Our new Electric Dinghy Motor for the Great Loop | ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Review

[@SchoandJo]

Want to keep up with us in real time? Sign up for our weekly email to be filled in our current cruising plans and adventures. schoandjo.com/sunday-summary Do you have recommendations for future stops along America’s Great Loop? Please share them with us here! forms.gle/WsnG16jUfMRYtCyp9

[@dannyvz2738]

Guys I can’t wait until you can head back north. Looking forward to seeing you complete the loop for two reasons. One, it is one heck of an adventure and accomplishment, especially as young as you two are. Two, I’m taking notes as I have my own aspirations of setting out once I retire. Unfortunately I can’t work remotely, so it has to wait until I then. Also, it’s good to see Pivot still firing right up since the filter change. Hoping you find a little warmer weather as you head back south and continue your improvement/upgrade projects. Safe travels.

[@SchoandJo]

Thanks so much Danny - we really appreciate the support! I hope we can share some helpful details of our loop experience - it’s gonna be an awesome trip once you retire! Good luck!

[@ronbennie1028]

That video really cheered me up. I really appreciate how sensible you both are…all done with humour and consideration for each other. We all benefit from your example.

[@SchoandJo]

Thanks so much Ron, we really appreciate your kind words!

[@Soulsilver75]

Wow! Game changer! So excited for you guys! I had been researching small outboards on your behalf and these electric ones seemed like the right move. Thanks for the frequent posts lately too.

[@SchoandJo]

Aww thanks so much! We are trying hard to stay as frequent as we can! Thanks for thinking about us and our outboard issues too!! 😁

[@65MK]

Finally! Glad to see you finally got a new motor. Much easier than paddling.👍🏻👍🏻

[@SchoandJo]

Life changing!

[@neilstagner1961]

Stoked about your new outboard, and 'electric", super cool! We will be staying tuned in Jax FL for your upcoming vids! You guys rock!

[@SchoandJo]

Sweet! Thanks Neil! We should be passing through Jax in a couple weeks but probably won’t go down the St Johns like before and instead keep heading south 😁 Cheers!

[@neilstagner1961]

@@SchoandJo cool, my wife asked if when you pass Jax, we will treat you to dinner out at Mayport. Depending on when you get to the St Johns…. Love your work, and thought you might like a free meal, and just talk about the Great loop etc…just a thought! (I also do not know if this was the best way to ask you, but it’s all we know)

[@dougduke2589]

I hope the electric motor will perform well for you. As a precaution, as was stated earlier in the comments, outboard motors have loosened on the transom of the dingy, and slide up to the top of the transom and fell off the back of the dingy when in use. Use a tether, attached to some kind of attachment point inside the dingy, so you won't loose it when underway. Thanks

[@SchoandJo]

It has been going well for our first month but time will definitely tell! Thanks for the advice Doug!

[@tmac709]

Glad you two are happy with your new dingy electric motor. Looks like it will make life easier for you two.

[@SchoandJo]

It's definitely been a huge life changer for us! Probably any motor would have made us happy compared to no motor but regardless we are still enjoying it!

[@BrooklynAvenue]

Extra battery is just wonderful. Electric motors are worry free, last years. Reliable. Seriously, the only issue with an electric motor is the price. You could get more speed, but for a good deal more money.

[@SchoandJo]

So true - looking forward as the prices continue to get more and more reasonable across the electric front! It’s been solid for the past few months!

[@rfdinesen4027]

Love the new outboard. I had one of the earlier Torqueedos years ago. Loved the that I could so easily put the lightweight outboard and separate battery on the dingy with no real effort. Also had an issue with range. I think you were very smart to buy 2 batteries. Hope you are warm wherever you are at this time.

[@johnmeshefski7050]

I just purchased the same motor for my dinghy. Great to see you making the same choice.

[@frankrice5364]

You guys love your dog awesome that touches my heart how you guys take care of her.i am from the south have a lot of respck for 4 leged family

[@frankrice5364]

Awesome guys y,all deserve this

[@billsheridan8635]

Congrats on your motor selection! I made the same choice 6 months ago and agree with your decisions points. You will not be disappointed!

[@SchoandJo]

Sweet, that’s awesome Bill!

[@kevbjork1]

Hope to see an update down the road to see how the new outboard does. Thanks for giving us the straight skinny!

[@SchoandJo]

Absolutely! Due to our current day to day it'll probably be present in most videos but maybe we'll do a "1 year with an electric outboard" and sum up our experiences. Thanks for watching!

[@Pawsonthebay]

Have you done an update review of the outboard?

[@jackypaulcukjati3186]

Clicked on because of the clickbaity thumbnail. Love it. Also Happy Birthday Jen!!! This comment thread is hopping!

[@SchoandJo]

Thanks Jake! 😁

[@t.g.habgood6205]

We have one of these ePropulsion motors for my inflatable. Heaven on earth for us. We are getting a Ranger Tug for the loop and excited to follow you on your journey.

[@SchoandJo]

Sweet, those Ranger Tugs are really cool! Trying to convince our parents to get one 😁

[@chrism1164]

New motor for Fred. YAY! Did you give it a name? : )

[@SchoandJo]

haha i don't think we did!

