TheSamba.com :: View topic - Anyone have experience with electric boat motors?

Tue Jan 26, 2021 5:30 pm

I’m not taking about using a trolling motor to move you around but an electric motor as the only motor.
I’m planning a project in my head and I’m considering going with an electric outboard motor. The lack of noise, exhaust, gas/oil, smell,and pollution is very appealing to me. It looks like there are a few good choices out there these days.
I’m thinking of a two person 10’ boat with a run time of at least a few hours. I’m not looking to be able to pull a skier or win any races but I want it to be able to move the boat at a quick pace for at least a little bit then pull back the power for a couple hour leisure cruise.
Here are a few of the companies making these.

Torqueeto- https://www.torqeedo.com/us/en-us/products/outboards

Elco- https://www.elcomotoryachts.com/product-category/e...gK5_fD_BwE

ePropulsion- https://www.epropulsion.com/

I’m kinda liking the Elco, it uses a generic battery source and seems to be much simpler than some of the others.

Tue Jan 26, 2021 6:28 pm

You pay about a 4x premium for the battery version, and 2-3 hours is about the max , discharging the battery heavily. I tried them for shore duty in the Cape but went back to ICE outboards

Tue Jan 26, 2021 7:41 pm

What motor did you have and what size boat? I don’t need more than a few hours of use.

Tue Jan 26, 2021 8:01 pm

I use an 85# thrust Minn Kota to push my 19.5' freighter canoe on a large lake in the Rockies and will go on 2 to 4 day camping trips. Friends with deeper pockets are using the Torquedos and run at about 20 km/h.

Wed Jan 27, 2021 6:59 am

I like the idea, but for a 10' you will likely max the weight quickly with the batteries. The epropulsion unit seems to have their act together with a package of battery and motor and is no larger than a large trolling motor, but it looks like the efficiency is 55% at best. Haven't researched efficiency of "regular" trolling motors though.

Personally, a 10hp Honda outboard would be all you need. Quiet, simple and at about 100 pounds keeps you within - but close - to a weight limit.

Wed Jan 27, 2021 7:46 am

Letterman7 wrote: I like the idea, but for a 10' you will likely max the weight quickly with the batteries. The epropulsion unit seems to have their act together with a package of battery and motor and is no larger than a large trolling motor, but it looks like the efficiency is 55% at best. Haven't researched efficiency of "regular" trolling motors though.

Personally, a 10hp Honda outboard would be all you need. Quiet, simple and at about 100 pounds keeps you within - but close - to a weight limit.

Some of the local lakes only allow electric motors.

Wed Jan 27, 2021 9:15 am

my wife sells the electric ones at west marine. she says they have a solor option too. witch wood bee nice for getting there, play while it charges more then off again you go. she sells the taqueitos.by the seashore..subway on one side tacobell on the other...and popeyes just past tocobella.... :? 8) ( always take cheep snack fast food just encase your dinner isant hungry)

Wed Jan 27, 2021 8:08 pm

Big Bull Shooter wrote: I use an 85# thrust Minn Kota to push my 19.5' freighter canoe on a large lake in the Rockies and will go on 2 to 4 day camping trips. Friends with deeper pockets are using the Torquedos and run at about 20 km/h.

How heavy is your boat? How fast sill it go? What batteries do you use?

Thu Jan 28, 2021 7:52 am

xoo00oox wrote: Letterman7 wrote: I like the idea, but for a 10' you will likely max the weight quickly with the batteries. The epropulsion unit seems to have their act together with a package of battery and motor and is no larger than a large trolling motor, but it looks like the efficiency is 55% at best. Haven't researched efficiency of "regular" trolling motors though.

Personally, a 10hp Honda outboard would be all you need. Quiet, simple and at about 100 pounds keeps you within - but close - to a weight limit.

Some of the local lakes only allow electric motors.

I realize that. You didn't specify where the boat was to be used. Point is, most boats of that length have a weight capacity of about 375 pounds at most depending if it's a jon style or V-hull. Figure the average male at 200 pounds, and 2 people are already overloading the boat before you add in batteries and an electric motor. You want speed and endurance - you aren't going to get that from a 10' boat unless you're by yourself. I've been boating for over 20 years. I used to sell and service various brands. What you want to do is going to require something in the 14 to 16' range just for the weight capacity alone.

