Nice. I recently bought my first electric outboard for my inflatable tender. It’s a Norwegian product with the weird name of the Thrust me kicker. Weight 4.5kg waterproof and works a treat. I was told they are going to release a solar panel setup for it soon, so sounds a similar setup. If I was going to get back into trailer sailboats (currently sail a 30ftr) I would certainly go electric on the outboard. Lots of choice and some good price ranges around these days. Best
It would be really nice having a motor always at the ready by flipping a switch instead of getting a gas outboard started by pulling a starter rope and fiddling with mixture etc. I'm going to look into this. Thanks!
My boat came with a Mercury 2.5hp which you had to turn 180 and flip the tiller over to go into reverse. That was a “no go” for me! The Torqeedo has forward and reverse throttle right on the tiller. The other big thing was ANS inspections at the ramp. Gas (water-cooled) outboards have to be flushed during inspection if you visit different lakes. The Torqeedo breezes through inspections. We also have some smaller “electric only” lakes in Colorado. The motor is whisper quiet…the water moving by the boat is louder than the motor. And, if you are a dinghy sailor (I also have a P-16 sailing dinghy) you don’t have to worry about the motor getting wet or submerged if you capsize…it’ll still work. It’s about the same weight as a gas outboard, but breaks down into 3 parts making it easy to carry. Range can be an issue for coastal sailors who need full throttle to work against currents/tides (not an issue on lakes), but the solar panel helps with range.
Nice review Dave. I’m checking out solar for my Monty 17’ but for navigation n lighting only. I’m still going with gas outboard here in Puget Sound as too much tidal action .. Planning on doing local Salish 100 n have to make at least 3 knots to keep up with the fleet. But for your high lakes stuff that solar should meet the demands. Nice share buddy.
Totally agree. The downfall of the current electric outboards is the exponentially larger power consumption with increases in throttle. So if you require higher throttle settings to work against current, tide or surf…the runtime drops of a cliff. But I just putt-putt around my lake at 1/4 throttle so it’ll go all day for me.
Slow speed, but if you're not in too much of a rush, it's fine. I'm sure someone will come up with a bit higher output device in a few months, because though I support electric outboards, charging its the achilles tendon. And haveing a second battery is rather expensive, and still you'll have to charge them sometime. So if conditions are near calm, then 2 kts is fine.
@@javacup912 Yup. The current generation definitely have their limitations and are not useful in all environments. But it’s great on the little lake I sail and did well on a sail camping trip I did in Utah. But sometimes…like with currents or tides…you just need a good gas outboard!
I know…crazy expensive. Luckily, I have a wonderful wife who gave it to me as a gift! 😂 For me, this new solar capability will put large, constrained waters that require a lot of motoring (like Lake Powell or Flaming Gorge Reservoir) within reach. Will also be nice piece of mind for future trips to Blue Mesa Reservoir. ⛵️
Thanks Dave. I'm afraid they don't send it to Chile. But instead of a battery my Pecision 18 uses the EcoFlow RIVER 2 Pro Portable Power Station. It has proven to be very useful and allows me to have 12, 110 (or 220) volts plus the USB ports A, B and C. It is Lithium and recharges completely in 70 minutes. I think I'm going to buy one of their Ecoflow solar panel to keep the power station charged and indirectly charge my Torqeedo motor, if necessary during a long cruise. @@ColoradoSailing
@@jpl9148 I suppose it’s possible. If you need more power though, I’d look at just getting a larger model like the Cruise 9.9 hp which would give much better capability and power.
As speed increases, power consumption increases exponentially. Running at full throttle (5.7 mph) consumes 1124 watts. The battery on the Torqeedo Travel 1103C is a 915 watt-hour battery, so it’ll run the boat at full throttle for about 48 minutes (4.5 mile range) without the solar panel. Since the solar panel is only 60W…I’d estimate the solar panel would only add 3-4 minutes of run time at full throttle. However, the new 2024 model of the Torqeedo Travel has a 1425 Wh battery that will run at full throttle for 1 hour, 18 minutes. I usually run the motor at 1/4 throttle since I’m on a lake without currents or tides. Max runtime (without solar panel) is 26 hours at 1.7 mph (44 mile range). The top speed on any boat is limited to 5.7 mph by the design of the propeller. ⛵️
@@ColoradoSailing yeah being on a lake not fighting currents you could getaway with low speeds. I remember the last marina I was at with a 27' watkins sailboat with an 8hp diesel....the current was so strong could barely push against it at times. I now have a Potter 19 and think about a solar cruiser.
@@ColoradoSailing Yeah, I can't wait till the weather warms up. Found out I had a free boat launch right near my house to be able to get out to the Raritan Bay. Trailerable boats do have their pluses!
Nice. I recently bought my first electric outboard for my inflatable tender. It’s a Norwegian product with the weird name of the Thrust me kicker. Weight 4.5kg waterproof and works a treat. I was told they are going to release a solar panel setup for it soon, so sounds a similar setup. If I was going to get back into trailer sailboats (currently sail a 30ftr) I would certainly go electric on the outboard. Lots of choice and some good price ranges around these days. Best
Yes, no regrets here! I’ve enjoyed the benefits of my Torqeedo.
