Our sailing club in Hilo bought a Torqueedo (not sure which model). It's definitely high-tech compared to the average trolling motor. Has GPS in it even, so you can read your speed off the display for example. Shows you charge remaining and estimated time/distance remaining at current conditions. YMMV... :-) It's used for our Potter 19 and our Int'l Folkboat. The latter is *way* over the weight/disp. rating for it - "Kids, don't try this at home" - and it's mostly for short uses (off/on mooring, manoeuvring near the beach, etc.) I'm also our club 'fleet electrician and solar guy' so I'll throw in a few other comments... Best solar charge controllers in my experience are FlexCharge. Highest efficiency and kindest to your batteries (due to their unique and patented charging algorithm/technology), and completely sealed and marine-environment ready. The PV7 is great for all marine battery maintenance setups up to 7A charging current (approx. 120W panel, but check actual panel ratings!). The NC25A handles up to 25A. http://flexcharge.com I buy them from SolarSeller (John Drake III): http://www.solarseller.com/ Both their web sites are pretty awful, which has nothing to do with the quality of their products and services. Solarseller is a small specialty operation - when you call, most often John Drake himself takes your order. Great 'old school' service-oriented kinda guy. Any non-sealed controller will generally be toast in 12-18 months (or less, that's best case) in marine environment. Freshwater-only folks may have them last a bit longer but it's still not worth the risk to save a few bucks on a cheap controller. When the controller dies un-noticed, your battery will start taking a hit (either from overcharging or not charging) and in some cases your panel can be damaged. For those not already aware, electric motors use far more power instantaneously than can be generated instantaneously by PV panels that can fit on a boat. So any PV installation would be for slow, long-term recharging of an electric motor battery (and trickle-charging/maintenance charging when batteries are 'full'). There are inboard electric drives that work as a generators while under sail, so that batteries can get recharged much more quickly (while creating some extra drag, of course). Might be a possibility for an M-23 since they have inboard engines. They are quite pricey though. One of our members has installed one on his cruising boat but it's new to him also so we haven't got a report on how well it actually works yet. cheers, John S. On 06/28/2012 09:14 AM, Randy wrote:
Hi Dave,
I got the 2012 German Torqueedo Travel 1003 extra long shaft. I have the older M-17 with the cut out transom. The engine can be backed up with a solar charger and/or 12volt marine battery. I am in the process of installing a larger solar collector to charge and maintain my marine battery that I use to run my electrical system. Torqueedo makes a solar charger for the Torqueedo but it is quite pricy (over $800.). I have only been out on the boat three times with the new engine but like it so far. It does have a two year warranty.
randy
-- John Schinnerer - M.A., Whole Systems Design -------------------------------------------- - Eco-Living - Whole Systems Design Services People - Place - Learning - Integration john@eco-living.net http://eco-living.net