Boat equipment, electric motor

electric outboard motor: Torqueedo T1003 Travel with 2 Batteries

+: Very powerful, very quiet, comfortable handling

-: Low range, long battery charging time

Test location: Adriatic Sea on the Croatian coast near Pula, mild to moderate wind and waves, strong currents.

The battery operating time (in the inflatable dinghy described below) with 3 adults and without baggage is about 45 minutes at full throttle (8 km/h). At half speed (5-6 km/h?) this is about 1.5 hours; on calm waters probably more, maybe even twice as much.

The remaining range is calculated using the GPS receiver in the battery, but the display is hard to read in the sun. Under the conditions (driving back and forth instead of a long, targeted ride) the estimate could not be verified.

The engine is surprisingly strong and accelerates fast. Barely any engine noise is heard already just a few meters away.

The outboard motor is quite light weight. Unlike gasoline engines, this electric one can be carried up a hill by a singe person. I suggest to remove the battery pack and carry it in one hand, the rest of the motor in the other for a pleasant weight distribution.

My recommendations if you're thinking about buying one: Buy a second charger to load batteries in parallel at night, possibly with more ampere to reduce the charging time (estimated 18 hours for an empty battery with the present power supply). For longer trips, check if a solar panel helps, or buy another battery pack. Always have paddles on board for safety anyway.

Before I get into boat repairment, here's advice for an unltrafast air pump: Xylem Rule high speed inflator / deflator ID20 12V DC 25A. It can be connected by clamps to a 12V battery and inflates the boat in less than 10 minutes.

Our inflatable rubber Dhingy (Bombard Typhoon 335) had to be repaired after 10 years. The bottom of the boat had come off the bout tube along the glued seam for a length of about 2 meters in the bow. The German Zodiac warranty company "Boote Seubert" (0931/286126) in Würzburg will repair for ca 350 euros, if you didn't attempt to glue it yourself (because then the cleaning takes forever). But they were very friendly and gave some DIY repair advice:

You need two packages of two-component adhesive of Zodiak (each 250 ml and 35 euros), which is likely this one here: [1] Take off the bottom all the way to the to stern, otherwise you'll be repairing again in a few months because so much dirt is underneath it. Clean everything thoroughly. Then cover both sides with glue and let it dry for 10 minutes - repeat this procedure three times and then squeeze the adhesive surfaces together. There are many manuals for gluing in online forums, eg: [2]

Here's my translation from the following page: [3]

conditions for gluing: humidity below 75%, temperature 18-25 °C, dry room, no sunlight, boat partially deflated, preserving its shape.

1. Locate the leaks with soap water (bubbles form at the leaks).

2. Cut a round piece of patch that is about 5mm larger than the hole.

3. Mark the position of the patch on the hull with a pencil (never with a pen).

4. Remove all dust, apply MEK (methyl ethyl ketone), or acetone as a last resort alternative to both patch and boat hull.

5. Mix glue and hardener. apply to each side in three layers, let each layer dry for about five minutes.

6. After drying of the third layer, put on the patch, but do not press yet, so that a bad position can be corrected.

7. Press the piece firmly with a round object (eg. spoon), starting in the center.

8. Allow to dry for 24 hours before re-assembling the boat.