Torqeedo electric engine

I am interested in buying a Torqeedo outboard for my 128 lb. dingy. Looking for input from those who have used one. Would like your opinion on reliability and issues. Thanks.

I bought one for my 8.5' rib. I bought the Travel 1003 a few years ago. I love it. I have a 40 sailboat and really hated the idea of keeping gasoline on board. I also hate the fact that gas powered outboards (in my experience) are a pain to maintain unless they are used regularly.

The Torqeedo is very lightweight. I keep the motor on an outboard mount on my pushpit and keep the tiller and battery inside in a locker. I also bought the flexible solar charger which rolls up and is stored in an aft lazarette.

The 1003 will not get the rib on a plane, but I knew it wouldn't. I use my rib for putting around quiet anchorages or going back and forth from anchor to beach. It pushes it along just fine and I have had no problems with range. I am a sailor, I don't need to go fast.

When out cruising, I put the solar panel on top of my dodger and run the charge cord under the dodger to the battery, which sits nicely on the cabin top under the dodger. Even under sail it stays put and is always charged. It can also be charged with 110 AC or 12v DC, but again on a sailboat with a small house bank and no genset, the solar charger is great.

I honestly can't express how much I love this little thing. As I am selling my boat and dinghy, I am likely selling the Torqeedo with it. However, I may just resurrect my old Nissan 9.9 and sell it with my boat instead and keep the Torqeedo even though the boat I am hoping to buy has a 10' rib and 15hp honda.

Did I mention how much I like the Torqeedo?

Tell me more about that Torqueedo, please. Are the manufacturer's range claims accurate - 10 hours at slow speed? How much does your dinghy weigh?

I recently read in one of the industry pubs that Torqueedo is coming out with a 20 HP electric.

Graycenphil said:

Tell me more about that Torqueedo, please. Are the manufacturer's range claims accurate - 10 hours at slow speed? How much does your dinghy weigh?

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About 115 lbs I think.

I have never tried running a dinghy for 10 straight hours, so I can't tell you.

From my experience, I think the claims are pretty accurate however. Keep in mind that just as your fuel usage on your trawler is very speed dependent, it is the same with an electric motor.

If someone wants to zoom along, this isn't the motor for them. OTOH, if you want reliable, maintenance free propulsion for a rib, this really works well.

Torqeedo does have some other motors that require a separate battery that will push a rib on a plane. However, the battery is not lightweight. The 1003 breaks down easily, is very lightweight and easy to handle, and stores out of the way easily.

Untill the units improve , your dink is going to go at high rowboat speeds.

The 12 or 24V trolling motors which are 1/5 - 1/10 the price will give the same speed, but you need to have a 12v batt in the dink.

What price convienance?

I have had a Torqeedo 1003 for 5 years. I am very pleased with it. I use it on my compact rib 3.11 (a bit over 10'). I generally run at about 3 knots with two people in the dinghy. At that speed I have about a 7-8 mile range. The motor will get my dingy up to about 4.5 knots, but the range decreases to 1-2 miles at that speed. The display on the tiller shows percent power, charge remaining and range at the current speed, so you always know how much juice you have left. As noted above it comes apart easily into pieces that can be one handed onto the mother ship. On my powerboat I charge my torqeedo from the inverter when I am underway. On my sailboat I carry a spare battery, so I have about a 15-16 mile range for the dinghy. The only negative I have seen so far is the cost. It is quiet compared to any gas outboard, but but silent. I have also used it on my 10' hard dinghy, but prefer to row that boat.

I just made the decision to keep my Torqeedo 1003 when I sell my sailboat. I like the motor too much to give it away. If the buyer needs a dink and outboard, I will give them my Nissan 9.9 which I never use.

Agree with what has been said. Use our torqeedo on inflatable. Quiet (not silent, slight hum), easily stored, and good range at low speeds. Usually use for short trips between anchorage/mooring to dinghy dock or shore, but also useful for excursions. Also, as has been said, considerable lighter in weight than gas OBs. An excellent investment.
GF -Rossi 246

I had a 36 V Minn Kota trolling motor on a 20' sailboat displacing about 2700 lb. With three AC Delco Voyager batteries it could go for 20 nm at 4 knots. The cost was about $500 for the motor and $350 or so for the batteries. Torqeedo products seem overpriced to me in comparison. Am I wrong?

Graycenphil said:

Tell me more about that Torqueedo, please. Are the manufacturer's range claims accurate - 10 hours at slow speed? How much does your dinghy weigh?

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Does this motor have a built in battery or does it use an external battery? If internal, how is it charged? 120 volts or 12 volts? How long does it take to charge?

WesK said:

Does this motor have a built in battery or does it use an external battery? If internal, how is it charged? 120 volts or 12 volts? How long does it take to charge?

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At least some have an integral lithium battery and solar charging:
Outboards - Electro-motors from Torqeedo

Might be interesting to compare those to the costs of an equivalent (thrust/horsepower) Minn Kota (or similar) system coupled to self-engineered standard LA or AGM battery and solar charger/regulator of some sort.

