[Rhodes22-list] Electric Outboards

[Rick]

Peter,

Sign up for the Yahoo group on repowering gas or diesel with electric.  Most
of it concerns sailboats.

After being on that group a while, I considered replacing my 9.9hp gas
outboard with a Torqueda of equal thrust.  Cost of motor and batteries would
be about the same as a new electric start gas engine.

Pros of the electric are:

   - Quiet
   - Better weight distribution
   - Easier moving the prop in and out of the water

Cons of electric are:

   - Expensive reserve battery cost for long distance travel compared to
   carrying a spare gas can.
   - Unknown battery and motor performance/durability in the big waves.

So I'm still waiting for the cons to recede.

As for trolling, why not just sail?

Rick

On Tue, May 17, 2011 at 10:50 AM, peter klappert
<peterklappert at comcast.net>wrote:

>
> Does anyone have thoughts on or experience with electric outboards?
>
> Practical Sailor pretty much says it's too soon. The 01/2010 issue reviewed
> the new Solid Nav 4-hp & seemed to prefer the Minn Kota RT80, though they
> found it "fragile compared to the Solid Nav." They mention a Torquedo 6-hp
> Cruise 2, but haven't tested it.
>
> So I shelved the idea of getting an electric for the R22 I'll pick up in
> Edenton this summer, though I'm still considering carrying a small electric
> (a) as back up for a gas engine and (b) for trolling. Does anyone do this?
> How do you mount a small electric without removing the primary engine?
>
> BUT....
>
> About a week ago the 05/2011 Cruising World arrived with a review of
> outboards for pocket cruisers & dinghies & that makes the Torquedo Cruise
> 4.0 sound like a real possibility. 8 hp (9.9 thrust), 38 lbs, but expensive:
> $3800.
>
> The Torqueda is much lighter than any gas engine but--aside from ease of
> mounting/removing--any weight advantage is probably illusory given the
> weight of high-quality marine batteries. PS tested the Solid Nav using a
> bank of 4 (!) North Star Energy 1 Group 24 AGM batteries. They run $373 each
> & weigh 59 lbs each.
>
> I'm stumbling around in the dark here. I don't know if I can even define
> volt, amp, watt, etc. I like the environmental implications of electric, the
> lighter weight (I could mount the Torqueda myself), and I'd like to avoid
> the hassle of ethanol in gas  & consequent water absorption (or the cost of
> ethanol-free marine gas).
>
> So if anyone has an opinion or has heard anything about electrics, I'll be
> glad to hear it.
>
> P
>
>
> DC / FL
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