Thu Jan 28, 2021 10:58 am

Isn,t torqueedo using lithium batteries now?

I just installed LiFePo4 batteries in my house for backing up critical loads. 75 pounds of LiFePo4 has approximate usable equivalent energy density to 4 typical 6 volt golf cart batteries that weigh about 60 pounds each (so over 200 pounds). They should also provide about 2000 full cycles while the lead batteries will last about 350 full cycles (but can only use 50% of capacity if you want lead batteries to last).

To justify the cost of these batteries, I hope to cycle them no more than 80%, so they could still be working in 15 years.

Thu Jan 28, 2021 2:51 pm

Well if its a gruman aluminum canoe , weighs about 100 pounds, two grown men with tackle and supplies ( beer) close to six hundred pounds. Two paddles with one spare should get you where you want to go. And no noise so you you can sneak ip on your quarry.

Thu Jan 28, 2021 3:57 pm

The boat I'm considering building is a Glen-L Squirt. Ten foot long and the hull weighs about 120lbs.

https://www.glen-l.com/designs/outboard/squirt.html

Right now it's just a thought. I live in a soloar powered house and would like to try making a solar powered boat. I like the thought of being able to charge batteries using just the sun and be able to take a few hour cruise around the lakes. I know it would be much cheaper and easier to just stick a gas powered outboard on it and go.

Thu Jan 28, 2021 4:21 pm

thats awesome!! Ive done everything form 12' to over 47'at over 150 mph pleasure boats(pussy boats) I took my 12' for mer jet boat(2 cylinder suzuki ran about 30mph) I built a tubular stainless bracket to set a outboard on it set back about 18"...first I put our old 1969 evenrude 40 hp on it got it to about 47 mph...not bad for a old turd motor, then I put a 75 hp stinger( jhonson outboards) on it.I ran it about 65 with a buddy in it...kinda skeery fast.never did get it proped right.and the hull flexed a lot as it was mad to go about half of that... so I started reenforcing...having kids...and more...then sold the entire thing for $200 with only about 3 hours on the new motor.. I think 2 of the electric motors on yours would be great!! even just 1 would be good.( 4 would be better) :wink:

Thu Jan 28, 2021 4:57 pm

Hey!, I've got the exact same outboard as the brown one on the top pic. Now I need to build me one of those boats to use it on. 8)

That's a really cool looking little boat, it would be a shame to cover up all that beautiful woodgrain with solar panels though.

Fri Jan 29, 2021 10:01 am

xoo00oox wrote: Big Bull Shooter wrote: I use an 85# thrust Minn Kota to push my 19.5' freighter canoe on a large lake in the Rockies and will go on 2 to 4 day camping trips. Friends with deeper pockets are using the Torquedos and run at about 20 km/h.

How heavy is your boat? How fast sill it go? What batteries do you use?

My boat itself is about 300 pounds. With 2 or 3 people, 6 or 8 deep cycle, batteries and camping gear, it probably gets close to 1500 pounds. My top speed fully loaded with the 85# Minn Kota is about 6.5 km/h. I just use 27 series deep cycle batteries from Walmart. My friends that use Torquedos are using AGM batteries, and pushing much larger canoes like the 24 foot Hudson Bay freighters. The Torquedos are fantastic if you are willing to spend the money - they even make a 80 hp model!

Fri Jan 29, 2021 11:11 am

I kicked it around last year and came to the conclusion that I didn't want to worry about charge vs run time. Maybe in the future they will be more like the EV hummer where you can go 100 miles on 10rs of charge. Then I might consider it.

Fri Jan 29, 2021 11:13 am

Big Bull Shooter wrote: xoo00oox wrote: Big Bull Shooter wrote: I use an 85# thrust Minn Kota to push my 19.5' freighter canoe on a large lake in the Rockies and will go on 2 to 4 day camping trips. Friends with deeper pockets are using the Torquedos and run at about 20 km/h.

How heavy is your boat? How fast sill it go? What batteries do you use?

My boat itself is about 300 pounds. With 2 or 3 people, 6 or 8 deep cycle, batteries and camping gear, it probably gets close to 1500 pounds. My top speed fully loaded with the 85# Minn Kota is about 6.5 km/h. I just use 27 series deep cycle batteries from Walmart. My friends that use Torquedos are using AGM batteries, and pushing much larger canoes like the 24 foot Hudson Bay freighters. The Torquedos are fantastic if you are willing to spend the money - they even make a 80 hp model!

