Electric Outboards just not there yet?

[jordanbasset]

When we had one we normally charged it through the inverter from the batteries, which stayed pretty much charged up with 200 watt solar panels.
Rarely did we let it go below 50% before charging. Normally charged it in the day time on a day we weren't using it. Never really timed how long it took to charge back up, but normally 4 or 5 hours.

 

[Elessar]

When we had one we normally charged it through the inverter from the batteries, which stayed pretty much charged up with 200 watt solar panels.
Rarely did we let it go below 50% before charging. Normally charged it in the day time on a day we weren't using it. Never really timed how long it took to charge back up, but normally 4 or 5 hours.

Interesting to hear your direct experience.
Did you consider a DC-DC charger rather than an inverter then a mains charger?
Is that not less efficient?
As it works for you a guess it doesn’t matter. Just curious.

 

[jordanbasset]

Interesting to hear your direct experience.
Did you consider a DC-DC charger rather than an inverter then a mains charger?
Is that not less efficient?
As it works for you a guess it doesn’t matter. Just curious.

We had both, used the mains charger as it was quicker and power was not a problem

 

[Elessar]

We had both, used the mains charger as it seemed quicker

Thanks.
Yes 180 watts instead of 60 ish so should be three times quicker in theory.

 

[[2574]]

Suspect many insurers might not cover a. 2 grand electric outboard for that sort of usage.

Luckily our insurers are covering the risk quite happily with no change on premium from the petrol that went before.

 

[Plum]

Watched a couple in a small sailing dinghy gybe and capsize. Righted and got on board but swamped and due to lack of buoyancy/freeboard were unable to bail. Only a few inches of freeboard. The E-propulsion was on the transom and the battery was stowed forward which was now floating. They plugged the battery onto the engine and motored gently back to the slipway. Not likely to be able to do that with a petrol outboard.

www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

 

[Boathook]

I'm getting closer to purchasing an electric outboard.
My yamaha malta is playing up yet again; slow jet problems I think, and now a fuel leak from the carb. I have another at home that did work a few years ago but ....
If they are both playing up I will get an electric one, where upon the malta's will start to work. Most of my dinghy journeys are short and lack of use of the malta is really to blame though modern fuel is I feel a contributory factor. Whether the electric ones will have a range issue and will my solar panels charge the batteries ok is something I don't know, and won't until I purchase one.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Electric is the future regardless if it is not reliable or too expensive or no facilities to charge them.
two strokes are no longer being manufactured and ice cars will stop production in a very short time.
Many of us are too old to be affected and a total banning of existing engines is a very long way off.
But nonetheless electric is the future..whether we like it or not

Two stroke outboards certainly are still being made. It’s just illegal to sell them in the EU. They are available if you know where to go.

 

[[2574]]

I'm getting closer to purchasing an electric outboard.
My yamaha malta is playing up yet again; slow jet problems I think, and now a fuel leak from the carb. I have another at home that did work a few years ago but ....
If they are both playing up I will get an electric one, where upon the malta's will start to work. Most of my dinghy journeys are short and lack of use of the malta is really to blame though modern fuel is I feel a contributory factor. Whether the electric ones will have a range issue and will my solar panels charge the batteries ok is something I don't know, and won't until I purchase one.

I worried about the range but, if you use your dinghy as we do - short trips ashore and back, range is a complete non-issue. We used ours all summer last year, mostly spent at anchor, and never got below 60% charge. We don’t charge along at 4kts in the dinghy, if we’re going 400m to the beach then 1kt is fine, then the battery just lasts seemingly forever. We just charged from our solar array and on the very few occasions that we had shore power. It all depends on intended use.

 

[mikegunn]

Two stroke outboards certainly are still being made. It’s just illegal to sell them in the EU. They are available if you know where to go.

I believe that it is only illegal for a two stroke outboard to be sold to a leisure user. They can still be purchased for commercial use.
And as you so rightly say, it is possible to buy two stroke engines from countries that do not have restrictions.

Mike

 

[dunedin]

Luckily our insurers are covering the risk quite happily with no change on premium from the petrol that went before.

And no detailed conditions / exceptions about removing from dinghy overnight and/or when ashore ?

 

[Elessar]

And no detailed conditions / exceptions about removing from dinghy overnight and/or when ashore ?

Why would the conditions be different because it’s electric?
The good thing with electric though is you can easily remove the battery and take just that bit with you.

