Electric Motor for Dinghy

O

olygirl

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 2, 2017
Messages
59
Fluid Motion Model
C-30 S
Vessel Name
Cool Mint 2
I am new to the world of electric motors and need some help. Looking for an electric motor with an integral battery as I am trying to avoid using an additional battery that I will have to haul in and out of the dinghy. Have looked at the Torqeedo, however, am wondering if there is a less expensive alternative...? Any an all suggestions will be appreciated! Thanks!
 
I recently did the research that you are probably doing right now--seeking a light weight quiet outboard motor. Not much to choose from in the electrical field. I saw an electric outboard at the Seattle Boat show made locally but the battery was separate and had to be in the dinghy. The Torqeedo was the only one I found with the battery integral to the unit. Being in my mid eighties I was also looking for less weight and the three pieces of the Torqeedo were acceptable to me.

I did buy the Torqeedo 1003 from West Machine and it was on sale at about $200 off. But I was presently surprised when I got in the mail about $220 WM certificates I could use for more gear. Also, either West Marine or the Torqeedo company sent me a spare parts kit for free. But I agree with you it is an expensive outboard.

On the other hand it is working well for my wife and me on the RT inflatable dinghy. A friend of mine calls it "the Stealth Dinghy". It is quiet...a low purr. I've only used a few times--I'll have more to report later this fall.
 
Just make sure to always bring the dinghy lines on board when you cast off. I had an occasion when a friend cast me off and I wasn't paying attention and the friend drop the bow line in the water. About 100-feet later my Torqeedo stopped and nighttime was falling all around me. I discovered the line was wrapped around the Torqeedo's prop. I could reach down far enough but because the line was from the bow and very tight I could not raise the shaft up to get at the prop. I then resorted to oars and during the oar assembly the oar locks fell into the drink :evil: .... I was mighty mad and had to paddle to safety.

Just make sure all the lines are retrieved before setting off, especially the bow line.
 
The Torquedo is the very best electric propulsion for your dinghy. You won't go wrong. The battery lasts a long time (over the winter) is easy to recharge, and it pushes the average dinghy along nicely. If you cruise a lot and anchor you may wish to consider buying an additional battery, but ours lasts 2 hours + at max speed, about 3+ knts.
you wont' regret it. Call Defender for the best price. They always have a sale on them in may each spring.
Flying Turtle
C-28
 
there was a Chinese company at the seattle boat show this year offering an alternative to the torqueedo for considerably less money. for the life of me I cant remember the name though so thats about as useful as a chocolate teapot sorry.
 
I will have to agree with boaterjoe, in that the Torqeedo is exceptional. The battery life is outstanding and the operation is simple. Turn the throttle one way for forward and the other for reverse. No pulling starter cords, dealing with chokes and extras fuels. The motor comes apart into three separate pieces. Tiller arm, battery and shaft. Yes it was rather expensive, but well worth the investment in my opinion! We utilize an AB 9.5 alumina dinghy that is 9.5' long, with aluminum bottom. Typically it is the First Mate, Roscoe the mascot and I running to shore or simply exploring shallow areas, running at half speed. This thing will run hours in this environment. One of the best boating items I have ever purchased!

Just my two cents,

Al Sr.
 
I'm with everyone else. The Torqeedo is the way to go. Super happy with ours.
 
As aside I have a picture of myself and Rich from Roam towing a 30 foot Sea Ray with our dingy and a Torqeedo for power. I sent the picture to Torqeedo and they were very appreciative.
 
I used the Torqeedo Travel 1003L (28" long shaft) for my Portland Pudgy. The amount of thrust the 1003L produced resulted in a severe bending moment placed on the Pudgy's transom. So much so that at first I thought it might just bend and break the transom. The Pudgy's transom had a metal plate that supposedly gave more strength to deal with this, but nonetheless I saw it as a potential problem. I added a strong L-shape bar to the top edge of the transom to help in resisting the bending moment on the transom.

My point here is that the Torqeedo (the 1003L in my case) has a fair amount of thrust.

The only issue I had with the Torqeedo at first was the C-brackets being too small, and some nylon plates holding the Tiller arm mechanism. Both of these issues were resolved by Torqeedo (service_usa@torqeedo.com) after I chatted with them. They sent (free of charge) new nylon plates and larger C-brackets with instructions on how to install etc. Their customer service was excellent.

The other issue I had with the Torqeedo was when tooling around using in the Cape Sante marina in Anacortes. The time I was there weeds were floating up toward the water's surface everywhere. I didn't notice this at first, but while underway in the dinghy the Torqeedo eventually kind of died and I couldn't make headway. Upon examining the Torqeedo and looking down at the prop I saw that weeds were tightly wound around the prop. I'm unsure whether this same issue would have happen with a gasoline powered motor as it quite likely would have more RPM and more prop torque to cut the weeds away. This Torqeedo issue may well be that it's prop isn't metal whereas the gasoline motor's prop is typically metal and likely will cut away encroaching weeds. None the less, I came away with the impression that weeds can severely clog up the Torqeedo prop if care not taken.

The price I paid for my Torqeedo Travel 1003L back in 2010 was $200 more than what Defender is selling this same Torqeedo for today, but the HAZMAT fee has increased. 😉 The lack of a Torqeedo price increase over 7 years and along with the price today being lower as well is impressive IMO.

