Thinking about an electric outboard for the tender

[B27]

What is interesting is that the existing players in the ICE market are only just starting to offer electric options. By the time they get there act together in the small electric outboard market they will be left behind.

Yamaha have brought out some interesting electric bikes/motorbikes over the past couple of years.
They weren't the first to rush into the market.
Likewise many other fields where small petrol engines are common, like garden tools, big players like Stihl now offer battery products which are competitive.
It's a big commercial decision choosing the best time to enter a changing market, and the big players probably have a fair idea what they are doing. They want to offer products which meet most peoples needs, not just the edge case 'early adopters'.
I'm hopeful that we'll soon be offered something like a 1kW motor and a 1kwh battery, for somewhere close to £500.

The big problem with Trolling Motors is they are a 12V concept, and the current gets silly if you want more power.
OTOH, a few hundred watts is plenty for a less draggy vessel like a kayak, so maybe we should look at the hulls we use for tenders too.
My rubber boat is also from the last century...

 

[Tranona]

What is interesting is that the existing players in the ICE market are only just starting to offer electric options. By the time they get there act together in the small electric outboard market they will be left behind.

Not at all surprising. The "market" does not demand electric in volume. Just like cars. EVs in volume only exist because of legislation and there is no sign of this for marine engines. Almost all marine engine technology is spun off automotive and industrial as there is insufficient volume to support the required R&D. Once you get mandated elecric for things like small motorcycles, agricultural machinery and the like outboards might follow.

 

[Sea Change]

The big problem with Trolling Motors is they are a 12V concept, and the current gets silly if you want more power.

My 68lb Bison is the largest 12v one they do, the 88lb is 24v.
Mine draws maximum 64A, I use 16mm² cable.

 

[Tranona]

Trolling motors were originally designed to run off the main boat's on board 12v system. Some examples here shutterstock.com/search/trolling-motor . Independent use came later and restricted by the limitations of power and need for separate power supply - which some people can live with.

 

[Sea Change]

The trolling motor is fine given what it costs, but I found that (on my rigid dinghy) it wasn't much faster than rowing, and a lot less fun than sailing. Admittedly it has a lot more stamina than I do.

Webby recently built a trolling motor and LFP combo which he seems very pleased with. I think it's worth spending the extra to add proper waterproof connections and a battery monitor. The cost will creep up but you will get a practical system that can be used with little fuss.

 

[onesea]

I was looking at the ePropulsion eLite 500W electric outboard.
It looks like it would do what I want, except you cannot change the battery.

I have enough Solar to keep it charged up except the times I would be using the outboard would be when the sun is out and I am using it!

 

[Sea Change]

I was looking at the ePropulsion eLite 500W electric outboard.
It looks like it would do what I want, except you cannot change the battery.

I have enough Solar to keep it charged up except the times I would be using the outboard would be when the sun is out and I am using it!

So have a bit of extra capacity in your house bank, and charge that during the day, then charge the eLite overnight. You'll lose a wee bit in efficiency, but if you can avoid having to step up and down to AC it shouldn't be too bad.

 

[Tranona]

I was looking at the ePropulsion eLite 500W electric outboard.
It looks like it would do what I want, except you cannot change the battery.

I have enough Solar to keep it charged up except the times I would be using the outboard would be when the sun is out and I am using it!

Read posts#13&15 which explain what is possible.

 

[B27]

Bison do some bigger models which I wasn't aware of.
A 3kW 48V model, but it's two grand!
The price per watt seems to increase with size, unlike petrol outboards where 40 horse seems better value than 4 horse....

You can get a 3kW brushless bike motor for 150 quid with controller, suitable battery pack another couple of hundred.
It can't be that hard to convert a dead petrol outboard?

 

[Andrew_Trayfoot]

Bison do some bigger models which I wasn't aware of.
A 3kW 48V model, but it's two grand!
The price per watt seems to increase with size, unlike petrol outboards where 40 horse seems better value than 4 horse....

You can get a 3kW brushless bike motor for 150 quid with controller, suitable battery pack another couple of hundred.
It can't be that hard to convert a dead petrol outboard?

It's not

 

[rogerthebodger]

I made an electric outboard from a 12 Vdc battery drill and a PVC pipe propeller and a SS rod a drive shaft