Hello!

 

I am curious about what people think of electric outboard motors on this forum!  Do you like them?  Are they the next trend for us (fisherman)?  What if there was a way that we could navigate our boats with our smartphones?  I personally think it is a pretty neat idea because then we could just plot our course and do our prepping while our boat drives us to our favorite fishing spot!  If you could please share your thoughts with me, I'd appreciate it!!  Thanks and have a wonderful day!!

 

Steph

My Ipilot can do that, has its own remote.

My Ipilot can do that, has its own remote.

Your ipilot can't send a text message to the fish.

Hello!

 

I am curious about what people think of electric outboard motors on this forum!  Do you like them?  Are they the next trend for us (fisherman)?  What if there was a way that we could navigate our boats with our smartphones?  I personally think it is a pretty neat idea because then we could just plot our course and do our prepping while our boat drives us to our favorite fishing spot!  If you could please share your thoughts with me, I'd appreciate it!!  Thanks and have a wonderful day!!

 

Steph

What's your angle?

What are you trying to accomplish with the requested information?

Your ipilot can't send a text message to the fish.

My Android fish messenger can though.

Your ipilot can't send a text message to the fish.

Your right, but I can text rabbits

I've been guiding out of all electric boats for the past 5 years. We have Ray Electric outboard on the back and iPilots on the front linked up to our Humminbird 1198. I plot a coarse and it goes where I want it to. The anchor feature is great. The batteries are a huge problem. They take up too much room and are unreliable. With 7 boats and 8 batteries per boat we are always having problems with them. Fix the batteries and fix the problems with any electric boat. 

I suppose they are fine for "electric only" lakes, but I would never consider replacing my gasoline outboard  with an electric one.  Besides the battery issue mentioned by Gene, Humminbird and Lowrance have already solved the self-guidance issue.  In addition, I could care less about using my cell phone to steer my boat.  It's just one more thing to get dropped in the water.  At least the remote for my iPilot is water-proof and floats.

There is a tool for every job, but no tool can do every job.

 

So it is with electric motors.  Currently, they are not practical as the primary propulsion on a typical bass boat.

There is a tool for every job, but no tool can do every job.

 

So it is with electric motors.  Currently, they are not practical as the primary propulsion on a typical bass boat.

Nor are they cost effective. I posted a video here awhile back of an electric outboard on the market. If I remember correctly, a motor similar in HP to a typical gasoline bass boat motor was roughly $40k with batteries.

My Ipilot can do that, has its own remote.

That's cool!  Do you have a Humminbird too by chance?

Nor are they cost effective. I posted a video here awhile back of an electric outboard on the market. If I remember correctly, a motor similar in HP to a typical gasoline bass boat motor was roughly $40k with batteries.

Ooh yeah, that is definitely pricey!  Wow!  

What's your angle?

What are you trying to accomplish with the requested information?

I am trying to understand the various options that are on the market.  

I've been guiding out of all electric boats for the past 5 years. We have Ray Electric outboard on the back and iPilots on the front linked up to our Humminbird 1198. I plot a coarse and it goes where I want it to. The anchor feature is great. The batteries are a huge problem. They take up too much room and are unreliable. With 7 boats and 8 batteries per boat we are always having problems with them. Fix the batteries and fix the problems with any electric boat. 

Yeah, that is what I have heard.  Can I ask, what kind of batteries do you use?  Thanks so much for your indepth reply!

There is a tool for every job, but no tool can do every job.

 

So it is with electric motors.  Currently, they are not practical as the primary propulsion on a typical bass boat.

When you say practical, what do you mean exactly?  Would you mind elaborating a bit on this please?

Let's not be naive here...http://www.voltboats.com/home/

 

A little transparency will go a long way to gaining members trust and input.

As far as my thoughts on the topic....

 

If we're talking purely personal fishing craft, e.g. kayaks, I think we're in the midst of a revolution.  Between your company, Torqueedo, the various powered kayaks from companies like Ocean Kayak, Native, and even retro fitters like Bassyaks, this is becoming  beyond a viable option to something accessible to the masses.

Let's not be naive here...http://www.voltboats.com/home/

 

A little transparency will go a long way to gaining members trust and input.

Yes, I agree but after reading the FAQ's, I was afraid that I would be banned from the forum?  And all I am seeking is for people's opinions on the electric outboard option.  

As far as my thoughts on the topic....

 

If we're talking purely personal fishing craft, e.g. kayaks, I think we're in the midst of a revolution.  Between your company, Torqueedo, the various powered kayaks from companies like Ocean Kayak, Native, and even retro fitters like Bassyaks, this is becoming  beyond a viable option to something accessible to the masses.

Why would you say this is?

I just want to thank everyone who has replied to my question!  I am most grateful and if there is any additional information you would like to share regarding your outboards,,I'm all ears!  Thanks guys!

For $4k one could buy a slightly used aluminum boat and would have a lot more versatility than a kayak

For $4k one could buy a slightly used aluminum boat and would have a lot more versatility than a kayak

Yes, we agree which is why we are trying to understand and develop an outboard that will satisfy a fisherman's needs/wants/etc..

Yes, we agree which is why we are trying to understand and develop an outboard that will satisfy a fisherman's needs/wants/etc..

Currently, we are working on an electric outboard that will allow you to plot your course ahead of time.  What do you think of this as an option?

Currently, we are working on an electric outboard that will allow you to plot your course ahead of time.  What do you think of this as an option?

Also, all the features would be consolidated rather than having to add additional features...?  

When you say practical, what do you mean exactly?  Would you mind elaborating a bit on this please?

 

Practical: useful: appropriate, sensible, and likely to be effective.

 

You are not going to move a twenty foot bass boat around with an electric motor, unless...........you devote every square foot of storage for batteries to operate an electric motor capable of moving the boat around, and even then, they are not likely to get the boat up on plane.  The cost would be astronomical.  A battery charger capable of recharging the banks of batteries overnight would cost an arm and a leg, if you could find one.

 

If you look at electric cars (not hybrids) they are limited in the distance they can travel before they need to be recharged.  You can refill your gas tank and be on your way in a few minutes.  It can take hours to recharge the batteries in electric cars.  Yes, there may be some chargers that can do it quicker, but you wouldn't want to have to buy one.  Go to a recharging station and it will cost you more to recharge your batteries than it does to buy gasoline to go thirty or forty miles, which is about seven dollars for two gallons of gasoline.

 

They are definitely not practical for towing a bass boat to the lake, and then home again.  Since it is harder to push a boat through the water, than it is to propel a vehicle along a highway, they are a long way from developing a battery, motor propulsion for a boat that can do it for the cost of propelling a boat with an internal combustion outboard motor.

 

I have a canoe with a trolling motor.  It is a practical combination for fishing small lakes/ponds.  I can fish for a day on a fully charged battery in good condition, and fully  recharge the battery in about eight hours. 

 

There are some ponds I fish which I could fish my canoe, or my Nitro Z8.  My 20 foot Z8 with a 200 horsepower outboard is my vessel of choice, because it is more practical.  I burn less than two gallons of gasoline on a typical fishing day, and catch more than twice as many fish from the Nitro, and I can fish more comfortably.  I spend maybe ten minutes running on the 200 hp gas engine to get from place to place, and three or four hours cruising from place to place at four mph with the trolling motor on my canoe.

 

The pond or lake I am going to fish is the determining factor of which boat is more practical.  For some, budgetary constraints may be the prime factor in determining which is more practical.  If you buy a bass boat, and then cannot afford to run it, that would not be practical.

 

It depends on what you want to do and whether or not you can afford it.  That is the ultimate factor in what is or is not practical.