[Rhodes22-list] Electric Motor

[David Keyes]

Jose, I read that you are using the Torqeedo Cruise 4.0 R.  I am thinking of getting the 2.0 R or 4.0 R, although the cost becomes somewhat staggering with the Torqeedo lithium batteries.  Currently I am still using my 2001 Yamaha 9.9 with Stan’s remote linkage to the sailboat tiller, and with his newer electric lift.  If I continue with the 9.9, I have to replace the cables (not easy, since Yamaha doesn’t list the cables that originally came with the 2001 setup.

One of my hesitations with the Torqeedo arises from user posts on the internet about lack of service for repairs.  Unless a replacement part can be shipped, apparently the whole motor has to be shipped back to Hong Kong.  Aside from service and cost, the idea of electric instead of gas is appealing, and the Torqeedo motors seem very nifty.

I would like to drop down to the smaller  2.0 (5 hp equivalent), since all we usually do is motor out of the marina and switch immediately to sail.  But there have been a few times on Lake Travis near Austin, Texas (where my boat sits in the water 12 months a year—I have never owned a trailer), when the weather picks up fairly suddenly, and the 4.0 would produce almost as much power as my Yamaha 9.9.

Now that you have been using your 4.0 for several years, are you still happy with your switch from the Yamaha 9.9?  Are you using the Torqeedo Power 48-5000 battery that weighs about 80 pounds and costs about 5 grand?  Arrggh.   What kind of mount did you acquire or build for the battery?  Does the Torqeedo remote cable and control unit install satisfactorily onto the sailboat tiller?

I will appreciate your views and experience on this.

I have a 2011 R22, and when I bought it new, I transferred my Yamaha 9.9 to it from my earlier 2001 R22.  The motor still runs well—or will run again if I can replace the control cables—but is very temperamental when leaving and returning through the marina to my slip at the end closest to a limestone cliff.  It gets pretty exciting with a trailing wind having to make a hard turn to port into the last slip, with larger boats than mine all around me and the Yamaha that, as usual, has decided at that point to quit.  Once I am out in the lake with no obstacles around, it will run all day as if it never stalls or misses as long as it has gas.  But of course that is when I am sailing instead of motoring, weather permitting.

David Keyes

> On Dec 30, 2019, at 6:23 PM, Jose Faraldo-Gomez <jose.faraldo at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Hello Charles 
> 
> We’ve had a Torqueedo Cruise 4.0R for a few years and in terms of power I can’t tell it apart from the (admittedly rather old) Yamaha T9.9 we had before. This particular Torqueedo motor is advertised as equivalent to 8 HP, so this seems accurate. If you get by with a Honda 5 HP, one of the Cruise 2.0 models (either with remote throttle or with tiller) would likely be the equivalent. 
> 
> Jose
> 
> s/v Steady State
> Rose Haven, MD
> 
>> On Dec 30, 2019, at 6:31 PM, Shawn Boles <shawn.sustain at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi:
>> 
>> I have used a torqeedo electric for the last 10 years on Fern Ridge Lake in
>> Oregon. I have a long shaft 3 horsepower equivalent and find it it's
>> sufficient for getting in and out of the slip. Not too good against serious
>> winds and waves but can push the boat at low speeds up to 15 km. Easy to
>> recharge and Bulletproof.
>> 
>> Cheers,
>> 
>> Shawn
>> 
>> s/v Sweet Baboo
>> 
>>> On Mon, Dec 30, 2019, 2:36 PM Charles Nieman <blue66corvette at hotmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> There has been discussion regarding the use of the new electric motors and
>>> I know Stan outfitted one boat with a slick mounting inside the laz. I’m
>>> thinking it may be time to join the revolution. Trying to figure out how
>>> much motor I need for lake sailing. I’ve been using a Honda 5hp quiet
>>> successfully
>>> 
>>> Any advise from the fleet?
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
>>> Charles Nieman
>>> SV Daydreams 98 R22
>>> Arlington, TX
>>> 
>>>