Electric Dinghy Motor

W

wamike

Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2024
Messages
8
Fluid Motion Model
R-27 (Outboard)
Hull Identification Number
FMLT2711D718
Hi Tugnuts,

I am setting up a electric dinghy outboard for the factory RIB dinghy on my RT 27OB. I've looked at Torqeedo and ePropulsion and they seem very nice. However I am hesitant to spend $3k+ on a dinghy motor that we will only use occasionally, and that repair/replacement for the integrated electric outboard would be tricky.

Here is the alternative that I've come up with: a 3HP brushless trolling motor from Haswing+ two 12V LiFePo4 batteries for power. It would be cheap/easy to just replace the motor if it broke, and I could upgrade to any high capacity battery as needed without being tied to a proprietary design. Maybe the 12Vs can serve as a backup battery too if I ever drained my house battery?

Has anyone tried a similar setup before? I'd love to hear any positive/negative feedback.
 
I have the Torqeedo for our dingy and I really like it. But it isn't super easy to mount or unmount. I think a small trolling motor would be easier. It probably will not go as fast but I only go fast (which isn't that fast) when I am messing around. The power use is just so much more at the higher speeds.
I think you will be fine with a trolling motor and a LIFEPO4 battery as long as you don't have to fight heavy currents or winds.
I would recommend getting a battery that has integrated Bluetooth so that you can monitor it.
I have had pretty good luck with LiTime, but I have not tried their Bluetooth batteries.
My Torqeedo battery is 950 watt/hr so I think a 100 Ah battery would be more than enough.
https://a.co/d/3yYG6Et
That looks nice.
My only other thought is to considered how you are going to recharge it. I have my Torqeedo setup to charge on a cable from the downrigger power plug. You might need a DC to DC charger to do something like that.
 
Thank you! I just ordered a 2 pack LiTime with Bluetooth per your suggestion. My trolling motor is 24v so I would need two batteries unfortunately.

I was thinking of charging it directly with the solar panels on the boat, but a 12v DC charging cord should work well. Alternatively I am also thinking of getting a battery bank like EcoFlow with solar panels and use it to charge the dinghy battery back and other portable devices
 
I always use a charge controller with LIFEPO4 batteries. Even if the batteries say they are internally protected.
 
Used a 12v Minnkota trolling motor and two 54ah Dakota Lithium batteries for a few years. The performance was"ok". Issue was the limited speed settings the minnkota had. It also doesn't have a kill switch. We recently upgraded to an ePropulsion.
 
Torqeedo all the way!
 
Take a look at the EP paddle, the whole thing weighs 12 pounds. It can be charge on the boat without any special equipment. Just plug it in and use your inverter while traveling. The battery floats and the prop is computerized to stop when it hits something hard. I paid $1600 two years ago.
 
We have used the Haswing for several years and find it acceptable for getting ashore. Not good for long excursions or foul weather unless you supplement with oar power. We use a single 50 AH LiFe battery that we recharge from a dc-dc charger. We also installed a motor mount to the C28 swim step which helps maneuvering the stern without taxing the stern thruster.
 
I use a Newport Vessels 55lb thrust trolling motor with a Li Time 16 volt lithium 70 amp hour battery. Fast enough and fairly long run time. Under $500 for both and put on a modified prop and pick up another 1/2 mph.
Ken Keir
Sunny Daze
 
Trolling motor works good but is limited compared to what a motor like Torqeedo can do.. I had luck with using older model Torqeedo like Travel 1003 etc, they are about half of what the new generation is and include battery in the price..
 
Whatever motor you choose, make sure the distance from the motor mount bracket to the top of the propeller exceeds the transom height by a few inches. Otherwise the prop could slash the underside of the dinghy when the tiller is turned too far.
 
C Folly said:
We have used the Haswing for several years and find it acceptable for getting ashore. Not good for long excursions or foul weather unless you supplement with oar power. We use a single 50 AH LiFe battery that we recharge from a dc-dc charger. We also installed a motor mount to the C28 swim step which helps maneuvering the stern without taxing the stern thruster.
Click to expand...

Funny, we have the similar setup, Haswing 55lb 12V w/Dakota Lithium 54Ah battery. Pushed it too far this summer and ended up getting towed back to our boat, which we then found out, taxed our remote on-anchor power pack trying to charge it up. Next summers venture will be utilizing our Tohatsu 6hp w/remote 3-gal fuel tank. We did get a good workout rowing for awhile! We're on a R27OB, so we gas up periodically anyway, topping off the 3gal tank and additional 2.5gal tank is easy to do.
 
So $700 for a 24v 85# thrust trolling motor, $600 for a 200ah 24V battery, or$1300 plus a way to charge it.
Or, for not much more, get a proper setup like an epropulsion (or torqeedo, Newport, etc).

Occasional use is a great use case. Small gasoline outboards are terrible when ignored for a month. An epropulsion used only occasionally will last a very long time. Plus it's far neater and more convenient than messing with batteries and a trolling motor. You can use the right option or the redneck one - it's up to you!

ps I myself have been guilty more than once of choosing the redneck option. 🙂
 
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