Mauwehu Loc: Norwalk Ct

After being stuck on I95 for 24 hours in Virginia this winter I’m not considering an electric car anytime soon even if I could afford one. Gas carried me through the 16 degree weather.
But the thought of a quiet electric outboard as a main power plant (not trolling motor) on a Jon boat is appealing to me.
Anyone make the equivalent of an 8-10 horse gas outboard in electric out there?
Anyone own one?

flyguy Loc: Lake Onalaska, Sunfish Capitol of the World!

A good thought, Mauwehu. How heavy would the battery have to be, and the price, solar power????? Not in my lifetime.

Fredfish Loc: Prospect CT.

There's a few buddy. One is Stealth outboards. They are built on the same platform as small Yamahas. I believe Tohatsu makes Yami and Merc small motors. Replacement parts are available at any Yami dealer. Let me look for the link.
Google Stealth Electric outboards , they're in Houston I believe. I couldn't copy the link.

Ibclyde Loc: Cloverleaf Lakes Wisconsin

I think I read that Merc is in the development stages

Flytier Loc: Wilmington Delaware

I put a search in Google and came up with some. Looked like about 3 times the price if gas power maybe a little more

Gordon Loc: Charleston South Carolina

Mauwehu, are you using a two stroke outboard? My 150 4 stroke is so quit at idle speed you don't even hear it. I have to look at the pee tube to see if its running

Mauwehu Loc: Norwalk Ct

Great questions. I did put a trolling motor on a canoe for a while. The car battery would last a while but I paddled back a lot. Boat isn’t an easy buy. What do I want? Where? Used? Yes based on price probably used but will it be dependable? A lot harder and more final than buying a car. A car can be test driven anywhere. A boat gets bought on a trailer in a driveway and then driven to a lake for a run all the time hoping the wheel bearings won’t fail and the motor will start.

Jeremy Loc: America

You should test run a boat before buying it. But that is a decision for purchaser and seller.

I won’t ever be buying a jon boat. I don’t want to be a Jon Doe when they find me floating after the boat submerged.

Good luck though. There is a lot of electric trolling motors. If boat is not big it doesn’t need huge amounts of thrust.

Solar panels ( flexible or rigid ) are a lot less than many assume now. You can have a canopy made of Solar Panels. But Batteries would be spendy and needed. Combo of gas and electric is good option. Many small gas motors can also charge the batteries. Many are capable of charging but just need a rectifier added to regulate the voltage and make it DC.

Catfish hunter Loc: Riggins idaho (Paradise)

I have a 70 pound spot-lok and it’s more expensive to run than my 9.9 four stroke kicker by far. I can run that kicker for a week on 5 gallons of gas. The electric motor requires a gallon of gas a day for my generator to recharge the batteries and runs fewer hours than my kicker does on the same amount of gas. Batteries are good for about two years on my spot-lok and they’re $100.00 apiece for two of them. My kicker is a 2000 model and still runs like new. Plus I can’t even hear it running while trolling. I have a spot lok because it came with my boat and I use it to avoid setting an anchor but for trolling I’d never go with electric. Some people would never buy a Jon boat because they’re afraid it would sink. I suppose they do have a weight limit but I’ve had several and they all worked just fine. My advice would be a good little four stroke gas motor. I had a 12 foot Jon boat with a four stroke, 6 horse, Yamaha on it and two of us caught hundreds of catfish out of the John Day river out of it on numerous trips. Two, 160 pound adults, all of our gear, 4 miles up the river on two gallons of gas and you couldn’t hear the motor running at all.👍

FixorFish Loc: SW Oregon

If you have deep pockets, there is the "Torqueedo" @ about $2500+ the last I looked...... extra battery was like $800 or $1100(?).... just insane. Haven't looked for a couple of years, probably more now. Like all "new" technology, the prices will drop as they become more mainstream and more choices become available.
.... but then..... that was the promise with fish finders. My buddy Robert had an "outrageously priced" $700 one 20-25 years ago, that barely covers some transducers, these days.
I ain't holding my breath.......

Mauwehu Loc: Norwalk Ct

Thanks for the info Catfish. There is a lot of negativity about Jon boats. I guess I’m ahead of myself on the electric outboard. Kicker it is.

Mauwehu Loc: Norwalk Ct

Thanks Fix
My pockets aren’t that deep especially for something that doesn’t make sense. I built a recess over my fireplace mantle when the first flat screen tvs were 2800.00 and waited. When they came down to 600 I bought one. Now the same one is 300. Technology has to catch up.

Chuck56 Loc: Texas

Since I know absolutely nothing about electric outboards, couple of questions. How many , / what type of battery would be needed. ? How much room in the boat would be a needed for such batteries ? Dependable ? How much running time ? Ok, that’s enough...lol

FixorFish Loc: SW Oregon

I visited the Torqueedo website this morning....wow....was I off the mark ! Only the equivalent of 1hp & 3hp are less than $5k. For a bass boat or such, the electric equivalent of a 25-40hp(supposedly the equivalent power of a 50-100hp gas-powered motors ?!?) STARTING price is $25k++, with 'extra batteries ' going for nearly DOUBLE THAT !!
Had to stop reading the site further, much like the reaction that I have when I pause from looking at "how cool looking" a Bugatti or Ferrari is, and look at the price.

Unless, of course, I win the lottery big-time. Then it's state-of-the-art bass boats, fast beautiful cars and jaw-dropping residences for everyone close to me !
Root for my chances, if you care to.... might make you "closer to me".... hehehe !

Harris T. Fudpucker Loc: Lafayette, Louisiana

Tohatsu makes a propane motor, but anybody that believes that we are ready for electric cars, needs the electricity go out during a storm, and the flood is coming. So how do you leave..........in a casket.