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Beneteau Oceanis 41 Used Boat Review

Photo courtesy of SailboatCruising.com

Hans Christian 34/36

2002 Catalina 320. Photo courtesy of Yacht World.

Catalina 320 Used Boat Review

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Tartan 37 Used Boat Review

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How to Create a Bullet-Proof VHF/SSB Backup

AquaMaps with Bob’s blue tracks and my green tracks at the start of the ICW with bridge arrival times. (Image/ Alex Jasper)

Tips From A First “Sail” on the ICW

Make sure someone is always keeping a lookout on the horizon while the tillerpilot is engaged. If there are a few crew onboard, it helps to rotate who is on watch so everyone else can relax.

Tillerpilot Tips and Safety Cautions

Irwin Vise-Grip Wire Stripper. (Photo/ Adam Morris)

Best Crimpers and Strippers for Fixing Marine Electrical Connectors

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Lashing for Strength

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Are Wrinkles Killing Your Sail Shape?

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Superlight Anchors: Not Just for Racers

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Refining Furling Line Fairleads

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Impact of Modern, Triangular-Design on Boat Performance

Beneteau First 44. A modern wide stern boat with a deep narrow fin and bulb plus twin rudders. Note the very shallow hulls as well. This design epitomizes the modern fast "cruiser" and draws heavily from racing designs. (Photo courtesy of Boats.com)

Keel and Rudder Design Basics

Parallel hybrid setup. Image courtesy of Ortomarine.

Diesel-Electric Hybrids Vs. Electric: Sailing’s Auxiliary Power Future

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Sailing Triteia: Budget Bluewater Cruising

Examples of glass filler (microspheres) and glass material (cut fibers and two fabrics) for plastics reinforcement: glass microspheres (or glass beads); diameter: about 300 µm, specific gravity: 2.5. Mineral filler mainly used to increase the stiffness of a thermoset resin and to make road safety markings; 5 mm length chopped strands of fiberglass used to reinforce thermoset resins; fibrous reinforcements for thermoset resins: two glass fabrics with different area density; fiber orientation: 0 and 90° (most common): weave pattern: taffeta (down left, area density: 550 g/m2), and 2x2 twill (down right, area density: 280 g/m2). Credit: WikiCommons/CC BY-SA 3.0

A Brief Modern History of Fiberglass

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Another Look at ‘Dustless’ Sanding

Mid-May at Ile Perrot Yacht Club in Quebec. This time of year is when the sailing season begins in earnest. (Photo/ Marc Robic)

How Much Does it Cost to Own a Sailboat in Quebec,…

Two Sea Shield anodes installed fore and aft of the cutlass bearing. (Photo/ Marc Robic)

Anode Basics: Dos and Don’ts

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PS Advisor: Acid Cleaning Potable Water Systems

Affordable products that you can find beyond the chandlery help make boat life more comfortable. Velcro strips, Bounce dryer sheets, LED pool lights and anti-skid material are all small fixes that have a big impact. (Photo/ Marc Robic)

Product Hacks: Velcro, Bounce, Anti-Skid Mats and Pool Lights

Odorlos Holding Tank Treament Packets

Stopping Holding-tank Odors

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Giving Bugs the Big Goodbye

You don't need to keep a full-size SCUBA tank onboard for underwater emergencies. Mini SCUBA tanks like this Spare Air don't take up much storage space, and offer sailors the ability to dive on an anchor or work on the prop longer than you'd be able to with snorkel alone.

Compact Scuba Kits for Sailors

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Cold Weather Clothes to Extend the Sailing Season

The Gill Pro Long Finger ($50) is Practical Sailor's top pick for sailing gloves.

Five Best Gloves: Sailing and DIYing in All Weather

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Sailing Gear for Kids

Ellen and Birger live full-time on their Fontaine Pajot Lavezzi and are paid to clean up remote natural reserves in Norway. (Photo/ Birger Haftor Nilsen and Ellen Gjertsen)

Full-Time Ocean Trash Cleanup in the Arctic Circle

New Zealand Emirates race in the Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta on 25 August 2024. (Photo/ Ian Roman/ America's Cup)

Boats That Fly? How High Tech Rocked the America’s Cup

The R. Tucker Thompson is a tall ship based in the Bay of Islands, Aotearoa New Zealand. It operates as a not-for-profit, and takes Northland’s young people on 7-day voyages. (Photo courtesy of R. Tucker Thompson)

R. Tucker Thompson Tall Ship Youth Voyage

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On Watch: This 60-Year-Old Hinckley Pilot 35 is Also a Working…

America's Cup sailboats have progressed from deep-keel monohull J-class Yachts, to regal Twelve Meters, to rambunctious wing-sailed catamarans. The rule now restricts boats to a single hull, but allows retractable, hydraulically actuated foils. Top speeds of 40 knots are common. (Photo/Shutterstock)

On Watch: America’s Cup

  • Inside Practical Sailor

Portable Electrical Propulsion for Small Sailboats

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Courtesy of Torqeedo

In part one of our two-part test of five and six-horsepower engines in the upcoming January issue of Practical Sailor, we take a second look at portable electric motors. Practical Sailors interest in modern portable electric propulsion dates back to 2004, when then editor Doug Logan began to lose faith in the two-stroke outboard on his Boston Whaler. While awaiting the prognosis on his unresponsive 15-horsepower Evinrude, he bought a Minn Kota Riptide 55 trolling motor, wondering if it might make a good dinghy engine.

