Mike, I'd like to hear more about the Electric Paddle. I nearly bought one to replace my 2 hp Honda. But in the end went with a Torqeedo Ultralight 403. It serves the same purpose as the Electric Paddle, but is different in philosophy. The Torqeedo is a submerged powerhead driving small prop with a very complex shape - I'm guessing from some sort of computer-driven analysis, and it has a fancy controller for a proprietary lithium battery pack.
I liked talking to the developer of the Electric Paddle a few years back. And he pointed out that his machine has a larger prop with a simpler twist and evolved from props invented by the people-powered races - most of those were driven by a couple of guys pedaling a bicycle setup into a small transmission. It also has a dry powerhead set up for a lead/acid battery. He was particularly proud of how easily it mounted in variety of ways because the steering/pivoting/depth control was all accomplished with one piece.
I was going to go with the electric paddle, but ended up with the Torqeedo because of the lightweight battery and because the Electric Paddle wasn't ready. It was difficult to fabricate a decent mounting for the Torqeedo. I ended up spending weeks of spare time and finally machining several parts to make it steer and pivot nicely while being quick to mount to a more traditional canoe or dinghy. The factory kayak mounting system with the ball clamp is a clever idea, but not nearly as well worked out or well-developed as the rest of the system deserves. OK, maybe it works all right on the very low stern of a kayak , but on anything higher or that sees more stress the mounting needs to be custom.
Some other things: The Electric Paddle is easy to mount, but the battery is heavy. The Torqeedo is more compact, and having the motor submerged not only cools it but makes it quieter. So far the salt hasn't gotten in there to hurt it. The Electric Paddle is a family business and I admire that.
Something that mattered to me that might not matter to others is that when going in or out I like to surf the shore wave when I can. It's a fun thing. So I wanted something with fast acceleration that would jump up on a wave. The Torqeedo just barely has that. I don't know if the electric paddle does.
I doubt that either motor can match a person with oars - or a kayak paddler - for short bursts of acceleration
Roger L.
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From: MikeTo: ELECTRIC BOATSSent: Friday, January 03, 2014 4:06 AMSubject: [Electric Boats] Electric PaddleI attempted to resuscitate my 18 year old 2 HP Honda four stroke outboard after Superstorm Sandy sent it to the bottom for four days. But, after looking at the costs I decided it was time to go electric for the dingy too. So I bought the Electric Paddle. It fits my needs to get back and forth to mooring. I'm actually using it more than I ever did the gas Honda outboard. May not fit everyone's needs but, I pretty happy with it. I'm impressed with the design and materials used making it very low maintenance especially in a salt water environment. Here's my look at it after a season of use:http://biankablog.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-electric-paddle-part-one-whats-in.htmlhttp://biankablog.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-electric-paddle-part-two-capt-mikes.htmlCapt. Mikehttp://biankablog.blogspot.com
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