not sure he had it long enough to really appreciate it. We only motor to get in and out of our marina cove. Or if there's no wind. It happens, even in Kansas.
I never used a Torqeedo, but used other electrics and for a dinghy I think it's great for the way we use ours.
The key here is how it's used. Our dink movement is always short distances. Noise is always a factor to me.
Having said that I do use a Honda 2 horse and I've replaced the carb once and cleaned out the carb several times in the few years I've owned the Honda. It also only seems to fail when I really need it. E10 gas is horrible for them. An electric always starts if you have battery. The reason I don't have an electric now is it was stolen between when I finalized the purchase of our current boat (which it came with) and when I went down there to secure it in a safer location (2 hours.) Gotta love it.
Ken
The key here is how it's used. Our dink movement is always short distances. Noise is always a factor to me.
Having said that I do use a Honda 2 horse and I've replaced the carb once and cleaned out the carb several times in the few years I've owned the Honda. It also only seems to fail when I really need it. E10 gas is horrible for them. An electric always starts if you have battery. The reason I don't have an electric now is it was stolen between when I finalized the purchase of our current boat (which it came with) and when I went down there to secure it in a safer location (2 hours.) Gotta love it.
Ken
Hello all,
A bit over a year ago I bought one of their travel models for my inflatable dink (the bigger model... forget the number right now). I absolutely love it. Before that I had a two stroke outboard for the dink and perhaps that's not such a great comparison, as I can't tell you if I would have liked it better than a 4 stroke. However I love how light it is, how easily it sets up, how quiet it is (not silent but much quieter than anything else out there), and how powerful it is for what it is (I believe it rates at 3-4 hp). The one down side is "anxiety range" and how long it takes to recharge the battery (about 12-15 hours). However with that said I've gone to Catalina twice with this thing and while there it was the sole power for my dink to get me to and from shore, and its battery got me through the whole trip. The key I learned is not using WOT but keeping it around 50% which still moves my dink along around 3-4 knots. It won't plane but it gets me where I want to go and I have absolutely no maintenance I ever have to do on it.
Take care,
-Levin
A bit over a year ago I bought one of their travel models for my inflatable dink (the bigger model... forget the number right now). I absolutely love it. Before that I had a two stroke outboard for the dink and perhaps that's not such a great comparison, as I can't tell you if I would have liked it better than a 4 stroke. However I love how light it is, how easily it sets up, how quiet it is (not silent but much quieter than anything else out there), and how powerful it is for what it is (I believe it rates at 3-4 hp). The one down side is "anxiety range" and how long it takes to recharge the battery (about 12-15 hours). However with that said I've gone to Catalina twice with this thing and while there it was the sole power for my dink to get me to and from shore, and its battery got me through the whole trip. The key I learned is not using WOT but keeping it around 50% which still moves my dink along around 3-4 knots. It won't plane but it gets me where I want to go and I have absolutely no maintenance I ever have to do on it.
Take care,
-Levin
I was down in Norfolk and noticed a guy had one on his dink, hanging in the davits. He had a charging cable routed to the dink from a stern connector directly to the motor head, and I presume it was charging the built-in outboard battery. I think it is a great idea.
I appreciate your reply Im planning to use it to get in or out of a crowded mooring harbor. My old 8 hp outboard needs replacement. my boat displaces about 5000 lb I understand torqueeno makes a #4 model suitable for a boat of my diplacement. My old gas outboard was iffy sometimes it started ok sometimes it didnt. Info on the battery weight would be helpful. Thanks
Look at the manufacturers amp draw specifications, estimate your hours of use between charge and build the power requirement into the size of your house battery. My concern would not be weight, it would be how do I recharge the battery after motoring in to a mooring. This looks like a good thing to pair with some nice big solar panels.
I've used the Torqeedo Cruise 2.0 since 2010. My Capri 22 is on a mooring. The four GC2 batteries in series are charge using flush deck mounted Ganz solar panels (total of 110 watts) and Genasun Boast controller (takes the nominal 12 vdc output and raises it to the nominal 24 vdc levels).
