Torqeedo Update
Snickerdoodle is winterized and I’m officially
“on-the-beach” till next spring. Oh,
my…… One of the really nice things with
this year’s winterizing was simply moving the Torqeedo from the outboard
bracket to inside the main cabin. At
about forty pounds, this was easily done.
I didn’t have to worry about such things as “fogging oil”, lubing the
lower unit, changing crankcase oil, “Stabil” in the gasoline tank, et al…… I put the starboard side settee cushion on
edge in the V-berth, and moved the Torqeedo’s two twelve-volt batteries inside
the main cabin to the starboard side settee.
With shore power keeping the cabin temperature above freezing, this is
ideal for both the motor and the batteries.
After a season
with the Torqeedo, how do I feel about the whole “adventure”? For a lot of reasons, this was the right
decision for Snickerdoodle. While the Torqeedo is a bit less powerful
than the previous engine - Mercury 8hp
outboard, it is more than adequate for 95% of the motor usage for this past
season. And, electrical consumption for
day sailing, and short trips of say 20 miles round-trip, was easily handled by
the two twelve-volt deep-cycle batteries.
The dedicated “smart” charger can recharge the batteries in just a
couple hours.
Everyone loves the
quiet of the Torqeedo. Some folks have
started calling the motor “stealth”.
Even at high rpms, the motor only makes a humming sound.
What was the
biggest problem with the Torqeedo? My
choice of motors was the Torqeedo 2.0 long shaft, tiller version. The long shaft is in keeping with outboard
engines needs on a Catalina 25.
Propellers on short shaft engines don’t allow for the prop to be deep
enough in the water on “choppy” days. I
chose the tiller version because I like to be able to set the propeller angle
(relative to the boat’s centerline).
This helps balance the rudder’s tiller when in forward and still allows
me to angle the motor when I’m backing up while getting out of the slip. The Torqeedo 2.0 tiller version has an LED
which shows available battery voltage as soon as the battery master switch is
closed. A 100% charge will show about 26
volts. As the motor is used, the battery
charge is depleted. The LED shows 24
volts, 23.5 volts, etc. as the charge is used.
So, this LED is sort of like the fuel gauge on the fuel tank. The LED shows what’s left. The problem is that (just like a gasoline
engine) the higher the motor rpms, the faster the battery charge is used up. Unlike a gasoline engine though, the usage
curve is not a straight line. Rather,
the curve accelerates as the rpms increase.
This makes it difficult to estimate how much longer the batteries will
last and provide enough voltage to run the motor. BTW: the owner’s manual says that 18 volts is
minimum voltage to run the motor.
Interestingly, the
Torqeedo 2.0 cruise model has a remote throttle instead of having the throttle
as part of the tiller (like mine). The
remote throttle can be placed anywhere in the boat up to ten feet away from the
motor. The remote throttle also has an
LED. But this LED is four times larger
and has much more information. The
remote throttle has a built-in GPS receiver.
So, the remote throttle’s LED shows: battery charge (volts); remaining
range at current speed; speed; and input power consumption in watts. This remote LED gives all of the critical
information needed to determine whether the batteries can get the boat to the
intended destination at the present speed.
Just what I would really like to have.
AND, HORRAY…… I just learned that this remote throttle can be linked to
my motor. Guess what’s already on my
“Santa” list???????
When we went on
our “sail-around-the-lake” in August, there was a mix of no-wind motoring and
plenty of wind sailing. The longest
no-wind day was on Saturday when we motored all the way from Hope at the north
end of Lake Pend Oreille to Button Hook Cove at the extreme southwest end of
the lake. The total distance traveled
that day was 23.8 nautical miles. I kept
the boat’s speed at 3 knots. The LED
read the following:
0930 25.0 volts
as we left Hope; 1130 24.0 volts
(1 volt used in two hours);
1230 23.7 volts
(.3 volts used in an hour); 1330 23.5 volts
(.2 volts used in an hour); 1430 23.3 volts
(.2 volts used in an hour); 1530 23.0 volts
(.3 volts used in an hour); 1430 22.7 volts
(.3 volts used in an hour); 1730 22.4 volts
(.3 volts used in an hour)
The boat speed
during this day varied with any light breeze.
If the breeze was from ahead, the speed would diminish to as slow as 2.7
knots. If the breeze was from behind,
the speed might increase to 3.2 knots.
Using a Klein
multi-meter to measure amperage though, things get interesting. Here’s what I found at different speeds:
1.5 knots
speed =
1.5 amps usage; 2.0 knots
speed =
3 amps usage; 2.5 knots speed = 8
amps usage; 3.0 knots speed = 10
amps usage; then the rpms start using
more and more amps…… 3.5 knots
speed =
18 amps usage; 4.0 knots = 36
amps usage; 4.5 knots speed = 41.5
amps usage; and at 5 knots speed = 68
amps usage.
The total amp hour
rating on the batteries is 110 amps. So,
at 5 knots – using 68 amps /hour – there is about a 1.5 hour charge - - equaling
about 7.5 nautical miles. I don’t plan on many days or very many miles
at 5 knots……
In addition to the
dedicated deep-cycle battery bank for the Torqeedo, Snickerdoodle also has two
12-volt deep-cycle batteries for the “house” batteries - - to power the VHF
radio, depth sounder, interior and running lights, etc. I purchased the extra-long power cord in
addition to the power cord that came with the motor. With this extra-long power cord, I can
connect the “house” batteries in a series to power the Torqeedo in a
pinch. At 85 amp/hour rating – these two
“house” batteries should be able to get us home from just about any place on
the lake.
All-in-all, was
this a good purchase? And, more
importantly, would I make the same purchase decision again knowing what I know
now? The answer is a resounding YES to
both. And, I’d have purchased the 2.0
cruise remote throttle too…… right from the start.
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