-Chris

LH,
For your set-up, sounds right. We use torqeedo to power our inflatable dinghy, which is right for our use. No batteries to transfer (we store inflatable on roof), light weight of torqeedo unit, and control panel indicates amount of power remaining. With onboard inverter (while traveling) and 215 watt solar panel, we can usually keep the torqeedo battery close to topped out. Worth the price to us for the convenience. Every situation is different, of course.
WesK,
Battery is interlocking component. Entire unit (503) is around 28#including battery. Can be charged from AC or DC (with inverter). Depending on level of power drain, charging can take 3/4hours. Again, a matter of personal need and choice, but we're pleased not to be dealing with the inconvenience of separate batteries or gas cans.

Lost Horizons said:

I had a 36 V Minn Kota trolling motor on a 20' sailboat displacing about 2700 lb. With three AC Delco Voyager batteries it could go for 20 nm at 4 knots. The cost was about $500 for the motor and $350 or so for the batteries. Torqeedo products seem overpriced to me in comparison. Am I wrong?

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It is expensive. "overpriced"? Only you can judge. This is not the same type of technology as that trolling motor. I felt it was worth the cost to me, and I am cheap by nature.

WesK said:

Does this motor have a built in battery or does it use an external battery? If internal, how is it charged? 120 volts or 12 volts? How long does it take to charge?

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The Travel 1003 motor has an integral battery. The motor breaks down into three parts: Motor and shaft, battery, and tiller. It can be charge with 110v, 12v, or the optional flexible solar panel. I use the motor most often when we are gone for a week or two. During that time, I lay the solar panel on top of the dodger, tie it on, and keep the battery charged that way. I can't recall the length of time it takes the battery to recharge (you can find that info on the Torqeedo website) but I never have had to wait to use the motor because it was still charging.

I have the 1003L and love it! It powers a Portland Pudgy (8'/110lbs) with ease. I bought a second battery but never need it. True, the Torqeedo is expensive compared to small gasoline outboards but we feel it was money well spent to know it will start EVERY time regardless of how long it has been out of service. It's super quiet and produces no vibration when underway. (The Honda 2HP was loud and vibrated through the tiller/throttle handle.) Because the Torqeedo breaks down into three parts, it's convenient to stow away and easy for me to install on the dinghy while sitting aboard. Since we use it mostly for "sight seeing" tours in the anchorage and for trips to the dinghy dock, it uses very little of the battery capacity. With the spare battery onboard I would not hesitate to go off on a long excursion. Best of all, my wife loves the quiet/hassle free ease of use we get from the Torqeedo.

Lost Horizons said:

I had a 36 V Minn Kota trolling motor on a 20' sailboat displacing about 2700 lb. With three AC Delco Voyager batteries it could go for 20 nm at 4 knots. The cost was about $500 for the motor and $350 or so for the batteries. Torqeedo products seem overpriced to me in comparison. Am I wrong?

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ranger42c said:

Might be interesting to compare those to the costs of an equivalent (thrust/horsepower) Minn Kota (or similar) system coupled to self-engineered standard LA or AGM battery and solar charger/regulator of some sort.

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I've thought about replacing our 5-hp 2-stroke Johnson (Suzuki) for our 19' square-stern canoe with an electric motor of some sort, but only if I could come up with an unobtrusive, affordable, and easy-to-use battery/solar charger solution.

This would be for auxiliary back-up (to actual paddling) on long-distance downstream trips, and not necessarily for return upriver afterwards. (Truck shuttle.) Not for casual dinghy or tender use; got one of those, 15-hp 4-stroke, I don't have to lift it, all good.


The Torqeedo option looks easy to use, but it also looks to be at least 2x the cost of a simple outboard with similar thrust/horsepower, and I don't find that amazingly attractive. (Might not mind, if my wallet were permanently fat... but it's not, just now especially.)

Three 12V batteries would be all that attractive for the canoe, although I suppose I could work with it. A single battery of manageable weight sounds easier to use.

Haven't really looked to see what kind of battery/charger options there are, though... Low priority, given that our normal boating season has just begun to begin...

-Chris

A 12V trolling motor will push a canoe at its hull speed for several hours with one Group 27 battery.

My reaction was similar to others. A trolling motor and battery would be much cheaper. That's true of course. However, the Torqeedo is very light and compact. It uses Lithium battery technology. A decent sized Li battery with charger could easily run $800+. Then you still have to buy the trolling motor. If you're ok with schlepping a 50-60lb battery in and out of your dinghy then it's a cheaper way to go for sure. However, at only 40lb total weight (including battery), the Torqeedo represents a nice package - with a higher price to match.

Pick your poison!

Richard

Thanks for the replies. I bought a Honda 4 stroke 2 HP because it was the lightest outboard I could buy (in the USA) 3+ years ago. Gasoline (on a diesel boat) is an inconvenience and long periods of disuse are also a problem. Perhaps this electric outboard might have been a better choice.

