New Electric Outboard Announced

[Pete Meisinger]

Still no official word on suggested retail price though. Anybody want to take a guess?

I say around $5,000

pete

 

[backinblue]

Leaving aside the hp vs kw debate, the Torqeedo 1103 and the eProp Spirit 1.0 seem to be positioned in the same market - 500w motor; 1kw battery. The eProp is priced around $1500; the Torqeedo just under $3000 - a big difference. The $3k Torqeedo is just slightly less expensive than the 20hp Tohatsu i bought 8-mos ago (around $3400). Any idea why the big difference? Why would anyone by a Torqeedo when it's 2x the eProp? Or did I get something wrong?

I also carry an old 3.3 Merc ostensibly as a back-up (mostly because I had it). I could definitely see carrying an eOB as a backup because I can charge it via solar array. And I do see it useful as a boat-to-shore tender vs exploration-at-pace where ICE excels.

Bottom line, at $3k, I don't see a broad market. At $1k, starts to be really interesting.

Peter

Hi Peter,

I haven't checked lately, but when I bought my eProp it was about 2K. If you are seeing 1.5K or less it may be w/o the baterry as they are ordered as separate items. Still, it was a few hundred less than the Torqueedo at the time, but more importantly I think the eProp is superior. It certainly looks better, has a little more battery capacity, charges faster and is more simple to install with a single connection. I think Torqueedo was first to market, but I don't know why anyone would buy one over an eProp today.

In my experience, it's a great replacement for something like a 3.3 HP 4 cycle Merc which I replaced. No, it's not as powerful but you could call it "equivalent" in that it will push a dinghy at less than planing speeds for sufficient durations and comes with a whole list of advantages over gas. After my last use at the end of the season, I zipped the motor and battery up in their carrying cases and tossed them on the front berth where they wait to be used again this coming season. It will pay for itself over a number of years if you are really concerned about the economics. But to me, the peace of mind that my wife can go to the beach solo and I don't have any concerns about the motor not starting, is priceless.

As to why someone whould buy one over a 20 HP Tohatsu, is that most of us can't single hand lift a 20 HP motor into a dinghy with 1 foot on the swim platform. Much easier with a 25lb motor and separate 20lb battery that my wife can easily hand to me. However, if you need 20 HP, electric is not as competitive or comparable.

 

[backinblue]

Still no official word on suggested retail price though. Anybody want to take a guess?

I say around $5,000

pete

They will be pressured to compete with current motors. $5K is not a bad guess but I bet they will be forced to come in at like $3900 to be in the same conversation with a Torqueedo.

 

[kthoennes]

Boy I continue to be surprised at the persistent high prices of outboard motors. I'm not necessarily talking about those giant things stacked like Chiclets on the transoms of Florida boats, I just mean little ones, like dinghy size. Decades old, "needs a new [whatever]..." in the sales listings, and they're still asking four figures sometimes. Facebook Marketplace in this area at the moment -- a cowling, just the cowling, nothing else, not the actual motor, Yamaha 9.9 -- asking $400.

We have a 4hp and I'd like to bump it up a little, maybe (6, 9, something like that, no more) so I'm frequently browsing Craigslist and FB Marketplace. Hard to find any bargains at all, unless the motor accidentally fell off the trailer and bounced down the interstate, or "hasn't run since my Uncle Fred went duck hunting in 1952."

 

[rslifkin]

Boy I continue to be surprised at the persistent high prices of outboard motors. I'm not necessarily talking about those giant things stacked like Chiclets on the transoms of Florida boats, I just mean little ones, like dinghy size. Decades old, "needs a new [whatever]..." in the sales listings, and they're still asking four figures sometimes. Facebook Marketplace in this area at the moment -- a cowling, just the cowling, nothing else, not the actual motor, Yamaha 9.9 -- asking $400.

We have a 4hp and I'd like to bump it up a little, maybe (6, 9, something like that, no more) so I'm frequently browsing Craigslist and FB Marketplace. Hard to find any bargains at all, unless the motor accidentally fell off the trailer and bounced down the interstate, or "hasn't run since my Uncle Fred went duck hunting in 1952."

I've noticed the same. I got lucky with our dinghy outboard. Good deals pop up occasionally, but they usually go fast. This one had a typo in the ad that likely kept it out of enough searches for me to see it before it was gone.



Out of curiosity, what 4hp do you have?

 

[backinblue]

I see you can get a brand new 6 HP Suzuki for $1400. To me, that sounds like a better deal than trying to find a used one and save a few hundred. In the scheme of boating, a few hundred is in the noise.

 

[DDW]

Leaving aside the hp vs kw debate, the Torqeedo 1103 and the eProp Spirit 1.0 seem to be positioned in the same market - 500w motor; 1kw battery. The eProp is priced around $1500; the Torqeedo just under $3000 - a big difference.

Both are actually 1000w motors (eProp 1000w, Torq 1100w). The eProp with the battery is around $2500. It has gone up a bit, I paid $2100 for mine in 2019. You can buy the eProp without the battery, and buy a cord for it, it will run on any 48V source. Both claim 3 hp equivalency, both are lying.

 

[backinblue]

Both are actually 1000w motors (eProp 1000w, Torq 1100w). Both claim 3 hp equivalency, both are lying.

"Equivalent" is a subjective term. It can mean almost anything you want it to. By comparison, look at a Tesla and (given it's heavy weight) how quickly it can accelerate that weight. You could argue it's equvalent to 1000 hp gas engine because that's probably what you would need to install to achieve equivalent acceleration.

 

[kthoennes]

...Out of curiosity, what 4hp do you have?

Yamaha model 4SH, two stroke of course, vintage 1987. I've mentioned this story before on the Forum, we were frantically trying to get our newly-purchased boat ready to motor from Newport RI to Albany as a shakedown cruise before we pulled it and shipped it to SoDak. Everything took much longer than we thought and I was running out of time so I drove to Defender to buy the dinghy, then pulled up Craigslist and found a guy in Clinton, CT who was advertising used outboards. I showed up in his driveway in my rental car crammed with boat stuff. He walked me through the grassy backyard behind his garage. He pulled the Yamaha out of the tall grass, brushed off the dirt, and said, "You'll like this one, $400, it's sweet." I peeled off four $100 bills, laid it in the trunk of the car and took off back to Newport. I figured, if it's a boat anchor, the dinghy still has oars.

He was right though, it is "sweet." 36 years old. I swear that thing will run forever. Best (and maybe only) bargain of any boat expense.

 

[FWT]

https://plugboats.com/5-mercury-electric-outboard-avator-7-5e-shipping/

Some performance details now out.

 

[backinblue]

Not very powerful, be interesting to see pricing though.

 

[Art]

Don't buck heavy head wind, strong current, choppy waves. Climbing any size rollers I imagine would sap electricity quickly too.