Outboard quest, why I am not staying with Torqeedo

[Finbar Beagle]

Folks,

While the Torqeedo 1003 met my needs for pushing my CP 19-2, I am finally looking to switch.

The issue it the shear pin for a the plastic prop it too easy to break, and cannot be fixed when underway.  I believe this is due the brackish water (salt, fresh, and whatever is being used for fertilizer/insect control) in Barnegat Bay NJ.

It is near impossible to remove the shear pins as rust has glued them in.  Must be beaten out with hammer and punch, or drilled out.

At the end of last season, my 1003 was mangled in my slip by a powerboat.  My marina said it was my fault.  It was at night, I was not there, and my boat was in same slip fou 3 years.

So now I am in new marina, and looking hard at Mercury Sail power Propane 25".  New Marina has sea grass and some shallows that I need to learn the hard way.

I am proud to say I now reside in Beaton's Boat Yard.  I am so thankful  to have moved.

[crazycarl]

Folks,

While the Torqeedo 1003 met my needs for pushing my CP 19-2, I am finally looking to switch.

The issue it the shear pin for a the plastic prop it too easy to break, and cannot be fixed when underway.  I believe this is due the brackish water (salt, fresh, and whatever is being used for fertilizer/insect control) in Barnegat Bay NJ.

It is near impossible to remove the shear pins as rust has glued them in.  Must be beaten out with hammer and punch, or drilled out.

At the end of last season, my 1003 was mangled in my slip by a powerboat. My marina said it was my fault.  It was at night, I was not there, and my boat was in same slip fou 3 years.

So now I am in new marina, and looking hard at Mercury Sail power Propane 25".  New Marina has sea grass and some shallows that I need to learn the hard way.

I am proud to say I now reside in Beaton's Boat Yard.  I am so thankful  to have moved.

What did your insurance company say?

[Bob23]

Gas. 4 stroke Tohatsu Sailpro. Sips fuel, dependable, simple. Gas!!

[LTBSLR]

I agree with Bob. Our Tohatsu 6 Sailpro is great.  Plenty of power to move our 19. Easy start, too.

[Finbar Beagle]

Carl,

My former marina said the outboard exceeded past my slip.  I had same slip,boat and motor for 3 seasons and was never told this was an issue.  I was able to determine who hit my motor, but am unable to get quote on repair direct from Torqeedo.  At corporate level, they are easy to work with, but I am not impressed with local service suppliers.  The other boat owner has been willing to support, but I have not need able to get work quoted.

I feel that the dockmaster should have told me at some point, and each season I requested move to a larger slip.  As I had to add them to my insurance, I thought they would have been middleman so I did not need to hunt out other boat owner.

I have poor history with gas, and want to support the "cleaner" technology.  I was the torqeedo shear pin issue could be resolved.  The smaller Mercs are produced by Tohatsu.

Keeping my fingers crossed.  At least we can power big grill at next BBB.

[bruce]

Brian,

Yeah, I had crevice corrosion in a Torqeedo 1003 shear pin as well. Tested fine before launching, in air with little resistance. No cooling system so I didn't bother with a tank. Once in the water, the shaft would spin but not the prop. Paddled back to the dock.

I did use a Lehr 2.5 for about 5 seasons. I not familiar with the Mercury propane OB design, how it might relate to the now-discontinued Lehrs, and the relative build qualities of the two, but I will caution that propane leaks can be serious. Explosions are obvious, but leaking gas or liquid propane can quickly freeze and damage human tissue as well. I had several leaks, sometimes my fault, but more often design issues or actual defects. I was able to avoid injury. I use propane in cooking and lighting appliances all the time, but the OB was more complex, with more points of possible failure.

I know propane is used to power all sorts of vehicles, safely, and the Mercury may be super safe. Just wanted to pass on my 2 cents about working with a propane OB.

[Reighnman]

Bummer Brian, good luck on hunting down a new outboard. Shame about the pin, did they offer advice on servicing to avoid such an issue on the water?

[Keith]

I?ve had reliable service from my 2001 Nissan 5hp four stroke (knock wood), but if I needed a new motor, I?d consider one of these, installed just forward of the rudder.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9QHFY-HzoDg

[Cpy23ecl]

I have one of the early 2000 Nissan 5hp 4 stroke and its been trouble free.  It's actually a rebranded Tohatsu.

