Oh geez. Stand by for a long post.
I've had the 1003 since 2012, on my Getaway. I had it originally on a Cheeta bracket, then built KeithB's bracket which I like better, but which MAY have introduced a problem (more on that later).
1. 1003 or 603, based on horsepower? I think it depends on your usage. If you are just putting into and from a pier, the little one is fine. I originally had my Getaway on Lake Michigan, and I wanted something with power and range. I once had to strike my sails and motor through big waves and high wind back to port when a storm popped up, I was glad for the power. If I were buying a new one, I'd get the 1103, it's supposed to be quieter, not that the 1003 is real noisy, but quieter would be even better. There isn't a lot of difference between the motors in weight or price, so I would opt for the most power.
Speed? At full power, it'll do over 6 or 7 knots. I think I saw 10 knots once, but may have had a tailwind or just misremembering.
2. Cheeta bracket? Here's the design Keith came up with. I built it and sold my Cheeta.
https://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic. ... otor+mountThe Cheeta bracket held the motor low, so the prop would bounce. I put a bungee on the bracket (photo is in that post somewhere) to help stop the bounce. Keith's bracket holds the motor higher, and I think it looks better, And it cost about $120 to build vs $500 for a Cheeta.
BUT...here is something that occurred to me today. I took my motor in for factory service (more on that later) and they said the tilt bracket and transom clamps were damaged and needed replacing. OK. Here's what I think happened. The Cheeta holds the motor in it's own down position, and the Cheeta arm rotates up to lift the motor out. Keith's bracket requires tilting the motor on it's own tilt mechanism out of the water. That holds the prop higher, but I think the stress of sailing with the motor on it's tilt mechanism damaged the motor.
3. The weight of the Torqeedo battery tilts the motor to it's side. If you look at the photos in Keith's post, you'll see that I have straps on my motor mount, to hold the motor in place. I put those on the Cheeta, and on Keith's bracket.
4. Lifespan of Torqeedo battery. I have a post about this already. Basically, the original battery on my motor wore out after 9 years. Torqeedo gives people a trade in on their old battery depending on age, towards upgrading to the bigger battery. My 2011 model was worth 40%, so I'm getting $280 trade in of a 530 wh battery toward the $999 915 wh battery. According to Torqeedo, the battery is good for 8 to 10 years.
I only charge my battery 2 or 3 times a season, so it is a lifespan based on time, not charge-discharge cycles. I thought the battery would last forever based on my light usage, but apparently not.
5. Service of the motor. Torqeedo told me the motor should be serviced every 5 years by the factory. Fortunately I live within an hour of their Crystal Lake, IL center, so I don't have to ship. I took it in, servicing would have been about $100 for new seals, but they found the damage, and it came to $226 including repairs.
All in all, I'm happy with the motor. I wish the battery had lasted longer, but it worked out to about $70 per season for "fuel". So, not terrible. And it's nice not having to deal with an internal combustion motor. It starts instantly, can get drenched and still work. And they have a cool new dongle for it that uses the built in GPS to bluetooth to your phone and presents motor stats and navigation!
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