Torqeedo 1003 range / run time

[Sticky Fingers]

Hi folks

I'm spending some time this weekend doing some exploring in Chichester harbour with our dink and the Torqeedo. Appreciate that this is very much dependent on weight, speed, tides and what all else, but wondered what people's experiences have been with the Torqeedo range / run time, assuming that speed is kept down? Never attempted anything like this before with it, so no experience of how quickly it runs down.

I've got the 1003 which is the larger battery capacity.

How accurate is the charge indicator?

I don't want to find myself some way from home with a flat battery...!

 

[RupertW]

Very accurate on the charge indicator and will run normally at least down to 5 percent and possibly lower but we haven’t yet. We find a quarter mile pushing a heavy 3m rib takes about 10 percent of the charge at three quarter revs but ours is old enough to have a 550 TSU battery rather than the 950 TSU battery that is standard now.

 

[mainsail1]

The new, more powerful battery is excellent.
From the trips I have done which include 'exploring' with four in an Avon dinghy at relatively slow speed it will go for 4 or 5 hours on a charge. When running the tiller screen shows you the power that is being taken which makes it easy to calculate roughly how long you can go for at that speed. We normally travel with it showing about 200 watts/ hour which seems to equate to it running for about 4.5hours at that speed on a 900watt battery.

 

[Aeolus]

I use a torqeedo in Chichester Harbour, unfortunately with the smaller battery. I avoid peak ebb (in Itchenor Reach, 2 knots), as the 1/2 mile to my boat would use 50%+ of the battery. With no tide, it uses around 7% to cover the 1/2 mile (I'm happy to potter along at 2 knots - going faster would drain the battery disproportionately). Also depends on the dinghy - the figures above relate to my displacement Bic 245 dinghy. My flat-bottomed inflatable uses probably 2/3rds of that.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Thanks that's all really useful. Our dinghy is a 2.9m 3D Superlight Twinair. We'll be two-up and not in any kind of hurry so it sounds like we'd get several hours.

Good point about the tidal flows in Chi. ..!

 

[VicS]

Thanks that's all really useful. Our dinghy is a 2.9m 3D Superlight Twinair. We'll be two-up and not in any kind of hurry so it sounds like we'd get several hours.

Good point about the tidal flows in Chi. ..!

And they are big spring tides this weekend!


( Take a Seagull and a can of petrol along with you as back up. )

 

[Sticky Fingers]

If I had one ��

 

[Tranona]

If I had one ��

I can lend you one.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Haha thanks. I’ll see how I get on without the petrol monster.

Todays jaunt was a 40 minute tour of the marina then up to Dell Quay and back. Used about 35% of capacity. I was running at about 400watts and half of the journey time plugging into the ebbing tide. At a lower speed it looks like about 7-10 miles of range.

So so far so good. Found the 3D tender a bit, well, tender. Needs bigger tubes and a foot wider.

 

[pvb]

Haha thanks. I’ll see how I get on without the petrol monster.

Todays jaunt was a 40 minute tour of the marina then up to Dell Quay and back. Used about 35% of capacity. I was running at about 400watts and half of the journey time plugging into the ebbing tide. At a lower speed it looks like about 7-10 miles of range.

So so far so good. Found the 3D tender a bit, well, tender. Needs bigger tubes and a foot wider.

The Torqeedo is a great little motor! I have the 1003 with the 520Wh battery, and find it has quite a good range. If you have the newer one with the 915Wh battery, you shouldn't have any problems. My only gripe with the Torqeedo is the poor legibility of the LCD display; if they sorted that it'd be the perfect tender outboard.

The 3D tender is light for a reason - it isn't very big. I use a Zodiac Cadet 240 Aero, and although it's much shorter it's still a fair bit wider than your 290.

 

[PhillM]

I noticed today that some of the J70 race fleet have been using them to get in and out of the hamble. This tells me that they must now be reliable and have a reasonable range. Although I cannot tell you what that range may be.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

The 3D tender is light for a reason - it isn't very big. I use a Zodiac Cadet 240 Aero, and although it's much shorter it's still a fair bit wider than your 290.

It's obviously big enough to carry 4, I just think it would be better if it was wider and shorter. Bit of a hobson's choice though, I needed something that had 4 person capacity and weighed as little as possible, and the 3D was onne of only a couple of options.

It was fine, to be fair. Just felt a bit tippy.