Amazing video, thank you guys. We tested eLite and published a review video on our channel too. What a successful product it is. Your DIY system is also amazing and inspiring. Sending love from Türkiye.
very interesting. The larger Spirit motor appears to be able to 'charge whilst discharging' - which would mean a solar panel on the foredeck could extend your range whilst motoring along... if there was a bit of sun out...
Extending cables from charger to epulsion(battery) will increase voltage drop which can affect the charging. Best policy with any charger is to keep wire to battery short as possible.
Very impressive. Good little power pack arrangement. I could use this arrangement on two of my boats (20’ x 16’ trimaran, and my 19’ Lightning). I’ve been using a traditional 12 volt trolling motor (55 # thrust) and deep cycle lead acid battery setup for about 15 years on my trimaran. This would be a good upgrade, smaller, lighter, more portable, etc. ✔️⛵️
@@SeasickPete: Been a sailor since age 8 having raced & cruised both small & big boats. My multihull fascination spans 50 years starting with Hobie Cats in the 1970s. Although I do have experience with production class trimarans (& catamarans & monohulls), my current trimaran is my 7th generation of home built trimaran. Continuing evolution of designs, stronger, faster, lighter, one of a kind over about 30 years. I’m an over 70 yr old retiree still having fun with smaller boats (sailing, building, coastal dinghy cruising). My trimarans have been varied designs. My current trimaran is non-folding (stronger & lighter), twin dagger boards, twin rudders, modified Tornado style rig, less than 1,000 pounds, wetted surfaces width of all 3 hulls at waterlines 14”. Main hull 20’ with 16’ beam. Overall length rudders, bowsprit, etc 26’. On good days, fairly flat water beam reach can hit 23 knots. Very narrow and slippery design, with low structural windage so it’s easily pushed by 55# thrust trolling motor for marinas / ramps. Cannot make a comparison between very narrow lightweight hulls and minimal windage resistance to a monohull with greater wetted area resistance. I can state that my “larger” trimaran pushes easier with the same electric trolling motor than my 19’ Lightning dinghy with 4.5’ centerboard.
Generally my trolling motor & battery are not aboard my trimaran. My trimaran is generally sailed off the beach / waterfront cottage mooring ball. However, if a dead calm is expected, or I’m going to be navigating a marina, or I’m going dinghy cruising, I generally leave the electric trolling motor behind.
I found my small 2 stoke outboard gave me range anxiety. It would tend to run out while inside the marina. On the battery and electric propulsion, the "fuel" gauge is so accurate that you always know exactly how much you have left. No need to guess "am I going to make it?".
Space for panels is always the weak link with solar on boats, especially when you live somewhere that doesn't get much sun. But I like the idea of the motor charging off the portable solar electric setup. Clever
I love that Biggest Boat I Could Afford book, i got it about 18 years ago and read it cover to cover, one of the ones that opened my eyes to using boats for something more than just racing! I tried Googling the Author last week actually (i was going to mention the book in another video but changed my mind), I couldn’t find a thing about him. I wonder what happened to him!
Thanks for your videos, I really enjoy them. On a different topic, could you please tell me the specs for your aluminum mast - diameter and wall thickness. Happy new year, Peter
So you are happy capsizing those electrical components? Are they all water tight units? Some indication of the costs involved would be nice in a future video. The elite retails for $1700, the battery box $45, the other components?
I have the bigger epro with a 200amphour batt and 150 watt panel - all good until you have to get to windward in 20 plus kts and 1 plus mtrs of chop ( bad decisions ) and the waves are pushing you backwards - only thing that works in that scenario is 5hp-and supercheap to run and the same weight so the epro really not so good for more extreme conditions - but fine for finer weather - horses for courses...............
Excellent. Been looking forward to that. On an extended cruise ive had to carry 70 litres fuell on an 18 ft boat. So the weight of the battery when flat or full is insignificant compared to 70 litres fuell and the empty jerry cans when used. Could the motor be run directly from the 50 AH batt. As always very interesting and informative. Thanks Matt and Jo.
Thanks for your replies. these things are a bit above my level. Can't understand why if you can charge the batt with 12 volts why won't it just run with 12 volts?
