Dinghy gas or electric

[markpierce]

How many batteries do you want to carry along for the trip?

With my boat, I'd connect a battery charger to my inverter-supplied AC outlet to a battery charger, and connect the charger to the battery. Thinking one dink-powering battery would probably be sufficient. Two if dinghy was heavily used.

 

[FlyWright]

No difference. I always approach my swimstep stbd to, so that's the side from which I load the dink onto the step.

If I was suspending it from an overhead davit, I'd want to dink to favor the side toward the boat. If it collected water, it would be much simpler to dewater from the mother ship.

 

[CapRob]

CabRob,
Very good description. How many hours at medium power have you run the Torqueedo? Acceleration occupies such a small amount of running time I can't relate to your comment. I get the impression you've run it a lot but not for hours and hours at one outing. In my application the boat rows very well so I probably shouldn't be concerned about running time. Have you run enough hours to know if the power slowly goes down or does it quit suddenly like a gas OB? I like to go places not just dink around.

Al,
What a splendid new avatar. I really like it!
Many batts? Size of cell phone or size of suitcase?

My use of the engine is usually short trips from the anchorage to a beach or dock mostly for doggy relief so she lasts just fine for me in and back.

The motor is a variable speed unit and a digital display on the tiller. It's a two bladed prop. If you accelerate slowly and allow the prop to grab I have noticed I get longer battery life than if I accelerated like a gas engine. I guess. I guess because I am just expending energy to beat up the water and not really moving forward.

The one battery is about 10 inches wide x 12 inches long x 4 inches deep and weight about 15 lbs. it comes in its own soft case for stowing and carrying.

The tiller display will let you know when you are running out of power and you will also feel her slowly lose strength. I have always been able to conserve and not run out yet but I do always carry oars.

For my needs it is the perfect fit. It's small, light weight, stows easily and I don't have to carry gas.

 

[CapRob]

I've got a little 3hp two stroke, but would certainly consider an electric of similar power.

I'm just wondering how an electric outboard motor and battery would handle getting submerged in sea water. I've had the experience of getting dumped in the beach surf, resulting in a long row back to the boat and stripping down the outboard to clean the water out.

I haven't tried it but a promo video on the torqueedo shows them dropping it the water and it goes to the bottom. They then retrieve it, mount it on the dink's transom and she runs fine.

I think I'll take their word for it until it happens.

 

[psneeld]

I have spent a lifetime avoiding manufacturer claims for good reason, not untill I have exhausted the avenues of research available.

Saved tons of moner that way...and also figuring out how to have a similar, way less expensive product and making it work the same or nearly so.

 

[FF]

"Saved tons of moner that way..."

For most folks a DC trolling motor works as well as a fancy unit pushing a dink,
. 1/5 the cost , 1/50 if found at a yard sale.

 

[Sunset]

"Saved tons of moner that way..."

For most folks a DC trolling motor works as well as a fancy unit pushing a dink,
. 1/5 the cost , 1/50 if found at a yard sale.

Well that thought has plagued me this entire thread. A minnkota would mean I could actually afford to motorize my $200 dink. But does anyone DO that? And with a trolling motor I could pull it aboard for charging. Comments?

 

[markpierce]

No difference. I always approach my swimstep stbd to, so that's the side from which I load the dink onto the step. ...

You've usually approached/connected with my low swimstep bow-on on the port side. Works well for embarking and disembarking since we're right-handed and boarding ladder is located at the stern's center.

 

[Codger2]

. I always approach my swim step stbd to,

but only because that's the side I drive from so it's easy to just reach out and grab a pop up cleat on the swim step or, when traveling, a dock cleat.

 

[Sunset]

Makes sense

 

[psneeld]

Heck, saw a dink in Islamorada last winter with 3 trolling motors on it...maybe for water skiing...

 

[Steve91T]

Here's ours. Cheap 3 person dink from Amazon and an electric trolling motor. I use a small wheel chair battery which is light and small.

I wouldn't want to be going a really long distance but for what we use it for (going to the beach and back), it does great. It'll go for a couple of hours and maxes out at 3 MPH.

I strap the dink to the top of the Bimini and the motor underneath it.

 

[FF]

"A minnkota would mean I could actually afford to motorize my $200 dink. But does anyone DO that?"

You bet , with a near clapped out 12v Deep Cycle batt , the only hassle is the bulk of the batt for recharging.

No worse than a metal gas tank to lift aboard.

 

[BDofMSP]

Here's ours. Cheap 3 person dink from Amazon and an electric trolling motor. I use a small wheel chair battery which is light and small.

I wouldn't want to be going a really long distance but for what we use it for (going to the beach and back), it does great. It'll go for a couple of hours and maxes out at 3 MPH.

I strap the dink to the top of the Bimini and the motor underneath it.

We have the next larger model of that dink and run it with the smallest 30 lb minnkota they make I think. With a 35 AH AGM battery. With my wife and the dog and me and a coolerwe ran it wide open for over an hour and a half against 15 MPH winds two weeks ago. Didn't make much headway quickly but got us there.

It's light, easy to handle, and unbelievably cheap but I wish I had gotten a motor with more thrust.

 

[friz]

Hi,
I'm looking at two small dinghies, one inflatable about 80# and a hard on at 185#. Both two place. I can get either for next to nothing.

What would be the goods/bads of powering it with a gas engine vs. an electric engine.

I sure like the simplicity of electric, and seems much easier to deal with, but would it be powerful enough and battery life long enough....?

Shipmate, inflatables are nothing but trouble. Give them a wide berth. With that said, which ever one you chose (remember hard) would you turn me on to the inflatable, er I mean other "next to nothing" one? I am about an hour from St. Pete.

Friz