Torqeedo Electric Outboards

[thataway]

I can also comment on this. We have been using the Torqeedo as a dinghy motor--(see my comments on its use during the emergency at Lake Powell this last summer)

We also have a 3.5 hp Merc 3 stroke, which weighs 30 lbs, and we do carry it as an emergency kicker--and occasional use on the dinghy,.

The Torqeedo, is going to be slow on a 19 or 22., but a bit better on your 16. We did our initial studies of the torqeedo on our 18' catamaran--probably easier driven than a 16, because of the very narrow hulls. I agree with Greg, that there are places where you want a bit more range --the emphasis, on range vs speed.

We have not found the depth of the Torqeedo to be an issue at Lake Powell or Catalina/Florida when using it on the dinghy. It is light enough to easily pull up as you near land, and the entire lower unit is out of the water despite its length.

The Suzuki 2.5 4 stroke is an excellent outboard.

[Aurelia]

I added a few pics with descriptions for reference. They start here,

http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album2034&id=20160119_180534_resized&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php

Greg

[Aurelia]

New products from Torqeedo can be seen in the 2016 catalog.

http://demandware.edgesuite.net/aaud_prd/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-TQShared/default/dw2f60b4cd/torqeedo/print-catalog/torqeedo-catalog-2016-us.pdf

Highlights,

-Three charger options plus a 12v option for the travel line of batteries but check compatibility closely.

-New larger capacity spare battery option for a measly $999
-New solar charger option
-USB connector for battery for device charging and solar charging
-Lots of new larger outboard, inboard, and pod/sail drive units
-all of it still quite expensive overall

I bought ours for experimentation more than anything else and while quirky in some of the details, it is enjoyable if a little fussy to use. Now that we have a gas motor as well, the Torqeedo has competition on Ari. While I am all for new technology of any type, I grew up racing, rebuilding, and enjoying small gas motors, so gas motor fussiness is somehow easier for me to ignore. Cindie prefers electric, and I like gas.....More testing to come on proving the capability of that little Suzuki. Luckily, Cindie is more logical than not and will go with the best overall solution.

Greg

[thataway]

Thanks Greg. The catalogue takes a while to download, but worth browsing thru. It appears that this technology has come of age--and the extensive development by Torqeedo is paying off, with some truly practical motors and drive options.

I have not found our Torqeedo 1003 at all quirky--and don't know exactly what Greg means by that. We used it daily last summer for a month, and had zero problems, including when it was an integral part of the rescue.

The new $900 battery seems expensive, but it is $300 more than the standard, and gives almost twice the range. For us that is probably something worth having, especially since we will be using the dinghy on the St. John's to explore side rivers etc.

Although we still carry a 3.5 hp as the kicker in case we have to go some distance, we find the Torqeedo works very well as a light weight dinghy motor.

For those technically inclined--look at the new motors--truly amazing!

[GxK]

Bob and others--

Just when I've settled on the Suzuki DF 2.5 to power the inflatable dinghy, along come you guys with all this talk about the Torqeedo. Other than it's twice the costs of the 2.5-hp Suzuki, the Torqeedo Travel 1003 S looks like all I would need.

http://www.torqeedo.com/en/products/outboards/travel/travel-1003/M-1142-00.html

Does anyone have anything negative to say about the new age in small dinghy motors?

--Georgs

[Aurelia]

I can elaborate on some of the quirks of operation for the 1003 model we have been using on two inflatables plus our 19.

1. Error codes - if the throttle is moved too quickly from forward to reverse, or just too abruptly in general, you can get an error condition that shuts down the engine and displays the error on the LCD screen. Then you need to disconnect the power cable to reset and start over again. This has happened to us about 5 times total and is not a big deal and may be avoidable all together with gentler operation. Really an annoyance only thus far.

2. Motor stutter - When pushing a light dinghy without much load on board and running at higher throttle or full throttle. The motor seems to predictably hit a rev limiter and stutter in an annoying fashion (think antilock brakes) but again this can be avoided with throttle control and depending on the load, may never be encountered.

3. Parts - There are a few, and managing them gets a little old at times. One of the advantages of this motor is the travel design, meaning it comes apart for storage or transport. This makes for a light engine and the design of the parts is logical. The simple actions for us of gathering the drive unit from the back of the boat, and the tiller and battery from the helm area, plus the battery and steering lock pins and making sure you have the magnetic kill lanyard becomes a little tedious day after day of using the boat. We don't leave it fully assembled all the time mainly for security reasons and to keep some of the parts out of the weather overnight.

It only takes about a minute or two to assemble the parts into a finished product, but it always reminds me of the little gas units that are all-in-one and ready to go.

4. Shaft length - The short shaft is 24.5 inches long and the long is 29.5 inches long (compared to 15 and 20 for most outboards). For primary use as a dinghy motor on a short transom equipped inflatable, the length is simply excessive and this relates to shore landing, launching, and sometimes simply cruising around in the shallows trying to remember that the prop is drafting about 10-15 inches further down than it needs to. I wired as a kayaker so I think I notice this a little more.


5. Steering - There is a simple pin that drops in placed to lock the steering straight but no steering tensioner of any kind. We find this annoying only when tilting the motor up at the beach to then have the heavy rear mounted battery swing the motor tiller up with no tension to slow it down or stop it. That little pin would need to be inserted to avoid this or just let the motor skeg rest on the shore. It swings around with significant force.

6. General build details - Overall, the unit is nicely engineered but I can't help but notice a few plastic components that don't quite align or fit snugly to neighboring components. Don't get me wrong, its not fragile or falling apart on us, I only wish there was a screw or bolt in some locations that could simply be tightened as a remedy to a gap. Over-engineered (not overbuilt), at least slightly, would be my diagnosis. The special magnetic kill switch would fall into that category as well.