WesK said:

Thanks for the replies. I bought a Honda 4 stroke 2 HP because it was the lightest outboard I could buy (in the USA) 3+ years ago. Gasoline (on a diesel boat) is an inconvenience and long periods of disuse are also a problem. Perhaps this electric outboard might have been a better choice.

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I had the same motor. It was very loud for its size (my 20HP Yamaha is considerably quieter.) I ended up replacing the carburetor twice too (probably because I left it outside too much in salt air.) If I end up adding a second tender to my current boat then I'd get a lightweight inflatable and an electric motor (maybe a Torqeedo).

Richard

Cost of course is always an issue, but if I was to buy a new dinghy outboard and wanted more power, I would seriously look at propane. I is pretty easy to store and easy to find. Plus, I already use propane on board. But for puttering around an anchorage, the Torqeedo is great.

I have a Torqueedo 1003 for use on an 8' inflatable. It is very well designed and convenient to store on board. Unfortunately after a year the lower in the water unit failed due to what the authorized service agency said was a design flaw. They had several returns. Torqueedo did not do a recall but offered to replace with the new design for $900 which was half the cost of the original. I also found their US parts service and 800 number service is very indifferent. If you have a reliable unit as others who have posted have enjoyed it is a very sound albeit expensive option for a dinghy. If you have a failure like I did (and I was told it was not uncommon) I think you will find service very slow and hard to locate. Check their website for authorized service facilities in your area.

Lost Horizons said:

A 12V trolling motor will push a canoe at its hull speed for several hours with one Group 27 battery.

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No need for the 24V or 36V models? When we've traveled, we've been fully laden -- as in supplies for at least a week, tents, etc. -- and with 2 paddlers aboard. I'm thinking about one stretch we hit where we had to paddle upriver for a bit (back-tracking) to reach a decent take-out point. Darn near wore us out...

Britannia said:

However, the Torqeedo is very light and compact. It uses Lithium battery technology. A decent sized Li battery with charger could easily run $800+. Then you still have to buy the trolling motor.

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I see their website says the Li-Ion battery on the 1003S is rated at 530 Wh. (Wh??)

Is that approx. 44 Ah?


Quick search, I see this 32 Ah rechargeable Li battery for about $400:


http://www.batteryspace.com/lifepo4...sed-dgr.aspx?gclid=CMLLx9L9_ssCFQIfhgodAF0PbQ

-Chris

Britannia said:

I had the same motor. It was very loud for its size (my 20HP Yamaha is considerably quieter.) I ended up replacing the carburetor twice too (probably because I left it outside too much in salt air.) If I end up adding a second tender to my current boat then I'd get a lightweight inflatable and an electric motor (maybe a Torqeedo).

Richard

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I had the choice of a Honda or a Suzuki (I needed to be able to store it on the flybridge and lift it on and off the dinghy). The Honda is air cooled, the Suzuki water cooled. I figured the Honda had a better reputation and no impeller to change. It's been OK for me so far.

ranger42c said:

...
I see their website says the Li-Ion battery on the 1003S is rated at 530 Wh. (Wh??)

Is that approx. 44 Ah?


Quick search, I see this 32 Ah rechargeable Li battery for about $400:


LiFePO4 26650 Rechargable Battery: 12.8V 32Ah (410Wh) - Replace SLA Battery with lighter weight & Higher Capacity - UN38.3 Passed (DGR)

-Chris

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No - it's 18Ah because the battery voltage is 29.6V. Ah is only a useful measure of energy stored if you also know the battery voltage. Most (not all) of us have 12V systems so when we say 100Ah we also mean 1200Wh. Wh is a direct measure of energy equal to 3600 Joules.

I was looking at 50 Ah LiPo batteries since that was the size quoted with the trolling motors I was looking at. The charger was about $150.

Richard

Britannia said:

No - it's 18Ah because the battery voltage is 29.6V.

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Ah, didn't notice the voltage spec, just assumed 12V. Thanks.

-Chris

Ready to buy a Torqeedo 1003 C

I heard there can be problems when changing from forward to reverse givng error messages. True or false?
I own a Windrider 17 trimaran sailboat. Dry weight is 400 lbs plus gear & 2 people. Anybody have experience with how much speed i could get on my lake. It us 4.5 miles long and our club is about half way on the length. I use a Minn Kota 60# thrust motor now yo mainly get out of the ramp and back in or if the eind died down.
Thoughts?

FrankP said:

I heard there can be problems when changing from forward to reverse givng error messages. True or false?

I own a Windrider 17 trimaran sailboat. Dry weight is 400 lbs plus gear & 2 people. Anybody have experience with how much speed i could get on my lake. It us 4.5 miles long and our club is about half way on the length. I use a Minn Kota 60# thrust motor now yo mainly get out of the ramp and back in or if the eind died down.

Thoughts?

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I haven't experienced that issue with my Torqeedo. I have no idea how fast it would push your sailboat. I believe they say that the 1003 is about the equivalent of a 3hp gas engine. You can use that as a guide. Keep in mind that at full power, it will only give you about 35 minutes of use. However at a moderate power it will run for hours.