our repowers
Out with the old and in with the new! Electric outboards have come to market and we're here to help you ditch your old gas engine. Scroll down to see some of the boats that we've repowered with electric outboards.
Boston Whaler 130 Sport With Pure Watercraft's 50hp
Our 2000 13' Boston Whaler Sport received a major upgrade when we switched out the old 30hp Mercury two stroke with a new 50hp (25kW) electric outboard from Pure Watercraft, paired with one of their 8.8kWh batteries. We couldn't be happier with the results! The boat gets up on the plane quickly, the engine is incredibly quiet, and we love all the information we get from Pure's throttle display. Pure's 12v throttle output also allowed us to remove our old lead acid battery from the boat.
Weight Considerations
The USCG maximum capacities for the 2000 13' Sport are 5 persons or 650lbs, and 935lbs including persons, motor and gear. We removed the 30hp Mercury (112lbs), a six gallon gas tank (36lbs when full) and a group 24 lead acid battery (45lbs), totaling 193lbs. Pure's outboard actually weighs the same as the Mercury (112lbs) and their 8.8kWh battery weighs 118lbs, totaling 230lbs. In total we added 37lbs to the weight of the boat, which leaves 705lbs available for people aboard and additional gear. A friend of our's has the same Whaler with a 40hp Yamaha four stroke, which actually weighs more than our Whaler with the Pure outboard and battery!
The Whaler has a self-bailing drain plug in a raised section of the hull underneath the helm seat, which alleviates the need for a bilge pump. We were concerned that the weight of the battery may render this system ineffective, but we were pleasantly surprised; when the drain plug is removed and nobody is on board, the boat drains just as it did with the old engine. Our battery is placed under aft bench and slightly to the port side. The boat is a bit more bow heavy than she used to be, but we haven't noticed and impact on performance, and the battery could be moved slightly aft if needed. The bottom of the battery is rubberized to help keep it in place, and while Pure provided use with straps to hold it in place, we haven't found them to be necessary.
Range
We were just as curious about this as you are! With the one 8.8kWh battery fully charged, we have between 20 minutes and 20 hours of run time! It all depends on the speed. At full throttle (22 knots), the run time is about 20 minutes. At 17 knots (planning but not wide open) the run time is about 30 minutes. At 4 knots, the run time is about 7 hours, and at 2 knots the run time is about 20 hours! These run times could all be doubled by adding a second battery. Pure's systems allows up to 10 battery packs on one boat!
Charging
Pure Watercraft's charger can be used with 120v or 220v power and can be mounted on the vessel, at your dock, or in your garage. It is portable and well designed, with rubber feet and two handles for carrying. According to Pure, the charge time on 110v is 9hrs from 0% to 100% and 4.5hrs from 50% to full. On 220v, the charge time is cut down to 3hrs and 1.5hrs, respectively. We have been charging on a 110v outlet and have found the charge times to best faster than what Pure states in their manual.
Trophy Bayliner 21' Walkaround With Elco's 50hp
This Trophy was our very first repower. We removed an old, smokey 150hp two stroke and added Elco's 50hp. Needless to say, the boat no longer gets up on the plane and is now a slow bay cruiser. Her max speed is just under 7 knots and she cruises comfortably at 5 knots. She's powered by four batteries that total 22kWh. These batteries were supplied by Elco, but unlike Flux, Torqueedo and Pure, Elco does not produce the batteries themselves; the batteries have two terminals and look similar to the one in your car!
Elco's 50hp outboard runs on 96 volts and weighs 190lbs. We aren't sure the exact weight of the old two stroke, but we estimate that the Elco engine is about 50 to 100lbs lighter. We drained the 52 gallon fuel tank, which reduced the weight of the boat by 312lbs on a full tank. Our four batteries weigh about 240lbs in total. Between adding the batteries, removing the fuel and switching the engines, we estimate that our Trophy is about 150lbs lighter than she was before.
We were able to conceal two batteries behind the panels outboard of the two helm seats, and we placed the other two in the cabin. Given that the empty fuel tank sits in the stern, the boat is more bow heavy than she was before. Cutting out the fuel tank and placing the batteries there would balance the boat better, but we are happy to live with the boat a bit bow heavy for now.
One of the benefits to Elco's system is that it's easy to integrate solar charging. Although there are only two panels pictured below, we now have three 375w panels installed on the Trophy. Two panels sit directly above the T top and a third extends aft on aluminum rails. It takes about three days to full charge the boat with the solar panels. Connected to a wired charger, it takes about six hours to charge on 110v and about two hours on 220v. She has a range of about one hour at full speed and about four hours at four to five knots.
Our four 24v lithium batteries are wired in series to achieve the 96v necessary to power the engine. We had the option of powering our 12v system by tapping off of one of the 24v batteries or keeping a separate 12v battery, and we opted to keep the separate battery. We're still working on the finishing touches on our Trophy- check back soon for an update!