@@David-zl8mr Motor and electronics are 48V because it is more efficienct to run at higher voltages as they create less heat compared to 12V. You charge the battery with 12v using a converter which converts it to 48V actually. Not directly. Each conversion loses efficiency. So it is better to run it via a 48v battery directly.
That bloke having the disagreement with the boat 😳 i have a feeling i seen that boat up for sale in the last few days old navy boat with a lot of history 😢
great review and test. I have just built a Vivier designed Beg Meil, similar to your boat. I think it weighs about 350kg (has a steel centre board). Do you think the e lite would work for me? Fully agree with all your comments about using electric over petrol for these simple cruising dinghies. Would appreciate your thoughts thanks. Keep up the great content.
Mat, after seeing your SCAMP video I bought an eLite for my SCAMP, and am installing the motor mount as we speak! It should be terrific. I will have a 100 Ah battery that has a nice inverter so I can use the charger that comes with the eLite rather than the 12 volt adapter. Do you know if I plug in the charger whether the motor will run while charging? If so, the charger should give enough amperage to run the motor I would think. Thoughts?
Great video as always. Question: with a 12 volt trolling motor, having the battery that far away from the electric motor requires a really heavy gauge cable. Is that an issue with your unit?
It's not for them because they aren't charging it while using it, they are putting the battery and the outboard right next to each other. There is a battery in the epropulsion outboard that they are charging with the lithium battery in the box
Thanks for the comprehensive test! I wonder how it would compare to a 65lbs trolling motor running from a 60 amp 12V pwm controller. Those two would cost about 280 Euro's here excluding the battery. A 200ah 12 litime battery costs about 480 Euro's. Add a 240v charger, 200W solar panel and charge controller for about 300 total and you've got a very complete set-up with way more battery storage and solar for just the price of the propulsion eLite. (Although that does look really sleek I have to admit) According to the specs the 65lbs trolling motor equals about 1.8 hp VS the eLite at 2 hp. What are your thoughts on this? Kind regards, SeasickPete
My experience with trolling motors is that they are 'trolling motors' designed for low speed high thrust. They obviously don't have the inbuilt battery and perhaps not the strength of an eLite. But if you have a limited budget they work fine on small craft.
Hi Thanks for your reply, I am wondering if that would work for my application. I have a 22ft glorified surfboard (Hunter Formula One) that I want to move in and out of my slip in the marina. For longer passages I can use the old 2 smoke inferno combustion outboard but would like to avoid using that for just marina trips.
That enables you to buy a basic (cheaper) trolling motor and fitting it with a very efficient way of powering it. The more expensive ones come with pwm controls built in but cost much much more. The main advantages of pwm is more efficiency and the capability to have stepless rpm controls instead of the 5 ahead and 3 astern levels.
@@SmallCraftTasmania-ms4sx These days "trolling motors" have developed into a range of sizes that means our traditional view of them is no longer relevant. I for instance have a 3HP electric outboard with built-in LiPo battery - similar to an E-something or Torqeedo etc. I have also recently obtained a "trolling motor" that weighs twice that of the other unit (without a battery), has a massive motor, and produces 160Lbs of torque using 24v (I use two 12v batteries). It is actually WAY overpowering my 5m dinghy, but that means I use very low throttle, and can cruise forever..
Well done guys, nice data point. Thanks for the tips on the power system. Cheers, J
Thanks for doing a proper review on the E-lite. Was holding off because nobody had any honest real life use scenarios
Another great video full of great information. Thank you. Maybe a range test hooked up to the battery bank and solar?
Amazing video, thank you guys. We tested eLite and published a review video on our channel too. What a successful product it is. Your DIY system is also amazing and inspiring. Sending love from Türkiye.
Love the book reviews... keep 'em coming :)
Happy new year and thanks for your videos
very interesting. The larger Spirit motor appears to be able to 'charge whilst discharging' - which would mean a solar panel on the foredeck could extend your range whilst motoring along... if there was a bit of sun out...
Extending cables from charger to epulsion(battery) will increase voltage drop which can affect the charging. Best policy with any charger is to keep wire to battery short as possible.