Fred

[slode]

Ditto to the Tohatsu (Nissan) 6hp.  If you're looking to go green LP over gasoline isn't going to gain you any points.  Those motors barely sip gas (8 hours at 1/4-1/3 throttle = < 1 gal.!).  And they're just as dependable if you keep non-ethonal fuel and some sta-bil in the can.  Not to mention cost will be less.

[Renae]

While I'd like to see more choices/competition/quality in the market, I still think it's work switching to electric.  We've been trying, as a species, to burn the planet for about 100,000 years and we're finally succeeding.

[bruce]

Brian,

If you want to consider staying with a Torqeedo, and whatever usable bits you have after the collision, I think a better shear pin is doable. I've looked around online, and the rusting seems to be common. Why they haven't addressed it is a question. A freshwater rinse will never be very effective in reaching the pin.

I didn't find anyone suggesting a sensible alternative. I would stay with the dimensions, 3 mm x 27 mm (1/8" might be close enough), and look at either monel (nickel copper alloy), or bronze. Brazing rods can be useful. Testing shear as a DIY project requires a little ingenuity. I do have a cheap wire stripper/crimper tool that has the ability to shear off machine screws in the size range we're talking. That, and a load cell (if a sense of hand pressure required wasn't enough), could be used to roughly quantify the shear force required to cut a OEM Torqeedo pin to compare to possible substitutes. Or, you could just try one out and check it often until convinced. Monel and bronze are relatively soft metals, but clearly you want to pin to be the sacrificial bit if you do hit something. I made a temporary pin out of 316 SS to get back on the water, but replaced it when the Torqeedo pins came in, for that reason. I didn't test the 316 SS under sheer.

https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-1001-Multi-Purpose-Electricians/dp/B000EVLUR2/ref=sr_1_19?dchild=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpdqDBhCSARIsAEUJ0hNxgxTqtQM1gpc2o1Z8d8Fvr6t5aXRWXWYHW0c6gnyW9273GDGx1QUaAv1AEALw_wcB&hvadid=409991420771&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9002250&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=1716847025517292646&hvtargid=kwd-19579884312&hydadcr=1640_11256618&keywords=wire+strippers+crimpers&qid=1618399285&sr=8-19

[slode]

While I'd like to see more choices/competition/quality in the market, I still think it's work switching to electric.  We've been trying, as a species, to burn the planet for about 100,000 years and we're finally succeeding.

I am in 100% agreement.  But for this application I don't see how going electric is going to make any positive impact whatsoever.  We are literally talking about less than 5 gallons of gas burned per year in an average season, more like 1-2 for the average day sailor.  When you look at the battery capacity required, materials of construction, etc. it doesn't add up to compensating for the emissions of this tiny bit of petrol. 

I'm sure this is why there aren't the choices/competition/quality in the market.  The cost of electric motors and batteries need to get down to = the cost of a gas motor.  When the reason to buy is based as much on cost vs. emissions then it will take off.

[Renae]

I am in 100% agreement.  But for this application I don't see how going electric is going to make any positive impact whatsoever.  We are literally talking about less than 5 gallons of gas burned per year in an average season, more like 1-2 for the average day sailor.  When you look at the battery capacity required, materials of construction, etc. it doesn't add up to compensating for the emissions of this tiny bit of petrol. 

I'm sure this is why there aren't the choices/competition/quality in the market.  The cost of electric motors and batteries need to get down to = the cost of a gas motor.  When the reason to buy is based as much on cost vs. emissions then it will take off.

Sure, but there will be no momentum toward cost parity if electrics without the capital from early adopters.  Be one, if you can.

[Jim in TC]

Sure, but there will be no momentum toward cost parity if electrics without the capital from early adopters.  Be one, if you can.

That, and there are other benefits: low maintenance, low noise, no odor, "easy starting," example of electric option to encourage more adoption of the tech. Also, small motors are notoriously dirtier to run, though I that is less true with the newer 4 stroke engines, right? I am happy to be down to one gas engine in the household, in the car, with electric lawn mower, trimmer and even chain saw (modest use). The car is next...

I am happy to be in fresh water though, after reading about the shear pin issue (ours remains clean as a whistle, as of last check).