 

[Elessar]

I believe that it is only illegal for a two stroke outboard to be sold to a leisure user. They can still be purchased for commercial use.
And as you so rightly say, it is possible to buy two stroke engines from countries that do not have restrictions.

Mike

It’s about emissions and not 2/4 stroke. Evinrude were selling large, powerful 2 strokes until fairly recently and they discontinued for commercial reasons.

Have to say small 4 stroke outboards are awful. Heavy and difficult to store. I would never buy one. But there are plenty of two strokes available if electric isn’t for you.

 

[[2574]]

And no detailed conditions / exceptions about removing from dinghy overnight and/or when ashore ?

No, nothing.

 

[oldgit]

You row your inflatable if you want to. Half a mile in the tide, no way, for me, and I'm fit, by anyone's standards. Rowing a proper boat, a kayak, or a paddle board, no problem, but you can't carry your luggage. Nor could I carry my wife, who cannot row any more owing to wrist surgery. Inflatables are a pig to row, they're for calm, still water without an outboard.

As boater for both work and pleasure ? of over 70 summers, having suffered various trot moorings, some which involved dragging a heavy dinghy up a muddy rock strewn foreshore after sculling ( to mean to buy a second oar) several hundred metres against a 2-3 knot tide, recently was determined to show a couple of 9 year olds who was the" man."
My grandaughter and her brother off in their inflatable at a pace, OG gave chase in another inflatable , determind to catch and overtake, 10 mins later they are still pulling away.
Apart from the hairshirt brigade. Outboards are from heaven ?

 

[xyachtdave]

I’ve got as far as googling electric outboards, I was under the impression it was Torquedo or nothing.

There’s a YM test of electric outboards on line and there’s loads of choice. The E Propulsion 3hp equivalent is the YM recommended unit, that’s available with hydro regeneration as an option.

If it works as promised a self sufficient outboard with zero servicing etc is very tempting, ignoring the price of course!

 

[Tranona]

If it works as promised a self sufficient outboard with zero servicing etc is very tempting, ignoring the price of course!

This is a bit of a blind alley. Regeneration only works at speed, typically 6 knots before you get any worthwhile output. Very few boats of a type that can use a small electric outboard can achieve this and then probably only for short periods. A bit better if you move up to the new saildrive units that are coming in for boats of say 45'+ which have propellers that can act as both propulsion under motor and as generators. Even then you might only get maybe an hour's worth of power from a day's sailing. There is little to be gained from efficiency of either motors or regeneration, the barrier to electric propulsion is storage density of batteries (just as with cars) and recharging facilities. As we have seen with cars these developments come first at the premium end before trickling down, and the premium market for boats where owners are willing to experiment is very small.

 

[xyachtdave]

This is a bit of a blind alley. Regeneration only works at speed, typically 6 knots before you get any worthwhile output. Very few boats of a type that can use a small electric outboard can achieve this and then probably only for short periods. A bit better if you move up to the new saildrive units that are coming in for boats of say 45'+ which have propellers that can act as both propulsion under motor and as generators. Even then you might only get maybe an hour's worth of power from a day's sailing. There is little to be gained from efficiency of either motors or regeneration, the barrier to electric propulsion is storage density of batteries (just as with cars) and recharging facilities. As we have seen with cars these developments come first at the premium end before trickling down, and the premium market for boats where owners are willing to experiment is very small.

For a lot of sailors having an engine that could cope with a couple of miles at either end of the day would be all that’s required.

I was thinking if I could attach it to the transom of the main vessel, so achieving 6 knots isn’t a problem, having a silent maintenance free motor for a tender that can get you ashore and back is appealing.

I appreciate the limitations you mention for driving say a 25ft day boat as the only means of propulsion.

 

[Tranona]

For a lot of sailors having an engine that could cope with a couple of miles at either end of the day would be all that’s required.

I was thinking if I could attach it to the transom of the main vessel, so achieving 6 knots isn’t a problem, having a silent maintenance free motor for a tender that can get you ashore and back is appealing.

I appreciate the limitations you mention for driving say a 25ft day boat as the only means of propulsion.

I can see the possibility of recharging your dinghy motor on the back of a cruiser, but as many reported earlier when cruising and using the dinghy to go ashore, neither range or recharging from the boat's sytem is not an issue. Equally getting a day boat in and out of its berth does not usually present a capacity issue with the standard battery. I think regenerating on a small engine is a gimmick with little practical application.

 

[dunedin]

Why would the conditions be different because it’s electric?
The good thing with electric though is you can easily remove the battery and take just that bit with you.

Not if you like walking / hiking up hills etc