This was the person I spoke with at Torqeedo...

Sven Kirchhoff
Service & Quality Manager
Torqeedo Inc.
171 Erick Street, Unit A-1
Crystal Lake, IL 60014 USA
phone: 1-815-444-8806 ext.303
fax: 1-815-444-8807
 
Wow, thank you everyone for your insights into an electric motor. One more question for you...is there a way to secure the Torqeedo to the transom of a dinghy? Would hate to spend the money to get one only to have someone walk away with it!
 
olygirl:

Very good question...

Securing the Torqeedo is going to be a challenge for anyone IMO. This was a concern of mine also and my approach was to never leave it unattended as best I could.

The tiller arm does detach easily and is very light. So the tiller arm could be removed I guess when leaving the dock to go off somewhere I guess. However, that really leaves the rest of the motor for someone to steal, especially the battery.

One method would be to wrap a bicycle security cable thru the battery handle and then somehow around the C-brackets to secure the whole motor.

I never have come up with a fool proof method for securing the Torqeedo motor without having to modify the transom in some way.

Maybe others here have a solution to this.
 
olygirl:

Since the motor can be taken apart into three sections; battery, tiller, shaft......making it very manageable to handle, I remove it from the dinghy when leaving it unattended and store it on the boat. I put the shaft and tiller inside a locked cockpit compartment and the battery inside the cabin. Out of sight, out of mind for thieves!

Al Sr.
 
I was checking on this and it appears that there's a new Torqeedo Travel 1003C (note the "C") that has significantly longer run time and range (1 hour at FT as compared to 35 minutes). The weight didn't change so the battery technology has improved. Of course it's $400 more ($2,399 list). Defender has them at stock with a good discount.
 
Yes, it's pricier because the battery has more aH. This battery has been available for at least 6 years. The price diff between the older battery and this greater capacity one is around $300 which makes the C model more expensive. I'm confused as to why Torqeedo introduce the C model as any one with a non-C model can buy the bigger capacity battery as the batteries are compatible.
 
I got the Torqeedo 1000CS - high capacity battery, short shaft model (with a 2nd high capacity battery - ouch!) to push the RT 260 (8') dinghy. Under perfect conditions, it'll top out at 5 MPH (one person in the front seat location, glass smooth protected water), but it'll suck the battery down pretty quickly - hence, I carry the extra battery. 4+ MPH is easily maintained. It gets exponentially better range at half throttle and below, but you better not be in a big hurry. The short shaft is PLENTY long enough for the Ranger dingy model. I always secure the extra battery with a cord to a D-ring in the dingy while underway, just in case it goes over :shock:.

Overall, it does what I need it to do (act as my tender), and do some light exploring/sight seeing (which I really enjoy). You won't be able to run around all day at speed in it, like a gasoline motor may allow you to do (it lacks both high speed, and range at speed). So the electric still has it's limitations (like 11 hour recharge times, from dead flat, with an 110 AC outlet). But it's components are lightweight, easily stored, and don't require an additional fuel source (and associated problems). Also, parts are available in the US from Torqeedo - unlike most Chinese sourced motors.

Security is still a concern for me. The orange C-clamp handles can be locked together with a short (made up) cable and lock - preventing them from being rotated far enough to get the motor off the transom. The batteries can be cabled through their handles and secured to a D-ring. A similar plastic coated cable loop could be made up to go around the shaft (tight enough so it cannot slip over the top, or the motor underwater, or interfere with the prop) to run a cable through it and lock the other end to a davit attachment. I just leave the tiller handle hooked up. However, the transom mount handles are plastic and can be broken free; and D-rings can easily be cut off the boat. Even the davit attachment can be cut off (or unbolted). So if someone wants it bad enough, they're still going to get it.

BTW - bring both oars with you! I sheared the prop pin the second time out and it took me hours, fighting a strong wind, to row back with one oar.............in the dark 😳.

Hope this gives you a little more insight to help you make the right decision for your intended use.

Todd
 
olygirl":r6rx35ts said:
Wow, thank you everyone for your insights into an electric motor. One more question for you...is there a way to secure the Torqeedo to the transom of a dinghy? Would hate to spend the money to get one only to have someone walk away with it!
Click to expand...

This may give you an idea for securing your Torqeedo. :lol: (Seriously 😉 )....

https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0i55Z2WMJubdC
 
olygirl":13w4vwv7 said:
Wow, thank you everyone for your insights into an electric motor. One more question for you...is there a way to secure the Torqeedo to the transom of a dinghy? Would hate to spend the money to get one only to have someone walk away with it!
Click to expand...

I have no familiarity with the Torqeedo, how it breaks down, etc.

If you just want a simple theft deterent over a typical cable which can readily be clipped with bolt cutters, this deadbolt/bar system provides a little more protection.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Seasense-Out ... Ncapji8GRU

But as posted earlier - the really determined thief is going to get what they want - this is merely a slightly higher level of protection for the quick grab and dash thief
 
We've had a Torqeedo 1003 for a couple of years. It was totally reliable and quite adequate until we spent the summer in SE Alaska. It spent lots of time outside in the rain, and the electrical connectors corroded. Now it just gives an error and won't run.

There aren't very many service centers for it, although there's one in Seattle. They've had it several weeks, and i hope to get it back in a couple of weeks.

They're great when they work.

If you get one, don't leave it in the rain!

Jeff
 
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