Logans initial review of the Minn Kota focused on its potential as a dinghy motor but he also tested it on larger skiffs. We later heard from several Practical Sailor readers who use trolling motors to power their sailboats (some as large as 30-feet!), but most said they used them mainly for short distances and in mostly flat water. Prices on saltwater-rated trolling motors start at around $350 (a 12-volt deep cycle battery to power them adds at least another $120), making the initial costs much less than for other electric motors.

Although people often compare such trolling motors to the $2,000 Torqeedo Travel 1003, there are several key differences. The Torqeedo uses a dedicated lithium magnesium battery that has a longer life and a more favorable power-to-weight ratio than a lead-acid battery. The Torqeedos brushless motor design is more reliable and better suited for continuous duty.

In 2005, we tested four popular trolling motors with rated thrusts ranging from 40 to 80 pounds. The results highlighted a major drawback of all electric motors: available horsepower and range is closely tied to battery capacity. Driving a sailboat with one of the more powerful trolling motors at full throttle for more than a half an hourwill nearly drain a standard Group 24 battery. And you can’t expect a trolling motor to dislodge your Catalina 22 when a stiff wind has pinned it to the dock (a task that would challenge the Torqeedo Travel 1003 as well). Even with these drawbacks, a trolling motor is a viable option for sailors who just need a little help getting up a canal or off a dock in calm water.

If you need more power, there are other options. In our most recent foray into electric outboards, we tested a motor called the SolidNav Traveler . The hefty 48-volt, four-horsepower outboard was manufactured by Parsun Power Machine, Chinas largest outboard exporter. The outboard’s brushless solid magnet motor was built by Mars Electrical Co. of Milwaukee, Wis. (now Motenergy). The engine looks nearly identical to a gasoline outboard of the same horsepower and weighs slightly more. Although the Solid Nav is no longer available, Elco is marketing a very similar mode l for about $3,000 suggested retail price. The price does not include the requisite four 12-volt batteries (or equivalent), which can add at least another $1,500-making the initial outlay much higher than any other electric motor option.

Our testers were impressed by the motor’s heavy duty design, and the way the electric motor was incorporated into the familiar gasoline outboard form factor. Performance was good, but again, it was limited by the constraints of electric power. In our test of the Solid Nav, four North Star Energy group 24 AGM batteries with 140 amp hour reserve capacity were wired in series to deliver the required 48-volts. This battery tank delivered about eight miles of range on our test boat (a 19-foot Cape Dory Typhoon) at four knots.

Of all the electric outboards available to the sailor, the Torqeedo holds the most promise, but the niche is rather narrow. This is the third time weve looked at these motors. In our first preview, we tested an early iteration of the Travel 801L , an ultralight electric equivalent of a two horsepower outboard. Four years ago, we tested the more powerful Torqeedo Travel 1003. We pitted it against the Electric Paddle, an ultralight portable electric motor that looks like a trolling motor but has a larger diameter prop and its own rechargeable battery.

With 30 percent more battery power than the 801, plus an increase in thrust and efficiency, the Travel 1003L (long shaft) has proved impressive on the variety of boats weve used it on including: a round-bilge carbon fiber dinghy from Wing Systems, the Cape Dory Typhoon, a 9-foot, 10-inch Dynamic RIB from Mercury, a Venture 22, and the Catalina 22.

As with all electric motors, power and range are limited. On our test boat, a Catalina 22, the range on a single battery at 4 knots speed is about 2.5 miles. At slower speeds of about 2.5 knots, the maximum range is about 7 miles. Maximum speed on the Wing Systems dinghy was about seven knots, but that could only be sustained for about half an hour. At slower speeds, range approaches 10 miles.

Bottom line: For the average daysailer with high power demands, a small gasoline outboard remains the most practical choice for portable propulsion. An electric motor can work, but for longer range service it will require significant investment in big battery banks, and perhaps a solar charging system. The limited range wont matter for the lake sailor who just needs the occasional short boost home when the wind dies. For this task, the Torqeedo is the most convenient and best suited, but for the budget-minded small boat sailor tired of the hassles of gasoline power, a trolling motor will also work within certain limits.

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

If be interested to learn more about how to mount one of these motors on a sailboat without an open transom, such as my Lightning.

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  1. Sailboat Sailboat Electric Trolling Motor Test

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  2. 88Lbs trolling motor on Sailboat

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  3. modified C15 sailboat

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  4. Trolling motor and New Jersey

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  5. Official Show Us Your Trolling Motor Setup.

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  6. 3 Ways to Mount a Trolling Motor

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  1. sailboat trolling setup

  2. Venture 17 Trolling Along

  3. DIY custom kayak trolling motor build. Parts and pieces explained. Video 4

  4. Newport Vessels NT300 Real Power Use VS Trolling Motors

  5. How to get invited sailing

  6. PROJECT ATALAY The Amazing $ 26,909,000 Yacht