I have found that the claims made on Torqeedo's website to be very accurate.
Repairs have been limited to replacing the propeller (poor winter storage problem). The gas shocks are starting to show some surface rust but still work.
My boat is moored in Boston Harbor.
I have found that the claims made on Torqeedo's website to be very accurate.
Repairs have been limited to replacing the propeller (poor winter storage problem). The gas shocks are starting to show some surface rust but still work.
My boat is moored in Boston Harbor.
Whitecap I know you're not really looking for a dinghy motor, but I've had a Torqeedo 1003 for my RU3 inflatable dinghy for 3 seasons and love it.
The RU3 dinghy is a short (7.5') flat bottomed inflatable with a max HP rating of 4HP, so it's not an efficient hull form. I know it's not efficient when I try to row it!
The Travel 1003 can get my dinghy to just over 3 knots with 3 people aboard, and range is around 3-4 miles at this speed. Increasing speed to almost 4 knots makes lots of noise, sounding way faster, and decreases range to under 2 miles. Go slower in flat water and range increases significantly, and having the GPS display instantaneous speed and range on the tiller helps ease nervousness about range.
Storage is a huge plus. Since there's no fuel or oil to make a mess, I stow the motor below on a bunk after it dries. It can be installed by my girlfriend easily since it's lightweight, and is easily installed in pieces (motor installed on dinghy before battery). Operation is easy, too, with no choke or pull start. It's been very reliable for us, though it's a little sensitive to cables getting cross threaded as we assemble it. Rarely, we'll get an error message that a cable isn't connected properly that's fixed by disconnecting and reconnecting everything which takes less than 30 seconds. The magnetic safety cutout switch broke apart on us, too, though that's easily fixed with adhesive or even tape.
Biggest drawbacks: it's pretty expensive compared to traditional motors... by a lot. Also, charging from zero to full takes a while, though this has never really been a limiting factor for us. At night, or when sailing the big boat during the day, I connect the battery to a charging wire from the big boat's 12v system (yes, the charging input is 12v, even though the Torqeedo battery output is something like 36v).
The 1003 is a fairly small motor (under 4HP), so comparing this to a 10HP four stroke is not fair. I have no experience with the bigger Torqeedos.
Overall, we're happy with it, and I'd choose it again for our scenario.
The RU3 dinghy is a short (7.5') flat bottomed inflatable with a max HP rating of 4HP, so it's not an efficient hull form. I know it's not efficient when I try to row it!
The Travel 1003 can get my dinghy to just over 3 knots with 3 people aboard, and range is around 3-4 miles at this speed. Increasing speed to almost 4 knots makes lots of noise, sounding way faster, and decreases range to under 2 miles. Go slower in flat water and range increases significantly, and having the GPS display instantaneous speed and range on the tiller helps ease nervousness about range.
Storage is a huge plus. Since there's no fuel or oil to make a mess, I stow the motor below on a bunk after it dries. It can be installed by my girlfriend easily since it's lightweight, and is easily installed in pieces (motor installed on dinghy before battery). Operation is easy, too, with no choke or pull start. It's been very reliable for us, though it's a little sensitive to cables getting cross threaded as we assemble it. Rarely, we'll get an error message that a cable isn't connected properly that's fixed by disconnecting and reconnecting everything which takes less than 30 seconds. The magnetic safety cutout switch broke apart on us, too, though that's easily fixed with adhesive or even tape.
Biggest drawbacks: it's pretty expensive compared to traditional motors... by a lot. Also, charging from zero to full takes a while, though this has never really been a limiting factor for us. At night, or when sailing the big boat during the day, I connect the battery to a charging wire from the big boat's 12v system (yes, the charging input is 12v, even though the Torqeedo battery output is something like 36v).
The 1003 is a fairly small motor (under 4HP), so comparing this to a 10HP four stroke is not fair. I have no experience with the bigger Torqeedos.
Overall, we're happy with it, and I'd choose it again for our scenario.