We like it, and it does exactly what is says it does, you just have to play by revised rules.

Greg

[thataway]

Greg, Thanks for the response.

No need to disconnect the power cable, if you get the error code (the shut down is to prevent damage to the drive train). You just turn it off, by removing the magnetic "key".

Never had the "motor stutter, but I rarely go full speed. I suspect this is to protect from overload-Max RPM is 1200.

We leave the motor assembled when the boat is at anchor and on the transom, including when charging.--all of the motor goes into the dingy on the cabin top.
We tie the plastic parts to the battery pack handle, with dacron line, which stays in place when using the motor--so no misplaced parts--just lower unit/base, battery and handle. Nothing weighs more than 11 lbs.

You do have to pull the motor up when you beach it--but there is a lock for the motor all of the way up, and have not had an issue.

Haven't have any problem when beaching--but do lock the shaft up. I let it come around and leave it at "natural" position. You do have to tilt the motor forward when coming into shoal water. Always have hand on tiller when under way.

Again, I think the general build issues are personal--I have lots of complaints about the best of outboard motors...let alone the occasional carburetor rebuilds, pull start, storing and pouring gasoline etc...but I still have gas engines...

[sebastien]

I was doing research on the 1103 and 1003 torqeedos and came across a 1003S on the used market so of course I wanted to consult c-dory owners so I looked up and read all the discussions about the torqeedo 1003 on c-brats.

Uses for me:
easy-peasy dinghy motor or emergency kicker just to get to a safe place and wait for Towboat-US if broken down in a bad spot.

question:
would you buy a 5 year old used torqeedo 1003S with two batteries, charger, remote throttle (likely won't use) charger, wires etc. with about 100 hrs for $1400 or would you just get a new one (they are about $2000) and skip the extra battery.

I like the idea of having the extra battery so we always have a fully charged battery even when we leave an anchorage where we may have used the motor on the dinghy in case of an emergency AND to double the range if they are both charged either on the dinghy or as kicker.

Still up in the air!
Options for the 22 for the great loop are:
-no dinghy / kicker motor (Towboat-US of course)
-brand new 4 stroke suzuki 2.5 or equivalent.
-brand new torqeedo 1003
-the used 1003 with extra battery I mention above.

I know there is tons of discussion about electric VS. gas
and I'm still open to the gas option but seeing as this opportunity to buy a used torqeedo with extra battery has come up I would like to hear from people with experience with owning the Torqueedos for a while and whether they feel a 5 year old model makes sense to buy used to save (quite) a few bucks.

As usual I look forward to the responses.

[robhwa]

[ssobol]

There is this one as an alternative. Cheaper than a Torqeedo. While it seems ok for a dinghy, it might not be powerful enough for a kicker.

https://www.electricpaddle.com/index.html

[thataway]

I also have had no problems with my Torqeedo. It is at least 7 years old. I have the original battery. Of course I know how it has been used, never fully discharged, always stored with about 80% charge etc.

I would go with the used one. There is a very simple 12 volt charger available for minimal cost, if not included. But with the excellent suggestions that you get to try it out--and return if not as represented...

As for a kicker--it is to get steerage way--and would be nice to have the extra battery for that purpose, since you would be running it close to wide open.

The nearest we came to fully discharging the 1003 battery, was at Powell when we had the emergency and had to chase down the park ranger who went to the wrong part of the cove. We were running it at full capacity with two of us in the dinghy, plus had been using the motor most of the day. Steve Parsons brought it back at a slower speed as I rode with the ranger in the Park Service boat--and it still had about 15% charge.

There are several competitors for the Torqeedo, but I would buy another Torqeedo if I was purchasing today.

[sebastien]

A couple of days before we left Philadelphia I made up my mind to get a torqueedo travel 1103. The only one in stock was at a west marine in new castle Delaware an hour away - great! No sales tax.
Got the battery charged up to 100%, put the whole thing together on the dinghy and went for sea trial out of the marina on the Delaware. Five minutes later an error code shows up and no power.. we frantically row back to the marina (cruised up current thank God)
Error code is low voltage.. plugged the battery back in but it won’t charge - blinks red and green and then nothing. Called torqueedo and they said they would send out a new battery. We wanted to leave though so we took all the packaging out of the marina recycling, took all the parts and got a no-questions refund from west marine the next day.
Upon close scrutiny of the box labels the motor has been delivered in late 2019. There was also a sticker for the battery maintenance stating it should have been recharge no later than 2020.
My point is that if you buy one make sure the battery is fresh and was maintained by the retailer when you pick it up - I think this west marine had it in stock for too long and never charged the battery and so damaged it by letting it go into deep discharge.
For the five minutes we ran it it was great and I’m glad torqueedo was going to send us a new battery BEFORE even receiving the damaged one. I just couldn’t handle the wait and the logistics at that moment in time
Just a heads up if you’re in the market

[Chester]

Where did you find this battery maintenance sticker?

[LesR]

There was a similar or same sticker on the outside of the larger box for the Torqeedo motor I recently bought, indicating the battery should be fully charged by a specific month/year. I got mine from Defender, and the date specified was later this year (Fall I think, but don't have the box with me). There may have also been one on the smaller box in which the battery was shipped.

Based on my fading memory, it seems like it was one year after manufacture, or close to that.

Les

[thataway]

If some li ion batteries are fully discharged--and for some lengths of time--it will ruin them. I store my Li battery devices at about 80% charged and check them at least every 3 to 6 months.