Torqueedo Travel 801 Outboard Motor

[Sea Hunt]

I spent two days at the Miami Boat Show and Strictly Sail Miami 2009. I have gone every year for years. This was the first year that I attended that I actually owned a sailboat.

The attendance was very disappointing and an obvious reflection and barometer of our economy. In past years it was mostly shoulder to shoulder attendees. This year it was wide open isles.

While I am in the process of rebuilding my 2005 Suzuki DF6 (6hp/4stroke), my buddy and I checked out electric motors. He is looking for one for his "sea kayak" type boat. I had thought of one for S/V Tadpole.

We spent a lot of time at Torqueedo, http://www.torqeedo.com/us/hn/home.html much to the chagrin of his wife. They seem to have some pretty good quality outboards.

I am curious if anyone has used one of these battery run outboards, either as auxiliary for their Typhoon weekender or for their tender.

I was impressed with the Torqueedo Travel 801. It is very light weight (27 lbs); easy operated; kill switch; what appears to be plenty of thrust (2 hp; 2.4 kts @ 1/2 throttle for 3,000 lb vessel); and, most important, simply to operate and maintain. The run time for the battery seems a little limited (1 hr @ 1/2 throttle), especially if operated at or above 1/2 throttle (26 min @ full throttle). Because I would be in Biscayne Bay, minimal throttle would be the general application.

My plan is to finish the rebuild of the Suzuki 6 hp and run her for some time. I am thinking of moving up to a CD 25D and keeping S/V Tadpole at the house of while. If so, I would sell the Suzuki 6 hp. If I continue to sail Tadpole, if the rebuild costs of the Suzuki gets too much, I may consider the Torqueedo. Also, if I move up to a CD 25D, I would consider the Torqueedo as an outboard for a tender.

Anyone have any experience or anecodotal information about Torqueedo

[shavdog]

Last season I used a minn kota electric trolling motor with a series 27 deep chg battery on my typhoon...I'm on a large inland lake..overall I really liked it for my situation..it's very quiet, light and gets me home, mostly...problems are it doesnt have good power to go upwind so if you need to get into a marina mouth that could be a problem..I know you are on a ball...for me, I rarely use the motor as I sail off the ball and to it...sometimes when the wind dies, I have to motor home but its usually within a mile so its not an issue...I charge up the battery at my dock....it'd be more of a hassle for you as you can't just plug in...you'd also want to know where you are in terms of charge on your battery as I always wonder where that is and will I get home?..Last year after one leg out our regatta my battery was low(my fault) and I had to sail home in very minimual winds...took a long time to get home...overall I really like what I did...so much that I bought a typhoon mount and have already installed it on my new cd22 for next season...hope this helps..craig ..by the way I paid about 225 for the motor and another 60 for the battery...mines a light duty situation..

[Cathy Monaghan]

Hi Bob,

We didn't use a Torqueedo but we did use a Minn Kota electric trolling motor to propel our dinghy for several years. They have all new models since then, but ours was a 12 V model with 38 lbs. of thrust. We didn't move fast, but we sure were quiet. The only real problem of using this type of propulsion for a dinghy is the weight of the battery. Lifting that sucker in and out of the dinghy is alot of hard work. In addition to their trolling motors, Minn Kota also has what they call an electric outboard but I don't know much about it. You may also want to take a look at the Motor Guide electric trolling motors. Briggs & Stratton also makes electric outboards. Most of the electric trolling motors are 12 or 24 V and only require 1 or 2 batteries. Many of the electric outboards are 48 V and require a large battery bank.

[Joe Myerson]

Hi Bob,

What I'm passing on is second-hand information only:

I haven't actually used the Torqueedo (too expensive for me right now), but I have edited reviews of the motor written by people who have used it. They gave it great ratings. Apparently it has a large prop that gives it more torque than trolling motors. And the battery system is a lot more convenient.

However, again, the cost of the unit is pretty high.

--Joe

[Sea Hunt]

Shavdog, the prices for minn kota are much less than Torqeedo but I think a "minn kota" would not be sufficient for a Typhoon in any kind of a sea way.

Cathy, if I recall correctly, the battery on the Travel 801 only weighs 8 lbs.

Joe, you are right about costs. The prices for Torqeedos are astronomical. The boat show price for the Travel 801 model was $1,550 A spare battery was $600

They are very convenient, breakdown into a small carry package and are very lightweight. However, my Suzuki 6hp/4stroke will be working just fine in a few days. Many nautical miles from now perhaps I will consider one. I guess I just don't place a lot of trust in battery power to push a sailboat (or a car).

[John Martin]

I sail KnoTy Boy on an inland lake (Lake Lanier, near Atlanta). I have a Mercury 3.3 gas 2 stroke that I use some of the time. Right now it is in the basement. I can usually sail out-of, and into my slip with no problem. I keep a paddle on board, just in case. We have no tide or current.