Usually the outboard is a backup for the sail. On this trip the sail was used as backup for the outboard. 😂😂
Very impressive. Good little power pack arrangement. I could use this arrangement on two of my boats (20’ x 16’ trimaran, and my 19’ Lightning). I’ve been using a traditional 12 volt trolling motor (55 # thrust) and deep cycle lead acid battery setup for about 15 years on my trimaran. This would be a good upgrade, smaller, lighter, more portable, etc. ✔️⛵️
What kind of trimaran do you have? I am wondering if a similar setup would work on my Hunter Formula one. A 22 ft monohull racing sailboat
@@SeasickPete: Been a sailor since age 8 having raced & cruised both small & big boats. My multihull fascination spans 50 years starting with Hobie Cats in the 1970s. Although I do have experience with production class trimarans (& catamarans & monohulls), my current trimaran is my 7th generation of home built trimaran. Continuing evolution of designs, stronger, faster, lighter, one of a kind over about 30 years. I’m an over 70 yr old retiree still having fun with smaller boats (sailing, building, coastal dinghy cruising). My trimarans have been varied designs. My current trimaran is non-folding (stronger & lighter), twin dagger boards, twin rudders, modified Tornado style rig, less than 1,000 pounds, wetted surfaces width of all 3 hulls at waterlines 14”.
Main hull 20’ with 16’ beam. Overall length rudders, bowsprit, etc 26’. On good days, fairly flat water beam reach can hit 23 knots. Very narrow and slippery design, with low structural windage so it’s easily pushed by 55# thrust trolling motor for marinas / ramps. Cannot make a comparison between very narrow lightweight hulls and minimal windage resistance to a monohull with greater wetted area resistance. I can state that my “larger” trimaran pushes easier with the same electric trolling motor than my 19’ Lightning dinghy with 4.5’ centerboard.
Generally my trolling motor & battery are not aboard my trimaran. My trimaran is generally sailed off the beach / waterfront cottage mooring ball. However, if a dead calm is expected, or I’m going to be navigating a marina, or I’m going dinghy cruising, I generally leave the electric trolling motor behind.
Happy new year. From Paul in Cornwall England
I found my small 2 stoke outboard gave me range anxiety. It would tend to run out while inside the marina.
On the battery and electric propulsion, the "fuel" gauge is so accurate that you always know exactly how much you have left. No need to guess "am I going to make it?".
Very good. I'll be using more solar/electric in the future.
Space for panels is always the weak link with solar on boats, especially when you live somewhere that doesn't get much sun. But I like the idea of the motor charging off the portable solar electric setup. Clever
I love that Biggest Boat I Could Afford book, i got it about 18 years ago and read it cover to cover, one of the ones that opened my eyes to using boats for something more than just racing! I tried Googling the Author last week actually (i was going to mention the book in another video but changed my mind), I couldn’t find a thing about him. I wonder what happened to him!
Thanks for your videos, I really enjoy them. On a different topic, could you please tell me the specs for your aluminum mast - diameter and wall thickness. Happy new year, Peter
Good info! Thanks, Happy New Year! AllthebestRoy
I can't make the jump from a trolling motor to the expulsion for the cost yet, looks awesome though!
So you are happy capsizing those electrical components? Are they all water tight units? Some indication of the costs involved would be nice in a future video. The elite retails for $1700, the battery box $45, the other components?
I have the bigger epro with a 200amphour batt and 150 watt panel - all good until you have to get to windward in 20 plus kts and 1 plus mtrs of chop ( bad decisions ) and the waves are pushing you backwards - only thing that works in that scenario is 5hp-and supercheap to run and the same weight so the epro really not so good for more extreme conditions - but fine for finer weather - horses for courses...............
Can you feed charge into the elite from another battery that keeps up with its demand ?
Hi Mat - What is the GPS watch you are using? Great informative video.
Thanks. It's an Apple Ultra running Waterspeed App
Excellent. Been looking forward to that. On an extended cruise ive had to carry 70 litres fuell on an 18 ft boat. So the weight of the battery when flat or full is insignificant compared to 70 litres fuell and the empty jerry cans when used. Could the motor be run directly from the 50 AH batt. As always very interesting and informative. Thanks Matt and Jo.
no because the charge not high enough to reach the 25 volt or 40 volt for the bigger one threshhold - need a batt in between and a large one at that
Not this model but sprit models can be run from an external 48v battery.