It would be really nice having a motor always at the ready by flipping a switch instead of getting a gas outboard started by pulling a starter rope and fiddling with mixture etc. I'm going to look into this. Thanks!
My boat came with a Mercury 2.5hp which you had to turn 180 and flip the tiller over to go into reverse. That was a “no go” for me! The Torqeedo has forward and reverse throttle right on the tiller. The other big thing was ANS inspections at the ramp. Gas (water-cooled) outboards have to be flushed during inspection if you visit different lakes. The Torqeedo breezes through inspections. We also have some smaller “electric only” lakes in Colorado. The motor is whisper quiet…the water moving by the boat is louder than the motor. And, if you are a dinghy sailor (I also have a P-16 sailing dinghy) you don’t have to worry about the motor getting wet or submerged if you capsize…it’ll still work. It’s about the same weight as a gas outboard, but breaks down into 3 parts making it easy to carry. Range can be an issue for coastal sailors who need full throttle to work against currents/tides (not an issue on lakes), but the solar panel helps with range.
Nice review Dave.
I’m checking out solar for my Monty 17’ but for navigation n lighting only.
I’m still going with gas outboard here in Puget Sound as too much tidal action ..
Planning on doing local Salish 100 n have to make at least 3 knots to keep up with the fleet.
But for your high lakes stuff that solar should meet the demands. Nice share buddy.
Totally agree. The downfall of the current electric outboards is the exponentially larger power consumption with increases in throttle. So if you require higher throttle settings to work against current, tide or surf…the runtime drops of a cliff. But I just putt-putt around my lake at 1/4 throttle so it’ll go all day for me.
Slow speed, but if you're not in too much of a rush, it's fine. I'm sure someone will come up with a bit higher output device in a few months, because though I support electric outboards, charging its the achilles tendon. And haveing a second battery is rather expensive, and still you'll have to charge them sometime. So if conditions are near calm, then 2 kts is fine.
@@javacup912 Yup. The current generation definitely have their limitations and are not useful in all environments. But it’s great on the little lake I sail and did well on a sail camping trip I did in Utah. But sometimes…like with currents or tides…you just need a good gas outboard!
Thanks for the review - that is awesome! that price tho
I know…crazy expensive. Luckily, I have a wonderful wife who gave it to me as a gift! 😂 For me, this new solar capability will put large, constrained waters that require a lot of motoring (like Lake Powell or Flaming Gorge Reservoir) within reach. Will also be nice piece of mind for future trips to Blue Mesa Reservoir. ⛵️
Great accessory, so useful for long journeys! Do you still have the Link for Amazon? (Couldn't find it)
I searched on “Torqeedo solar” but here’s the link: a.co/d/fdtwbTw
Thanks Dave.
I'm afraid they don't send it to Chile. But instead of a battery my Pecision 18 uses the EcoFlow RIVER 2 Pro Portable Power Station. It has proven to be very useful and allows me to have 12, 110 (or 220) volts plus the USB ports A, B and C. It is Lithium and recharges completely in 70 minutes. I think I'm going to buy one of their Ecoflow solar panel to keep the power station charged and indirectly charge my Torqeedo motor, if necessary during a long cruise. @@ColoradoSailing
P.D: 70 minutes when plugged to the wall.
@@LttlewoodsDoc the higher the input voltage on the Torqeedo the faster it charges. So a 24V battery will charge it in half the time of a 12V battery.
Can I put two of those motors and connect them to 4 to the new 540 kW solar panels?
@@jpl9148 I suppose it’s possible. If you need more power though, I’d look at just getting a larger model like the Cruise 9.9 hp which would give much better capability and power.
how long can you travel at hull speed?
As speed increases, power consumption increases exponentially. Running at full throttle (5.7 mph) consumes 1124 watts. The battery on the Torqeedo Travel 1103C is a 915 watt-hour battery, so it’ll run the boat at full throttle for about 48 minutes (4.5 mile range) without the solar panel. Since the solar panel is only 60W…I’d estimate the solar panel would only add 3-4 minutes of run time at full throttle. However, the new 2024 model of the Torqeedo Travel has a 1425 Wh battery that will run at full throttle for 1 hour, 18 minutes. I usually run the motor at 1/4 throttle since I’m on a lake without currents or tides. Max runtime (without solar panel) is 26 hours at 1.7 mph (44 mile range). The top speed on any boat is limited to 5.7 mph by the design of the propeller. ⛵️
@@ColoradoSailing yeah being on a lake not fighting currents you could getaway with low speeds. I remember the last marina I was at with a 27' watkins sailboat with an 8hp diesel....the current was so strong could barely push against it at times. I now have a Potter 19 and think about a solar cruiser.
@@derykmacleod4979 the Potter 19 is a great boat. I recently helped a friend set up his new Potter 19 for the first time…a stout and impressive boat!
@@ColoradoSailing Yeah, I can't wait till the weather warms up. Found out I had a free boat launch right near my house to be able to get out to the Raritan Bay. Trailerable boats do have their pluses!