I was wondering about your 6hp engine. It seems that would be very heavy? Do you have to deal with current? Tides? Just curious.

I have looked at that electric motor at my WM store but have that money spent on a new head sail for the big boat.

BTW, send me an e-mail (johnmartin55@hotmail.com) and I will give you some pointers about the VORG.

JM

[Sea Hunt]

Hello John:

I know Lake Lanier. I looked at a CD 25D docked on the Lake several years ago. Nice lake. I visited their twice.

Biscayne Bay, Miami, has both currents and tides, although neither are particularly strong. However, there are times when I have needed every bit of the 6 hp Suzuki trying to make way against a headwind and tide.

The 6 hp Suzuki weighs about 58 lbs. This is the same weight as the 4 hp Suzuki. The prior owner decided it did not make sense to lose 2 hp and still have the same 58 lbs. I would have done exactly the same thing.

One of the reasons I have been looking at small electric motors (or smaller gas engines) is the weight issue. It does not seem to affect sailing ability or characteristics (from what little I know), but because of the weight it is a 2 man job to remove it for service, etc. I would prefer to be able to do it myself without having to rely on someone else.

Thanks for the kind offer of help with the Volvo race. However, I am well beyond help when it comes to computers. I came to computers, etc., very late in life and do not have any real comfort level with them. It would be a complete and total waste of your time. I can sort of send emails, do limited research using "Google" and read the newspaper on line. That is enough for me.

To give you some idea of how dumb I really am, Cathy M. spent many, many hours preparing two terrific articles in The Masthead to try to teach guys like me how to post pictures, etc. She even used simple words and terms she thought I could/would understand. The Masthead pages are worn thin from my many failed efforts to even begin to understand the computer geek stuff.

I took a computer class at the local community college and was asked to leave after 2 weeks because I was "holding back" the other students, many of whom were older than me.

I do have skills. They just do not translate well to civilian life.

[John Martin]

Several decades ago I raced on Biscayne Bay, nice place to sail. I will keep my eye on this thread, to see how you are doing. If you are up Lake Lanier way, maybe we can go out on my boat.

JM

[Sea Hunt]

Thanks John.

The CD 25D I looked at was a 1984 (Hull #146) berthed at Aqualand Marina. Reasonably nice condition but owner/seller would not permit a marine survey. Strange.

I did meet a really nice guy on Lake Lanier who used to own several CDs and was in the process of restoring a Pearson (?) that was at Aqualand Marina. His name was John Doyle, I think. He and his were planning an extended cruise down through Florida and Caribbean.

[Cathy Monaghan]

Keep in mind that you will only get about 2 hours of operation (at full throttle) out of an electric outboard. You should get around 15 hours at half throttle. The electric outboards are much more powerful than electric trolling motors. The Torqeedo models are electric outboards, not trolling motors. Minn Kota, Motor Guide and Briggs & Stratton also make electric outboards, so you may want to compare them to the Torqeedo. Make sure you're comparing the electric outboards and not the trolling motors.

The Torqeedo "Cruise 2.0 R" requires a abttery voltage of 24 V, the "Cruise 4.0 R" requires 48 V.

I copied this directly from the Torqueedo web site regarding battery power:

The Cruise 2.0 R requires a battery voltage of 24 V, the Cruise 4.0 R requires 48 V. We recommend a battery supply of batteries with at least 180 Ah capacitiy each. Lead-based batteries are not resistant to high current, i.e. the capacities indicated on the casing are not available when the batteries are to be fully discharged in a short time (e.g. 1 or 2 hours). For this reason, you should allow for sufficient reserves. Alternatively, the Cruise 2.0 R can also be run with at least one lithium-manganese battery from the Torqeedo Power series. The Cruise 4.0 R can be run with two batteries from the Torqeedo Power series.

Also on their website they show the range for the 2 Torqeedo models listed above using 2 x 12 V 200 ah batteries. CLICK HERE to see that info.

And CLICK HERE to see the technical info on their batteries. They are lithium magnesium cells and weigh 42 lbs. each.

Anyway, the Torqeedo models looks very interesting to me. Their "Cruise 4.0 R" model is the equivalent of an 8 hp gas outboard. That should be enough to propel a Typhoon.

[seajunkie]

Someone has 10 Torqeedo 801L's for sale on eBay with a starting bid of $850 and US shipping of $95. I have been reading about these little motors with interest for some time now. If I had money to burn I would buy one to play with.

I hate lugging my 57LB Nissan in and out of my CD25. I picked up a used 2hp Suzuki 2-Stroke DT2 for $100. I love it for getting to the rigging dock and moving the boat in the bay. A 2HP Torqeedo would be just as convenient. I'll keep a bigger motor for the Ocean, but for the bay here the 2HP is great.

