Torquedo electric outboard - feedback

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gregcope

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Hi all

Looking at the Traveler 503

+be
- light
- will push our tender for hours on a charge
- splits into smaller bits
- no fuel / oily bits
- no servicing

-ve
- cost
- problems when you run out of charge

Our outboard use is basically the odd run to mooring and back (300m?), and then the odd run ashore in the flubbed when at anchor or on isolated pontoons.

We are usually 4 up, with some luggage in the walker bay (so 500kg odd)
 
All sounds good BUT if only occasional use watch out for self discharge of the battery - used or not the battery really needs frequent charging.
 
We bought this and have only used it once so far and we are happy with it.
Easy to put together and use.
 
cliff said:
All sounds good BUT if only occasional use watch out for self discharge of the battery - used or not the battery really needs frequent charging.
Click to expand...

Self-discharge is actually very low for lithium-manganese batteries. For storage of up to 6 months, Torqeedo recommend that the battery charge level should be around 50%.
 
cliff said:
All sounds good BUT if only occasional use watch out for self discharge of the battery - used or not the battery really needs frequent charging.
Click to expand...

An assumption which may or may not be true.

On the whole Li batteries are far less prone to self discharge than other rechargeable batteries - the ones in the Torquedo are probably not based on LiCo but on one of the other combinations giving even less self-discharge but less mass-efficiency.
Self discharge rate about 5-8% per month @ 21C, far higher at higher temperatures, so in the Med 12-18%/month. So very comparable to non-VRLA lead acid batteries.
 
Lazy Kipper said:
Self discharge on ours was minimal even with very infrequent use.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I have left the battery for more than a month in winter time and there was no discharge. This makes it a feasible option to have one spare battery fully charged in the boat without fear that it will discharge when not in use.
Charging time for a fully discharged battery is appr. 16 hours.
With a 1,3 tons of boat I can make 4-5 knots full throttle with the Torqeedo Travel 1003.

I switched to electric motor from a gasoline outboard and am very happy now. The reason for the change was that in winter they stop the water in the marina to avoid freezing and I could not flush my gasoline outboard, therefore I needed every time to dismantle it and to carry it (25 kg)in my garage in order to perform the flush procedure which was quite laborious.

Now, with the Torqeedo, after each use I dismantle the motor (motor, tiller and battery), leave everything in the boat below deck and take only the battery for charging it at home.

Rumen
 
gregcope said:
Hi all

Looking at the Traveler 503

+be
- light
- will push our tender for hours on a charge
- splits into smaller bits
- no fuel / oily bits
- no servicing

-ve
- cost
- problems when you run out of charge

Our outboard use is basically the odd run to mooring and back (300m?), and then the odd run ashore in the flubbed when at anchor or on isolated pontoons.

We are usually 4 up, with some luggage in the walker bay (so 500kg odd)
Click to expand...
Depends what you expect.
What outboard do you currently use?
Will the electric o/b be as powerful?
A walker bay, loaded as you describe is not the lowest drag of boats.
But I suppose it might be better punching into waves than some.
There are definitely times when I've thought my 2hp Yam is a bit small, and that's two up.
For 300m and no big tide or great hurry, I'd row anyway.
But OTOH SWMBO isn't great at rowing....
Do let us know how it goes.
I can see the appeal of the silent option, if it does what you need.
 
lw395 said:
Depends what you expect.
What outboard do you currently use?
Will the electric o/b be as powerful?
A walker bay, loaded as you describe is not the lowest drag of boats.
But I suppose it might be better punching into waves than some.
There are definitely times when I've thought my 2hp Yam is a bit small, and that's two up.
For 300m and no big tide or great hurry, I'd row anyway.
But OTOH SWMBO isn't great at rowing....
Do let us know how it goes.
I can see the appeal of the silent option, if it does what you need.
Click to expand...


Presently use a 2stroke 3.3

The walker bay cruises at half throttle, and you are correct is not quick

Not expecting it to be as fast, and that is not really the point. Being able to make reasonable way against wind and tide in Chichester harbour towards our mooring is all we need. The trip to / from anchorage / isolated pontoons tend to be short.

