Torqueedo Battery Recall

[Jim in TC]

I just learned about this recall of Torqueedo batteries (Thanks Roland of Macatawa!). Here is a link to the models and serial numbers:
https://www.torqeedo.com/us/en-us/service-centre/information-and-return-shipment/safety.html

[bruce]

A friend has lent me her Torqeedo 1003 as I sort out my mid-season OB problems. As a precaution, she checked with Torqeedo about the recall, and if it was safe to use the battery, and was assured that if it hadn't been dunked it was OK. Certainly have the battery checked, especially if it's been submerged.

[Jim in TC]

That, too, is my understanding (full submersion is the main issue). I will be checking our numbers today and hope we are not in the recall, and may delay inspection a little while if we are, since our batteries are only exposed to weather, never a dunking.

I will be interested in your impressions of the Torqueedo. We have been more than happy with ours, and worries of, for example, inadequate power for heading up to douse sails in a stiff breeze have been unfounded. There is, of course, the issue of range and if we were to cruise at all I would add a solar panel to the mix.

Our only problem has been in big wind and large waves (for a Bay - say, 3') when the motor has spun off center at times (slight cavitation in the waves, or if weight is too far forward, allows it to swing) causing some tense moments as we douse sail. The motor can be pinned to stay straight, but then we loose the ability to use it when maneuvering around the harbor. I have an untested bracket for the tiller to see if I can alleviate that.

[Finbar Beagle]

I have had issues with prop replacement when sear pin breaks.  It is not easy, and shear pin may not fail until after prop is damaged.

We still have some underwater debris from Sandy, so I am replacing shear pin 2x per season.

I just ordered a prop guard, and hope that will help.

[bruce]

Will do, Jim. I had help her set it up on her PC so was familiar with the pin preventing rotation. Most OBs have a means of increasing friction so the motor doesn't pivot as easily. Without the pin in place, tilting the motor resulted in the head pivoting smartly and slamming into the deck flange, as you experienced when the bow was down. The tiller was a pain on the PC, so I suggested she get the remote throttle. We also cut 2 of the 8 lift springs on the adjustable motor mount. The Torqeedo only weighs about 30 lbs., getting it to a lower position required a lot of body weight. Another issue she discovered the hard way was to lock the tilt mechanism down before using reverse at high throttle. Her motor climbed out of the water and slammed into the rudder.

When I got it, I saw that the cable from the remote throttle to the motor stuck out from the bottom of the remote, the remote could not be placed on a flat surface. I inquired and she said she had to hold the remote in her lap to use it, because of the cable. Had to be a production issue that they've likely fixed. (The photo shows a 90 degree connector on the other end, but they're not interchangeable.) Anyway, the first thing I did was build a base out of 1 1/2" Starboard to provide clearance for the cable and add heft to the remote. I also added some very soft silicone (10A durometer) to the base so it doesn't slide around. It feels like a magnet on gelcoat.

Two Fridays ago we finally had a chance to try it out. I had tested it out of the water, but not in a tank. Seemed fine, and held a charge well. However, once we launched and throttled up the motor responded but the prop just sat there. Shear pin failure, as Brian talks about. We paddled back to the ramp.

I couldn't back the prop nut off without the shear pin. I finally succeeded by putting the motor in forward, very very slowly, and letting the motor spin the nut off. Not as unsafe as it sounds, I had an extension on the socket so my hand was well clear, but OSHA wouldn't be happy. I replaced the shear pin, and tested it in a tank, so we should be good when we get a chance.

I agree about losing the ability to turn the motor. I real reverse is nice, but so is turning it 90 degrees to act as a stern thruster. If I were going to keep it, I'd look again at trying to install a clamp knob to make it stiffer. I'd be interested to see your tiller bracket.

I do have a ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 with remote on backorder. I've seen the tiller version, and they have addressed some of the issues we're talking about. And, the parts for my Lehr 2.5 have arrived from China (Lehr seems to have bellied up). I've installed and tested those, so it should be back on line, or not if the OB gods are still unappeased. I do want to take the Torqeedo out while I have it.

[Jim in TC]

The cable from the remote throttle (which we got right from the start) is flush on ours...as you say, probably a temporary problem that they certainly needed to address. I have seen one other remote, mounted on a plate at the stern of a Sun Cat, and I don't think it needed any adaptation to sit flush. But I do like the idea of making it less "slippery."