[Sea Hunt]

Rich:

I am a computer dummy and have never bought anything on eBay. After your post I looked. Something does not seem right.

At the Boat Show the other day, the boat show price was $1,550 (plus tax) for the Travel 801L model. On eBay, several posts are offering this model at a starting price of around $1,700 more or less. These numbers seem consistent with the boat show price.

There is one post that is offering up to 20 of these models for $850 each That is basically 1/2 price. He is apparently located in Canada.

I know nothing about eBay or the procedure for bidding, buying, etc. I'm kind of familiar with scam artists. Even if he bought directly from Germany mfg. and the exchange rate between German currency and Canadian currency was favorable to the buyer, 1/2 price should be a large yellow caution flag. Also, he is shipping from Canada. Assuming you have to pay first, then ship, once he gets your money, if he does not ship or ships something that is not exactly what you ordered, it would be difficult at best dealing with the legal issues to get even some of your money back.

In looking at the website, it does seem like he has a good customer service feedback, with everyone who has bought from him being happy, including a few who bought the Travel 801L model. I am not sure how much to trust this "feedback". Just like with fake letters of recommendation, reference, etc. I assume scam artists can create glowing, but fake, eBay posts.

Also, this guy wants your Social Security Number "for US Customs" I'm no expert but why would US Customs and Border Protection want you SSN I used to ship some video equipment to Montreal, Canada many years ago because that is where the equipment was mfg - Amphibico. I NEVER had to give anyone my SSN.

Like I said, I know nothing about eBay. There may be protections built into the system to prevent scam artists. Hopefully so. If you buy, be very, very careful. "Caveat emptor". The old adage "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true" is ringing in my ear.

If you do buy, and it is as advertised, LET ME KNOW

[seajunkie]

Having to provide a SSN is a bad law. I would probably use a tax id number from a friend who has a small business. A tax ID number is legal as well.

I think that the sales are legitimate for a few reasons. PayPal guarantees the transactions. The previous transactions go back to at least 2006 and the seller's account was opened in 2000. The other buyers have hundreds of transactions going back a number of years.

I guess the items could be stolen. Torqeedo might be able to verify that. I would have to make sure that they would honor a warrantee.

All said. You are probably right. There is still some risk.

[mike ritenour]

We bought one for EOS back in 2007, when they first came out.

I was very excited and marveled at the obvious detail put into the thought and design of the motor. Its excellent, lightweight and very portable.

Easy to take on and off a transom and the battery pack is unique in its mounting. Lots of thrust and easy to operate.

In my mind a far superior product than the normal fishing/trolling motor.

After four months of heavy use I found the following:

The throttle is VERY sensitive and its easy to crank on full power in a flick of the unintended wrist. Hopefully they've fixed that.

If you run into ANYTHING the prop dings easily and they are expensive props to replace.

Due to its limited battery storage capacity, the 801 and its standard battery pack won't do those long hauls from the anchorage to the dock and back, especially in heavy weather.

All in all I found it to be an excellent unit, a little overpriced, but being able to motor around an anchorage in the silent mode, no smelly exhaust is a wonderful thing.

In the long run we didn't toss our old gas burner, its still onboard but we've enjoyed having the Torqueedo onboard.

running silent, sometimes ........

rit

[Sea Hunt]

In the January 2010 issue of Practical Sailor there is an in depth article on a new electric outboard motor from a company called Suzhou Parsum Power Machine Company (China) and marketed by Solid Nav. I have never heard of either of these entities.

The interesting part of the article is that the 4 hp electric motor (called the "Traveler") was tested on a Cape Dory Typhoon Weekender registered in Maryland (registration number MD 1195 BY). She is a VERY pretty Ty Weekender.

Although not discussed in depth, the article says the electric power for this 4 hp O/B is supplied by four (4) North Star Energy 1 Group 24 AGM batteries installed on the Ty Weekender. They must be secured together in the same place on board. There is a picture of this but it is such a close up photo I cannot tell where on the Ty Weekender the batteries were placed and secured. It is possible the photo was taken with the batteries not yet installed.

These four (4) heavy batteries weigh in at about 240 lbs!!! That is a lot of extra weight on a small Ty Weekender, especially when you add the weight of the electric motor - 60 lbs, for a total of 300 lbs of dead weight.

The cost for the Traveler and the 4 batteries is about $4,000

For now, it looks like I will keep my trusty little 6 hp Suzuki 4 stroke. I have found a marina that sells regular gas without ethanol so I am a happy camper.

As with another post, I am happy to mail a color copy of this article to anyone who wants it. Just PM me your mailing address. I will not individually respond to each PM, but I promise I will mail a copy to everyone who requests one. I will wait about one (1) week or so and then go to the xerox store to make copies and mail them.

I wish everyone a Safe and Happy New Year