[@juanitaarnold2716]

Fred is happy? I know Ollie is. Congratulations!

[@SchoandJo]

We are all happy!! Woohoo! Thanks Juanita 😁

[@COPPER71]

I would invest in a spare propeller for that electric motor and if they don't float a floaty for that magnet lanyard.. also i would tie it to the dingy with a lanyard in case it should ever come loose from the transom. 👍

[@frankrice5364]

It is nice to heard you guys in Fred now

[@SchoandJo]

So much quieter!

[@briandarling7276]

Please consider how would you secure the battery and motor while leaving unattended. Do not live in fear, but be mindful that it does happen.

[@SchoandJo]

We’ve been re-using our chain that is used for hoisting the dinghy as our locking system! A bit clunky but works!

[@kmflynn329]

Can you charge battery on dingy with everything set up. Id drop that battery in the water. And are you worried about theft, since its light weight? Good job.

[@SchoandJo]

Definitely concerned about theft, we lock through the handle if it’s in an area we need to be careful around! In this case we had a short walk and it was a Sunday morning so we weren’t concerned. The night before we had everything locked! You can charge it on the dinghy, and I think they even sell a solar attachment to charge it while you aren’t using it. Since the charger runs of 120V I just wouldn’t charge it while it’s in the water though 😁

[@holgerlafrenz2895]

Thanks for adding this vlog. I'm interested in an electric outboard myself and am wondering of the long-term maintenance/ usability.

[@SchoandJo]

For sure, we will both see how it fairs after almost daily use for a year 😁

[@boatingchesapeake2481]

Wrightsville Beach public docks!! You guys don't secure the new electric outboard shaft at night? I would suggest to do that since it is pretty common to get outboards stolen. I think there is a way to lock it without taking it out of the dinghy.

[@SchoandJo]

Nailed it! Great guess! We did lock it up, just didn't film that section. At this time we were using our hoisting chain and a couple locks but we've upgraded to a simpler system. I'm sure we'll show it in future videos. Thanks for the tips!

[@scotth364]

Suggestion, if you don’t have a tether on the boat and battery I would add one. I have a fishing kayak with electric trolling motor that is tethered so when it falls into the lake it doesn’t end up on the bottom of the lake. That would be expensive. Enjoy, the elimination of gas on a boat is a huge plus for safety

[@SchoandJo]

Sweet, thanks for the recommendation Scott! Definitely don't want to lose the motor 😁

[@haroldconnell2973]

Looks great

[@SchoandJo]

Thanks Harold!

[@louisann8702]

They're having a Photo & Video Contest for ePropulsioin owners. The winner can get the new Spirit 1.0 Evo LOL. You guys should join (upgrade to the new one XD)

[@lutacrew]

It’s been a year. Would your buy again. I see you use it all the time

[@SchoandJo]

Yes we would definitely buy it again. It's held up well and we have had 0 problems with it since we purchased it!

[@ZZSTOP22]

what are your thoughts on shaft length? your's looks like the 'short' model, but there is also a 'extra' short model now that is about 5 inch shorter. Which one do you think one should get?

[@SchoandJo]

This is the extra short, and we just got it replaced with the short since our motor bricked due to water intrusion. We haven't tried out the short but our dealer said that the short is what ePropulsion recommends!

[@plus-vf1re]

Just subscribed.from Philippines

[@SchoandJo]

Cheers mate - thanks for the support!

[@rickdelaney950]

What length shaft did you buy?

[@frankrice5364]

Good choice never liked to have to store gas on a boat

[@jairajchugh7316]

Just watched your video a second time. I believe you bought the XS shaft length. Is that working well? Do you get any cavitation or ventilation? Do you wish you had bought the S shaft length instead or is XS the best?

[@SchoandJo]

XS has been great for us, we haven't ever wanted the longer shaft length - If your tender is very large you might consider a longer shaft though! Thanks for watching X 2 😁

[@billmiller3075]

It would be a good idea to put a short tether line on that motor before standing up trying to mount on a dingy. Just saying.

[@SchoandJo]

Is that just in case we drop it?

[@billmiller3075]

@@SchoandJo Yes, you have a big investment. Why risk losing it?

[@SchoandJo]

@@billmiller3075 ah yea that would be a good idea in poor conditions! Here with the protected marina and the very light weight motor there was practically no risk. Cheers!

[@donc8790]

Ditto on tether - anytime it is disconnected from a mount. Sorry to be a downer, but calm doesn't really matter as these things usually happen when least likely or expected. Remember your grill somewhere in the Neuse River?? I also lost a handheld VHF in that same area. After 40 years of boating I can assure you that I have left many, many things on the bottom unexpectedly. (New to your site and just binged watched over holiday weekend. Great work.)

[@krismars2170]

Yesterday I bought one

[@SchoandJo]

Nice! You'll love it.

[@timhmetal3499]

I'll guess....you're at Morehead City. I use a small 60lb thrust trolling motor with a lipo battery. I'm widdya on electric for the dinghy. Cheers!!

[@SchoandJo]

You’re the closest so far! Wrightsville Beach, NC! Nice! A trolling motor is great for a dinghy!

