Electric Outboards

[Renae]

The weakest point (which bit both Bruce and me) on the Evo Spirit original model was the plastic fitting on the battery cable which was reportedly changed to metal on the next model.  Other than that, you have to remove the battery to pin the motor.  Bruce found a workaround that functions for him, and my sailing environment allows me to leave it pinned straight at all times--the turning radius is still more than adequate.

[TomSki]

   This reply is a little late but may still be relevant to someone, besides it's time I quit lurking and contributed something.  I bought a Suncat new in 2017 and fitted it out with a Torqeedo Cruise 2 T long shaft and 26-104 24 volt lithium battery.  The battery fits nicely under the stern seat and while you can run the cables out the drain in the lower port side of the space I ran the battery and control cables through a thu-hull fitting on the port aft coaming.  I moved the motor mount up 5" to accomadate the long shaft motor.  The prop would drag with the motor up in the original motor mount position.  A short shaft motor in the original position would clear with the motor up but the head would mostly be below the deck when lowered.  The modified mount works well with  the long shaft  motor in both positions.  I replaced the tiller with a remote throttle mounted on the gallows and extendable shaft mounted higher on the motor head. I usually steer with the rudder but in tight spots steering with the motor is quicker.
    At full throttle the boat will do about 5 1/2 mph and last about 50 minutes, 90% throttle is 5 mph and 90 minutes, and 70% is 4 mph and 4 hours.  The run times are based on the computer estimate since I've never run the battery below 40% capacity.  I've cruised for 2 or 3 hours and still had half the battery capacity left.  The system works really well for me.  Torqeedo has dropped the the motor and battery I have and replaced it with the Cruise 3 motor and slightly higher capacity battery.  This should be able to drive the boat to hull speed and probably keep the range much the same

[Bub]

Update. My ePropulsion Spirit Evo arrived yesterday. I took time to peruse the Owner?s Manual before doing anything (that might be a First for me!). Charged the battery which took about 5 hours. Weather today is warmer than average, so I plan to wrestle my 5hp kicker off the transom and set the new motor up and test. The Sunday Cat hangs in a sling out of the water so I may need to wait for my ?assistant? to be available. Stay tuned.
Bub

[bruce]

Excellent! You will quickly appreciate that the Evo and battery both weigh about 20 lbs. each. Easy, once you get the 5 HP out of the way.

No water pump, so you can run the motor out of the water. Eventually the motor could heat up, but not for a while. And, of course you can sync the remote with the motor anytime, wet or dry, to test the connection.

[Renae]

No water pump, so you can run the motor out of the water.

Second on that.  The only consequence of running it dry is loss of charge.  I always run mine in the parking lot before splashing in just to make sure I'm sync'd and ready for the water.

[Bub]

Update on EPropulsion Spirit EVO. Since my last post I?ve set it up on my Sunday Cat and run 3 or 4 ?Sea trials? to get accustomed to it. There are a few observations I?ll share here.
     Overall I am very pleased with the purchase. It actually is a bit more involved in the setup, operation, and charging than meets the eye. That is due to the fact that it?s mounted on a fixed transom bracket off the stern, and my boat is out of the water on a Davit Master cradle lift, with no walkway access to the stern.
     This makes recharging the battery and reconnecting the tiller or remote throttle communication cable very awkward, as the access cables to the motor are not well located. This of course or irrelevant if you?re dry sailing, or if the motor is mounted directly on the transom, and it?s a unique situation that others may not experience.
     Despite all that, it?s far better than dealing with the 5hp four stroke. It actually starts EVERY TIME
and you can barely tell it?s on. I did experience a surprising drop in battery range when the display dropped from 65% to under 10% in a matter of 20 minutes. I had  enough charge to get home and was concerned about the cause. The Vendor was very responsive and all is in order.
     In fact I have reached out to the Dealer several times to get guidance on matters when the Owners Guide was poorly written. He has been readily accessible every time, patient, knowledgeable and if there was any question about my purchase, it was erased by our interactions. I could not recommend the service more highly.
Bub

[bruce]

Yeah, the first time I used the Torqeedo 1003 (same power draw as the Spirit) I consumed 10% of the battery in 100 yds., over a few minutes. That was at full power. I quickly learned to monitor my usage.

Heading out I use about 10% capacity to go about 1 NM at about 60% power, about 3.5 kts, to get to our sailing grounds. I want to retain capacity for any contingencies. Once I'm heading back I'm less concerned and will run at about 75%, about 4.3 kts. If I've only used the motor for the 1 NM return, I'll have 70-75% remaining. Plenty extra for light wind conditions.

[Bob23]

A bit of a thread drift here but the March/April 2022 edition of WoodenBoat magazine has a few good articles on electric power. Check it out
bob23

[Jon898]

A bit of a thread drift here but the March/April 2022 edition of WoodenBoat magazine has a few good articles on electric power. Check it out
bob23

Similarly Good Old Boat current edition (March/April 2022) is all about electric propulsion (mostly inboard).

Jon

[Bob23]

No discussion would be complete without checking out Elco, started right here in NJ!

https://www.elcomotoryachts.com/

[bruce]

Some good content in the articles mentioned. That rudder mount on the Mayflower II replica shallot (5-ton tender) is pretty funky.

No horror stories storing the Spirit 1.0. The owner's manual has you recharge the battery after use, but then the battery management system will discharge the battery a few percent a day (100mA, 75% after 20 days) if there is no use to keep things happy. They recommend that the battery be at 60% at the start of storage, and the programed discharge will bring it to that level so no extra steps are required. Every 3 months in storage, they recommend recharging the battery above 60% so the charge doesn't get too low. Charging to 100% at that point isn't going to hurt.

The programed discharge could be annoying at times, when plugging the charger in isn't convenient/possible. The newer Spirit models have reportedly made the solar charging requirements less proprietary, making third-party solutions more feasible. That might be a solution for Bub on his lift.

[mikehennessy]

Hi Bub,

What shaft length did you get?  I have a Sunday cat.

Also did you pick it up from dealer or have it shipped.  Looks like the closest one to me in in Annapolis.

Hoping to get the 1.0 plus in early April.

Regards,
Mike

[bruce]

Mike,

If you want the remote throttle it looks like you'll need to go with the Evo, according to the ePropulsion website.

[mikehennessy]

Thanks Bruce - I think I'll go with standard throttle and be able to move to other boats.

[bruce]

OK, just a heads up, these big, electronic tillers have their own issues. I've seen it with the Torqeedos and the ePropulsions.

Verify that you can tilt the motor clear of the water with the tiller extended when sailing. Even with an adjustable motor mount I think you'll need to tilt it. You'll probably have to rotate the motor 90 degrees to the side for the tiller to stay clear of the coaming. The tiller looks to pivot up only about 20 degrees.

The Spirit Plus tiller can be folded down along the axis of the motor for transport. Underway, with the motor vertical and tiller folded down, I think the electronic controls would get wet, possibly dunked, even with the motor mount at its highest position.