Outboard quest, why I am not staying with Torqeedo

[bruce]

No, The Spirit 1.0 fits my needs just fine. The larger internal battery would be the most useful, ours is 1018Wh. We day sail a few hours at a time, we generally have 60-75% of battery capacity remaining when we haul out. I'm careful to not be wasteful heading out, usually we raise the sail with about 90% remaining. Coming back in, when I'm less concerned about contingencies, I'll play around some. They've change the battery management system to make it compatible with their remote battery packs from their larger motors, so I've heard we can't use the new batteries, unfortunately.

Another change in the EVO is you can convert a tiller motor to a remote-controlled motor and vice versa, before it was one or the other. There is a Spirit 1.0 Plus in between the 1.0 and EVO, no remote version was released. Basically otherwise the same as the EVO, but without regen. We might make 6 kts, the highest SOG I've seen is 5.6, but for a steady speed mid to high 4s is about it. I don't see regen being viable for us.

[Jim in TC]

The addition of regeneration on the newer Spirit is certainly interesting. By contrast, the Torqueedo can be damaged if left to spin when off, or so I have heard. The remote control is an important benefit for us with the Torq. We, too, are careful with battery usage both in and out of the marina, and typically use 10% or less per outing, usually choosing to recharge when the screen starts blinking and telling us to slow down - at 20% charge, as I recall. But with a spare aboard I have little worry of running short. We can achieve near hull speed (near 6 mph) but even slowing a little increases the range dramatically. We have come close to having too little power in serious wind and chop when dousing sail, but never yet quite beyond (most worrisome was a building wind with perhaps 3 foot chop and measured ~30mph gusts when we needed to head up to reef - far past the optimum time to do so).

The expensive 50watt solar panel that Torqueedo sells (and that plugs right into the motor) can, according to a user on another forum, run the motor at about 1/4 speed in full sun, with a dead battery. So yet another option, especially if one uses the panel to prop up onboard deep cycle batteries to run the motor (via 12v power cord), something I would like to try sometime but have not yet attempted.

The extra battery makes it less troubling to go around a nearby island as a sailing goal, and from which we once had to motor much of the 6 miles back to port in a dying breeze. At the time we didn't yet have a spare, and we left with maybe 50% battery on the assumption we would not use it. I learned a bit about motor-sailing that day, and the SunCat is great at that, as it happens. 

[kickingbug1]

   i never thought a two stroke twin could be so quiet. that merc single vibrated so much it made the motor mount buzz to beat the band. that little twin is as smooth as silk and when you only run it for 10 minutes so much the better

[bruce]

the Torqueedo can be damaged if left to spin when off, or so I have heard.

The Spirit 1.0 manual also says to tilt it out of the water when not in use. I recall lockwoods posted in this thread may have damaged his Torqeedo by leaving it in the water under sail. Besides the noise and speed loss, and possible damage, tacking can be hard for us with the motor dragging.
https://cpyoa.com/forum/index.php?topic=11942.0

It is much easier to deploy the Spirit than the Honda 2 and Lehr 2.5 I've used, and quieter of course, so I do find I use it to motor sail in light winds especially when maneuvering around shipping traffic when flukey winds can get us in trouble.

[Damsel19]

I could be mistaken,  but I believe the Lehr and mercury are both based off a tohatsu. Mercury nissan tohatsu carburated gas are identical . I really like my 2.3 Honda Air cooled. Always non ethanol gas and run it dry by closing fuel valve at end of day. A propane air cooled would be great. Continue to hear bad things about durability of toqeedo, have two friends that gave up on them.

[brackish]

I could be mistaken,  but I believe the Lehr and mercury are both based off a tohatsu. Mercury nissan tohatsu carburated gas are identical . I really like my 2.3 Honda Air cooled. Always non ethanol gas and run it dry by closing fuel valve at end of day. A propane air cooled would be great. Continue to hear bad things about durability of toqeedo, have two friends that gave up on them.

Mercury yes, Lehr no.

On the six HP sailpro, either Tohatsu or Nissan you can convert from gas to propane by removing the carb and replacing it with a propane mixer, changing the cylinder head, and replacing the fuel line that has a filter in it with the propane fuel line that has a safety solenoid valve.  If I ever had problems with mine I'd consider it but my sailpro has been completely trouble free.

[kickingbug1]

    i would imagine that a conversion would be quite expensive considering the high cost of a small outboard or marine parts

[Renae]

I just saw a guy at West picking up all the supplies to service the lower section of his OB.  I actually giggled a bit--hopefully inapparently under my mask.

I'm loving the ease and quiet of my eProp Spirit in its second season.  I can't imagine going back to gas, and as I start kicking the tires of larger boats (probably a 30 footer for Lake Pepin and/or Lake Superior), I will lean strongly toward electric conversion.  Meanwhile the Spirit will stay on my Com-Pac indefinitely.

I still don't know whether I would give the nod to Torqeedo or eProp if I were starting from scratch, but I'm content with what I have.