Torqeedo Electric Boston Whaler Classic 13 Super Sport

[Mugwamp]

I have finally completely my electric boat Boston whaler prototype! The “SeaVolt” cruising in the waters of the Sunshine Coast British Columbia Canada.

Setup
1970s 13’ Boston Whaler
Torqeedo cruise 4.0 engine
4 X 12 volt Deep cycle lead acid batteries (90amp hours)
Installed an “Inboard charger” (Noco genius 4 battery charger)

My initial impression of the Torqeedo Cruise 4.0 review

The good

-boat almost planes with 1-2 people in it!
-Very impressed with the overall range and power of my setup.
-super quiet compared to gas outboard
-no maintenance
-charges up pretty quick
-top speed is 10.5km/hr with 20-30min of range
-average speed around 6-8km/hr will get 4-6 hours of range no problem with a loaded boat of 4-5 people. At lower speeds I have 15plus hours of range.
No range anxiety at all for me.


The bad
-Torqeedo customer service doesn’t answer half the time or says they can’t help out of warranty..
-torqeedo 48V-5000 battery somehow surged and died. Customer service was useless, took to a dealer they said 2k to fix it and no guarantee it would work. They charged me 200 to investigate. (Switched to lead acids tried and true no BCM failures to worry about..)
-remote control connector started failing in 3 days on the ocean, makes me nervous not sure what to do about that.. 😣😣. I sprayed some WD-40 and crossed my fingers. Might need to buy a replacement.
-high pitch whine, I don’t love the sound it makes at full crank. I have definitely see other electric outboards that seem quieter.. but this is just brushless motors I guess ??
-motor doesn’t tilt all the way out. This is my biggest frustration as I park my boat all summer at a dock.
So my engine is stuck hanging in ocean collecting grime. I don’t get why they wouldn’t make a bracket that tilts all the way. It’s not like the motor is that heavy.. still brainstorming a solution here.

[Adelie]

If I was going to get an electric outboard, I would get an Elco.
Among other reasons:
A. they’ve been making electric outboards for approximately 100 years
B. motor is at the top instead of in a pod in the water, subject to water intrusion if the seals fail.

[Mugwamp]

I would have considered but they don’t really sell in west coast Canada..