Outboard Motor / Hobie TI Application Guide & 403 Comparison

Heard back from Torqeedo promptly and here's what their response was

That was more of a response than I got.

Please reply back that Hobie is not going to help with this, but I am trying to and have been trying to get a response from them about this for weeks now.

It's worth a shot.

I asked Matt if Hobie knew anything about this motor and if their R&D department was aware of it. Matt said that it was not something Hobie was doing. So I replied back to Torqeedo letting them know I did as they suggested with no luck. This might be a good time for you to also write back to Torqeedo another short note in case your original email didn't go through.
Jim

Keep fighting the good fight !! I will email them too. But I find Torqeedo's service far from desirable.

I had a question about my 403 Ultralight was wondering if anyone know's the answer. If I ever flip it, I'm assuming the motor will be fine given it gets submerged anyway (except for the top cord), as long as I get the battery out of the drink asap given it has that little hole in the bottom of it? Or any salt water submersion likely to ruin it? Should I put it in a waterproof case?

Now I've bought a suzuki 2.5hp (yet to mount it) I am a little bit lost as to what to do re the torqeedo. Do I keep it for day trips or short stints on the water, where the Suzuki might be too heavy to rig up for the short time on the water?

What about multi-day camping expeditions, like 3-5 days +, is there any point bringing the torqeedo? Carrying capacity on the boat is a premium and weight to bring that battery and motor for basically emergency use seems redundant, unless its best to have two motors for safety reasons if travelling 30 miles a day and the wind dies or I'm far out to sea... however the Torqeedo does not perform well out in the swell. It would however, be a renewable power source if I charged it with solar and then used it managing the power usage, for longer expeditions, compared to the Suzuki which is non-renewable and will only work for as much gasoline as I carry.

Interested to hear other's thoughts on this!

I've emailed them over and over. At first, I thought my emails were not reaching them, but now, I'm quite certain that they're simply ignoring me. This does not bode well for their service or their commitment to helping their customers. I'm also trying to get help with an issue I'm having with my battery.

I'll report here if anything changes, but at this point, it does not look like they are even going to respond.

It took me about 6 goes at submitting my battery information for their 'safety check' (aka recall) before they actually acknowledged & contacted me about it.

The battery is rated as submergible, even in saltwater. Still, it wouldn't hurt to protect it further if you wish but I wouldn't worry about it too much. The little hole in the bottom is a one-way relief valve in case an internal battery cell explodes. They had a recall recently to test the valve. Each battery was tested at a service facility for proper operation. Internal over-pressurized gasses can escape this valve but water cannot get in if it's working properly. The battery is even designed to float if it goes overboard.

I too have a Suzuki 2.5 Hp outboard. I use both motors. The Suzuki is great when I want to get somewhere as fast as possible or if I need the most power such as in heavy waves or currents. What I don't like about it is that the noise gets to me after a while, the constant loud drone so close to my ears becomes tedious and gives me a headache if I use it too long. It also lacks the finesse of an electric motor and has no practical reverse. This is critical during low-speed maneuverers such as coming or going to/from docks and when in tight spaces.

I use the Suzuki for long distances and speed only. In all other circumstances, I use the 403 because it's so quiet and maneuverable. Each motor has its strengths and weaknesses, so it's great to have both. Neither interferes with the operation of the other when used either-or, so they can easily be used to complement each other. Having both may seem excessive, but for the relatively low cost of the Suzuki, it gives you the best of both worlds.

For multi-day camping expeditions, I would definitely use both motors as this gives you significant advantages. Unless you're close to the weight limit of the Hobie, the little added weight of the 403 is no big deal. If you are close, I would give the 403 precedence over some other optional weight. Having both motors to complement each other is highly advantageous.

Update:

See below...

07/22 Update: I've just purchased a 3HP Torqeedo 1103 AC to replace both my 1 HP Torqeedo 403 and Suzuki 2.5 HP motors. It's being shipped today.

I did this for several reasons:
1). I want to increase the available electric power from 1HP to 3HP. This will resolve any speed/power issues with the 403.
2). I want to sell my Suzuki 2.5 HP auxiliary gasoline motor. Although it was great to use in tandem with the 403 when I wanted to go faster, it was too noisy and cumbersome for my tastes. Having two motors was redundant, the 1103 AC will replace both and should provide better performance than either. Selling the Suzuki will help pay for the 1103 AC. (I'll also be selling my Suzuki/TI mount if anyone would like it without needing to build one yourself, just PM me.)
3). I already have two Torqeedo batteries which are compatible with the 1103 AC. This, along with the 915 Wh battery that comes with it, will give me all the range I want.
4). The new direct drive on the 1103 AC is even quieter than the 403. I really enjoy a quiet motor, it makes using the TI so much more enjoyable and peaceful.
5). I want to provide the Hobie TI/AI community (along with all others who own a ruddered kayak) with a fully detailed and documented mount design that will be easily replicable from readily sourced parts so that anyone will be able to use the 3HP Torqeedo 1103 AC on a TI/AI or virtually any ruddered kayak. I've been wanting to do this for some time now. I've been in touch with Torqeedo and they support this and are looking forward to receiving the design themselves. In the past, I provided a mount design for the Suzuki 2.5 HP which has proven to be very popular and has since been copied/modified by many others.
6). I want to fully test the 1103 AC on the TI as I did with the 403 as well as I did with gasoline outboards. I'll post detailed results here for anyone else considering such a motor option.

If you're interested, please check back in a few weeks for the detailed 1103 AC/TI mount design and then soon thereafter for the 1103 AC/TI detailed test results.

Very nice write up, thank you.

I have not been able to find the Suzuki 2.5 HP motors in stock in USA right now... keeping an eye out.

I can say this after spending some time in Destin FL, we got stuck on up wind and fighting strong current trying to get back in the pass and after 15 tacks, in a small area, we barely made it to the beach. I then had to walk the TI up the beach until we were out of the pass. Motor would have been a BIG help.

Yep, after 15 years of owning a Hobie Island fighting strong current to get back through a pass or being 10-20 miles away from your destination when the wind completely dies is why I have a torqeedo 1103ac mounted to our TI. When I'm with my wife it's peace of mind knowing no matter what we'll get back without having to pedal for hours. Sure the motor is a little pricey but you get what you pay for. It's a high quality motor with a good company backing it. Plus I can use it from the front seat. Wife appreciates how quiet it is. I understand people trying to keep expenses down but if you can afford it, I feel it's the way to go.

My previous motor was the evolve but I rarely used it because it was too inflexible in the mirage drive. I would take it along for emergency purposes only and after having it 10 years, it still ran great due to good engineering.

Jim

I can not find the original DF2.5 most other TI owners have. I did however find a different model and wondering if this replaced the version with the red accent on the side?
https://suzukioutboardteam.com/suzuki-2-5-hp-df2-5s4-1/

It's the same motor, Suzuki lists only one 2.5 HP motor on their website. They often make some changes to the graphics year to year.

As promised, here is a fully detailed, replicable, easy-to-build motor mount for the Torqeedo 1103 AC. It should also work for the Torqeedo 403 A, 403 AC, and even the Newport Vessels NK180.

pro10is, how did you get the 3/16" bar stock in the gear track? I just ordered some to build my mount and it's too thick to fit in the Yakattack gt90 track as it hits the screw heads. Hopefully I can grind it down until it fits.