HobieTI wrote:
I would not want to put a motor in the mirage drive slot. If you hit ground or a heavy object it does not kick up.
I second this. I ran one season using the evolve in the drive well of my Oasis tandem. I did not like one person not being able to pedal when using the motor. Also worried about bottom-strike damage to the evolve and kayak. Fortunately, the 2 I experienced were in soft mud or at slow speed. I then moved the evolve to the rudder where it has remained the past 4 seasons but this is not an option for the TI.
I do plan to get a TI in the future. The evolve is not good value for the money and has not improved at all since the v2 came out. The newer Torqeedos are direct drive versus the inefficient and noisy gearbox in the evolve. If I were powering a TI today I would be looking at:
- Torqeedo Travel 1103 CS outboard or maybe ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Evo
- Remote Throttle
- Custom or commercial outboard mount behind rear seat
- Battery remote mounted in front hatch
I would use rudder steering rather than the tiller or integrated motor steering.
The mounting and controls routing for the Torqeedo Ultralight 1103CS is more complex than I’d want.
Peter