Interesting, thanks for your information. About how long are you able to run this?

Fri Jan 29, 2021 11:20 am

busdaddy wrote: Hey!, I've got the exact same outboard as the brown one on the top pic. Now I need to build me one of those boats to use it on. 8)

That's a really cool looking little boat, it would be a shame to cover up all that beautiful woodgrain with solar panels though.

I don't plan on taking away from the beauty of the boat by just slapping a rectangular solar panel on the bow. I'm thinking the main charging of batteries would be done at home. I am thinking of maybe flush mounting some solar cells into the boat sol they look the part. It's still all just thoughts going through my head right now.
I do have a small '30s outboard that I got when I bought my Ghia last fall, It would look cool on this boat but I think electric would be nicer if I can get it to do what I want.

Fri Jan 29, 2021 1:40 pm

xoo00oox wrote: Big Bull Shooter wrote: xoo00oox wrote: Big Bull Shooter wrote: I use an 85# thrust Minn Kota to push my 19.5' freighter canoe on a large lake in the Rockies and will go on 2 to 4 day camping trips. Friends with deeper pockets are using the Torquedos and run at about 20 km/h.

How heavy is your boat? How fast sill it go? What batteries do you use?

My boat itself is about 300 pounds. With 2 or 3 people, 6 or 8 deep cycle, batteries and camping gear, it probably gets close to 1500 pounds. My top speed fully loaded with the 85# Minn Kota is about 6.5 km/h. I just use 27 series deep cycle batteries from Walmart. My friends that use Torquedos are using AGM batteries, and pushing much larger canoes like the 24 foot Hudson Bay freighters. The Torquedos are fantastic if you are willing to spend the money - they even make a 80 hp model!

Interesting, thanks for your information. About how long are you able to run this?
My motor is 24V. If I go full throttle, I can kill 2 batteries in 90 minutes. If I just troll, I can go for days. Now that I see the boat that you plan to build, I would suggest a Torquedo, but I'm not familiar with any other brands other than Minn Kota, which are extremely reliable. As for solar charging, I wouldn't bother putting panels on that beautiful boat, because you won't recover enough power while cruising around. Maybe consider a solar charger set up for where you store your boat. I made my freighter canoe 30 years ago out of cedar, and it is still going strong, but I do work on it almost every year.

Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:26 pm

Big Bull Shooter wrote: xoo00oox wrote: Big Bull Shooter wrote: xoo00oox wrote: Big Bull Shooter wrote: I use an 85# thrust Minn Kota to push my 19.5' freighter canoe on a large lake in the Rockies and will go on 2 to 4 day camping trips. Friends with deeper pockets are using the Torquedos and run at about 20 km/h.

How heavy is your boat? How fast sill it go? What batteries do you use?

My boat itself is about 300 pounds. With 2 or 3 people, 6 or 8 deep cycle, batteries and camping gear, it probably gets close to 1500 pounds. My top speed fully loaded with the 85# Minn Kota is about 6.5 km/h. I just use 27 series deep cycle batteries from Walmart. My friends that use Torquedos are using AGM batteries, and pushing much larger canoes like the 24 foot Hudson Bay freighters. The Torquedos are fantastic if you are willing to spend the money - they even make a 80 hp model!

Interesting, thanks for your information. About how long are you able to run this?
My motor is 24V. If I go full throttle, I can kill 2 batteries in 90 minutes. If I just troll, I can go for days. Now that I see the boat that you plan to build, I would suggest a Torquedo, but I'm not familiar with any other brands other than Minn Kota, which are extremely reliable. As for solar charging, I wouldn't bother putting panels on that beautiful boat, because you won't recover enough power while cruising around. Maybe consider a solar charger set up for where you store your boat. I made my freighter canoe 30 years ago out of cedar, and it is still going strong, but I do work on it almost every year.

This is good to hear, I'd be happy if I could go about 7mph top speed for a bit, then cut back to about 3 for a few hours. Some guys on YouTube have some very impressive electric Kayaks, I saw a few are using the Minn Kota motors, sometimes two of them.
Your canoe sounds nice to be able to hold that weight, do you have any pictures of it?