Electric outboard

[pessimist]

SWMO is very tempted by he idea of an electric outboard. We try to avoid marinas and so seldom have access to shore power. We do have 320 watts of solar and have fully charged batteries by noon on a sunny day. Would it be feasible to use the excess power to charge an electric outboard? Anybody doing it this way? Obviously I wouldn't expect to be able to charge on a dull day but would retain the small 2 stroke for that. Any thoughts?

 

[pvb]

It's perfectly feasible. I charge my Torqeedo battery from the boat's 12v system without problems. If you have spare solar power, it will use it.

 

[pessimist]

How long does a charge take from 12v? I know that's a how long is a piece of strong question but it would be good to have a rough idea. Thanks.

 

[pvb]

I don't use the Torqeedo much. When the battery is low, I just plug it in to the 12v system and leave it to charge. I don't bother too much how long it takes. The battery isn't huge, so it probably charges in 8 or 10 hours.

 

[TiggerToo]

How long does a charge take from 12v? I know that's a how long is a piece of strong question but it would be good to have a rough idea. Thanks.

our evo needed two full days of UK sun (from a nominal 120W folding panel). This was in summer in the IoS. But we manged fine: with that amount of charge we could go for over 12M at moderate speeds, not something we would do very often!

This is sort of in line with what pvb posted above.

 

[BobnLesley]

Based on our experience, my concern would be more about the power that it puts out, rather than the power that you needed to put into it.
We tried an electric outboard - a separate battery, so we just renewed the boat's start battery and used the old one, switching them to charge via the boat's alternator - but soon found that if the seas/wind/current were up at all, it just didn't have the oomph to push us along - two people and a 2.4m rib - the motor was 'rated' at 3hp, but in real world use we reckoned it provided barely 50% of the push that our 3.3hp Mercury 2-stroke gave us.

 

[pvb]

Based on our experience, my concern would be more about the power that it puts out, rather than the power that you needed to put into it.
We tried an electric outboard - a separate battery, so we just renewed the boat's start battery and used the old one, switching them to charge via the boat's alternator - but soon found that if the seas/wind/current were up at all, it just didn't have the oomph to push us along - two people and a 2.4m rib - the motor was 'rated' at 3hp, but in real world use we reckoned it provided barely 50% of the push that our 3.3hp Mercury 2-stroke gave us.

That sounds like a trolling motor, it wouldn't have much power. A proper electric outboard (Torqeedo, ePropulsion) has plenty of power.

 

[stranded]

Re. Bobnleslie - We have a torqueedo and have get at least as much oomph as with our Yamaha 2.5. Have not been on shore power for 6 months now and maintain charge for ‘commuting’ fine with 2 x 100w solar, but have the option, used infrequently, of a generator too - used two or three times this season iirc. I think perfectly doable if dinghy is mainly ship to shore - finer calculations if planning on doing lots of dinghy exploration.

 

[Parabordi]

same here, we have an ePropulsion and it's easily as powerful as a 3hp.

 

[Stemar]

same here, we have an ePropulsion and it's easily as powerful as a 3hp.

That sounded promising until I saw the price, though I wasn't overly surprised - roughly twice the price of an IC job. I could still be tempted, but as a lump, it's heavier than my .35HP 4 stroke. I suppose the fact that it can be spit into two bits makes it easier to carry.

I think I'll wait until I need to buy an OB

 

[pvb]

That sounded promising until I saw the price, though I wasn't overly surprised - roughly twice the price of an IC job. I could still be tempted, but as a lump, it's heavier than my .35HP 4 stroke. I suppose the fact that it can be spit into two bits makes it easier to carry.

I think I'll wait until I need to buy an OB

Yes, decent electric outboards aren't cheap, but they're a delight to use. Easy to mount on the dinghy, easy to store, easy to use. No smelly petrol to store. And quiet!

 

[Tranona]

This month's YM has what is probably the best review to date of electric outboards (10 tested). Answers most of the questions raised here regularly.

 

[stranded]

That sounded promising until I saw the price, though I wasn't overly surprised - roughly twice the price of an IC job. I could still be tempted, but as a lump, it's heavier than my .35HP 4 stroke. I suppose the fact that it can be spit into two bits makes it easier to carry.

I think I'll wait until I need to buy an OB

The fact that it can be split into two does not, as you ‘suppose’, make it easier to carry, it make carrying it, at arms length, on and off a dinghy, an entirely different proposition. If you can afford it, it is imnsho a no brainer; if you can’t, don’t invent alternative qualms.

 

[pvb]

This month's YM has what is probably the best review to date of electric outboards (10 tested). Answers most of the questions raised here regularly.

Most people no longer buy sailing magazines.

 

[Poignard]

Most people no longer buy sailing magazines.

Yes, can we have a 'spoiler'?

 

[pvb]

Yes, can we have a 'spoiler'?

You can't resist it, can you? Ask yourself one question, was my comment wrong?

 

[Poignard]

You can't resist it, can you? Ask yourself one question, was my comment wrong?

No.
Did you understand what I meant by a "spoiler"?

"spoiler
information about a film, book, or TV show that spoils the enjoyment for someone who has not yet seen it"

In this context, I was hoping to have the conclusions of the tests without having to buy the magazine.

 

[Tranona]

Most people no longer buy sailing magazines.

Then it is their loss as if they are interested in electric outboards they will miss out on useful information.

 

[Tranona]

Yes, can we have a 'spoiler'?

No, you can't. If you want the information buy the magazine - or go into Smiths or Tesco and read it there - just like the dirty old men who used to pick Playboy off the top shelf when nobody was looking.

 

[Poignard]

No, you can't. If you want the information buy the magazine - or go into Smiths or Tesco and read it there - just like the dirty old men who used to pick Playboy off the top shelf when nobody was looking.

I can't reach them anymore