Electric outboards

[MikeBz]

Does anyone use an electric outboard for their tender? There are plenty of cheap ones sold primarily for trolling, but would one of these do for pushing a small flubber to & from a mooring in tidal waters?

Mike

 

[m1taylor]

I thought about this, but the combined weight of the battery and engine is more than a small petrol outboard - and more hassle to carry. There do appear to be a few electric outboards with the battery built in, but these are very expensive - circa £750 from the ones I have seen advertised. Hopefully they will come down in price as that's the answer - ie an outboard that weights around 12 kilos with a rechargeable battery built in. If someone built one of those for the same price as a petrol one (ie around £400), that would surely be a winner.

 

[MikeBz]

I'm not too bothered about having to lift e.g. a 10kg outboard and a 10kg battery separately (a lot easier than lifting them together!). I'd rather stow that lot in the locker than a smelly leaky petrol job, and it'd make ambling to & from the mooring a much more enjoyable experience. Don't want to buy one and then find it's not up to the job though!

Mike

 

[Evadne]

Yes, I use one but in the rigid tender to get from slip to mooring. The tender stays on the mooring. The subject has come up before and googling for it will reveal some longish threads, but basically you have it in a nutshell. You'll need a 24lb thrust one for preference, and a 60Ah battery will give you an hour or so from one of them. I use a 12lb thrust one which gives me over two hours, and put a battery in a cheap plastic box with a deck plug in the lid. But it is a bit weedy.
pros are no noise or smell, no petrol in the boat or the boot, easy starting and it's SWMBO-friendly (she doesn't like noisy little engines).
cons are the weight of the battery, lack of power or duration and the difficulty in "refuelling".

 

[Aja]

Plenty of choice Here

Donald

 

[DaveS]

I've been using an electric o/b for a couple of years now. Mine's a Minn Kota 300 (I think) which isn't really meant for salt water but hasn't packed in yet! It draws 30A max which is about 0.5 hp but feels more like 1 hp petrol equivalent. In flat water it pushes the rubber duck along at about 2.5 knots in almost complete silence! If I need more then I also row. It's worth giving some thought to handling the battery which is an awkward weight. I use a plastic battery box with a tape harness sewn round it and hoist it onboard with a 2:1 tackle. Plugs and sockets make it quick to connect it to either the o/b or the boat's charging system.

 

[Paulka]

I replaced my dying 20 years old Honda three years ago, and bought the smallest Yamaha - actually a Minn Kota.
I am still enthusiast about my new outboard!
It never fails to start,
No more petrol on board.
The outboard itself is very light (6 Kg.)
The battery ... is somewhat heavier, (12 Kg. in my case), but you can choose to have a lighter one, at the expense of the running time.
Only drawback : mine is a fresh water model, and the case starts to corrode.
When the time arrives, I would choose one of the salt water models, and may be, with built-in battery, if the price still is reasonable, as well as the battery's capacity.
Hope this helps.

 

[MikeBz]

Lots of useful info there folks, thankyou.

I'd looked at the Minn Kota offerings, strangely they don't seem to quote the current draw anywhere.

Rhino seem to be a lot cheaper thrust-for-thrust (£105 for a brand new 28lb thrust model on EBay) - maybe they're not saltwater friendly.

Mike

 

[jcmmarine]

A friend, with more money than sense, bought one when they were a fairly new (they may be better now) and we both tried it. Observations:
1. Great inland on slow moving water particularly for sneaking up on wildlife.
2. Waste of space in any wind, waves or current.
3. Light and easy to lift on and off and no petrol leaking out when you lay it on its side.
4. Charging and keeping charged the battery is a pain, need to rig leads, and you need a solid floor in the tender and anchor points.
5. Feel much safer stowing extra battery than petrol can.
6. Battery never seems to be charged when you want it and 50/50 chance of having to row back.
7. Happier with young children playing with electric than a petrol outboard.
8 Electricity and water do not mix.

I have since never had any incination to buy one but it is up to you.