I have a small line with a hook at the end and attached to the boom gallows, which I can hook to the handle on the back of the battery (with the motor tipped up) when we are under way. It doesn't have to be tight, just enough that if the motor tips sideways in rough conditions it doesn't slam hard down. Either a way to pin it straight while under way, or a way to make it turn less easily would be helpful improvements.

When we are back on dry land I will post a picture of the tiller bracket. It is nothing fancy, just a bit of wood that fits the tiller and holds it straight (or so I hope - as yet untested in rough water) but easier to photograph than describe.

It sounds like it might be prudent for me to practice working on that shear pin...though our open water sailing makes hitting bottom or  something adrift with the prop in the category of unlikely, it would only take one badly placed bit of not-quite-completely waterlogged wood to take it down...

[bruce]

Unlike Brian, I doubt the owner on this Torqeedo hit anything either. It may have been when the motor hit her rudder. When I got in there, I found a third of the shear pin lose and rattling around, a second third corroded stuck in the prop shaft, and the third fragment missing. All fracture surfaces were well-aged, it wasn't recent. It looked like crevice corrosion, common with SS. I would replace the pin once or twice a season, it's easy if the shear pin is intact and holding on to the prop lets you remove the nut. They cost about $1, shipping is the issue. I made a temporary one out of 316 SS, but I swapped it out for the Torqeedo part.

Here's the silicone I used. I first used it on cup holders I made for the boat, but I've used it on many household items since. Not cheap, but just a couple of 1" strips or disks makes a big difference. I use 1/16", but 1/32" may be enough. It isn't sticky per se, just soft, but if dust collects on it just wash it off. I tested the cup holders years after I made them, and could repeat the "stick it on a door" test. Good enough for a catboat anyway, we don't heel much.
https://www.mcmaster.com/9010k42-9010K421

If you, or anyone else, wants a sample to play with, send me a PM with your mailing address and I'll send you a piece.

[bruce]

Here's a parts catalogue I've found for the Torqeedo 1003, with some useful diagrams.
http://www.torqeedospares.co.uk/download/Spare_parts_list_Travel_503_1003.pdf

It doesn't show what's happening behind the transom mount cover. I removed the cover and found, in addition to bushings at the top and bottom of the casting that support the shaft, a plastic guide (Delrin?) that captures the shaft. It would be possible to face the guide so that it grips the shaft tighter, with thin leather for example, but the mounting screws threaded into plastic limit how much force can be applied.

Looking at the aluminum transom bracket casting, and clearance on the forward side, I think it would be possible to through-bolt a durable metal clamping mechanism in the space under the cover that could grip the shaft firmly, with a knob accessible from outside the cover. But I think a simpler approach would be to provide a means for inserting/removing the locking pin from underneath, with the battery in place, so you leave the shaft pinned until you wanted to pivot the motor maneuvering in close quarters. I visualize cutting the cover enough on the trailing edge to slide the pin up rather than down, tethered with a bungee that snaps the pin into place, and prevents loss when the pin is pulled out. The only modification would be to the plastic cover, easily replaced to get back to original.

Just thinking out loud here, lots of ways to approach this. This isn't my motor, so I won't be making any changes, but between adding some friction to the shaft with the existing guide, and making the pin access more versatile, there could be a big improvement.

[Jim in TC]

We have two batteries, the older (and lower capacity) of which is in the recall. Torqueedo has offered to buy back, at a pretty decent rate, smaller batteries in exchange for a new higher capacity one, and given this year's good experience with the high capacity battery we will take them up on the offer. In the bargain, they will be tossing a couple shear pins and a new locking nut on the same shipping label, saving a $20 shipping charge on a couple bucks worth of parts that would fit into an envelope.

I pulled the shear pin and it is in perfect condition, after much time in the water. When at a slip, a couple weeks at a time and maybe 6 or 7 times a season, the prop is in the water. We are more than half way through a second season. Might the one you are looking at, Bruce, be impacted by salt water? There appeared to be a thin layer of waterproof grease on the pin, which, it turns out, is not easy to replace even at a well-stocked outboard dealer. I will be happy to have a factory spare once this battery issue is resolved (and found a close-enough pin to get me home in an emergency in the meantime). 

As promised, here are some pics of the bracket I made to lock the tiller straight in waves that can cause cavitation, spinning of the motor and subsequent loss of control. It has now been tested in fairly windy and rough weather and passed. Meanwhile, I will be looking at some of Bruce's ideas.

