My experience with the Torqeedo is a mix of good and bad, somewhat like Fran’s.
I wrote a review of the Torqeedo back in 2014 that is posted in the Library on the ECA website under Product Reviews.
Here are some key issues I found using the motor with my Ensign on Saratoga Lake, which is about 5 by 3 miles. The lake is normally quite calm but can get rough when the winds rise to 20 mph or so. Also, but the end of the summer we have a good crop of weeds that can clog even my Honda.
I loved the fact that I did not need gas, the motor was quiet, had a reverse gear, and could be disassembled into light-weight parts.
However, the Torqeedo has prop that is larger and slower than the prop on the Honda, and therefore snags more weeds than the Honda. (The weeds can, however, be thrown off by operating the motor in reverse.) I had occasional issues when I went to re-connect the cable from the tiller/throttle to the battery. I was presented with an error code, which made no sense because I was on the boat, at my mooring, without the benefit of the manual. I later learned that the error code meant a poor connection between the cable from the tiller/throttle and the socket on the battery that was caused by oxide that formed on pins and sockets while the motor was not in use. That issue is resolved by repeated connection and disconnection of the cable until the pins and sockets are clean.
However, the most important issue is, as Fran, says, under heavy use the battery can be drained quickly. I was near the shore once when the wind picked up started to push the boat toward some underwater rocks. The motor had a hard time keeping us away from those rocks, and the battery was dead by the time we were safe.
Vic Roberts
#2032