blxm
Well-Known Member
Took the plunge and decided to purchase a Torqeedo 1003 recently. There has been much debate over electric outboards and therefore was difficult to make up my mind as to the pros and cons of these things, a lot of comment ( I now realise a lot is I'll informed) but little in the way independent user experience. So I thought I would provide some of my experiences to help others in determining if a Torqeedo is the way to go.
The most obvious concern is range. OK, the electric will never compete in that respect. I was initially concerned over this and put me off for some time. Previously experience was using a 3.5 4 stroke and this gave approximately 3Kn cruising speed on the 2.3m flat floor dinghy with 2 adults. Never measured the range on a tank, the longest we did was 4 miles sight seeing flat calm no tide. The electric outboard at the same speed provides, using the built in GPS range data, of 5-6 miles. However, reducing speed to 2.5kn this went up to 12 miles.
Power, loads of comments that the 1KW rating of the Torqeedo is a lot lower than the, claimed, 3Hp equivalent. This is, subjectively, a non issue. With the dinghy we are never going to plane and the drag is far more a problem than engine HP in this comparison. Both the electric and petrol refuse to push the boat past a certain point so I can say, in my set up, there is nothing to choose between the two. At one point we did rescue a dinghy with 2 adults and 2 dogs and towed them home at above cruising speed (just showing off!) with no problem. Indeed it had plenty in reserve as it was running at 550w out of the 1Kw available on the meter. The range reduced considerably but was not a problem. I should say that the prop speed is a lot lower as the torque at low RPM is comparatively high so for a slow moving dinghy it seems less frantic.
Weight, a small 2 stroke is about the same as the electric. However, the Torqeedo breaks down into two main pieces making it a lot simpler to move around. Compared to the 4 stroke it seems a massive difference but in total is only a few Kg's but that makes all the difference. It is waterproof. With a lanyard on the bits it doesn't really matter if we drop it in the water.
Charging, On all all the trips we did, mainly 2 miles per trip, the battery capacity never dropped below 75%. There is a mains fast charger, 7 hours from flat, but we used a 12v charging lead and this easily charged the battery up in a few hours. Just need to keep an eye on the house battery if you do this. (just over 2.5A draw I think but we did not measure consistently) If you are on mains then this is irrelevant. At no point did we have any concerns on range. The built in GPS is excellent.
Ease of use. Cant fault it. Forward and reverse with neutral and a soft start is, literally, child's play. The GPS that is built in is superb. Allows the unit to display speed, range at current power, and power currently used. No starting issues and the plug and play is reasonably fool proof. everything simply slots together. Storage was the main factor for me. being able to break down the unit to separate parts makes it easy to store. Its quiet but not silent. There is a whine from the motor but its quite low level. Good at not disturbing the wild life.
Build quality. Mostly excellent. One area of concern is the main power connector. We did manage to cross thread the plastic screw down collar. It survived but I am not convinced on the longevity. Will make enquiries on a replacement. Previous design weaknesses seem to have been addressed.
Cost. Eye wateringly expensive! At nearly twice the price of a new 4 stroke.
To sum up.
Pros:
No fuel storage/age/contamination issues.
No mess (2 stroke oil, fuel).
Can be stored easily.
Very simple to use.
Quiet(ish)
Good range, for an electric outboard.
Claims of equivalency to a 3.5Hp motor possible but difficult to confirm.
Cons:
Price
Cant refuel 'on the go' limits the range.
You have to stop and chat to loads of people about the the outboard as its still a novelty
Now that I have one, would I recommend it. A qualified yes. The price is the defining factor for most. Unless you are motoring against wind and tide for hours to reach a mooring its range is more than adequate. I suspect that for most, and many that I have talked to so far seem to qualify, the vast majority of use is pottering around a mooring/anchorage and fits the electric concept. Before I am shot down in flames, I do appreciate that there is a wide variety of requirements of an outboard so this is just one users experience and is intended to help others in the decision making process.
Mike
The most obvious concern is range. OK, the electric will never compete in that respect. I was initially concerned over this and put me off for some time. Previously experience was using a 3.5 4 stroke and this gave approximately 3Kn cruising speed on the 2.3m flat floor dinghy with 2 adults. Never measured the range on a tank, the longest we did was 4 miles sight seeing flat calm no tide. The electric outboard at the same speed provides, using the built in GPS range data, of 5-6 miles. However, reducing speed to 2.5kn this went up to 12 miles.
Power, loads of comments that the 1KW rating of the Torqeedo is a lot lower than the, claimed, 3Hp equivalent. This is, subjectively, a non issue. With the dinghy we are never going to plane and the drag is far more a problem than engine HP in this comparison. Both the electric and petrol refuse to push the boat past a certain point so I can say, in my set up, there is nothing to choose between the two. At one point we did rescue a dinghy with 2 adults and 2 dogs and towed them home at above cruising speed (just showing off!) with no problem. Indeed it had plenty in reserve as it was running at 550w out of the 1Kw available on the meter. The range reduced considerably but was not a problem. I should say that the prop speed is a lot lower as the torque at low RPM is comparatively high so for a slow moving dinghy it seems less frantic.
Weight, a small 2 stroke is about the same as the electric. However, the Torqeedo breaks down into two main pieces making it a lot simpler to move around. Compared to the 4 stroke it seems a massive difference but in total is only a few Kg's but that makes all the difference. It is waterproof. With a lanyard on the bits it doesn't really matter if we drop it in the water.
Charging, On all all the trips we did, mainly 2 miles per trip, the battery capacity never dropped below 75%. There is a mains fast charger, 7 hours from flat, but we used a 12v charging lead and this easily charged the battery up in a few hours. Just need to keep an eye on the house battery if you do this. (just over 2.5A draw I think but we did not measure consistently) If you are on mains then this is irrelevant. At no point did we have any concerns on range. The built in GPS is excellent.
Ease of use. Cant fault it. Forward and reverse with neutral and a soft start is, literally, child's play. The GPS that is built in is superb. Allows the unit to display speed, range at current power, and power currently used. No starting issues and the plug and play is reasonably fool proof. everything simply slots together. Storage was the main factor for me. being able to break down the unit to separate parts makes it easy to store. Its quiet but not silent. There is a whine from the motor but its quite low level. Good at not disturbing the wild life.
Build quality. Mostly excellent. One area of concern is the main power connector. We did manage to cross thread the plastic screw down collar. It survived but I am not convinced on the longevity. Will make enquiries on a replacement. Previous design weaknesses seem to have been addressed.
Cost. Eye wateringly expensive! At nearly twice the price of a new 4 stroke.
To sum up.
Pros:
No fuel storage/age/contamination issues.
No mess (2 stroke oil, fuel).
Can be stored easily.
Very simple to use.
Quiet(ish)
Good range, for an electric outboard.
Claims of equivalency to a 3.5Hp motor possible but difficult to confirm.
Cons:
Price
Cant refuel 'on the go' limits the range.
You have to stop and chat to loads of people about the the outboard as its still a novelty
Now that I have one, would I recommend it. A qualified yes. The price is the defining factor for most. Unless you are motoring against wind and tide for hours to reach a mooring its range is more than adequate. I suspect that for most, and many that I have talked to so far seem to qualify, the vast majority of use is pottering around a mooring/anchorage and fits the electric concept. Before I am shot down in flames, I do appreciate that there is a wide variety of requirements of an outboard so this is just one users experience and is intended to help others in the decision making process.
Mike
