F-Ribs And Sibs - Inflatable Boat Community

Hi everyone. Does any of you come across electric outboards such as Torqeedo or Minkota? What is your experience with them if you don't mind me asking?

Way underpowered and the Batteries are very expensive and heavy...… I am sure the tech will get there but not yet...… Petrol all the way

Not sure about underpowered - they have 60hp versions now - but they are very expensive and the batteries are heavy.

It really depends on what you are using it for. If it is the tender for your yacht and it sits in its garage / on deck / in the davits and can have a power cable running to it and all you use it for is running around the marina or a bit of exploring then they are superb. However, if like most of us on here you use your boat as your primary method of waterborne transportation then they leave a lot to be desired as they are expensive, heavy and have a short range compared to internal combustion.

Electric may win out in the end, but it’s just not there yet in my opinion.

If you do a little more research you'll find the new kid on the block is e-propulsion.
Lighter, better, and floating batteries too.
Check them out at https://www.frib-se.co.uk/shop-e-propulsion or contact @F-Rib South East on here for more help and advise.

Martin

I tried one in our local chandlery and I must say that they are much lighter than a petrol one. They are not heavy at all in my opinion, however, the price is quite high. I am wondering if anything goes wrong with or the battery is going bust I believe that the price to replace it will easily buy a petrol one without second thoughts. But still, I believe they are quite cool...

I agree that they are a cool idea.

It’s not the weight of the motors, but the weight of the batteries.

Also the price; my God’s the price.

For a 20hp equivalent:
Motor £8000
Battery £2600
Charger £360

That’s best part of 11k for something comparable with a Suzuki 20hp. You could buy three and a bit Suzukies for that (4 if you get a good price)

Then there is range. Running at half power the 20hp equivalent draws 5kw. The battery is
3.5kwh, so you can draw 3.5kw for an hour. At 5kw you would get a maximum of 42 minutes before the battery is completely flat. At 14 knots (a generous speed estimate at 50% power) you would get a range of around 10 miles. That is not a long way. My average journey this year as been 13 miles.

For me those numbers just don’t add up to something which could be used instead of my Suzuki.

Think I’d echo what’s already been said.

The Torqeedo and new kid on the block e-propulsion are the only real contenders power wise as the Minkota’s are only trolling motors.

Both the former two will equal the weight (13kg) and power of say the Honda 2.3 and Suzuki 2.5 petrol guzzlers. At around two and a half times the cost and very limited run time at any sort of power then not really a viable alternative for most.

As Chris mentioned above great to use in marinas or on waterways/lakes where petrol motors are banned. I did consider one a few years back but concluded would need to take along at least two additional batteries for a decent run time at max power.....suddenly a 5l can of unleaded seemed very light and cheap.

Worth a look at this vid;



Edit: Just seen @ChrisParish post above. My ramblings only relevant to the 2/3hp equivalents.

Coastal Chic wrote: ↑

12 Sep 2019, 13:29

Hi everyone. Does any of you come across electric outboards such as Torqeedo or Minkota? What is your experience with them if you don't mind me asking?

Thank you all the support! I have decided to go for a Torqueedo 1003 Traveler considering that is only for convenience and not long distances. They are very quiet also and the other berth holders are not bothered by the noise of a petrol outboard motor!

Very nice. Torqeedo - the silent killer!

Let us know how you get on.