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 Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums
 General Sailing Forum
 Switch to Torqeedo Electric Motor		  New Topic  Topic Locked
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Bill Holcomb
Admiral

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USA
769 Posts
Initially Posted - 08/07/2012 :  11:12:10  Show Profile
Hi all,
Last April I made the switch to a 24 VDC electric motor to replace the 4-stroke Merc 8 hp gasoline engine I'd been using. The change was a result of correspondence with sailors in Europe where some federal governments there have declaired large lakes to be "petroleum fuel free" - - no gasoline, propane, or diesel engines or generators allowed. The sailors there have converted to 24 and 48 volt inboard and outboard motors. The Torqeedo is a German made motor. So far this season I've motored in no wind a maximum of ~25 nm and still had battery "juice" left over. Top speed for short time spans is about the same as before. For longer distances I need to slow the RPMs down to a boat speed of about 3 knots.
Here's a link to my blog. The April 2012 entry has more information.
http://barnaclebillholcomb.blogspot.com
Bill Holcomb - C25 Snickerdoodle #4839
BTW - The Merc 8hp engine is available...
Edited by - on

redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3478 Posts
Response Posted - 08/07/2012 :  11:22:57  Show Profile
Way to go! Whoo Hoo.. that sounds like a great way to sail!
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awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts
Response Posted - 08/07/2012 :  13:41:05  Show Profile
It sounds like a good solution for lake sailing. I'm interested in electric motors (which should be more reliable in the long run and cleaner), but they don't really make sense if you are larger bodies of water and cruising unless you always use marinas.

It's good to hear that you are getting that kind of range out of two group 27 batteries. I was expecting to read your blog entry and see a larger battery system.
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Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5444 Posts
Response Posted - 08/07/2012 :  19:34:38  Show Profile
25 nm @ 3kt is 8.33 hours. With a pair of group 27s, you have 85 AH total, with a max of 42 AH usable. So the motor requires 5A at 3kt. That is a damned efficient engine.
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Joe Diver
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1218 Posts
Response Posted - 08/07/2012 :  20:35:46  Show Profile
Looks like you got the:

[url="http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=92803&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&storeId=11151&storeNum=50596&subdeptNum=50616&classNum=50619"]Torqeedo Cruise 2.0[/url]

I looked at it and also the:

[url="http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=1026818&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&storeId=11151&storeNum=50596&subdeptNum=50616&classNum=50619"]Torqeedo Cruise 4.0[/url]

The biggest issue was cost....the Cruise 4.0 with 4 batteries (48v) was going to cost almost $5k....although a nice, quiet and green alternative....The $3500 difference in cost for the SailPro I ended up with....the cost difference was more than I paid for my whole boat to begin with.

I love the idea of electric....I'm glad it's working out for you....and I'm excited to see the technology finally develop. I've been looking forward to electric since I was a kid in the 70's and we had those triangle shaped electric cars. The Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt are great entries into the market.

Costs must come down. If i could put a Torqeedo system in my boat, within $500 of the cost of a gasoline solution....I'd do it. So would many others. Hopefully electric power will come down in price like many other technologies....with a big thanks to people like you who are "early adopters" and bang out the issues and refine the technology.

LOL...I remember thinking I'd get a BluRay player when prices dropped below $300. Now you can get one at Walmart for $50. I paid $219 for my Sony which has been sitting unused, unplugged for over a year now. (I'm all digital and stream)

I'd love to see more pictures of your Torqeedo setup...different angles, batteries, cables, charger....and performance reports under various conditions.
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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.