Thanks for your replies. these things are a bit above my level. Can't understand why if you can charge the batt with 12 volts why won't it just run with 12 volts?
@@David-zl8mr Motor and electronics are 48V because it is more efficienct to run at higher voltages as they create less heat compared to 12V. You charge the battery with 12v using a converter which converts it to 48V actually. Not directly. Each conversion loses efficiency. So it is better to run it via a 48v battery directly.
That bloke having the disagreement with the boat 😳 i have a feeling i seen that boat up for sale in the last few days old navy boat with a lot of history 😢
great review and test. I have just built a Vivier designed Beg Meil, similar to your boat. I think it weighs about 350kg (has a steel centre board). Do you think the e lite would work for me? Fully agree with all your comments about using electric over petrol for these simple cruising dinghies. Would appreciate your thoughts thanks.
Keep up the great content.
no unless for shorter trips with no rough weather ...................
Question: Is there any possibility of driving the eLite motor directly from the external battery when the internal battery charge is low or depleted?
Mat, after seeing your SCAMP video I bought an eLite for my SCAMP, and am installing the motor mount as we speak! It should be terrific. I will have a 100 Ah battery that has a nice inverter so I can use the charger that comes with the eLite rather than the 12 volt adapter. Do you know if I plug in the charger whether the motor will run while charging? If so, the charger should give enough amperage to run the motor I would think. Thoughts?
It does run while charging, as mentioned on the epropulsion website.
Good to know! I just didn’t see that on their website
She's funny 🤣❤.
Great video as always. Question: with a 12 volt trolling motor, having the battery that far away from the electric motor requires a really heavy gauge cable. Is that an issue with your unit?
It's not for them because they aren't charging it while using it, they are putting the battery and the outboard right next to each other. There is a battery in the epropulsion outboard that they are charging with the lithium battery in the box
@@seattlefarer Thanks! That makes sense, and a great system.
Thanks for the comprehensive test! I wonder how it would compare to a 65lbs trolling motor running from a 60 amp 12V pwm controller. Those two would cost about 280 Euro's here excluding the battery. A 200ah 12 litime battery costs about 480 Euro's. Add a 240v charger, 200W solar panel and charge controller for about 300 total and you've got a very complete set-up with way more battery storage and solar for just the price of the propulsion eLite. (Although that does look really sleek I have to admit) According to the specs the 65lbs trolling motor equals about 1.8 hp VS the eLite at 2 hp. What are your thoughts on this?
Kind regards,
SeasickPete
My experience with trolling motors is that they are 'trolling motors' designed for low speed high thrust. They obviously don't have the inbuilt battery and perhaps not the strength of an eLite. But if you have a limited budget they work fine on small craft.
Hi Thanks for your reply,
I am wondering if that would work for my application. I have a 22ft glorified surfboard (Hunter Formula One) that I want to move in and out of my slip in the marina. For longer passages I can use the old 2 smoke inferno combustion outboard but would like to avoid using that for just marina trips.
Why use a PWM controller? Trolling and outboard motors all have speed controllers built in.
That enables you to buy a basic (cheaper) trolling motor and fitting it with a very efficient way of powering it. The more expensive ones come with pwm controls built in but cost much much more. The main advantages of pwm is more efficiency and the capability to have stepless rpm controls instead of the 5 ahead and 3 astern levels.
@@SmallCraftTasmania-ms4sx These days "trolling motors" have developed into a range of sizes that means our traditional view of them is no longer relevant. I for instance have a 3HP electric outboard with built-in LiPo battery - similar to an E-something or Torqeedo etc. I have also recently obtained a "trolling motor" that weighs twice that of the other unit (without a battery), has a massive motor, and produces 160Lbs of torque using 24v (I use two 12v batteries). It is actually WAY overpowering my 5m dinghy, but that means I use very low throttle, and can cruise forever..
You do carry fuel......called a battery......and its weighs the same even when empty, unlike a fuel can. Nice looking unit though.