Torqeedo vs Gas

[Bob Nolen]

I just picked up #252 from Ken Antonovich and brought her down to Lake Norman. He included a 10 year old Torqeedo in the deal. I put it on my J80 this Wednesday after fully charging the battery and it died before we got the mainsail up.

So I’m looking at either a new battery for the Torqeedo or a new 4 stroke.  Prices for both are pretty close - $950 for a battery, $750-950 for a 4 stroke.

What’s the general consensus on the Torqeedo now that they’ve been in use for 10 plus years?  Would a new battery operated at less than full throttle give a reasonable range to get up or down the lake if the wind died? 

Thanks!

[Josh Jones]

You might want to reach out to Pete and Kerrie Lalli, who own a Seascape 24 on the lake. They have a Torqeedo as well. 

252? Is that the last one made? Pretty cool that you brought it to the U 20 Mecca

[TimPorter]

If you decide to use the Torqeedo, the class rules require you to carry a 1/2 gallon of fuel in addition to the motor.  Or you have to put 30 lbs on the boat that "serve no other purpose".

Other than that I have heard good things about the Torqeedo.  Pete and Kerrie have said a lot of good things about it. 

[U20 Site Moderator]

We should have fixed that in the last rule update.  I'll discuss it with the board and we'll see what we can do to get it remedied before the next NA's.  The Torqeedo and the Spirit both weigh plenty. 

[Jeff Johnson]

I have an older Torqeedo, close to 10 years old.  Great concept but too finicky.  I constantly get an E06 error code for low voltage, even though the battery has plenty of charge left.  The newer version of Torqeedo they supposedly have worked out many of these types of issues with the false error codes and improved firmware.  I switched to gas just because of the reliability, but the newer versions might be better.

[Gray Shannahan]

I have a Torquedo and it's great for what it is. If you don't have far to go to get out to a course, it's great. My main issue with it is that when you lift the prop out oft he water, it doesn't lift up all the way. When you are on starboard tack with a little heel, it will start to drag in the water. Has anyone addressed this? We typically stow below deck during a race, but when you remove the battery and tiller, it doesn't weigh all that much and should be able to stay put on the motor mount for convenience during a Wednesday night race.

[Ron Dietel]

I too had an older Torqeedo but sold it because on some three or four occasions, the battery would show it was almost fully charged but then died. Also, because I sail on the ocean, often a long ways out, I was constantly worried about range, power and recharging  Battery replacement was the cost of a new gas outboard. I did like the easy reverse and other aspects of it.

[Bob Nolen]

I opted for a new Suzuki 2.5.  It was 3/4 the price of a new battery for the Torqeedo at $1000 and I'd still have the possibility of running out of juice trying to get back.  So the Torqeedo is on eBay looking for a new owner.
Love the Suzuki - so much better than the Mercury 3.5 I had for 6 years.  1-2 pulls and it fires right up. 

[Paul DiMarco]

Great to race against you this past weekend Bob!  We have the same motor on #82 and managed to get 4.5 - 5 knots on the way down the lake towards you for the Peninsula Cup.  That wasn't even at full throttle - nice little motor.

I had a Torqueedo on my Capri 22 when I lived up in NH.  It was a great motor to get the boat out onto the race course, but that was typically only a 1/4 - 1/2 mile away - I don't think it would have gotten me the 4+ NM from Lake Norman YC down to PYC and back without multiple batteries.