Tuesday, February 22, 2011

ELECTRIC PADDLE

  When I bought BIANKA in 1995 it came with a four stroke Honda BF2 outboard for the dingy. I still have it and use it occasionally to propel my 8 foot Porta Boat. I never had a problem with it. In fact I've never had much of a problem with any of the Honda products I've owned. Thank you Dr. Deming! But, the Honda is showing it's age and a bit of corrosion so at some point it is going to have to require some repair or replacement. Since I converted my 30 foot sailboat to electric propulsion I find that in spite of  the Honda being a four stroke it is still rather loud and more of a gas guzzler than the Honda 2000i generator that I use for the main electric propulsion system. If it should die I am leaning toward an electric alternative. I have been looking at something like a  Torqeedo. But, I just recently came across another  new electric outboard that may fit my needs very nicely. It's called the ELECTRIC PADDLE:


 While I mostly row my Porta Boat there have been times when the wind was really blowing that I put off going to shore because I did not want to row into the strong headwinds. I also did not want to pull out the Honda outboard fill it with gas and hope I did not drop it overboard while trying to manage it's awkward 27 lbs into the dingy. The Electric Paddle at just 8 lbs just makes a whole lot of sense to this sailor. It's also made in the United States. You are not going to get up on a plane in an inflatable but, having a lightweight electric propulsion outboard to get you to a dock or assist when rowing into head winds just makes a lot of sense. Also a plus  the two hour battery pack weighs just eight pounds and floats too! All these features make the Electric Paddle just to good to ignore as a possible replacement for my Honda BF2.

BLOG UPDATE:
Here is a more detailed video on how to setup the Electric Paddle:

 

2 comments:

Robin said...

I like the idea. I don't like the 1000$ price tag. Any thoughts on performance?

Robin
Rusty Ring: Reflections of an Old-Timey Hermit

Capt. Mike said...

I've not seen it in person. I do like it's weight compared to my Honda BF2 outboard. Which altough is only 28 lbs but, is ungainly to move around sometimes. So I tend not to use it. There should also be a lot less a lot less maintenance with the Electric Paddle too because it's electric. I don't expect it to be as fast but, as an assist in rowing into headwinds and helping with currents I think it would shine. It would also be much quieter when gunkholing with the dingy too.