Not really interested in te silent option. I like the lack of hassel of feul/oil and the ability to split it up for easier storage.
 
gregcope said:
I like the lack of hassel of feul/oil and the ability to split it up for easier storage.
Click to expand...

That's the bit I found difficult to get used to. You still think it's a petrol outboard, and forget there's no oil. It takes a bit of time to get used to putting it down on a bunk. Or splitting it into bits and pushing it into the clothes locker.
 
gregcope said:
Presently use a 2stroke 3.3

The walker bay cruises at half throttle, and you are correct is not quick

Not expecting it to be as fast, and that is not really the point. Being able to make reasonable way against wind and tide in Chichester harbour towards our mooring is all we need. The trip to / from anchorage / isolated pontoons tend to be short.

Not really interested in te silent option. I like the lack of hassel of feul/oil and the ability to split it up for easier storage.
Click to expand...

The Walker Bay is a bit draggy but less so that a rubber dinghy with a flat floor. I'd love to see one on the back of a slim clicker dinghy, should be jolly quick. The modern Torqeedos use GPS to measure remaining range and a single battery will do a lot of short trips out to the mooring.
 
Got the Traveler 1003LS. Pushes a Jaguar 21 (1100kg) around fine - 4 knots no problem. Never got close to running it flat - it uses much less battery when not at full power so if you can take your time it will last hours.

In every way, except range, it is far better than a petrol outboard. No petrol to go off or ignite, no oil, no maintenance, little noise (it isn't silent and I find the noise unpleasant but much quieter than a petrol engine), very easy to use, well-made, dismantles into lumps that are easy to carry.
 
I have had a Torqeedo 1003. I sold it at a loss. The reason being - my mooring is at the end of a creek facing the prevailing wind, so have to motor out against wind and tide on most occasions. On a 14ft Voyager, it just wasn't man enough for the job despite being being sold as a 4hp. On full power it could manage 3 knots against wind and tide, but the battery life would drop to 20-25 mins! On half throttle the sog would drop to a misery 1 to 1.5 knots. I chucked on my old Johnson 3.5hp two stroke, and at half throttle in same conditions I would get 3.5 to 3.8 knots. So for me it was a no brainer! The final straw was when the Torqeedo ground to a halt and broke its shear pin on a clump of seaweed! The two stroke would have dealt with the same weed as a food processor would!
 
Good to hear from a dis-satified user. Most responses are fiercely protective of the owners choice of motive power. (no one likes to admit they have made a mistake). My concern is the lack of range but for most journeys to and from a mooring/anchorage this doesn't matter but my outward can also go on a bracket to power my boat. The cost is also a factor and the cost of replacing the battery (this also applies to electric cars). I'll stick with my Honda 2.3.
 
ghostlymoron said:
Good to hear from a dis-satified user. Most responses are fiercely protective of the owners choice of motive power. (no one likes to admit they have made a mistake). My concern is the lack of range but for most journeys to and from a mooring/anchorage this doesn't matter but my outward can also go on a bracket to power my boat. The cost is also a factor and the cost of replacing the battery (this also applies to electric cars). I'll stick with my Honda 2.3.
Click to expand...

Sensible choice to keep the Honda I think. Cost is a real issue. Most petrol outboards if looked after will last many years - loads still operational from 70's and 80's. But Torqeedo themselves say the battery deteriorates by a minimum of 4% per annum, and needs replacing after 6 years. So that's a big cost!
 
Lazy Kipper said:
The Walker Bay is a bit draggy but less so that a rubber dinghy with a flat floor. I'd love to see one on the back of a slim clicker dinghy, should be jolly quick. The modern Torqeedos use GPS to measure remaining range and a single battery will do a lot of short trips out to the mooring.
Click to expand...
There is a long history of electric boats on smooth lakes and rivers.
The Americans love Torqueedos for lake fishing, where I can see they would be exactly the right thing.
 
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