The other issue, if the motor is not locked straight (when tilted up) with the difficult-to-access pin is that it will tip hard over fairly easily (mostly, again, if rough weather, but can happen randomly any time). I hook it up as shown every time out, and the large "NightIze" S-Binder hook that I had laying around (purchased at an outdoor gear shop originally) has been perfect - once one side was ground down. The other end of the line is tied to the top of the boom gallows. As mentioned before, and shown, it does not have to hold the motor rigidly in place, merely prevent it slamming down when unrestrained. An inelegant option would be to lay the motor on its side as soon as it is tilted up.

Both of these problems will be alleviated if the motor can be either locked easily while under way or at least tightened up so it does not turn so freely.

[bruce]

Thanks for the follow up, Jim.

Salt water is usually a negative factor (except as a preservative in wooden boats). The issue with SS is that in the absence of oxygen, the noncorroding properties are hindered. That would apply in freshwater as well. Bronze or monel are better choices, at least theoretically, below the waterline. Additionally, the crevice corrosion I found may have been brought on by stress of the prop hitting something. Mine was well-oiled as well.

I thought you mentioned that you had the remote throttle as well. Your stop certainly looks effective for use with the tiller.

I have had a chance to use the 2016 Torqeedo 1003 twice. It has the original 530 Wh battery. I shimmed the shaft guide with thin leather and double-sided tape, then ends are skived to help prevent rolling. That has stiffened the pivot nicely. I still locked the shaft last time out, and was reminded how much I do use the motor to steer in close quarters and reverse. Of course it's not necessary, but I do like using it as a stern thruster. I'd want that feature.

Here's some photos of the shim. I'd gladly make you a couple to test. So far, the tension has held pretty well. Additionally, there is little vibration with the 1003, unlike my Honda 2 or Lehr 2.5. Any clamp on them has to deal with heavy vibration. The shim may be all that is needed on the Torqeedo.

I have thought more of an easy way of selectively pinning the motor to prevent rotation without unpinning and lifting the battery. McMaster Carr has a series of spring plungers that would work nicely. I'd mount it on the flat surface on top of the transom bracket, next to the tilt lever, and have it engage a hole in the front of the cast shaft head. Hopefully you can visualize what I'm saying. I can certainly draw it out if it would be useful. It appears that there is room, whether the motor is tilted out of the water or not. They have all 316 SS plungers, but also 18-8 bodies with acetal plungers that wouldn't mar the aluminum shaft head.
https://www.mcmaster.com/twist-to-lock-knob-style-retractable-spring-plungers

I quickly learned how important it was to throttle down when possible. I used 10% of the battery capacity in the first 100 yards. We need about 50 minutes at 4 kts. of run time per sail, minimum. We were pretty frugal, and came back with 50%. We had 12-17 kts winds with a moderate chop, fairly typical. I would definitely carry a spare battery for contingencies. Two 915 Wh batteries would be great. For my PC, the power of the 1003 at full throttle was plenty, definitely at hull speed, consumption was the concern.

I hadn't experienced the Torqeedo spinning in a heavy pitch, but I can see how that could happen. Very disconcerting.

[Jim in TC]

We do have the remote throttle, and the tiller would be kinda problematic in this configuration, having to be removed to tilt the motor up, for example, and needing to redo the electrical connection to replace it. The remote throttle was recommended by someone, I think, on the trailer sailor site, and it was great advice!

We locked the motor straight the first few times out, and used a docking line to help maneuver into the channel at the marina. I got pretty good at that, but still the SC helm is remarkably unresponsive until a bit of way is on, and after a few close calls found it far more comfortable to be able to use the motor to maneuver.

It sounds to me like you have to be very frugal indeed with battery power with those needs. The larger capacity battery would give you lots more margin. The PC is quite a bit lighter as I recall than the SC - 4 kts for 50 minutes in the SC would be OK but pushing it, I suspect. Our needs are generally light and as you point out, even modest reductions in speed make a big difference. We usually use about 10-15% of the large battery per outing, but fighting wind and chop when raising and dousing sail can really take a toll when those conditions prevail. Another tip from Trailer Sailor was that a 50 watt solar panel can run the motor, battery dead, in good sun at about 1/4 power. Torqueedo offers one at a high price that plugs directly into the battery. I haven't added solar yet, and if we were to cruise even lightly I would do that. In our case, with deep cycle batteries aboard, I would go lighter on solar and temper the system through the batteries (I have a 12 volt charging cable).

If your offer of sample shims for testing are still good, I will gladly try them out...a PM is on the way.