Careful Dylan. Sounds you are getting to like the little ugly duckling on the transom. Looks and sounds like a good piece of kit. Hunter’s have a project to fit a Torqeedo engine to one of their 4-berth yachts – hopefully if it works out to whatever the parameters are, they will only fit to the 4-berthers, as it would be a great pity to change their USP with the other boats in their fleet – no engines. The Torqeedo range looks to be pretty impressive albeit the are expensive, but in time prices may come down. Besides the Torqeedo what are the other options either outboard or inboard? Anyway, great stuff.
I am slowly warming to the idea of e-outboard.
How big is the battery, How much to replace said battery? Some images of battery to give scale might also be well received. Thanks.
Lots of bonuses to the Torqeedo. $$$$ being the greatest negative. A motor, battery, and a spare battery is $2300-2600 (US). can get a Honda 2.3 for under $1000 and burn a lot of gas for that amount. for smallish lakes and/or going in/out of harbor are great. going slow, as Dylan noted, is how you get range. not best for cruising as range limited and need a good power source to recharge. Have a Torqeedo 503 in the shop right now being delivered with a Sage 17 in October.
Dylan, your post on the Torqeedo inspired me to check out their website. Don’t know what model you have, but I looked at the low $$$ Model. Forty pounds of thrust. A low end Minn Kota trolling motor with the same thrust rating, with a zinc added to the shaft for use in salt or brackish water is a couple hundred bucks. A 12v deep cycle Group 27 or 29 battery is about 125USD…and has higher capacity than the Torqeedo. So the total cost of a system whose performance exceeds the Torqeedo is less than 400USD. The only positive is can think of in favor of the Torqeedo is a few pounds of weight, at a cost penalty of about 1300USD. Am I missing something?
Hi Dylan. From the last sentence do I gather that you have actually been out with the Torqeedo driving KL?
That would be great. Appreciate that the new electric motors and kit is expensive vis diesel or petrol, but guess there must be a trend towards combined installations, rather like with cars and other road vehicles. Plus with a boat possibility of solar panels and wind generators, and even generation from prop shaft when sailing, to keep up the batteries topped up. As I said likely to be expensive at present but over time costs have a tendency to come down. Anyway look forward to learning of your experiences with Katie, as and when.