[@timhmetal3499]

@@SchoandJo did you stop off at Mile Hammock Bay? Very nice overnight hole in the wall.

[@SchoandJo]

@@timhmetal3499 yes we did! It’s a fantastic stopping point and the beach a short dinghy ride away is great for the doggo! Would definitely stop again 👍

[@timhmetal3499]

@@SchoandJo Good times. It's places like that you'll plan future trips around. It's not always the fancy restaurants and glitzy marinas that make trips enjoyable. Get a little more solar and you could easily spend several days there, relaxing. Safe travels.

[@ohbuoy4570]

@@SchoandJo I was going to guess Carolina Beach LOL

[@mo-reesespieces9066]

Do you pull your dinghy behind your main boat or sail with it? If so, I am guessing you have the epropulsion spirit 1.0 or 1.0 Plus. Have you considered getting the epropulsion Spirit 1.0 EVO which has the regenerative charging? Then I am guessing you would not need to static charge as much. Have you run into any challenges with the motor? Peace, Mo

[@SchoandJo]

Interesting thought! We have been pulling it behind most days (although actually we are just now switching back to hoisting it) so the regeneration wouldn't be a bad option! We have plenty of power on board through solar however so its no big deal for Pivot. No challenges with the motor so far, we love it! Only gripe is we wish it was faster, but it'll still get us from A-B and it'll push through 3-4kts of current too.

[@Caspereggert]

Hi, Thanks for a good review. How big is is your dinghy?

[@SchoandJo]

Our dinghy is pretty large length wise, maybe 10 feet long? It's coast guard capacity plate reads 3.5 people if that helps! Thanks for watching!

[@boosuedon]

Well, how cool is that?!

[@SchoandJo]

Thanks!

[@griffinsgetaway]

hi guys, shouldnt the video title say spirit 1.0 not 3.0?

[@SchoandJo]

You know, this video has been up for a long time and we never noticed this 😂 thanks!

[@frankrice5364]

Make should you put a lock on it

[@65MK]

Yep! If you also watch Tulas Endless Summer, their motor got stolen off their dingy while they were at a public dock one time when they went ashore.

[@johnwalsh1211]

What size is your RIB ? 😊

[@SchoandJo]

I think its 11 feet!

[@stevenhirtzinger9929]

When do you guys think you'll start back on the loop next year?

[@SchoandJo]

Probably sometime in February!

[@br5498]

Can’t to see that motor fight a 4 knot tide change….

[@SchoandJo]

Today we had basically 2 kts against us and we were going 2.2 kts the opposite direction, not full throttle. It just might be fine 😁 If not we will just time our dinghy rides like we time Pivot! At least it's free to recharge the batteries!

[@mvgrandplan337]

How far South? Jacksonville? Palatka ?

[@SchoandJo]

Hopefully the Keys 😁 there’s a lot of factors though , we haven’t quite determined yet. Then we’d kick off the loop early in the year from there

[@andrewstone1868]

1kw = 1.34 hp NOT 3hp as they sate Google it

[@SchoandJo]

You can reference the spirit website for how they consider the 1KW BLDC Motor to be equivalent to 3HP.

[@andrewstone1868]

@SchoandJo I have a spirit one, and it's very poorly made and nothing like 3hp .. as I said 1 kW is 1.34 hp that's output with BLDC motor you will loose more hp because of the copper windings...

[@SchoandJo]

@@andrewstone1868 Interesting, thanks for sharing Andrew!

[@Joseph-ki3zj]

Looks like the jersey shore 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@SchoandJo]

It felt like it on Saturday afternoon… it was Wrightsville Beach, NC! The beach was a very nice stop, not often do we get a beach day off the ICW!

[@rorygielarowski972]

You better put in a larger solar system, take the time to watch SSL Rick Moore

[@SchoandJo]

What is SSL Rick Moore? We have 700W of solar and alternator charging so pretty decent on the energy front! The problem is all our gear, that sucks up energy 😁

[@robinmidgett7134]

@@SchoandJo kzbin.info/door/IcsyW5rnZofseMdrJUKMhQ

[@Secondwind2010]

The battery looks heavy

[@SchoandJo]

Not too heavy, maybe 30 lbs? The bright side is that it is detachable and floats. All in, the motor is way lighter than a traditional gasoline engine.

[@markdimaio8396]

Store your motor inside your boat out of salt environment.

[@SchoandJo]

We probably would do this, but anchoring almost every night and taking the pup the shore multiple times a day would take too much time pulling it out and back on. BUT that being said, we take everything as an experiment and if we see any signs of deterioration in the next couple months then we’ll switch up our strategy!

[@MrCaptRobbie]

Electric Motor Internal Combustion Engine

[@SchoandJo]

👍

[@robertthompson9455]

Your electric outboard is a motor, not an engine...

[@SchoandJo]

TIL - will try and use the correct term for now - thanks Robert!

[@w.a.i.9211]

Chinese knock-off of Torqeedo…

[@SchoandJo]

Just because it is made by a Chinese company does not make it a Chinese knock-off. There are some design differences and it is a quality product.